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104-763: In the Books of Samuel , Millo is mentioned as the boundary of David 's construction while building up the City of David after the capture of Jerusalem from the Jebusites . The New King James Version identifies Millo as literally "The Landfill", while the New International Version translates it to "supporting terraces". Hezekiah's repair of the Millo is mentioned within a list of repairs to military fortifications, and several scholars generally believe that it

208-739: A prophet in Judaism , Christianity , and Islam . In addition to his role in the Bible, Samuel is mentioned in Jewish rabbinical literature , in the Christian New Testament , and in the second chapter of the Quran (although the text does not mention him by name). He is also treated in the fifth through seventh books of Antiquities of the Jews , written by the Jewish scholar Josephus in

312-617: A battle against the Philistines, he does not wait for Samuel to arrive before he offers sacrifices. Meanwhile, it turns out that the Philistines have been killing and capturing blacksmiths in order to ensure the Israelites do not have weapons, and so the Israelites go to war essentially with sharpened farm instruments. Saul's son Jonathan launches a secret attack by climbing a pass into the Philistine camp and kills twenty people in

416-787: A battle follows and David wins. During the Benjaminites' retreat, Joab's brother Asahel chases Abner and Abner kills him, shocking everyone. Joab and Abishai continue Asahel's pursuit. A truce is declared when they reach a hill to avoid further bloodshed, and Abner and his men are able to cross the Jordan . The war continues as David builds a family. Meanwhile, the House of Saul is getting weaker. When Ish-bosheth accuses Abner of sleeping with Saul's concubine Rizpah , Abner offers to join David, which David accepts as long as he brings Michal with him. At

520-761: A boy. The story of the Ark of the Covenant follows. It tells of Israel's oppression by the Philistines , which brought about Samuel's anointing of Saul as Israel 's first king. But Saul proved unworthy, and God's choice turned to David , who defeated Israel's enemies, purchased the threshing floor where his son Solomon would build the First Temple , and brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. Yahweh then promised David and his successors an everlasting dynasty. In

624-406: A cabinet. David asks if anyone from the House of Saul is still alive so that he can show kindness to them in memory of Jonathan. Ziba , one of Saul's servants, tells him about Mephibosheth. David informs Mephibosheth that he will live in his household and eat at his table, and Mephibosheth moves to Jerusalem. Nahash, king of Ammon dies and his son Hanun succeeds him. David sends condolences, but

728-446: A decision. When Saul and his servant were searching for his father 's lost donkeys, the servant suggested consulting the nearby Samuel. Samuel recognized Saul as the future king. Just before his retirement, Samuel gathered the people to an assembly at Gilgal , and delivered a farewell speech or coronation speech in which he emphasised how prophets and judges were more important than kings, that kings should be held to account, and that

832-611: A decisive victory at Helam . The Arameans realise they cannot win, make peace with Israel and refuse to help the Ammonites again. The following spring, Joab destroys the Ammonites. While Joab is off at war, David remains in Jerusalem. One morning, he is standing on the roof of his palace when he sees a naked woman performing ablutions after her period. David learns her name is Bathsheba , and they have sex. She becomes pregnant. Seeking to hide his sin, David recalls her husband, Uriah

936-560: A feast, where he gives him the best piece of meat, and they talk through the night on the roof of Samuel's house. Samuel tells Saul to return home, telling him the donkeys have been found and his father is now worrying about him, as well as describing a series of signs Saul will see on the way home. Saul begins to prophesy when he meets some prophets, confusing his neighbours. Eventually, Samuel publicly announces Saul as king, although not without controversy. Shortly after, Nahash of Ammon lays siege to Jabesh Gilead and demands that everyone in

1040-439: A great-grandson of Eli. Pretending he is on a mission from the king and is going to meet his men, he asks for supplies. He is given the showbread and Goliath's sword. He then flees to Gath and seeks refuge at the court of King Achish , but feigns insanity since he is afraid of what the Philistines might do to him. David travels to the cave of Adullam near his home, where his family visit him, until he finds refuge for them at

1144-487: A large amount of supplies to David herself. This turns out to be at exactly the right moment, since David had just threatened to kill everyone in Nabal's home. Abigail begs for mercy, and David agrees, praising her wisdom. That night Nabal has a feast, so Abigail waits until morning to tell him what she has done. He has a heart attack and dies ten days later. David marries Abigail and a woman from Jezreel named Ahinoam , but in

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1248-545: A leper, someone disabled or someone hungry. He then holds a funeral for Abner. By this point, the only other surviving member of Ish-bosheth's family is Mephibosheth , Jonathan's disabled son, who was dropped by his nurse as she attempted to escape the palace after the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. Ish-bosheth is murdered by Rechab and Baanah , two of his captains who hope for a reward from David, who stab him and cut off his head. They bring his head to David, but David has them killed for killing an innocent man. They are hanged by

1352-414: A man named Jesse , with God promising Samuel can anoint one of his sons as king. However, while inspecting Jesse's sons, God tells Samuel that none of them are to be king. God tells Samuel to anoint David , the youngest brother, as king. Saul becomes ill and David comes to play the harp to him. Saul takes a liking to David and David enters Saul's court as his armor-bearer and harpist . A new war against

