1 and 2 Samuel (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries | TOTC)

by V. Philips Long

Publisher:

IVP Academic

, 2020

Overview

The stories of Samuel, Saul and David are among the most memorable in the Old Testament. Yet the lives of these individuals are bound up in the larger story of God’s purpose for his people. V. Philips Long explores the meaning of the biblical history of Israel’s vital transition from a confederation of tribes to nationhood under a king. He shows how attending to the books of Samuel repays its readers richly in terms of literary appreciation, historical knowledge and theological grounding.

Key Features

• Explores Israel’s transition from a confederation of tribes to nationhood under a king
• Includes section-by-section examination of the text
• Provides introduction to authorship, date, original setting, and purpose

Contents

Top Highlights

“At issue, rather, is the redefinition of how Yahweh as king is to be handled by a ‘king like that of all the nations’. The nations’ gods were in a sense passive and codependent, needing to be properly tended by the king (with temples, regular sacrificial feedings, etc.). Having been so served, they were then obligated to come to the aid of the king in his initiatives: ‘when the king calls the gods out to battle, the gods comply’ (Walton 2015: 200). Israel’s elders had on an earlier occasion attempted to drag Yahweh into battle with them by fetching the ark. The result was disastrous (1 Sam. 4)! Walton argues that the elders’ offence in the present context is the same.” (Page 104)

“Why does Saul’s sin bring him down, while David’s does not? The answer lies in the heart of Saul and of David. The sins themselves are but symptoms of something much deeper. The position that will be developed in this commentary is that David, though a deeply flawed and indeed sinful human being, was nevertheless a man of genuine faith in Yahweh. Saul was not (cf. 1 Chr. 10:13–14).” (Page 10)

“Intriguingly, Hannah’s explanation of Samuel’s name employs the verb š’l (‘ask’), which verbal root underlies the name Saul (šā’ûl). The same root occurs seven times in 1 Samuel 1 in wordplays surrounding the birth and dedication of Samuel (vv. 17 [2×], 20, 27 [2×], 28 [2×]) and twice more in Eli’s blessing of Elkanah and Hannah in 2:20.” (Page 42)

“The contents of the ark are suggestive of three aspects of the Lord’s care for his people: that he instructs them in godly living (the tablets), that he provides for their physical needs (the manna) and that he sanctions godly leaders positively and impostors negatively (Aaron’s staff; see the broader context of Num. 16–17).” (Page 73)

Product Details

• Title: 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction And Commentary (TOTC)
• Author: V. Philips Long
• Series: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (TOTC)
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2020
• Pages: 480
• Resource Type: Commentary
• Topic: 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel

About V. Philips Long

V. Philips Long is professor of Old Testament at Regent College, Vancouver and ordained teaching elder in the PCA. His books include The Reign and Rejection of King Saul: A Case for Literary and Theological Coherence, and The Art of Biblical History; the edited volumes Israel’s Past in Present Research, and Windows into Old Testament History; the co-authored work, A Biblical History of Israel; and 1 and 2 Samuel in the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary. He is the author of a number of scholarly and more popular articles, commentary notes and reviews, and has served on a variety of translation projects (NLT, ESV, Message).