1 and 2 Samuel (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries | TOTC)
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. Looking beyond the well-known surface of these stories, Joyce Baldwin explores the meaning of the biblical history of Israel's vital transition from a confederation of tribes to nationhood under a king. This commentary provides an excellent introduction to the critical issues of authorship, date, composition and structure of Samuel, as well as an able discussion of its theological themes.
In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
Get the full commentary set: Tyndale Commentaries (49 vols.).
Top Highlights
“Samuel sums up the basic sin of Israel in the words, they forgot the Lord their God.” (Page 107)
“There is an instructive contrast between the Hannah who, distraught and averse to food, went to pray, and the Hannah who returned to join the family. Though outwardly her circumstances had not changed, she was now joyous and resolute, full of assurance that her prayer would be answered.” (Page 57)
“What Samuel is at pains to establish once and for all is the essential difference between Israel’s monarchy and that of the nations. In Israel the Lord is king, and obedience to him must be paramount. It follows that any sign of a desire for independence of action becomes a disqualification: it is the equivalent of rebellion against the Lord. Already the Lord has selected Saul’s successor, who will be a man after his own heart, prepared to let the Lord’s will, as spoken by his prophet, be the guide of his life.” (Page 113)
“It says much for Samuel’s self-discipline that he got up three times in the early hours in response to what he thought was Eli’s call. His willing obedience was a qualification for receiving God’s word.” (Page 68)
“David had expected and hoped that Uriah would prove to be like himself; instead he proved to be a man of integrity, whose first loyalty was to the king’s interests rather than to his own pleasure.” (Page 249)
- Title: 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary
- Author: Joyce Baldwin
- Series: Tyndale Commentaries
- Volume: 8
- Publisher: IVP
- Print Publication Date: 1988
- Logos Release Date: 2009
- Pages: 240
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Bible. O.T. 1 Samuel › Commentaries; Bible. O.T. 2 Samuel › Commentaries
- ISBNs: 9780830842087, 9781844742639, 083084208, 1844742636, 083084208X
- Resource ID: LLS:TOTC08SAUS
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-12T13:46:01Z
The late Joyce G. Baldwin was Principal of Trinity College, Bristol.
Reviews
5 ratings
Marisa Gill
9/14/2023
Rob Senn
1/30/2023
Jonathan Back
10/15/2020
jekwang
10/5/2019
Joseph Stickney
8/19/2019
An excellent introductory level volume on 1 & 2 Samuel. The author has the knack of making the books and her thoughts accessible but still offering fine insight. The introduction sets the Samuel books nicely into the broader history of the Biblical history of Israel. The explanation of the Deuteronomistic history was very useful. Much of the commentary was in depth and covered the passages both in insightful overviews and verse but verse, though there were times where the brevity of the volume showed and the commentary covered paragraphs instead of verses at a time. It is a credit to the author that I wished that she had an extra hundred pages to go deeper into every passage. In general the more important passages had the deeper commentary. When an unexpected question came up in Sunday School, I used Dr. Baldwin's explanation of how the Scriptures used certain story telling conventions to highlight important concepts inside history narratives. Since the question was on Genesis 1 & 2, I knew that what I had learned from her commentary was very useful indeed.