1456-404: A page to find them. If he tells the page the arrows are on his side of the stone, David can come to him, but if he tells them they are beyond the stone, he must run away. When Jonathan puts the plan into action, Saul attempts to kill him with his spear. Jonathan relays this to David using his code and the two weep as they are separated. David arrives at Nob , where he meets Ahimelech the priest,

1560-487: A reward to the people of Jabesh Gilead for performing Saul's funerary rites. Meanwhile, in the north, Saul's son Ish-bosheth , supported by Abner, has taken control of the northern tribes. David and Ish-bosheth's armies meet at the Pool of Gibeon , and Abner and Joab , another son of Zeruiah and David's general, agree to have soldiers fight in one-on-one combat. All this achieves is twelve men on each side killing each other, but

1664-533: A speech of Samuel that portrays him as the judge sent by God to save Israel may have been composed by the Deuteronomists. In 1 Samuel 9:6–20, Samuel is seen as a local "seer". According to documentary scholarship, the Deuteronomistic historians preserved this view of Samuel while contributing him as "the first of prophets to articulate the failure of Israel to live up to its covenant with God." For

1768-537: A tent before. Secondly, God is still working to build David and his house up and establish the Israelites in the Promised Land . Thirdly, God will establish one of David's sons as king. He will build the temple, and his house will never be out of power. When Nathan reports this to David, David prays to God, thanking him for these revelations. David defeats the enemies of Israel, slaughtering Philistines, Moabites , Edomites , Syrians, and Arameans . He then appoints

1872-466: A test: he is to dine with the king the following day for the New Moon festival . However, he will hide in a field and Jonathan will tell Saul that David has returned to Bethlehem for a sacrifice. If the king accepts this, he is not trying to kill him, but if he becomes angry, he is. Jonathan devises a code to relay this information to David: he will come to the stone Ezel, shoot three arrows at it and tell

1976-413: A window by Michal, who then takes an idol, covers it in clothes and places goat's hair on its head to cover David's escape. David visits Samuel. When Saul finds this out, he sends men to capture David, but when they see Samuel they begin prophesying, as does Saul when he tries to capture David himself. David then visits Jonathan, and they argue about whether Saul actually wants to kill David. David proposes

2080-501: Is annoyed, but David says it was for the Lord, and thus it was not undignified. Michal never has any children. David wishes to build a temple, arguing that he should not be living in a palace while God lives in a tent. Nathan , a prophet, agrees. However, that night Nathan has a dream in which God informs him that David should not build him a temple for three reasons. Firstly, God has not commanded it, and has never complained about living in

2184-468: Is calling him three times, he rushes to Eli. Eli informs him that God wishes to speak to him, and God informs Samuel that the earlier prophecy about Eli's family is correct. He is at first afraid to inform Eli of this, but Eli tells him not to be, and that God will do what is good in His sight. Over time, Samuel grows up and is recognised as a prophet. The Philistines , despite their initial worries when hearing

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2288-475: Is described as having exercised the functions of a (biblical) judge, during an annual circuit from Ramah to Bethel to Gilgal (the Gilgal between Ebal and Gerizim ) to Mizpah and back to Ramah ( 1 Samuel 7:15-17 ), is foreshadowed by Deborah , who used to render judgments from a place beneath a palm between Ramah and Bethel. Source-critical scholarship often considers it to be a redaction aimed at harmonizing

2392-455: Is described as having grieved copiously and having prematurely aged. His yahrzeit is observed on the 28th day of Iyar . For Christians , Samuel is considered to be a prophet, judge, and wise leader of Israel, and treated as an example of fulfilled commitments to God. On the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox , and Lutheran calendars, his feast day is August 20. He is commemorated as one of

2496-452: Is drunk, but when he realises she is praying, he blesses her. A child named Samuel is born, and Samuel is dedicated to the Lord as a Nazirite  – the only one besides Samson to be identified in the Bible. Hannah sings a song of praise upon the fulfilment of her vow. Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas , sin against God's laws and the people, specifically by demanding raw rather than boiled meat for sacrifice and having sex with

2600-426: Is forgiven and will not die, his son with Bathsheba will. The child becomes ill, and David spends his time fasting and praying, but to no avail, because the child dies. David's attendants are scared to tell him the news, worried about what he may do. He surprises everyone by ending his fasting, saying that he was fasting and praying was an attempt to persuade God to save his child, whereas fasting now isn't going to bring

2704-405: Is growing increasingly anxious about the upcoming battle, but cannot get advice from God. He decides to attempt to contact Samuel from beyond the grave. While he has expelled all the witches and spiritists, he learns that one remains at Endor . After Saul assures her she will not be punished, she agrees to summon Samuel. Samuel is not happy to be disturbed, and reveals that the Philistines will win

