Information for the Book of
Second Samuel

OVERVIEW


Authorship and Origin:

As described in the discussion of I Samuel, orginally, the books of I and II Samuel, and I and II Kings were originally one large volume, and were broken up later. It is not known who the original author was, but Hebrew tradition says that it was Samuel himself. Some scholars however, feel his name may have been chosen since he was the first character mentioned. The story that is told in these books is the same story that is told in I and II Chronicles, but from a different perspective. In the Hebrew canon, the books of Samuel, Joshua, Judges, and Kings make up the 'former prophets' and provided a history of the times from a prophetic point of view. Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, written much later tell the stories from a priestly point of view, and attempt to explain events in the light of God's character and purpose. Additionally, different details are told and emphasized making them interesting to study individually, and together.

Overview and Significant sections

II Samuel starts with the rule of David over Judah. David's rule over Israel is important both historically and spiritually to God's people. It is in this time that Israel solidifies the tribes into a nation, transistions from poverty to wealth, and centralizes their religion in Jerusalem (which up till now was held by the Jebusites). Under David, Israel increases it's geographic size by 10 times! Unfortunately, David had troubles, which are also detailed in this book.

Significant sections: 




          AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF SECOND SAMUEL

                                



I.   Textual Design of First Samuel:

     A.   Author:

          1.   There are many theories about the authorship of

               First Samuel1 including the Deuteronomic history

               held by many scholars today2

          2.   It must be admitted that with the current evidence

               one cannot affirm without reservation who wrote

               the book.

          3.   The Talmud names Samuel as the author,3 but this

               is hardly probable since he dies in chapter 25The

               naming probably relates to the role he played in

               the first 25 chapters of this history

          4.   The Hebrew cannon places the work under the former

               prophets giving a possible clue to at least the

               role of its author, if not also its sources

               a.   It is possible that Samuel was compiled from

                    thewritings of the prophets Samuel, Gad, and

                    Nathan whose works were preserved within the

                    nation (1 Chron. 29:29; cf. 1 Sam 10:25; see

                    also the "book of Jasher" 2 Sam 1:18)

               b.   It is also possible that Samuel wrote

                    chapters 1--25 and then Gad and/or Nathan

                    completed the remainder of the book

               c.   Nevertheless, there is also evidence that the

                    books of Samuel were written after the death

                    of Solomon (cf. 1 Sam. 27:6)

               d.   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. The actual author or prophetic historian

                    is unknown. But it bears the marks of a

                    prophetic revelation.4

               e.   In any case, there is certainly a tone of

                    warning to the kings from the point of view

                    of the prophet who proclaimed the word of God

                    to the king.

     B.   Date:The textual clues seem to place the writing of the

          book sometime during the divided monarchy and yet

          before the fall of the northern kingdom.

          1.   Israel and Judah are distinguished (11:8; 17:52;

               18:16)

          2.   Ziklag, the city of Philistia where David is sent

               by Achish, is described as belonging "to the kings

               of Judah to this day" (27:6)This not only speaks

               of a time after the divided monarchy, but of a

               time when there had been "kings" in Judah.

          3.   However, there does not seem to be any indication

               in the text that the northern kingdom had fallen

          4.   Therefore, it seems best to place the writing of

               Samuel sometime after the divided monarchy (913

               B.C.) but before the fall of Samaria (7:22 B.C.).

II.  The Canonical Shape of 1 and 2 Samuel:5

     A.   The Hebrew bible regarded 1 and 2 Samuel as two volumes

          of a single book

          1.   This was also true of 1 and 2 Kings

          2.   Josephus recognized the Hebrew canon to have 22

               books6 thus seeing 1 and 2 Samuel as one book

     B.   When the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek

          the Alexandrian Jews brought the books of Samuel and

          Kings together as the books of "kingdoms" and then

          subdivided the collection into four books of

          "kingdoms."

     C.   The Latin Vulgate dropped the titles "books of

          kingdoms" returning to the Hebrew tradition of Samuel

          and Kings; and the Western church still follows this

          patternThe Eastern church still has 1 and 2 Samuel, 1,

          2, 3, and 4 Kingdoms (from Kings and Chronicles)

     D.   It wasn't until sixteen centuries later in the Bomberg

          edition of A.D. 1517 that the Hebrew Bible made the

          division of Samuel and Kings into two books each.

     E.   When one considers that 1 and 2 Samuel were regarded as

          two volumes of a single book in the Hebrew Bible, one

          may consider their outline to be continuous:7

          1.   The career of Samuel and the deliverance from

               Philistia: (1 Sam. 1:1--7:17)

          2.   The rise of King Saul: (1 Sam. 8:1--15:35)

          3.   The decline of Saul and the rise of David: (1 Sam

               1 6:1--31:13)

          4.   David's career as King over Judah and all Israel:

               (2 Sam 1:1--14:33)

          5.   The Closing phase of David's Reign: (2 Sam. 15:1--

               24:25)

     F.   Carlos Pinto suggests a chiastic structure which

          emphasizes, "God's gracious saving activity in favor of

          His people" and which serves as an "inclusio for the

          establishment of the monarchy in Israel."8

          1.   Grace:  The nation is saved from collapse by God's

               grace, mediated through Samuel (1 Samuel 1--9)

               a.   Law:  The nation Falters as a result of

                    Saul's spiritual callousness (1 Samuel 10--

                    31)

                    1)   Law:  The nation faces division and

                         extinction (2 Samuel 1--4)

                    2)   Grace:  The nation experiences

                         unification and expansion (2 Sam 5--10)

               b.   Law:  The nation falters as a result of

                    David's greed and lust (2 Samuel 11:21--21)

          2.   Grace: The nation is saved from collapse by God's

               grace mediated to David (2 Samuel 22--24)9

III. The Theology of 2 Samuel:

     A.   God is gracious:

          1.   This is not because man demonstrates love toward

               God, but in spite of man's disobedience.

