Major Narratives
1st Samuel contains more than a dozen narratives and persons. However, nine narratives and nine characters stand out most. These narratives are linked to the cards below. Integral to these narratives are Hannah, the mother of Samuel; Eli, the priest who tutored Samuel; Samuel, the prophet of God who annointed Saul to be Israel's first king then annointed David after God's rejection of Saul; Saul, the first king of Israel chosen at the insistence of the people to have a king like the other nations; David, the defender of Israel, brave defeater of Goliath and, later, the second king of Israel; Goliath, the Philinstine giant and chief warrior of the Philistines - Israel's arch enemy; Jonathan, the son of Saul and loyal friend of David; and the nameless woman of Endor, a spiritual medium to whom Saul went to communicate with the then deceased Saul.
These characters and their associated narratives are not presented as disconnected stories, but are for the most part interconnected with other characters and narratives in the book. The narratives move from the plea of Hannah for a child through the birth of Samuel, the rise and catastrophic fall of Saul, the emergence of David, and the darkening of Saul's final days. I've treated each narrative in its own dedicated and brief section below.
The Nine Major Narratives
Hannah and the Birth of Samuel Chapters 1–2
A barren woman, a prayer at Shiloh, and a vow that sets the entire book in motion. The narrative introduces the failing house of Eli and contains the Song of Hannah.
Read more →Samuel's Call Chapters 3
The voice in the night, Eli's instruction, and the divine message of judgment on the house of Eli that confirms Samuel as a prophet recognized across all Israel.
Read more →Saul's Selection as King Chapters 8–11
Two distinct accounts of how Saul became king, set within the book's larger debate over whether monarchy is divine gift or national sin.
Read more →Saul's Failures and Rejection Chapters 13–15
Two episodes of disobedience and two pronouncements of rejection. To obey is better than sacrifice, and Saul's kingdom will not endure.
Read more →David's Anointing and Goliath Chapters 16–17
The youngest son chosen over his brothers, and the giant from Gath. Two traditions about how David entered Saul's service that cannot be reconciled.
Read more →David and Jonathan Chapters 18–20
A bond described in language of unusual intensity. Their covenant, Jonathan's loyalty against his own father's interests, and the scholarly debate over what their relationship represents.
Read more →David as Outlaw Chapters 21–27
The fugitive years. David gathers the discontented, serves a Philistine king, and twice declines to kill Saul when he could. The political apologetics of the rise narrative.
Read more →The Woman at Endor Chapters 28
Saul consults a practitioner of necromancy on the eve of his death. The Hebrew term, the religious traditions she inhabits, and what the text does and does not say about her.
Read more →The Death of Saul Chapters 29–31
The battle of Mount Gilboa. Saul falls on his own sword. The men of Jabesh-Gilead make the final loyal gesture of his reign, connecting his end to his beginning.
Read more →