smith's bible dictionary 1884 - Salt Lake Bible College

and two sons grew up to repeat under his eyes the same perversion of high office that
he had himself witnessed in his childhood in the case of the two sons of Eli. In his old
age he shared his power with them, (1 Samuel 8:1-4) but the people dissatisfied, demanded
a king, and finally anointed under God’s direction, and Samuel surrendered
to him his authority, (1 Samuel 12:1) ... though still remaining judge. ch. (1 Samuel
7:15) He was consulted far and near on the small affairs of life. (1 Samuel 9:7,8) From
this fact, combined with his office of ruler, an awful reverence grew up around him.
No sacrificial feast was thought complete without his blessing. Ibid. (1 Samuel 9:13)
A peculiar virtue was believed to reside in his intercession. After Saul was rejected by
God, Samuel anointed David in his place and Samuel became the spiritual father of
the psalmist-king. The death of Samuel is described as taking place in the year of the
close of David’s wanderings. It is said with peculiar emphasis, as if to mark the loss,
that “all the Israelites were gathered together” from all parts of this hitherto-divided
country, and “lamented him,” and “buried him” within his own house, thus in a
manner consecrated by being turned into his tomb. (1 Samuel 25:1) Samuel represents
the independence of the moral law, of the divine will, as distinct from legal or sacerdotal
enactments, which is so remarkable a characteristic of all the later prophets. He
is also the founder of the first regular institutions of religious instructions and communities
for the purposes of education.
Samuel, Books Of
are not separated from each other in the Hebrew MSS., and, from a critical point
of view, must be regarded as one book. The present, division was first made in the
Septuagint translation, and was adopted in the Vulgate from the Septuagint. The book
was called by the Hebrews: “Samuel,” probably because the birth and life of Samuel
were the subjects treated of in the beginning of the work. The books of Samuel commence
with the history of Eli and Samuel, and contain all account of the establishment
of the Hebrew monarchy and of the reigns of Saul and David, with the exception of
the last days of the latter monarch which are related in the beginning of the books of
Kings, of which those of Samuel form the previous portion. [Kings, First And Second
Books Of, B00KS OF] Authorship and date of the book,—
• As to the authorship. In common with all the historical books of the Old Testament,
except the beginning of Nehemiah, the book of Samuel contains no mention in the
text of the name of its author. It is indisputable that the title “Samuel” does not imply
that the prophet was the author of the book of Samuel as a whole; for the death of
Samuel is recorded in the beginning of the 25th chapter. In our own time the most
prevalent idea in the Anglican Church seems to have been that the first twenty-four
chapters of the book of Samuel were written by the prophet himself, and the rest of
the chapters by the prophets Nathan and Gad. This, however, is doubtful.
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