2808-575: Is king, but God allows David to defeat them in two battles, first in Baal Perizim and next in the Valley of Rephaim . The Ark is currently still in Baalah (another name for Kiriath Jearim), but David wants to bring it to Jerusalem. He puts it on a cart and employs the priests Uzzah and Ahio , both sons of Abinadab and brothers of Eleazar, to accompany it. A grand procession with musical instruments

2912-589: Is married off to the nobleman Adriel . However, David is in love with Michal , another of Saul's daughters. Although David is still unsure about becoming son-in-law to the king, Saul requires only 100 Philistine foreskins as dowry. Although this is a plan to have David captured by the Philistines, David kills 200 Philistines and brings their foreskins back to Saul. Saul then plots David's death, but Jonathan talks him out of it. Once again Saul tries to kill David with his spear, and so David decides to escape, lowered out of

3016-660: Is not followed by kings and prophets, but some critical scholars look elsewhere seeking a harmonization of the issues. In the Book of Chronicles , Samuel is described as a Levite, rectifying this situation; however critical scholarship widely sees the Book of Chronicles as an attempt to redact the Book(s) of Samuel and of Kings to conform to later religious sensibilities. Since many of the Biblical law codes themselves are thought to postdate

3120-456: Is organised, but comes to a sudden halt when the oxen stumble, causing Uzzah to touch the Ark and die. David is afraid to take it any further and stores it in the house of a man named Obed-Edom . When, after three months, Obed-Edom and his family have received nothing but blessings, David takes the Ark to Jerusalem. As part of the ceremony bringing the Ark into the city, David dances in front of it wearing nothing but an ephod . Michal sees this and

3224-518: Is passed to the city of Kiriath Jearim , where a new priest, Eleazar, son of Abinadab , is appointed to guard the ark for the twenty years it is there. The Philistines attack the Israelites gathered at Mizpah in Benjamin. Samuel appeals to God, the Philistines are decisively beaten, and the Israelites reclaim their lost territory. Samuel sets up the Eben-Ezer (the stone of help) in remembrance of

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3328-640: Is seen as a prophet and seer in the Islamic faith. The narrative of Samuel in Islam focuses specifically on his birth and the anointing of Talut . Other elements from his narrative are in accordance with the narratives of other Prophets of Israel , as exegesis recounts Samuel's preaching against idolatry . He is not mentioned by name in the Qur'an , but may be alluded to in Surah Al-Baqara 2:246 . In

3432-905: The Moabites , the Ammonites , the Edomites , the Zobahites , the Philistines and the Amalekites , winning victory over them all. His kingdom is in a constant state of war, and he constantly recruits new heroes to his army. However, he disobeys God's instruction to destroy Amalek: Saul spares Agag , the Amalekite ruler, and the best portion of the Amalekite flocks to present them as sacrifices. Samuel rebukes Saul and tells him that God has now chosen another man to be king of Israel. Samuel then kills Agag himself. Samuel travels to Bethlehem to visit

3536-696: The Septuagint , a basis of the Christian biblical canons , the text is divided into two books, now called the First and Second Book of Samuel. The Jerusalem Bible divides the two Books of Samuel into five sections. Further subheadings are also based on subdivisions in that version: 1 Samuel 1:1–7:17. Samuel 1 Samuel 8:1–15:35. Samuel and Saul 1 Samuel 16:1–2 Samuel 1:27. Saul and David 2 Samuel 2:1–20:26. David 2 Samuel 21:1–24:25. Supplementary Information A man named Elkanah , an Ephraimite from

3640-696: The Amalekites' sheep and oxen, intending to sacrifice the livestock to the Lord. This was in violation of the Lord's command, as pronounced by Samuel, to "... utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass" (1 Samuel 15:3, KJV). Samuel confronted Saul for his disobedience and told him that God made him king, and God can unmake him king. Samuel then proceeded to execute Agag. Saul never saw Samuel alive again after this. Samuel then proceeded to Bethlehem and secretly anointed David as king. He would later provide sanctuary for David, when

3744-617: The Amalekites, and David's wives taken captive. After seeking God's advice, David decides to pursue the raiding Amalekites, finding the Egyptian slave of one, abandoned when he became ill, who can show them the band. When they are located and found to be feasting, David fights all day, with only 400 escaping on camels. David recovers everything and returns to the Besor Valley , where 200 men who were too exhausted to come with him have been guarding supplies. David announces all are to share in

3848-435: The Ammonites suspect his ambassadors are spies and humiliate them before sending them back to David. When they realise their mistake, they fear retaliation from David and amass an army from the surrounding tribes. When David hears that they are doing this, he sends Joab to lead his own army to their city gates, where the Ammonites are in battle formation. Joab decides to split the army in two: he will lead an elite force to attack

3952-530: The Ammonites, takes a large amount of plunder and puts the Ammonites into forced labour before returning to Jerusalem. Samuel (Bible) Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible , plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul , and again in the monarchy 's transition from Saul to David . He is venerated as

4056-515: The Aramean faction, while the rest of the army, led by Abisai, will focus on the Ammonites. If either enemy force turns out to be too strong, the other Israelite force will come to help their comrades. The Arameans flee from Joab, causing the Ammonites to also flee from Abishai. The Israelite army returns to Jerusalem. The Arameans regroup and cross the Euphrates, and this time David himself wins

