Author

Samuel, Nathan, Gad and an unknown scribe who served as compiler

Written

900 BC Covering the time period of 1150 BC - 1000 BC

Main Themes

Contains the famous story of David killing Goliath

Samuel's mother gives him to the priests to raise.

Samuel hears God's voice as a boy.

Samuel anoints David as future king.

David kills Goliath.

Saul calls on a witch to bring the prophet Samuel back to life and speak to him.

Key Verses

1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD [Yahweh] said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance, or the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD [Yahweh] does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD [Yahweh] looks at the heart.

1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Does the LORD [Yahweh] have as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as He does in obeying the voice of the LORD [Yahweh]? To obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to listen is better than the fat of rams.

Important Points

1 Samuel contains the stories of Samuel the prophet, King Saul, and King David's trials before he was king.

Prior to Samuel, the people of Israel had been in tribes, held loosely together. But God transformed them into a unified nation under one form of government in this part of their history. First Samuel focuses on the establishment of Israel as a nation.

The people demanded a king because all the surrounding nations had one, and they were giving in to peer pressure.

The first king was Saul, and the second king was David. This book covers mostly the prophet Samuel growing up, King Saul's good and bad adventures, and his chasing down David to try to kill him. The book ends with the death of Saul.