I SAMUEL: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

I Samuel 13:1 The passage says Saul reigned over Israel “forty” years. The word forty is bracketed with a footnote which says “Hebrew does not have 'forty'.” What does that mean exactly?

“One can do little with this verse. Some have supposed that it contains two numbers, the first giving Saul's age when he became king, and the second, the length of his reign. This is what one would expect the verse to say. Both numbers, however, appear to be missing, and, although in 1b there is the number 'two', yet, it fits neither his age nor the length of his reign.” (Old Testament Translation Problems, United Bible Societies)

Apparently, at an early stage of the manuscript being copied, a scribe accidentally left out some needed information. This happens inevitably when any document is copied by hand, but the problem is usually easily remedied in subsequent copying due to the redundancy that is built into all written languages. In other words, accidentally missing letters or words can be restored because language contains more information than is really needed for us to understand it. A current example is the shorthand used in texting; we can understand it even if all the vowels are removed.

The problem in this case is that the missing information consists of numbers, not words; and numbers possess virtually no redundancy. Once they are gone, they cannot be easily restored.

So what have translators done with this verse? One can often go to an early translation of the Hebrew text into another language to see if that helps, but in this case the Greek Septuagint actually omits the whole verse. The King James Version (followed by The Living Bible) reads, “Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel...” but it breaks several rules of Hebrew grammar even to come up with this reading. The New English Bible gives Saul's age as 50 and length of reign as 22 years while NIV guesses at 30 and 42 years, respectively, partially based on information in Acts13:21.

Fortunately, as with other textual problems encountered in the Bible, there are no key doctrinal issues thrown into doubt by any uncertainties in the original text.

I Samuel 17:4-11 Goliath was over nine feet tall? Really? Is this a translation issue?

The first thing to point out is that this height is not beyond the realm of possibility since the tallest authenticated man in recent history was Robert Pershing Wadlow, who was 8'11'' and still growing at the time of his death. Also, David Tsumura (The First Book of Samuel) points to an Englishman named John Middleton (ca. 1600 AD) who was reportedly 9'9'' tall. Such unusual heights are generally due to abnormal pituitary gland activity. But the question remains as to whether this is an accurate translation.

The Hebrew text gives Goliath's height as six cubits and a span. Again, there is the possibility that a number was incorrectly copied in the Hebrew text since both the Septuagint and Dead Sea scroll versions of this passage read “four cubits and a span,” which would equal about 6 ½ feet. This number appears in the NAB translation. Although this seems like a more likely height, Tsumura points out that the recorded weight of Goliath's armor is more consistent with a 9'+ height man.

So you have your choice of either an abnormally tall man or a fairly tall man with extra heavy armor.

I Sam 17:12 “David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse.” What is an Ephrathite? I thought David (and by extension Jesus) came from the tribe of Judah.

The NRSV Study Bible explains that the Ephrathites were “a subgroup within the Calebite clan, which was part of the tribe of Judah.” It has no relationship, for example, to the tribe of Ephraim.

Ephrath was an ancient name for Bethlehem and figures prominently in Micah's messianic prophecy: “But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from old, from ancient days.” (Micah 5:2)

I Samuel 19:19-24 What might have been the nature of the prophesying by Saul and his men? Are there similar scriptural examples that might give us hints?

Peter Ackroyd (The First Book of Samuel, p. 160) begins his comments on these verses by saying, “It is a curious story.”  It is also a difficult story to comprehend and is included in the useful book Hard Sayings of the Bible.  The main difficulty is to understand the nature of the ecstatic “prophesying” and its relationship to the more normal prophecies found elsewhere in the Bible. David Tsumura (The First Book of Samuel, p. 497-9) concludes that “the question of prophecy and ecstasy is far more complex than earlier scholars had supposed.” In the vast majority of prophetic utterances, the prophets appear to simply transmit to the people what God has relayed to them.  
However, in II Kings 3:15, Elisha does this only after he is put into some sort of receptive mood or through the use of music. The presence of the Spirit in the prophets evidenced through ecstatic behavior (dancing, falling into a trance, etc.) is, as far as I know, only found in two other passages in the Old Testament (I Samuel 10:5-10; 19:19-24).  Since both of these involve Saul, these incidents should be considered together.  
In I Samuel 10, Saul is overcome with God's Spirit when he meets a group of roving prophets playing musical instruments. The exact nature of the “frenzy” that is induced in him is not well understood, and no mention is made of any particular words of prophecy that may have been spoken by him or the prophets on that occasion. However, Verhoef speculates that some short utterances concerning Saul's recent choice by God as king may have been made. (Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis, Vol. 4, p. 1072-3)
All of the sources I consulted regarding this incident and I Samuel 19 are in agreement that the exact nature of the “prophesying” in each is not nearly as important as what these manifestations of the Spirit tell us concerning the changing relationship between Saul and God. Two typical quotes will suffice to make this point: 
	“The spirit of prophecy, which had originally confirmed his call, would now block his way.” (Joyce Baldwin, 1&2 Samuel, p. 133)
	“19:18ff is a reversal of what 10:1-9 says of Saul's endowment with the Spirit. In both cases the Spirit is a divine manifestation. In 10:1-9 it gives Saul strength to carry out his feat of bravery. In 19:18ff it works in the reverse: it makes Saul helpless.” (David Tsumura)
Several commentators have noted that the prophetic “frenzy” shown during these two incidents may not have involved any bizarre behavior at all from an outsider's point of view. These passages should certainly not be used as proof texts to justify the modern practice of being “slain in the Spirit,” which may involve activities such as writhing on the ground, barking like a dog, etc. as proof of possession by the Holy Spirit.
I Samuel 28:6  I can understand how God refused to give Saul advice through dreams or prophets, but what about Urim?  Wasn't it just a casting of lots?
We are not 100% sure what the Urim and Thummin were, but the best educated guess is that it consisted of two flat stones, each having a head and a tail, which were located in the priest's breastplate. By casting these stones, two heads might mean “yes” while two tails would indicate a “no” to any question asked. The important thing to note is that half the time one would get “one tail-one head,” indicating that God refused to give guidance on the issue. So possibly that is what happened whenever Saul attempted to get an answer from God. The lesson is that you can't force God into a box by some arbitrary test. This is what distinguishes this biblical form of an oracle from Gideon's casting of a fleece (and its modern equivalents practiced by some Christian groups today).

