The Books of Samuel reveal key episodes from the lives of Samuel and Saul and David.

CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, When your minister doesn’t know the LORD

SUMMARY

Title

The Books of 1 and 2 Samuel are named for the Prophet Samuel.

The earliest Hebrew manuscripts made no division between the two books. They simply entitled the whole collection “Samuel.”

The Septuagint was the first version to divide the material into two parts. That artificial division has persisted to the present day in all translations and versions.

Author

The books of 1 and 2 Samuel do not identify their author. To this day, the author remains anonymous.

Some passages reveal biographical details from Samuel’s life. We assume he provided those details to the author.

Date

The date of the authoring of the books of Samuel cannot be determined with any degree of precision.

First Samuel opens with the narrative of Samuel’s birth, an event which occurred about 1120 BC.

Second Samuel concludes with David making provision for his son Solomon to follow him on the throne, which is dated at 971 BC.

Thus the Books of Samuel span about 150 years of history.

Purpose

The Books of Samuel reveal key episodes from the lives of Samuel and Saul and David.

In doing that, the Books of Samuel provide the history of Israel from the end of the 12th through the beginning of the 10th centuries BC.

OUTLINE

PART 1. PREPARATION FOR THE MONARCHY

PART 2. THE ERA OF SAUL

Saul is Chosen as King

1 Samuel 10:1-8. Samuel anoints Saul as king

1 Samuel 10:9-16. Saul becomes a prophet

1 Samuel 10:17-27. Saul acclaimed as king

1 Samuel 11:1-11. Saul defeats the Ammonites

1 Samuel 11:12-15. Saul is installed as king

1 Samuel 12:1-24. Samuel’s farewell address

1 Samuel 13:1-9. Saul’s sacrilege

1 Samuel 13:10-14. Samuel rebukes king Saul

1 Samuel 13:15-23. Not equipped for battle

1 Samuel 14:1-23. Jonathan’s bold attack

1 Samuel 14:24-35. Saul’s foolish oath

1 Samuel 14:36-46. Jonathan in danger of death

1 Samuel 14:47-52. Saul has a few victories

Saul is Rejected as King

1 Samuel 15:1-9. Samuel spares king Agag

1 Samuel 15:10-23. Saul rejected as king

1 Samuel 15:24-31. Saul pleads for forgiveness

1 Samuel 15:32-35. Samuel hacks king Agag into pieces

Saul and David

1 Samuel 16:1-13. Samuel anoints David as king

1 Samuel 16:14-16. The Spirit departs from Saul

1 Samuel 16:17-23. David plays the lyre for Saul

1 Samuel 17:1-10. Goliath challenges Israel

1 Samuel 17:11-31. Jesse sends David to the camp

1 Samuel 17:32-40. David challenges Goliath

1 Samuel 17:41-51a. David kills Goliath

1 Samuel 17:51b-58. The Philistine army flees for their lives

1 Samuel 18:1-4. The love-relationship between David and Jonathan

1 Samuel 18:5-9. Saul becomes jealous of David

1 Samuel 18:10-16. Saul tries to kill David

1 Samuel 18:17-30. David marries Michal

1 Samuel 19:1-7. Jonathan intercedes for David

1 Samuel 19:8-17. Michal saves David’s life

1 Samuel 19:18-24. David joins Samuel in Ramah

1 Samuel 20:1-42. Jonathan protects David from Saul

1 Samuel 21:1-6. David eats the show bread

1 Samuel 21:7-9. David is unprepared for combat

1 Samuel 21:10-15. David becomes a fugitive

1 Samuel 22:1-10. David at the cave of Adullam

1 Samuel 22:11-23. Saul slaughters priests

1 Samuel 23:1-14. David saves the city of Keilah

1 Samuel 23:14-29. David eludes Saul

1 Samuel 24:1-22. David spares Saul’s life

1 Samuel 25:1. Samuel dies as a hero of the nation

1 Samuel 25:2-22. Nabal the hothead

1 Samuel 25:23-35. Abigail intercedes for Nabal

1 Samuel 25:36-38. Nabal dies an unlamented death

1 Samuel 25:39-44. David marries Abigail & Ahinoam

1 Samuel 26:1-25. David spares Saul’s life (again)

The Death of Saul

1 Samuel 27:1-12. David hides among the Philistines

1 Samuel 28:1-25. Saul foolishly consults a Medium

1 Samuel 29:1-11. The Philistines send David away from the battlefront

1 Samuel 30:1-31. David destroys the Amalekites

1 Samuel 31. The death of Saul

MEMORIZE

1 Samuel 2:12 Now the sons of Eli were wicked men. They didn’t know the LORD.

1 Samuel 12:23. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. (NIV translation)

1 Samuel 13:14b. The LORD has sought for himself a man after his own heart.

1 Samuel 14:6. Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.” (NIV translation)

1 Samuel 14:7. “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.” (NIV translation)

1 Samuel 15:22. Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the LORD’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 16:7. But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 17:45. Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

1 Samuel 17:46. Today, the LORD will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you, and take your head from off you. I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines today to the birds of the sky, and to the wild animals of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,

1 Samuel 17:47. and that all this assembly may know that the LORD doesn’t save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”

Great verses to memorize from the entire Bible

1 SAMUEL

CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, When your minister doesn’t know the LORD

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.

1 Samuel

SUMMARY

Title

Author

Date

Purpose

OUTLINE

PART 1. PREPARATION FOR THE MONARCHY

Samuel’s Birth and Childhood

Hannah

Wicked Religious Leaders at Shiloh

Samuel’s Calling

The Ark of the Covenant

Selecting a King