Many scholars think samuel, along with nathan and gad, wrote the books of 1 and 2 samuel based on 1 chronicles 29. These are the books of the king james version of the bible along with the names and numbers given them in the douay rheims bible and latin vulgate. Though named after its main character, the prophet samuel, the book does not claim an author. That includes 1 and 2 kings, since in the hebrew bible they are a single book. In fact, the bible is a diverse collection of writings from about 40 main contributors30 in the old testament and 10 in. Summary of the books of samuel the story of the bible. Johnson writes, the books of samuel were composed after the death of david from court records, eyewitness accounts, and the writings of the prophets samuel, nathan and gad. Whereas first and second samuel document israels shift from corrupt judges to the righteous leadership of david, kings shows how israel divides and falls into the hands of her enemies these books of history pick up where second samuel left off. The second book, now known as first and second kings, dealt with the glory days of the kingdom under solomon, to the division of the kingdom. It is also possible that samuel wrote chapters 125 and then gad andor nathan completed the remainder of the book.
Jewish tradition stated that samuel wrote the books of samuel, but that the prophets nathan and gad filled in the parts he couldnt have written. This list is a complement to the list in books of the latin vulgate. About the book of 1 samuel its author, date and purpose. Possible writers include nathan and gad see 1 chronicles 29. The author is not named, but many jewish and christian scholars believe that samuel wrote the first 24 chapters, and nathan, gad, or an anonymous author using the records of the three prophets wrote the remainder of i samuel, and all of ii samuel. Traditionally believed to have been written by joshua and samuel themselves, theyre now often lumped in with deuteronomy due to their similar style and language. In 2 samuel, david becomes gods most faithful king, but then rebels. The books of first and second kings are the story of israels decline. It is an aid to finding cross references between two longstanding standards of biblical literature. Upon learning of sauls defeat by the philistines, david sings a song lamenting the deaths of saul and his friend, jonathan. Watch our overview video on the book of 2 samuel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. There was originally only the book of samuel, but due to its length it was eventually split into two books, 1 samuel and 2 samuel. In older bibles, especially the king james version, the title of this book is the second book of samuel otherwise called the second book. The attempt to identify the structure of the books of samuel is one of the most vexing topics in past and present research.
This summary of the book of 2 samuel provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of 2 samuel. Originally, the books of 1 and 2 samuel were one book. Books of kings, two books of the hebrew bible or the protestant old testament that, together with deuteronomy, joshua, judges, and 1 and 2 samuel, belong to the group of historical books deuteronomic history written during the babylonian exile c. In second samuel, david became king of all twelve tribes and formed the united kingdom of israel circa bc. Books of samuel, two old testament books that, along with deuteronomy, joshua, judges, and 1 and 2 kings, belong to the tradition of deuteronomic history first committed to writing about 550 bc, during the babylonian exile. The book of kings is the ninth book of the hebrew bible or the eleventh and twelfth books of the christian old testament. How wrote the book of 2 samuel according to jewish tradition. Dake the second book of samuel is the 10th book of the bible. The psalms name more than seven authors, including five individuals and two families who wrote psalms over the centuries. Gad and nathan the prophets are considered to be the authors of chapters 2531 and the whole of the second book of samuel. Later, in 2 samuel 7, god promises david and his house an eternal dynasty. The key personalities are david, joab, bathsheba, nathan, and absalom. It could not be the prophet samuel, since he died in 1 samuel.
The second book of samuel concludes with four chapters chapters 21 to 24 which lie outside the chronological narrative of saul and david. The first time these books were divided was in the septuagint, the greek version of the hebrew scriptures, and they were referred to as the first and second books of kingdoms. In 1 samuel, god reluctantly raises up kings to rule the israelites. First, it is the only book of the five that contains psalms ascribed to the sons of korah, a group of levite temple singers. According to jewish tradition in the talmud samuel was author of chapters 124 of the first book which are the records of his time. You can read his story in the books of first and second samuel.
Many people contributed to the writing of the bible. Although they are separate books in modern bibles, the books of 1 samuel and 2 samuel were originally one book. Choose from 500 different sets of quiz 2 samuel books bible flashcards on quizlet. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. It concludes the deuteronomistic history, a history of israel also comprising the books of joshua and judges and the book of samuel, which biblical commentators believe was written to provide a theological explanation for the destruction of the kingdom of judah by babylon in. When the masoretic texts were compared with septuagint, it paints a strange picture of some effort made by some scribes who wants to portray the book of samuel as historically old by removing all historical references for events after king david in masoretic. The books of samuel are part of the deuteronomic history, which. The book of samuel which is divided into two books in christian bibles for convenience but they are actually one book. These books describe the rise and development of kingship in israel. The book of 1 samuel can be neatly divided into two sections. This second book of psalms psalms 4272 has a few unique features.
However there is no mention of the author in the book of samuel. The book starts with the miraculous birth of samuel in answer to his mothers earnest prayer. Its author is samuel the prophet who wrote it at about 930 b. The translators of the septuagint separated them, and we have retained that separation ever since. Watch our overview video on the book of 1 samuel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The name samuel, by which the book, now divided into two, is designated in hebrew, was construed to imply that samuel was the author see below. He bridges the gap between the period of the judges and the monarchy, and guides israels transition to kingship. David goes to hebron, where his followers and the southern tribe of judah anoint him as king. Ancient tradition identifies samuel as the author of the first twentyfour chapters of 1 samuel and asserts that the rest of 1 samuel and 2 samuel were completed by nathan and gad. The narrative is resumed with the first book of kings, which relates how, as david lies dying, bathsheba and nathan ensure solomons elevation to the throne. Israel is united under the godly king david, who appoints his son solomon.
First and second samuel deal with a transitional period in the history of ancient israel. More likely, the title was chosen because samuel is the most important of all the personages mentioned in the record, he having a prominent, even dominant, part in most of the events related in book i. Psalm 4272 voice book two this second book of psalms. The books of samuel are preceded by joshua, judges, and ruth, and followed by two books each of kings and chronicles, as well as the books of the restoration. Ancient jewish tradition states that samuel wrote the first twentyfour chapters and the rest were written by nathan and gad. The original ancient hebrew manuscripts recorded the books of samuel as only one book. Jewish tradition is that jeremiah wrote the book of kings talmud, bava bathra 14b. Who was the writer of the book of kings in the bible. Learn quiz 2 samuel books bible with free interactive flashcards. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible. However, samuel may have written, and he certainly supplied, the information for 1 samuel 1. The book of 1 samuel establishes the principle that obedience to the word of god is the necessary condition for a king to be acceptable to the god of israel. His lament over the deaths of saul and of jonathan 2 samuel 1.