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The New International Commentary on the Old Testament
The First Book of Samuel
David and Goliath, the call of Samuel, the witch of Endor, David and Bathsheba — such biblical stories are well known. But the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, where they are recorded, are among the most difficult books in the Bible. The Hebrew text is widely considered corrupt and sometimes even unintelligible. The social and religious customs are strange and seem to diverge from the tradition of Moses. In this first part of an ambitious two-volume commentary on the books of Samuel, David Toshio Tsumura sheds considerable light on the background of 1 Samuel, looking carefully at the Philistine and Canaanite cultures, as he untangles the difficult Hebrew text.
720 pages, Hardcover
First published March 15, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 22, 2022
This is the first commentary I read when I need to preach on 1 Samuel--not because it's the best but because it just gives me the information I need to read the text well. Much concern with the details of the text in its ancient near eastern context, little concern with biblical theology, no concern for application.
December 2, 2022
Strong endorsement of the MT without significant emendations. Emphasis on the verbal (phonetic) nature of the text with recognition of story features-SETTING, EVENT, etc. Author is an expert in semitic languages according to a number of sources. I also read this with ESV and Robert Alter's translation and commentary. Highly recommend. Not a devotional or application focus for the reader. I recommend it for those looking for "hearing" what the text is saying.
September 23, 2024
Not helpful.
The general tenure of this commentary is like this:
1) comments on minutiae in the text
2) often does not draw conclusions, but merely contests alternative interpretations of minutiae without much reasoning
3) bland comments.
Here is an example, on 19:6
"Saul Listened to Jonathan's words and swore that he would never kill David. The narrator repeats 'Saul' as the subject to make it clear to the audience that Saul surely agreed with David."
Check out Dale Ralph Davis on 1 Samuel - his work is excellent.
The general tenure of this commentary is like this:
1) comments on minutiae in the text
2) often does not draw conclusions, but merely contests alternative interpretations of minutiae without much reasoning
3) bland comments.
Here is an example, on 19:6
"Saul Listened to Jonathan's words and swore that he would never kill David. The narrator repeats 'Saul' as the subject to make it clear to the audience that Saul surely agreed with David."
Check out Dale Ralph Davis on 1 Samuel - his work is excellent.
July 20, 2022
This commentary was fine. It was highly academic, but I'm glad I had it because it helped me find answers for some technical questions I had along the way.
March 18, 2023
Helfpul on more technical issues. Deals well with the text and the story.
August 12, 2014
Scholarly yet accessible.
April 14, 2017
This volume is the first of a planned two-volume set covering the Books of Samuel. It’s part of the highly respected New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT) series published by Eerdmans. This series never had a volume on the Books of Samuel until this volume by scholar David Toshio Tsumura came along and we eagerly await the volume on II Samuel. Though some reviews I’ve read do not give this volume as high marks as others in the series, my own review finds this volume to be underrated.
Even those who are slightly critical of it must confess that Mr. Tsumura is expert on philological and grammatical matters. Scholarly students will especially appreciate its depth in the different critical approaches all the way down to the current hot topic of discourse analysis. Though he agrees with some things in critical areas that I could not, his approach would be considered quite conservative by most standards.
His Introduction begins with a basic explanation of the title of the book and then launches into a discussion of the text itself. He is quite positive about the value of the Masoretic text and compares it to the LXX and Dead Sea Scrolls. He confesses that we cannot know who wrote the books of Samuel since Samuel died in I Samuel. Though he agrees with more than I could, he still finds many of the theories of redaction in the text to be based on questionable assumptions. He digs deep into the historicity of the Books of Samuel and feels confident about most of it. He gives good background material on the Philistines, the Canaanites and all their influence including the gods of the area, and the prevalence of necromancy.
From there he goes into grammar/syntax and discourse analysis and shows us his specialty. He even addresses the poetry that can be found in the Books of Samuel. The section on literary structure and themes was well done as was the brief section on the theology of Samuel. The introduction ends with a detailed outline and a select detailed bibliography.
The commentary proper is quite full and a real help to those studying this book. There is more of an emphasis on philological matters than theology or application, but as I said before, the book is better than some people give it credit for being. It actually stands up well with other volumes in the NICOT series and I recommend it.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Even those who are slightly critical of it must confess that Mr. Tsumura is expert on philological and grammatical matters. Scholarly students will especially appreciate its depth in the different critical approaches all the way down to the current hot topic of discourse analysis. Though he agrees with some things in critical areas that I could not, his approach would be considered quite conservative by most standards.
His Introduction begins with a basic explanation of the title of the book and then launches into a discussion of the text itself. He is quite positive about the value of the Masoretic text and compares it to the LXX and Dead Sea Scrolls. He confesses that we cannot know who wrote the books of Samuel since Samuel died in I Samuel. Though he agrees with more than I could, he still finds many of the theories of redaction in the text to be based on questionable assumptions. He digs deep into the historicity of the Books of Samuel and feels confident about most of it. He gives good background material on the Philistines, the Canaanites and all their influence including the gods of the area, and the prevalence of necromancy.
From there he goes into grammar/syntax and discourse analysis and shows us his specialty. He even addresses the poetry that can be found in the Books of Samuel. The section on literary structure and themes was well done as was the brief section on the theology of Samuel. The introduction ends with a detailed outline and a select detailed bibliography.
The commentary proper is quite full and a real help to those studying this book. There is more of an emphasis on philological matters than theology or application, but as I said before, the book is better than some people give it credit for being. It actually stands up well with other volumes in the NICOT series and I recommend it.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews