Overview – Sefer Shemuel/0

Overview – Sefer Shemuel

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General Themes

Structure Shemuel can easily be divided in half, at the point of Shaul's death, where the Septuagint split it into two books. The first half can be titled "The precursors to the Davidic Kingdom", and the second half "The rule of King David". Each of these sub-books can be further subdivided in three. The first book is made up of Shemuel's Administration (Chapters 1–8), Shaul's Coronation and Early Battles (Chapters 9–15), and David and Shaul (Chapters 16–31). The second book consists of David's Consolidation of Power (Chapters 1–12), David's Troubles (Chapters 13–21), and Appendices (Chapters 22–24). For further analysis, see Structure – Sefer Shemuel.

Chronology

While in general the internal chronology of Sefer Shemuel is fairly clear, there are a number of episodes which require further clarification:

• Shemuel I 13:1 – How long was Shaul's reign? Was he king for only two years, or for a longer period?
• Shemuel I 16–17 – When was David anointed? Was it before or after he slew Goliyat? When did Shaul first meet him?
• Shemuel II 2–5 – How long was David king in Hevron? How long did it take him to overcome the last of Shaul's supporters?
• Shemuel II 22–24 – When did the various appendices occur?