Old Testament · Historical Books
1 Samuel
First Samuel moves from a barren woman's prayer to the crowning of a king. Israel asks for a king like the nations, receives Saul, and then watches God choose a shepherd instead.
- Authorship
- The author is unnamed. Samuel, Nathan and Gad are named in Chronicles as recorders of these events.
- Historical setting
- Israel's shift from judges to monarchy.
- Key themes
- Prayer answered · Obedience over sacrifice · Kingship · The heart God looks at
- Where it sits in the story
- The beginning of the monarchy that shapes the rest of the Old Testament.
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