          2.   He raises David to king (7:9, 19)

          3.   He forgives David of his evil of adultery and

               premeditated murder (cf. Lev 20:10; Ex 21:14)

          4.   He suspends judgment before the angel attacks

               Jerusalem (24)

     B.   God is Judicious:

          1.   God brings Saul's contempt for God and His

               covenant upon his descendants who, except for

               Mephibosheth, either die violently or with the

               shame of barrenness (cf. Michal in 2 Sam 6)

          2.   God brings David's evil upon his family as the son

               of his adultery dies along with Ammon, Absalom,

               and Adonijah, as his daughter is raped, and as his

               concubines are taken in Absalom's public bid for

               the throne

          3.   Although spiritual forgiveness is provided, the

               consequences of evil are still felt

     C.   God is Sovereign:

          1.   YHWH will be the one who will bring David's rule

               into being (2:1-2)

          2.   The Lord rejected Saul's line (perhaps including

               the barrenness of Michal) 6:16, 20-23.

          3.   David considers the verbal abuse of Shimei (16:5-

               14) to possibly be of God's sovereignty (16:10)

IV.  Purposes for 2 Samuel:

     A.   To portray YHWH's blessing of David's initiatives of

          faith and desires in heart for the kingdom

     B.   To portray YHWH's judgment of David's personal sin

     C.   To unfold YHWH's continuance of the kingdom10

     D.   To describe the establishment of the kingship (whereas

          1 Samuel portrayed the introduction of the kingship)

     E.   "To interpret Israel's national hope"11

     F.   To establish faith in YHWH and in His purpose by

          recounting the establishment of David's kingdom which

          is cursed as a consequence of his sin



___________________________

     1 Good evidence exists that the books of Samuel were

considered one book. The Masoretic postscript is at the end of 2

Samuel. Esdras and Josephus refer to Samuel as a single work. The

translators of the Septuagint divided the books due to their

length when the vowels were added and renamed them 1 and 2

Kingdoms. Jerome followed the same divisions but changed their

names to 1 and 2 Kings, but later versions of the Vulgate

reverted to Samuel again.

     2 Ralph W. Kline, I Samuel Word Biblical Commentary, xxvii-

xxxii. This view deduces a post-exilic author from an imposed

purpose of compiling and editing a history of Israel on the basis

of the theology of a late Deuteronomy.

     3 B. Bat. 14b.

     4 Elliott E. Johnson, "1 Samuel: Synopsis and Selected

Analysis," Unpublished class notes in 327 Seminar in Old

Testament Historical Literature, 1.

     5 Gleason L. Archer, Jr. A Survey of Old Testament

Introduction, revised edition, 299-89; see 291-93 for a good

discussion of alleged discrepancies in 1 and 2 Samuel.

     6 Contra Apionem, 1:8.

     7 Ibid., 288-89.

     8 2 Samuel: Exegetical Outline and Selected Analysis," paper

submitted for the course 372 Seminar in Old Testament Historical

Literature, 5.

     9 Pinto writes, "The author's emphasis on God's covenant

loyalty also accounts for the way the book ends. Rather than

picturing David in his last days, unable to cope with the

fratricidal struggle  for the throne, Samuel ends with David much

as he was, a man capable of great sin, but unequaled in his

repentance and desire to please God, providing the place where

God's glorious manifestation to Israel would be housed in the

near future by the man of God's own choosing, his son Solomon" (2

Samuel: Exegetical Outline and Selected Analysis," a paper

submitted for the course 372 Seminar in Old Testament Historical

Literature, 4-5).

     10 Elliott Johnson writes, "While YHWH had pronounced that

the Davidic dynasty was a given in history, yet now we hear of

David's house as a place of endless strife (12:10) and a source

of trouble for David (12:11). It is the king himself not his son

or sons who is responsible for the turmoil to come. So strife

refers to the experience of David yet the fact of strife within

the house implies the continuation of the house. And amidst the

presence of strife for David is also the issue of the successor

of David who will thus come under the Davidic covenant promises.

Thus the judgment is personal but not political" ("2 Samuel:

Synopsis and Selected Analysis," unpublished class notes in 327

Seminar in Old Testament Historical Literature, 1-2).

     Pinto writes, "Yahweh both judges evil within the nation and

delivers His chosen people (chastening David and removing

unworthy candidates to the throne, while granting Israel not only

respite from foreign oppression, but dominion over former

enemies) so that Israel can experience full covenant blessing"

("2 Samuel: Exegetical Outline and Selected Analysis," a paper

submitted for the course 372 Seminar in Old Testament Historical

Literature, Spring 1989, 18.

     11 Johnson writes, "The historical features of the text's

composition remain unchanged from 1 Samuel. Written after David's

reign, the book selects and arranges the narratives of historical

events to both highlight the blessing and cursing in David's

kingdom. The blessing of the covenant becomes the basis of hope

while the cursing of David directs that hope to the future. Some

future heir will realize what God has promised" ("2 Samuel:

Synopsis and Selected Analysis," unpublished class notes in 327

Seminar in Old Testament Historical Literature, 3).
©1996 David Malick, http://www.bible.org. Anyone is free to reproduce this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author's consent.