1 Samuel
First Samuel narrates Israel's turbulent passage from judges to kings. It opens with a barren woman's prayer and the birth of Samuel, prophet and kingmaker. When the people demand a king like the nations, God gives them Saul, tall, promising, and finally tragic, a ruler who cannot bring himself to obey. Meanwhile God quietly chooses a shepherd boy from Bethlehem. David fells Goliath, wins the people's love, and spends years as a fugitive, repeatedly sparing the king who hunts him. The book ends on Mount Gilboa with Saul dead and the throne standing empty.
Anonymous; draws on records tied to Samuel, Nathan, and Gad.
Events c. 1100–1010 BC; compiled during or after the monarchy.
Israel under the monarchy, reflecting on how kingship began.
To recount the rise of kingship in Israel, contrasting Saul's disobedience with David's heart for God.