in these two Samuel volumes the subhead Meaning is used here in place of Intention” (p. 6). As always, the editors acknowledge with appreciation the cooperation of the Eerdmans Publishing Company and their association with the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity at the Claremont Graduate University. ROLF P. KNIERIM MARVIN A. SWEENEY AUTHOR’S PREFACE The invitation to contribute 1–2 Samuel within this series, The Forms of the Old Testament Literature, was accepted long ago in 1976, following