OF THE FIRST BOOK OF
S A M U E L.
This book, and that which follows it, bear the name of Samuel in
the title, not because he was the penman of them (except of so much of
them as fell within his own time, to the twenty-fifth chapter of the
first book, in which we have an account of his death), but because the
first book begins with a large account of him, his birth and childhood,
his life and government; and the rest of these two volumes that are
denominated from him contains the history of the reigns of Saul
and David, who were both anointed by him. And, because the
history of these two kings takes up the greatest part of these books,
the Vulgar Latin calls them the First and Second Books of the
Kings, and the two that follow the Third and Fourth,
which the titles in our English Bibles take notice of with an alias:
otherwise called the First Book of the Kings, &c. The LXX. calls
them the first and second Book of the Kingdoms. It is needless
to contend about it, but there is no occasion to vary from the Hebrew
verity. These two books contain the history of the last two of the
judges, Eli and Samuel, who were not, as the rest, men of
war, but priests (and so much of them is an appendix to the book of
Judges), and of the first two of the kings, Saul and
David, and so much of them is an entrance upon the history of
the kings. They contain a considerable part of the sacred history, are
sometimes referred to in the New Testament, and often in the titles of
David's Psalms, which, if placed in their order, would fall in these
books. It is uncertain who was the penman of them; it is probable that
Samuel wrote the history of his own time, and that, after him, some of
the prophets that were with David (Nathan as likely as any) continued
it. This first book gives us a full account of Eli's fall and Samuel's
rise and good government,
1 Samuel 1:1-8:22
Of Samuel's resignation of the government and Saul's advancement and
mal-administration,
1 Samuel 9:1-15:35
The choice of David, his struggles with Saul, Saul's ruin at last, and
the opening of the way for David to the throne,
1 Samuel 16:1-31:13
And these things are written for our learning.
Co
Matthew Henry "Verse by Verse Commentary for '1 Samuel' Matthew Henry Bible Commentary".
.