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Introduction
to 1 Samuel
Introduction
INTRODUCTION TO 1 SAMUEL
This
book, in the Hebrew copies, is commonly called Samuel, or the Book of Samuel; in
the Syriac version, the Book of Samuel the Prophet; and in the Arabic version,
the Book of Samuel the Prophet, which is the First Book of the Kings; and the
Septuagint version, the Book of the Kingdom: it has the name of Samuel, because
it contains an history of his life and times; and the Jews sayF1T.
Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 14. 2. it was written by him; and as it may well enough
be thought to be, to the end of the twenty fourth chapter; and the rest might
be written by Nathan and Gad, as may he gathered from 1 Chronicles 29:29
as also the following book that bears his name; and both may be called the
Books of Kings, because they give an account of the rise of the kings in
Israel, and of the two first of them; though some think they were written by
Jeremiah, as Abarbinel; and others ascribe them to Ezra: however, there is no
doubt to be made of it that this book was written by divine inspiration, when we
consider the series of its history, its connection and harmony with other parts
of Scripture; the several things borrowed from it, or alluded to in the book of
Psalms, particularly what is observed in Psalm 113:7, seems
to be taken out of 1 Samuel 2:8, and
the sanction which the Lord gives to it, by referring to a fact in it, whereby
he stopped the mouths of the Scribes and Pharisees cavilling at his disciples, Matthew 12:3,
compared with 1 Samuel 21:3, yea,
even, as HuetiusF2Demonstrat. Evangel. Prop. 4. p. 199. observes,
some Heathen writers have by their testimonies confirmed some passages in these
books, which they seem to have been acquainted with, as Nicolaus of DamascusF3Apud
Joseph. Antiqu. l. 7. c. 5. sect. 2. , and EupolemusF4Apud Euseb.
Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 30. ; it contains an history of the government of
Eli, and of the birth of Samuel, and his education under him; of the succession
of Samuel in it, and the resignation of it to Saul, when he was chosen king; of
his administration of his office, and of things done in the time of it, both
before and after his rejection, and of the persecution of David by Saul, and is
concluded with his death.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
Commentator
John Gill (November 23, 1697-October 14,
1771) was an English Baptist, a biblical scholar, and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
In his youth, he attended Kettering Grammar School, mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve, Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor, William Wallis, on the text, "And the Lord called
unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel,
Horsleydown, Southwark in 1719. In 1757, his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane, St. Olave's Street, Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748, Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist, which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself, which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
New King James Version Bible, NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay Christians
worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and grammar of
the King James Version, while preserving the classic style of the of the 1611
version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order,
grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou",
"thee", "ye," "thy," and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example, "speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young, who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.