4160-655: The Book(s) of Samuel (according to the Documentary Hypothesis ), this would suggest Chronicles is making its claim based on religious motivations. According to most modern scholarship, the Levitical genealogy of 1 Chronicles 4 is not historical. According to the documentary hypothesis of Biblical source criticism, which postulates that " Deuteronomistic historians " redacted the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings),

4264-509: The Book(s) of Samuel. The oldest is considered to be that marking Samuel as the local seer of Ramah, who willingly anointed Saul as king in secret, while the latter presents Samuel as a national figure, begrudgingly anointing Saul as king in front of a national assembly. This later source is generally known as the Republican source , since it denigrates the monarchy (particularly the actions of Saul) and favours religious figures, in contrast to

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4368-503: The Deuteronomistic historians, Samuel would have been an extension of Moses and continuing Moses' function as a prophet, judge, and priest, which makes the nature of the historical Samuel uncertain. According to the Book of Jeremiah and one of the Psalms , Samuel had a high devotion to God. Classical Rabbinical literature adds that he was more than an equal to Moses , God speaking directly to Samuel, rather than Samuel having to attend

4472-454: The Deuteronomists idealized Samuel as a figure larger than life, like Joshua . For example, Samuel's father Elkanah is described as having originated from Zuph , specifically Ramathaim-Zophim , which was part of the tribal lands of Ephraim , while 1 Chronicles states that he was a Levite . Samuel is portrayed as a judge who leads the military, as the judges in the Book of Judges, and also who exercises judicial functions. In 1 Sam 12:6–17,

4576-518: The Hebrew Śāmū (שָׂמוּ) + ʾĒl, meaning "God has set" or "God has placed". This meaning relating to the idea of God setting/placing a child in the womb, alongside Hannah dedicating Samuel as a Nazirite to God. The Hebrew śāmū is also related to the Akkadian šâmū (𒊮𒈬), which shares the same meaning. From the explanation given in 1 Samuel 1:20 , however, it would seem to come from a contraction of

4680-407: The Hebrew שְׁאִלְתִּיו מֵאֵל ( Modern: Šəʾīltīv mēʾĒl, Tiberian: Šĭʾīltīw mēʾĒl ), meaning "I have asked/borrowed him from God". Further shortened to שָׁאוּל מֵאֵל ( Šāʾūl mēʾĒl, "asked/borrowed from God" ), then finally contracted to שְׁמוּאֵל ( Šəmūʾēl/Šămūʾēl ). This meaning also relating to Hannah dedicating Samuel as a Nazirite to God as well. Samuel worked under Eli in the service of

4784-458: The Hittite , from battle, David encourages him to go home and see his wife, but Uriah declines in case David might need him, and sleeps in the doorway to the palace that night. David, in spite of inviting Uriah to feasts, continues to be unable to persuade him to go home. David then deliberately sends Uriah on a suicide mission. David loses some of his best warriors in this mission, so Joab tells

4888-832: The Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 30. In the Coptic Orthodox Church , the commemoration of the departure of Samuel the Prophet is celebrated on 9 Paoni . Herbert Lockyer , minister and author, and others have seen in Samuel's combined offices of prophet, priest, and ruler a foreshadowing of Christ. Samuel ( Arabic : صموئيل or شموئيل , romanized :  Šamūʾīl or Ṣamūʾīl )

4992-651: The Islamic narrative, the Israelites after Moses wanted a king to rule over their country. Thus, God sent a prophet, Samuel, to anoint Talut as the first king for the Israelites. However, the Israelites mocked and reviled the newly appointed king, as he was not wealthy from birth (Q 2:247 ). But, assuming Talut to be Saul , in sharp contrast to the Hebrew Bible, the Qur'an praises Saul greatly, and mentions that he

5096-542: The Israelite ritual of the entrance of the Ark of the Covenant , defeat the Israelites at the Battle of Aphek , capturing the Ark and killing Hophni and Phinehas, thus fulfilling the earlier prophecy. When Eli hears of these two events, particularly the capture of the Ark, he falls off his chair and dies. His daughter-in-law, in turn, goes into labour at this, and names her son Ichabod ('without glory') in commemoration of

5200-466: The Israelites make up a song about how much more successful David is than Saul. One day, Saul decides to kill David with a spear, but David avoids him. Saul realises that God is now with David and no longer with him, making him scared of David. He therefore seeks other ways to pacify David. First, he sends him on military campaigns, but this only makes him more successful. Next, he tries to marry him off to his daughter Merab, but David refuses, and so Merab

5304-457: The Lord told him that the wickedness of the sons of Eli had resulted in their dynasty being condemned to destruction. In the morning, Samuel was hesitant about reporting the message to Eli, but Eli asked him to honestly recount to him what he had been told by the Lord. Upon receiving the communication, Eli merely said that the Lord should do what seems right unto him. Samuel grew up and "all Israel from Dan to Beersheba " came to know that Samuel

