Samuel
Samuel (Hebrew: שְׁמוּאֵל, pronounced "Shmu'el") (15 January 1151 BC–fl. 18 June 1101 BC–ca. 1060 BC) was the fifteenth and last Judge and the first of the major prophets of Israel in the Bible. Given as a gift to serve God when God answered the prayers of his mother Hannah to allow her to become pregnant, Samuel served in the temple under Eli and heard God call him. God had to call him several times as each time Samuel would go to Eli, not realizing it was God.
Samuel is considered the last judge and the first prophet.[1] His judgeship marks the transition from the time of the judges to the time of Kings in that he anointed Saul and David as the first two kings of Israel. Samuel's deeds are described in the book of I Samuel. Later, Saul has the Witch at En-Dor call up Samuel's spirit, which (surprisingly) happens (not simply a demon portraying him); Samuel replies that Saul will die (along with his sons) the next day in battle.
Name
The name of Samuel means either "heard of God" (from the same root at the name of Ishmael, meaning God hears)[2] or "name of God" (from the same root as the name of Shem, meaning renown or name).[3] Today, Samuel is a common name in many languages and cultures, including English, Irish, Scottish, French, German, Dutch, Scandinavian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, and Jewish.
Chronological placement
Floyd Nolen Jones[4] dates Samuel's career from the date of the Fall of the Temple of Dagon (when Samson died) to five years before King Saul fell in battle with the Philistines. Archbishop William Lloyd, in 1701, had suggested that Samuel had been born twenty years earlier, as shown in the marginal dates in some surviving copies of the Authorized Version of the Bible. This would imply that Samuel lived to the age of 111 years, which is not impossible, but less likely in his era.
In fiction
Samuel appears in many motion picture and television projects about the life and career of King David. Such projects often begin with Samuel's sharp rebuke of Saul for making a treaty with the Amalekites and continue with Samuel's secret anointing of David.
References
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