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NOTES:

The Bible Translation quoted by the authors in the main , unless otherwise indicated, is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

1 & 2 S AMUEL

THE NIV APPLICATION COMMENTARY

From biblical text to contemporary life

BILL T. ARNOLD

ZONDERVAN

The NIV Application Commentary: 1 and 2 Samuel

Copyright 2003 by Bill T. Arnold

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Arnold, Bill T., 1955

1 and 2 Samuel: the NIV application commentary from biblical textto contemporary life / Bill T. Arnold.

p. cm.(The NIV application commentary)

Includes .

ePub edition November 2014: ISBN 978-0-310-52072-6

ISBN: 0-310-21086-0

1. Bible. O.T. SamuelCommentaries. I. Title: First and Second Samuel. II. Title. III. Series.

BS1325.53.A76 2003

222.4077dc21

2002010350

CIP

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

D EDICATION

F OR MY HEROES OF 19391945

M Y F ATHER

S ERGEANT W ALTER L . A RNOLD

83rd Division, 329th Infantry Regiment

Bronze Star, Combat Infantry Badge

European-African-Middle East Theater Medal (5 battle stars)

American Theater Medal, Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal

M Y UNCLE

C ORPORAL J AMES H . A RNOLD

1346th Army Air Force Base Unit, Air Transport Command

Carbine Marksman

Asiatic-Pacific Theater Medal (2 battle stars)

American Theater Medal, Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal

M Y UNCLE

P RIVATE F IRST C LASS A NDREW R . A RNOLD

95th Division, 377th Infantry Regiment

European-African-Middle East Theater Medal (3 battle stars), Purple Heart,

American Theater Medal, Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal

19251998

M Y UNCLE

C ORPORAL C ECIL B . A RNOLD

504th Military Police Battalion

Army of Occupation Medal, World War II Victory Medal

M Y UNCLE

S TAFF S ERGEANT H OBART S PIRES

100th Bomb Group, 349th Squadron

European-African-Middle East Theater Medal (1 battle star), Purple Heart,

Presidential Unit Citation (Oakleaf Cluster), Air Medal (5 Oakleaf Clusters),

Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Ribbon

Killed in action over Berlin (March 6, 1944)

19201944

M Y MENTOR AND FRIEND

L IEUTENANT C OLONEL C LARENCE A . O LSEN

66th Division, G-2 (Counter-Intelligence Corps-Special Agent)

Liaison Agent (French Underground)

Croix de Guerre (avec palme)

Dcoration Militaire (avec palme)

Interpreter at Post-Potsdam Conferences

Translator for General Lucius Clay, US Military Governor (Berlin, Germany)

Security Office (US Embassy, Paris & US Army Seine Area Command)

Foreign Liaison Officer (Pentagon & Foreign Military Attachs in Washington, DC)

West Point Military Academy (Chief of French Department)

Presidential Citation for Meritorious Service at West Point

M Y TEACHER AND FRIEND

P ROFESSOR W ERNER W EINBERG, P H. D .

Survivor of Bergen-Belsen

19151997

Contents

NIV Application Commentary

T HE NIV A PPLICATION C OMMENTARY S ERIES is unique. Most commentaries help us make the journey from our world back to the world of the Bible. They enable us to cross the barriers of time, culture, language, and geography that separate us from the biblical world. Yet they only offer a one-way ticket to the past and assume that we can somehow make the return journey on our own. Once they have explained the original meaning of a book or passage, these commentaries give us little or no help in exploring its contemporary significance. The information they offer is valuable, but the job is only half done.

Recently, a few commentaries have included some contemporary application as one of their goals. Yet that application is often sketchy or moralistic, and some volumes sound more like printed sermons than commentaries.

The primary goal of the Application Commentary Series is to help you with the difficult but vital task of bringing an ancient message into a modern context. The series not only focuses on application as a finished product but also helps you think through the