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5408-407: The Philistines begins, and a Philistine champion named Goliath emerges, challenging any Israelite to one-on-one combat, with the loser's people becoming subject to the winner. David goes to take food to his brothers in the Israelite camp, learns of the situation and the reward Saul is willing to give to the person who kills him great wealth, his daughter's hand in marriage and exemption from taxes for

5512-681: The Philistines out of fear of Saul, taking his wives with him and brutally destroying his enemies, largely the Geshurites , the Girzites and the Amalekites, but makes the Philistines believe he is attacking the Israelites, the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites instead. King Achish is pleased with him, and supposes he will continue to serve him. Eventually, the Philistines go to war with the Israelites, and David goes with them. Meanwhile, Saul

5616-425: The Philistines. "[I]t may have been possible and necessary for Samuel to exercise authority in roles that would normally not converge in a single individual (priest, prophet, judge)." After 20 years of oppression, Samuel, who had gained national prominence as a prophet (1 Samuel 3:20), summoned the people to the hill of Mizpah , and led them against the Philistines. The Philistines, having marched to Mizpah to attack

5720-632: The Stepped Stone Structure shows that the structure connects with and supports the Large Stone Structure . Mazar presents evidence that the Large Stone Structure was an Israelite royal palace in continuous use from the tenth century until 586 BC. Her conclusion that the stepped stone structure and the large stone structure are parts of a single, massive royal palace makes sense of the biblical reference to

5824-477: The age of kings is about to begin, and speaks to the Israelites, demonstrating his innocence and recapping the history of Israel. He calls on the Lord to send thunder and rain, and rebukes the people for their desire for a king. Nonetheless, he tells them that as long as they refrain from idol worship, they will not perish – but if they do, calamity will befall the kingdom. Despite his numerous military victories, Saul disobeys Yahweh's instructions. First of all, after

5928-560: The armor-bearer refuses. When they see the battle going badly, the Israelites flee their towns, allowing the Philistines to occupy them. The next day, the Philistines find Saul, behead him, and take his armour to the temple of Astarte and his body to Beth Shan . When they hear what has happened, the citizens of Jabesh Gilead take his body and perform funerary rites in their city. Back in Ziklag, three days after Saul's death, David receives news that Saul and his sons are dead. It transpires that

6032-462: The assumption that Samuel was still living when summoned, is discredited (Tosef., Soṭah, xi. 5). Still he was invoked during the first twelve months after his death, when, according to the Rabbis, the spirit still hovers near the body (Shab. 152b). In connection with the incidents of the story the Rabbis have developed the theory that the necromancer sees the spirit but is unable to hear his speech, while

6136-433: The battle, and takes his place as judge of Israel. In Samuel's old age, he appoints his sons Joel and Abijah as judges but, because of their corruption, the people ask for a king to rule over them. God directs Samuel to grant the people their wish despite his concerns: God gives them Saul from the tribe of Benjamin, whom Samuel anoints during an attempt by Saul to locate his father's lost donkeys. He then invites Saul to

6240-512: The battle, with Saul and his sons dying in the process. Saul is shocked and, although at first reluctant, eats some food and leaves. Back in the Philistine camp, several of the rulers are not happy with the idea of fighting alongside David, suspecting he may defect during the battle. Achish therefore reluctantly sends David back instead of bringing him to Jezreel with the Philistine army. When David and his men arrive in Ziklag , they find it sacked by

6344-414: The blood. To counteract this, Saul sets up an altar so the proper laws can be observed. When a priest suggests asking God before launching another attack, God is silent, leading Saul to set up a pseudo-legal procedure to ascertain whose fault it is that God has abandoned them. The lot falls on Jonathan, but the men refuse to let him be executed since he is the reason for their victory. Over time, Saul fights

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6448-440: The capture of the Ark. Meanwhile, the Philistines take the Ark to the temple of their god Dagon , who recognizes the supremacy of Yahweh. The Philistines are afflicted with plagues, are unable to take the Ark into any city on account of the fear of the populations of those cities, and return the ark to the Israelites, but to the territory of the tribe of Benjamin , to the city of Beth Shemesh , rather than to Shiloh, from where it

6552-399: The child back. After they have mourned, David and Bathsheba have another child, who they name Solomon (also called Jedediah). Back on the front line, in the city of Rabbah , Joab has gained control of the water supply. Joab invites David to finish capturing the city so that it may be named after himself. David gathers an army and travels up himself. He wins a victory, crowns himself king of

6656-465: The child was weaned, she left him in Eli's care, and from time to time she would come to visit her son. According to 1 Samuel 1:20, Hannah named Samuel to commemorate her prayer to God for a child. "... [She] called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord" (KJV). From its appearance, the name Samuel ( Hebrew: שְׁמוּאֵל Šəmūʾēl , Tiberian: Šămūʾēl ) appears to be constructed from

6760-400: The city have their right eye gouged out as part of the peace treaty. The Jabeshites send out messengers, looking for a saviour. When Saul hears of the situation, he gathers a 330,000-strong army and launches a surprise attack at night, leading Israel to victory and saving Jabesh, thus proving those who doubted him wrong. Saul's kingship is renewed. Samuel is aware he is the final judge and that

