It puts the davidic covenant into historical perspective. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible. Intro to 2 samuel biblica the international bible society. The second book of samuel hebrewenglish text contains twentyfour chapters and continues where the first book of samuel left off. This summary of the book of 2 samuel provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and. David tastes triumph and trial in the book of 2 samuel. There is nothing else covered in the book besides the kingdom under david. The global message of 2 samuel second samuel in redemptive history. Neither 1 samuel nor 2 samuel seem to be in absolutely chronological order.
David mourns the deaths of saul and jonathan, chapter 1. We see david succeed and fail, and we see gods promise for a future king at the beginning and end of the story. The book of 2 nd samuel is a narration of david as he becomes the king of israel and the time during his reign, yet it also includes two psalms in hymns of praise in the final chapters. The book of samuel, or 1 samuel and 2 samuel, form part of the narrative history of israel in the neviim or prophets section of the hebrew bibleold testament, called the deuteronomistic history, a series of books joshua, judges, samuel and kings that constitute a theological history of the israelites and aim to explain gods law for israel under the guidance of the prophets. The covenants that god had already made with his people, first with abraham gen. Second samuel picks up the narration where 1 samuel left off and serves as a transition from the reign of saul to the reign of david. The two books, which were originally one, are principally concerned with the origin and early history of the monarchy of ancient israel. The translators of the septuagint separated them, and we have retained that separation ever since. The two books of samuel provide for us an important glimpse into the transition from the theocracy to the monarchy. This summary of the book of 2 samuel provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of 2 samuel. David was initially acclaimed king at hebron by the tribe of judah chs. The masoretic postscript is at the end of 2 samuel. The book of 2 samuel records the rise, fall, and restoration of king david. Esdras and josephus refer to samuel as a single work.
The amalekite, who brought tidings of the overthrow, and accused himself of sauls death, is slain. David prayed to the lord as to why the famine was in the land, and the lord told david that saul was the reason why the famine was in the land. The book of 2 samuel continues to show us the virtue of humility, the destructiveness of pride, and the faithfulness of gods promise. When he came to david, he fell to the ground to pay him homage. David mourns the deaths of saul and jonathan, chapter 1 b. The reign of king david in 2 samuel represents a breakthrough in gods plan to redeem the world. A brief content outline of the biblical books of 1 and 2 samuel.
But instead, david seeks out the son of jonathan, who was crippled at the age of 5, named mephibosheth. Second samuel is actually the second half of a single book that was divided into two part, 1 and 2 samuel because together they were too long to fit on one scroll. The book of 2 samuel is a history of the reign of king david. When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of god, 4 he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning. This book also unveils the weaknesses of david and the internal family struggles that shook his administration. Whereas the book of first samuel shows israels transition from gods authority to sauls irresponsible rule, second samuel documents the transition back to godhonoring leadership under david david was anointed king of israel by god, and is a picture of the true messiah gods anointed one. They are the first two of four books of kings in the latin vulgate.
Then david makes a tragic mistake by committing adultery with bathsheba and having her husband uriah the hittite killed to cover the sin. God finds a man after his own heart to lead his people. The books were probably written soon after the end of his reign. Published on mar 26, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of 2 samuel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The translators of the septuagint the greek text used at the time of christ combined the book of samuel with the kings and then divided them into four sections. David was initially acclaimed king at hebron by the tribe of judah, and subsequently was accepted by the remaining tribes after the murder of ishbosheth, one of sauls surviving sons. Use highlighting, underlining, and take notes while you study the bible. This book shows the establishment of david as king of israel. What does the second half of 2 samuel describe describes davids problems, which are all political problems within israel and arise from within davids extended family. As david conquers the land and unites the jewish people, we see his courage, honesty, compassion, and faithfulness to god.
The content of 2 samuel deals with the life and reign of king david and could have been entitled the book of david. Trusting god for the good as well as the bad in life, because he will achieve his purpose for the ultimate good in our lives. The events of 1 samuel span approximately 100 years, from c. The books of 1 and 2 samuel were originally composed as one combined text. Court history refer to the second half of the book, which addresses davids problems. Second samuel records gods work in the life of david and his establishment of the davidic dynasty. Iv book of kingdoms in the vulgate, iv kings genre this is primarily biographically focused, historical narrative. The holy bible book 10 2 samuel kjv dramatized audio duration. This summary of the book of 2 samuel provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and. The prophet samuel was already deceased before the events recorded in 2 samuel. Books of samuel, two old testament books that, along with deuteronomy, joshua, judges, and 1 and 2 kings, belong to the tradition of deuteronomic history first committed to writing about 550 bc, during the babylonian exile. It also records the victories and triumphs of david over surrounding nations. David, by gods direction, with his company goes up to hebron, where he is made king of judah. The books of first and second samuel are really one story.
Its author is samuel the prophet who wrote it at about 930 b. The books of 1 and 2 samuel give us the origin of the kingdom. It covers from the death of saul until solomon prepares to take the throne. The translators of the septuagint divided the books due to their length when the vowels were added and renamed them 1 and 2. It is because of saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the gibeonites v. The two books of samuel were classified as one in the jewish canon. Davids wrong and right attempts to bring the ark to. This is the 10th book of the bible and has 24 chapters. The book itself does not name its author, though tradition records samuel as the primary writer. Ii book of kingdoms in the vulgate, ii kings 1 kings. These books recount the stories of samuel, saul, and david. The author or authors of 1 and 2 samuel are not known.
After the death of king saul, the people of the judah tribe chose david to be their king. In 2 samuel 21, david is appealing to the gibeonites because of the famine in the land for 3 years. The key personalities are david, joab, bathsheba, nathan, and absalom. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Reading the story of the life of david, from the beginning 1 samuel until now end of 2 samuel, is like reading a man going through a christian boot camp. David invited mephibosheth to eat at his table like one of his own sonsforever. Most of 2 samuel is a history of the rule of king david.