Samuel, Books of, are two books of the Bible, called I Samuel and II Samuel. They were originally a single book. I Samuel includes stories about the leader Samuel and about how Samuel anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel. The book describes Saul’s reign and then David’s rise to the throne. The second book is a history of David’s reign.
Most scholars believe that the Books of Samuel are a combination of at least two earlier works. The books do not simply tell stories about heroes and kings. They show that when the king obeys God’s will, then the king and the nation prosper. If the king disobeys God, then he is punished and the kingdom suffers. See Bible (The Prophets) .
The Books of Samuel as we know them were edited after the destruction of the kingdom of Judah in 587 or 586 B.C. After this defeat, the Jews had no king. They wanted to understand why God gave them a monarchy and why God took it away.
Many Jews believed that their homeland would be restored to them and that they would have a chance to rebuild their nation. In the Books of Samuel, they tried to find lessons for the new nation in the experience of the past.