6864-409: The city of Ramathaim-Zophim , has two wives, Peninnah and Hannah , the latter of whom is his favourite wife, and a rivalry between the two develops based on the fact that Peninnah has children and Hannah does not. The childless Hannah vows to Yahweh lord of hosts that, if she has a son, he will be dedicated to God. Eli , the priest of Shiloh , where the Ark of the Covenant is located, thinks she

6968-518: The court of the king of Moab in Mizpah . One of Saul's servants, Doeg the Edomite , saw David at Nob, and informs Saul that he was there. Saul arrives at the town, concludes that the priests are supporting David and has Doeg kill them all. One priest gets away: Abiathar , son of Ahimelech , who goes to join David. David accepts him, since he feels somewhat responsible for the massacre. David liberates

7072-426: The external threat from other tribes, such as the Philistines, the tribal leaders decided that there was a need for a more unified, central government, and demanded Samuel appoint a king so that they could be like other nations. Samuel interpreted this as a personal rejection, and at first was reluctant to oblige, until reassured by a divine revelation. He warned the people of the potential negative consequences of such

7176-641: The first century. He is first called "the Seer" in 1 Samuel 9:9 . Samuel's mother was Hannah and his father was Elkanah . Elkanah lived at Ramathaim in the district of Zuph . His genealogy is also found in a pedigree of the Kohathites (1 Chronicles 6:3–15) and in that of Heman the Ezrahite , apparently his grandson (1 Chronicles 6:18–33). According to the genealogical tables in Chronicles, Elkanah

7280-452: The fortified area surrounding the Gihon Spring . Books of Samuel The Book of Samuel ( Hebrew : ספר שמואל , Sefer Shmuel ) is a book in the Hebrew Bible , found as two books ( 1–2 Samuel ) in the Old Testament . The book is part of the Deuteronomistic history , a series of books ( Joshua , Judges , Samuel, and Kings ) that constitute a theological history of the Israelites and that aim to explain God's law for Israel under

7384-438: The ground. Abishai advocates killing him, but David once again resists, content with taking a spear and water jug lying by Saul's head. The next morning, David advises Abner , Saul's captain, to put the soldiers to death for not protecting Saul, citing the absence of the spear and water jug as evidence. Saul interrupts, and once again repents of his hunt. He blesses David, David returns his spear and Saul returns home. David joins

7488-496: The guidance of the prophets. According to Jewish tradition, the book was written by Samuel , with additions by the prophets Gad and Nathan , who together are three prophets who had appeared within 1 Chronicles during the account of David's reign. Modern scholarly thinking posits that the entire Deuteronomistic history was composed circa 630–540 BCE by combining a number of independent texts of various ages. The book begins with Samuel's birth and Yahweh 's call to him as

7592-426: The invasion, Saul learns David is now living in the desert of En Gedi and resumes his search for him. At one point, he enters a cave to relieve himself. David and his men are further back in the cave. They discuss the possibility of killing Saul, but David opts to merely cut a corner off his robe and use this as proof that he does not in fact wish to kill Saul. Saul repents of how he has treated David, recognises him as

7696-589: The jealous Saul first tried to have him killed. Samuel is described in the biblical narrative as being buried in Ramah . According to tradition, this burial place has been identified with Samuel's tomb in the West Bank village of Nabi Samwil . Some time after his death, Saul had the Witch of Endor conjure Samuel's spirit from Sheol in order to predict the result of an upcoming battle (1 Samuel 28:3–24). Samuel

7800-479: The killer's family and tells Saul he will kill Goliath. Saul wants him to wear his armour, but David finds he cannot because he is not used to it. Seeing David's youth, Goliath begins to curse him. David slings a stone into Goliath's forehead, and Goliath dies. David cuts off Goliath's head with Goliath's sword. Jonathan befriends David. Saul begins to send David on military missions and quickly promotes him given his successes, but begins to become jealous of David after

7904-515: The meantime Saul has married David's first wife, Michal, off to a nobleman named Palti, son of Laish . Saul decides to return to pursuing David, and the Ziphites alert him as to David's whereabouts. Saul returns to the desert of Ziph and sets up camp. One night, David and two companions, Achimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah (his nephew), go to Saul's camp and find him asleep on

8008-447: The messenger is an Amalekite who, at Saul's insistence, had killed Saul to speed his death along, and brought his crown to David. David orders his death for having killed God's anointed. At this point, David offers a majestic eulogy, where he praises the bravery and magnificence of both his friend Jonathan and King Saul. David returns to Hebron at God's instruction. The elders of Judah anoint David as king, and as his first act he offers

8112-405: The messenger reporting back to tell David that Uriah is dead. David instructs Joab to continue the attack of the city. After Bathsheba has finished mourning Uriah, David marries her and she gives birth. Nathan comes to David and tells him a parable. In a town, there are a rich man and a poor man. The rich man has much livestock, but the poor man has only one lamb whom he loves like a child. One day,