In the New Testament we have similar examples of seeking God's will by all three acceptable means

that Saul consulted:

    Prophecy – This is listed among the spiritual gifts, and several prophets in Acts were used by God to predict future events (not new theological truths). The major question is whether this gift is still in existence in the church today. However, taking prophecy in its broadest definition of telling forth the Word (rather than foretelling), many feel that today's ministers and preachers fill that role.

    Dreams – God gives oracles in dreams four times in Matthew 1-2 and on the day of Pentacost (Acts 2:17). It is again an open question as to whether that happens today.

    Casting Lots – see Acts 1:21-25. Note that before doing so, the apostles prayed to God over the matter and had already used logical criteria to eliminate candidates that were not appropriate. Only then did they cast lots as a sort of “tie-breaker” between the two remaining choices. Some would say that ever since the Bible was completed, God did away with all other forms of oracles because they were no longer needed. In any case, the Bible is the only sure Word of God, and therefore all other forms of supposed revelation must be subservient to it and tested by it.

I Samuel 28:6-25  The story involving the Witch of Endor brings up a number of interesting questions.

At this point in the story, Samuel had been dead for some time (see 25:1). God had refused to give Saul guidance through the Urim and Thummin. And now, he was totally estranged from the priests who had possession of it.

Three theories:

(a) Satan gave the woman power to conjure up Samuel (unlikely that he has that power over believers' spirits), (b) it was a false spirit sent from Satan or (c) it really was Samuel's spirit, but brought to earth by God's power.

Two main questions to answer (see below). Look for evidence one way or another in the text to see if you get any hints.

v. 7 Witch or medium, neocromancer (literally, “a woman of spirits, or a knowing one”). AB translates as “ghostwife.”

v. 8a To get to Endor, Saul needed to go around the Philistine army. His disguise serves a double purpose and shows his desperation

v. 8b consult a spirit (i.e. a familiar spirit)

v. 10 There is the irony of Saul swearing “as the LORD lives” in order to consult the dead.

v. 12 It is not clear how woman recognized Saul. Perhaps it should read, (as LXX) “when the woman heard the name Saul” as spoken by Samuel. Or, she could have been tipped off by Saul's assurances in verse 10.

v. 13 god = a supernatural being, spirit, ghost, etc.

earth, ground = underworld

vv. 13-14 It is obvious that only the woman could see the spirit. Isaiah 14:9-11 gives another picture of the spirits of Sheol being roused.

v. 15 Sheol is pictured as a place of rest. (Job 3:16-19) (See Psalm 88 for other OT beliefs regarding the state of the dead.)

Was it really Samuel's spirit rather than a counterfeit? 

Samuel uses the divine name Yahweh seven times in his speech. This is unlikely for a false spirit or apparition. New Bible Commentary feels that this really was Samuel due to his foreknowledge (v. 14).

The parallel passage in I Chronicles 10:13-14. LXX adds the following: “Saul asked counsel of her that had a familiar spirit to inquire of her, and Samuel made answer to him.” This indicates a belief that it truly was Samuel speaking.

Who called up Samuel's spirit—God or the witch (through demonic means)?

Notice that Samuel blames Saul, not the woman, for disturbing him. Note that the witch did not actually invoke the spirit. He seems to have come up by himself.

The terror of the woman could be in seeing a ghost for the first time.

It is unlikely that Satan has the power over the righteous dead.

Even if she did call up the spirit, we can't generalize that mediums are really able to conjure up the dead since this a unique occurrence.

The Transfiguration story may also indicate that God can call up the spirits of the righteous dead if He wishes.

I Samuel 31:1-10  Why did the messenger lie about killing Saul. The commentary I have states the

Amalekite was lying to ingratiate himself with David. I thought the Amalekites were enemies. Why 

would  David listen to one, especially since II Samuel 1:1-11 states "...David returned from defeating the 

Amalekites..."?

Since the messenger's version of Saul's death in 2 Samuel 1 contradicts the accounts found in both I
Samuel 31 and I Chronicles 10, we can assume that he is lying in order to gain favor with the now
powerful David. He has every reason to think that David will believe his story and reward him since he
has possession of Saul's crown and armlet as evidence. And, in fact, David does believe him
completely, and has him executed for his supposed part in the killing. 

Although the messenger had an Amelekite background, he was a second-generation resident-alien
 whose family had earlier allied their fate with the Jews (II Samuel 1:13) unlike the raiding Amelekite
tribes that David was pursuing. Kyle McCarter (II Samuel, p. 60) explains that such a resident-alien, or 
sojourner, “was neither a native nor a foreigner in legal status, but he had some of the privileges and 
responsibilities of each.  He was...accepted and protected by the community among whom he lived
more or less permanently...Pertinent here is the fact that a sojourner...was not exempt from the laws of
the community or to the penalties prescribed by them.” 

Because of the above reasons, David had even more reason to trust the messenger than he did the
servant of a raiding Amelekite he had earlier encountered in 1 Samuel 30:11-16, and David trusted that
servant with his life and the lives of all his men.