1 and 2 Samuel
in Belief: Theological Commentary on the Bible
Publisher
Westminster John Knox
Published
8/24/2015
ISBN-13
9780664232498
"The episodes in 1 and 2 Samuel are striking in their depiction of human characters—priests, soldiers, kings, prophets, and royal advisers—but also significant in how they narrate the central character of this history, the God of Israel. History, in these books, is not simply an accounting of royal intrigue, military battles, and socio-economic struggle but the stage upon which God reveals God's very self. First and Second Samuel relay some of the most memorable vignettes in all Scripture—the call of Samuel, David's battle with Goliath, and David's seizure of Bathsheeba as his wife—and discover in them the hand of God."
—from the introduction
First and Second Samuel describe the beginnings of monarchy in ancient Israel and introduce us to intriguing characters: Samuel—prophet, priest, and judge; Saul—the tragic figure who becomes Israel's first king; and David—Saul's celebrated successor and Israel's key leader whose influence endured for generations. But as Jensen makes clear in his splendid commentary, there is another figure who is a central character: God. Throughout his theologically rich treatment of these biblical books, Jensen explores what makes these texts important for us. He suggests that we read 1 and 2 Samuel because they reveal the complexities of the human person; the ambiguities of our social arrangements as nations; and God's agency in a conflicted world. Jensen notes that as we are shaped by and grapple with the biblical stories, we are invited to find our own stories within them. "What keeps us coming back to faith," he says, "is its stories: stories that tell the truth about the human condition, our shared corporate life, and the life God gives to the world."
First and Second Samuel describe the beginnings of monarchy in ancient Israel and introduce us to intriguing characters: Samuel—prophet, priest, and judge; Saul—the tragic figure who becomes Israel's first king; and David—Saul's celebrated successor and Israel's key leader whose influence endured for generations. But as Jensen makes clear in his splendid commentary, there is another figure who is a central character: God. Throughout his theologically rich treatment of these biblical books, Jensen explores what makes these texts important for us. He suggests that we read 1 and 2 Samuel because they reveal the complexities of the human person; the ambiguities of our social arrangements as nations; and God's agency in a conflicted world. Jensen notes that as we are shaped by and grapple with the biblical stories, we are invited to find our own stories within them. "What keeps us coming back to faith," he says, "is its stories: stories that tell the truth about the human condition, our shared corporate life, and the life God gives to the world."
Collections
This book appears in the following featured collections.
- Top Old Testament Commentaries by Engaging Scripture (Nijay Gupta's Substack)
Reviews
DavidH
May 2, 2026
May 2, 2026
Jensen's 1 & 2 Samuel (Belief, 2015) offers moments of genuine theological reflection — on Hannah's prayer, place theology, and the ambiguities of power — but is undermined by serious and recurring problems. His opening claim that "many, if not most" events in Samuel "probably did not happen in the way the authors describe" is both historically overstated and logically inconsistent, since he then mines every passage for authoritative theological meaning. He incorrectly defines Samuel's name as meaning "name of God" or "He who is from God," when virtually every other commentary correctly derives it from sha'al ("to ask"), meaning "asked of God." His consistent framing of the David–Bathsheba episode as rape — including a section header "David Seizes Bathsheba" — goes beyond what the Hebrew text supports and against the mainstream of scholarship, which treats it as adultery. His "Further Reflections: LGBT Theologies" section approvingly surveys queer theology (including the claim that the Eucharist is "gay sex as well as straight sex") with minimal critical engagement, while the David–Jonathan relationship is left open to a homoerotic reading that commentaries such as Bergen (NAC) explicitly and carefully reject — Bergen rightly notes that in ancient Israel a man's wife was a partner in procreation rather than his closest emotional confidant, which fully accounts for the intensity of David's bond with Jonathan without any sexual dimension. His treatment of biblical authority effectively endorses Carter Heyward's position that some canonical texts are neither inspired nor authoritative. Most seriously, Jensen repeatedly uses language derogatory toward God: he approvingly cites the characterisation of the resurrected Christ as "the disabled God," leaves unrebutted the claim that God has a "dark side" and is "demonic" in his dealings with Saul, and twice quotes approvingly the view that the God of Samuel is "not particularly loving or lovable." A process-theology influence (drawing on Catherine Keller) further undermines classical theism in his treatment of God's relenting over kingship — a passage Brueggemann, himself a liberal scholar, handles comfortably within a covenant-relational framework without recourse to process categories. The commentary is also heavily burdened with partisan contemporary political commentary. Readers seeking theologically rich engagement with Samuel will be better served by Arnold (NIVAC), Firth (ApOTC), Bergen (NAC), or even Brueggemann (Interpretation).
Engaging Scripture (Nijay Gupta's Substack) (Stephen B. Chapman)
September 28, 2021
September 28, 2021
In keeping with the Belief series, David Jensen’s 1 & 2 Samuel (Westminster John Knox, 2015) firmly keeps its interpretive horizon on contemporary Christian life, but in conjunction with a close reading of the Samuel narrative. Whether you agree with him or not along the way, he provides plenty of food for further thought.
[Full Review]