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First Samuel is a national autobiography of the Hebrew people. David Jobling reads 1 Samuel as a story that is complete in itself, although it is part of a much larger narrative. He examines it as a historical document in a double sense: firstly, as a document originating from ancient Israel, and, secondly, as a telling of the past. Organizing the text through the three interlocking themes of...

(5) For the most part Saul is under Samuel’s authority. This is seen above all in ch. 12 when Samuel simply sidelines Saul and keeps the reins of national power firmly in his own hands—even announcing that he himself will continue to guide the nation in the future (12:23). In 11:7 he accompanies Saul to the war against the Ammonites. Even in the exploit by which he is to prove himself Saul, it seems, cannot manage alone.39 In contrast to all these points Saul does in chs. 9–11 begin to assert himself
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