8216-412: The millo as the House of Millo in 2 Kings 12:20 and in 2 Chronicles 24:25 as the place where King Joash was assassinated in 799 BC while he slept in his bed. Millo is derived from "fill", (Hebrew milui ). The stepped stone support structure is built of fills. This identification has also been supported by Nadav Na'aman . More recently, some scholars have proposed a location of the biblical millo in

8320-507: The newly amassed Israelite army, were soundly defeated and fled in terror. The retreating Philistines were slaughtered by the Israelites. The text then states that Samuel erected a large stone at the battle site as a memorial, and there ensued a long period of peace thereafter. Samuel initially appointed his two sons Joel and Abijah as his successors; however, just like Eli's sons, Samuel's proved unworthy for they accepted bribes and perverted judgement. The Israelites rejected them. Because of

8424-470: The next king and makes him promise not to kill off his descendants. Samuel dies, and, after mourning him, David moves on to the Desert of Paran . Here he meets the shepherds of a Calebite named Nabal , and his men help protect them. At sheep-shearing time, he sends some of his men to ask for food. Nabal refuses, preferring to keep his food for his household. When his wife, Abigail , hears of this, she takes

8528-549: The other main source—the Monarchial source —which treats it favourably. The Monarchial source would have Saul appointed king by public acclamation, due to his military victories, and not by Samuel's cleromancy . Another difference between the sources is that the Republican source treats the ecstatic prophets as somewhat independent from Samuel (1 Samuel 9:1ff) rather than having been led by him. The passage in which Samuel

8632-463: The overdue Samuel to arrive. He prophesied that Saul's rule would see no dynastic succession. Samuel also directed Saul to "utterly destroy" the Amalekites in fulfilment of the commandment in Deuteronomy 25:17–19: During the campaign against the Amalekites, King Saul spared Agag , the king of the Amalekites, and the best of their livestock. Saul told Samuel that he had spared the choicest of

8736-412: The people should not fall into idol worship, or worship of Asherah or of Baal . Samuel promised that God would subject the people to foreign invaders should they disobey. 1 Kings 11:5, 33, and 2 Kings 23:13 note that the Israelites fell into Asherah worship later on. When Saul was preparing to fight the Philistines, Samuel denounced him for proceeding with the pre-battle sacrifice without waiting for

8840-559: The person at whose instance the spirit is called hears the voice but fails to see; bystanders neither hear nor see (Yalḳ., l.c.; Redaḳ and RaLBaG's commentaries). The outcry of the woman at the sight of Samuel was due to his rising in an unusual way—upright, not, as she expected, in a horizontal position (comp. LXX. ὄρθιον in verse 14). Some authors see the biblical Samuel as combining descriptions of two distinct roles: Source-critical scholarship suggests that these two roles come from different sources, which later were spliced together to form

8944-468: The pool of Hebron and Ish-bosheth's head is buried in Abner's tomb. David is anointed king of all Israel. Against all odds, David captures Jerusalem from the Jebusites . He takes over the fortress of Zion and builds up the area around it. Hiram I , king of Tyre sends craftsmen to build David a palace. Meanwhile, David's family continues to grow. The Philistines decide to attack Israel now that David

9048-409: The process. The panic this creates leads to a victory for the Israelites. Jonathan finds some honey and eats it, despite a royal decree not to eat until evening. Jonathan begins to doubt his father, reasoning an even greater victory could have been achieved if the men had eaten. The royal decree has other unintended knock-on effects, namely that the men start killing and eating animals without draining

9152-467: The rich man has a guest for dinner, and instead of slaughtering one of his own livestock, took the poor man's lamb and cooked it. David angrily insists the rich man be put to death, but Nathan tells him he is the man, saying he has committed a sin to get something he already had plenty of (wives), and prophesies that his family will be gripped by violence, and someone will have affairs with his wives publicly. David repents, and Nathan tells him that while he

9256-446: The same time, David sends a petition to Ish-bosheth for the return of Michal, which Ish-bosheth agrees to. Patiel follows her crying until he is told to return home. Following the return of Michal, Abner agrees to get the elders of Israel to agree to make David king. Joab believes Abner was lying in his purpose of coming to David and, after recalling him to Hebron, kills him in revenge for Asahel. David curses Joab's family to always contain

9360-490: The sanctuary's Ark for themselves . Upon hearing the news of the capture of the Ark of the Covenant, and the death of his sons, Eli collapsed and died. When the Philistines had been in possession of the Ark for seven months and had been visited with calamities and misfortunes, they decided to return the Ark to the Israelites. According to Bruce C. Birch, Samuel was a key figure in keeping the Israelites' religious heritage and identity alive during Israel's defeat and occupation by

9464-508: The shrine at Shiloh. One night, Samuel heard a voice calling his name. According to the first-century Jewish historian Josephus , Samuel was 12 years old. Samuel initially assumed it was coming from Eli and went to Eli to ask what he wanted. Eli, however, sent Samuel back to sleep. After this happened three times, Eli realised that the voice was the Lord's, and instructed Samuel on how to answer: If He calls you, then you must say, "Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears". Once Samuel responded,

