Biblical Hebrew Forum

["leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il" <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>]

Dear Sergio,

I, for one, don't think that chapters 1-2 were originally about Saul. I do
agree, though, that the reason given for Samuel's name does seem to fit
"Saul" and not "Samuel", and I suspect that there may have originally BEEN
a story about the "miraculous" birth of Saul and his naming, which was
later "hidden" in the Samuel story, by an anti-Saul redactor.

Yigal

Original Message:
-----------------
From: Sesamo m. sesamox AT hotmail.com
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 11:41:39 +0100
To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [b-hebrew] 1 Sam 1 and 2 -about Samuel or about Saul?


I remember having read that chapters 1 and 2 of 1 Samuel were originally 
about Saul and later changed to Samuel. The reasons were two:

First:
1 Sam 1:20: "and in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she
called 
his name Samuel, for she said, "I have asked him of the LORD."
1 Sam 1: 28: "Therefore I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives,
he 
is lent to the LORD."
They said "Saul" means "asked (of God)" or "lent (to God)" and so it fits 
well with these verses, while "Samuel" ("name of God") doesn't.

Second:
Hannah's song at 1 Samuel chapter 2 is a monarchist song, while Samuel 
wasn't a king. (However, I've read that other critics consider this song as 
a very later addition).

How can believers of the divine inspiration of the Bible deal with these 
ideas? I guess the answer for the second point is a question of exegesis
and 
so out of place in this forum, but the first point has to do with the 
language itsef.

Cheers!
Sergio


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