Reading Questions for 2/23 - 1 Samuel

Posted on January 16, 2006

Here are some questions and suggestions that might help focus your reading of the first book of Samuel:

Think about the family narrative at the beginning of the book—what do you make of it? In a Hebrew Bible, Samuel comes right after Judges (Ruth shows up elsewhere). Think of the narrative effect of moving from the story that ends Judges to the story that begins Samuel—how would you describe that narrative effect?

Pay really close attention to 1 Samuel 8, the people’s clamoring for a king. Think about Samuel’s response and then about the anointing of the king that follows. What do you think of Saul as a leader? How is he introduced to us?

Alter has a great section on the two different introductions we have to David: read that carefully from The Art of Biblical Narrative (the passage is noted on your syllabus) and think about those two introductions as, like Genesis 1 and 2, an significant example of composite narrative. How does it characterize David for us? What do you make of him as a character?

Pay attention once again to the women in this book—what is their role?

In class we will discuss the possibility of Saul as a tragic figure—pay attention in your reading to that possibility.

Why, finally, do you think the book is called “Samuel” (and not “Saul” or “David”)?