Old Testament book

1 Samuel

1 Samuel tells how Israel passed from the age of the judges into the age of the kings. Israel demands a king like the nations and is given Saul; but when Saul fails, the LORD chooses David, a shepherd after His own heart, and plants the hope of the Messiah.

Open the overview Browse chapter summaries
Book
9 of 66
Testament
Old Testament
Section
Historical Books
Chapters
31
Author
Unknown (traditionally Samuel, Nathan, and Gad)
Written
Approximately 1000-950 BC

Purpose & theme

First Samuel tells how Israel passed from the age of the judges into the age of the kings, and it wrestles with the question at the heart of that change: who truly rules God’s people? Israel demands a king “like all the nations,” which the LORD calls a rejection of His own kingship (8:7). He grants their request in Saul, tall and impressive but disobedient, and then rejects him and chooses David, a shepherd from Bethlehem who is “a man after his own heart” (13:14). The book is thus a study in kingship under the kingship of God, tracing the difference between a king the people want and a king the LORD wants.

Running through it are truths that outlast the monarchy: that “the LORD looks on the heart,” not on outward appearance (16:7); that “to obey is better than sacrifice” (15:22); and that God delights to exalt the humble and bring down the proud, as Hannah sings and as the whole story enacts. Above all, in David the anointed shepherd-king, First Samuel plants the seed of the messianic hope that will flower in Jesus, the Son of David.

Chapter guide

All 31 chapters. Open any one for the full study.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31

Study sections

OverviewRead the book’s purpose, its three central figures, and its messianic hope.Chapter summariesBrowse a dated one-line summary for every chapter in 1 Samuel.Key peopleMeet the prophet, the rejected king, and the king after God’s own heart.ThemesExplore the theological themes that shape the book.Word studiesDig into the key Hebrew words that carry the book’s meaning.Key versesRead the seven verses that capture the heart of 1 Samuel.Maps & timelinesSee the geography of the early monarchy and the dated timeline of events.Study notesReview key concepts, application, and questions for reflection.Related passagesTrace the connections from 1 Samuel across the whole Bible.

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