9568-532: The tabernacle to hear God. Samuel is also described by the Rabbis as having been extremely intelligent; he argued that it was legitimate for laymen to slaughter sacrifices, since the Halakha only insisted that the priests bring the blood , Eli, who was viewed negatively by many Classical Rabbis, is said to have reacted to this logic of Samuel by arguing that it was technically true, but Samuel should be put to death for making legal statements while Eli (his mentor)

9672-441: The tabernacle's serving women. But the child Samuel grows up "in the presence of the Lord": his family visits him each year, bringing a new coat for him, and Hannah has five more children. Eli tries to persuade his sons to stop their wickedness, but fails. As punishment for this, a holy man arrives, prophesying that Eli's family will be cut off and none of his descendants will see old age. One night, God calls Samuel and, thinking Eli

9776-455: The treasure, and even sends some to the elders of Judah when he returns to Ziklag. Meanwhile, the Battle of Mount Gilboa is raging on and, as Samuel said, the Philistines are winning. Saul's three sons have been killed, and he himself has been wounded by arrows. Saul asks his armor-bearer to run his sword through him rather than let him be captured by the Philistines, but does it himself when

9880-533: The two portrayals of Samuel. The Book(s) of Samuel variously describe Samuel as having carried out sacrifices at sanctuaries, and having constructed and sanctified altars . According to the Priestly Code / Deuteronomic Code only Aaronic priests/ Levites (depending on the underlying tradition) were permitted to perform these actions, and simply being a nazarite or prophet was insufficient. The books of Samuel and Kings offer numerous examples where this rule

9984-408: The village of Keilah from the Philistines with the help of God and Abiathar. When God tells him that Saul is coming and the citizens of Keilah will hand him over to Saul, David and his men escape to the desert of Ziph , where Jonathan comes and recognises him as the next king. Some Ziphites inform Saul that David is in the desert, but Saul's search is broken off by another Philistine invasion. After

10088-474: Was a Levite —a fact not mentioned in the books of Samuel. The fact that Elkanah, a Levite, was denominated an Ephraimite is analogous to the designation of a Levite belonging to Judah (Judges 17:7, for example). According to 1 Samuel 1:1–28, Elkanah had two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah had children; Hannah did not. Nonetheless, Elkanah favored Hannah. Jealous, Peninnah reproached Hannah for her lack of children, causing Hannah much heartache. Elkanah

10192-408: Was a devout man and would periodically take his family on pilgrimage to the holy site of Shiloh . On one occasion, Hannah went to the sanctuary and prayed for a child. In tears, she vowed that if she were granted a child, she would dedicate him to God as a nazirite . Eli , who was sitting at the foot of the doorpost in the sanctuary at Shiloh, saw her apparently mumbling to herself and thought she

10296-405: Was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord. Anglican theologian Donald Spence Jones comments that "the minds of all the people were thus gradually prepared when the right moment came to acknowledge Samuel as a God-sent chieftain". During Samuel's youth at Shiloh , the Philistines inflicted a decisive defeat against the Israelites at Eben-Ezer , placed the land under Philistine control, and took

10400-449: Was angered by his recalling, and told Saul that the Lord had left him. While the Witch of Endor remains anonymous in the Biblical account, the rabbinical Midrash maintains that she was Zephaniah, the mother of Abner (Yalḳ, Sam. 140, from Pirḳe R. El.). That a supernatural appearance is here described is inferred from the repeated emphasis laid on the statement that Samuel had died and had been buried (I Sam. xxv. 1, xxviii. 3), by which

10504-403: Was drunk, but was soon assured of both her motivation and sobriety. Eli was the priest of Shiloh , and one of the last Israelite Judges before the rule of kings in ancient Israel . He had assumed the leadership after Samson 's death. Eli blessed her and she returned home. Subsequently, Hannah became pregnant, later giving birth to Samuel, and praised God for his mercy and faithfulness. After

10608-472: Was gifted with great spiritual and physical strength. In the Qur'anic account, Samuel prophesies that the sign of Talut's kingship will be that the Ark of the Covenant will come back to the Israelites. `Abdu'l-Bahá , a central figure in the Bahá'í Faith , mentions Samuel as an example of a genuine Prophet of the House of Israel, alongside Ezekiel . Actors who have portrayed Samuel include Leonard Nimoy in

10712-521: Was present. Samuel is also treated by the Classical Rabbis as a much more sympathetic character than he appears at face value in the Bible; his annual circuit is explained as being due to his wish to spare people the task of having to journey to him; Samuel is said to have been very rich, taking his entire household with him on the circuit so that he didn't need to impose himself on anyone's hospitality; when Saul fell out of God's favour, Samuel

10816-462: Was something connected to military activity, such as a tower , citadel , or simply a significant part of a wall. However, taking into account that the potentially cognate term mulu , from Assyrian , refers to earthworks, it is considered more likely that it was an embankment which flattened the slope between Ophel and the Temple Mount . A recent excavation by Eilat Mazar directly above

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