Samuel BRI

B.R.I—Samuel

1.      Identify what Author wrote for which Original Reader, and When

a.       Author/Compiler of the Book

                                                              i.      Internal

1.       1 Chronicles 29:29 ‘Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the records of the seer Samuel, and in records of the prophet Nathan, and in the records of the seer Gad,’

2.       1 Samuel 25:1 ‘Now Samuel died...’

3.       1 Samuel 28:3 ‘Now Samuel had died...’

                                                            ii.      External

1.       There is no actual agreement on who the author of Samuel. (Colonel David Hanson, lecture)

2.       Possibly a Judean prophet after the division of the kingdom, using multiple sources like the Book of Jasher and the acts of King David (see 1 Chronicles 29:29). (Colonel Hansen, lecture)

3.       It is logical to assume that Samuel wrote Samuel since his name is associated with the books through name. The problem with this, however, is that a major part of the events takes place after Samuel’s death. (Nelson’s)

4.       The author is anonymous. But according to Jewish tradition, the book was authored by the prophet Samuel, and completed by Nathan and Gad. (Holman Bible Handbook)

                                                          iii.      Conclusion

Since no one can be sure who is the author of Samuel is, there are too many opinions about the authorship. I’ve chosen to go with the more traditional view that Samuel wrote a small portion, while the prophets Nathan and Gad wrote the rest of it. The fact that Samuel died halfway through the first portion tells me that he obviously did not write all of it, and since, in 1 Chronicles 29:29, it states that there are records off Samuel, Nathan and Gad, it seems logical to me that these three records could be combined in on to form the Book of Samuel.

b.      To Whom was it Written

                                                              i.      Internal

1.       1 Kings 12:26-27 ‘Then Jeroboam said to himself, “Now the kingdom may well revert to the house of David. If this people continues to go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem...’

                                                            ii.      External

1.       The Israelites in the time of the exile. (Ylva, discussion)

                                                          iii.      Conclusion

Since the rest of the OT, so far has been written to the Israelites, I believe that Samuel was written to the Israelites. But this leaves us with the question, ‘which set of Israelites was it written to?’ Since it is extremely hard to find any information on the Original Reader it was written to, no one can be sure. I believe that it could be to the Israelites of the Exile, since some sources say that Kings and Chronicles were written to this particular OR, as many of the pre-Exile prophetic scriptures were.

c.       When/where was it Written

                                                              i.      Internal

1.       1 Samuel 27:6 ‘So that day Achish gave him Ziklag; therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah, to this day.’

a.       A divided people

b.       A divided kingdom

2.       1 Samuel 9:9 ‘Formerly in Israel, anyone who went to inquire of God would say, “Come, let us go to the seer”; for the one who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.’

a.       Formerly seer, now called prophet

                                                                                                                                       i.      Seer was used in the days of the judges; more commonly used in the pagan religions.

                                                            ii.      External

1.       Eighth century BC. (Zondervan’s)

                                                          iii.      Conclusion

I don’t actually have an idea of when Samuel was written, because I cannot find enough evidence of when it could have been written. I believe that because of the lack or authorship evidence, it is difficult to tell when it was written. It did have to be compiled, if not written, as David’s reign was coming to an end, but before the end of the Exile

2.      Research the Background of the Author, Original Audience, and Readers

a.       Author’s Background

Since the author is unknown, I can give no background information.

b.      Original Audience’s Background

                                                              i.      Political History

1.       Corrupt levitical system

2.       Saul, a bad king

3.       David, a king; ‘a man after God’s own heart’

                                                            ii.      Religious History

1.       Beginning to know and follow God

                                                          iii.      Current Leaders

1.       Samuel

2.       Saul

3.       David

Samuel was a judge as well as a prophet. He also took on some priestly duties, because Eli would not do his levitical duties. Saul was a Benjaminite, who was anointed king, because the people demanded a king. David was considered a man after God’s own heart, and was anointed king by Samuel.

                                                          iv.      Current Enemies

1.       The Philistines

                                                            v.      Geography

1.       Israel

c.       Original Reader’s Background

Because I do not know who the OR is, I will be unable to tell you any of their background information.

3.      Reasons Written

a.       To teach the king how to be Godly and how to carry out God’s laws.

4.      Author’s Literary Tools

a.       Kind of Writing

                                                              i.      Prose

                                                            ii.      Poetry

1.       2:1-10

2.       15:22-23

3.       15:33

4.       18:7

5.       21:11

6.       1:19-27

7.       3:33-34

8.       20:1b

9.       22:2-51

10.   23:1-7

b.      Type of Literature

                                                              i.      Narrative

c.       Structure

                                                              i.      Biological

                                                            ii.      Chronological

d.      Composition Tools

                                                              i.      Cruciality

5.      Main Idea

a.       God seeks a man after his own heart to lead the people in following God’s laws.