The First Book of Samuel (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) [Hardcover]

David Toshio Tsumura (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2007

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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Toshio Tsumura is professor of Old Testament at Japan Bible Seminary, Tokyo, chairman of the Tokyo Museum of Biblical Archaeology, and editor of Exegetica: Studies in Biblical Exegesis.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 720 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (March 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802823599
• ISBN-13: 978-0802823595
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #579,641 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highlights the use of language and defends integrity of the text, March 21, 2009

By 

Marc Axelrod (Potter, Wi USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The First Book of Samuel (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (Hardcover)

This is an important evangelical commentary. David Tsumura shows that many of the alleged textual corruptions in 1 Samuel are actually Hebraic uses of repetition, brachyology, and narrative art. Tsumura does a lot of discourse analysis in the book, showing which verses highlight the setting and the event and the conclusion (terminus).

He divides the book as follows: The story of Samuel (with the ark narrative included) in chapters 1-7, a transitional chapter 8, the story of Saul in chapters 9-15, and the story of the rise of David and the fall of Saul in chapters 16-31. He believes that these narratives were compiled together at some later point in time.

Tsumura believes that the theology of 1 Samuel emphasizes the sovereignty and holiness of God and the importance of obeying and respecting Him. He observes that even the Philistine god Dagon is under the sovereign control and power of God (1 Samuel 6-7).

Tsumura provides a very literal translation. When Hannah says to Eli "Do not take me for a worthless woman" in chapter one, he translates it as "Do not take me for a daughter of Belial."

He notes that the righteous Samuel and his mother are contrasted sharply with the lax Eli and his wicked sons.

Tsumura shows that the book of 1 Samuel gives an accurate portrait of the Philistine people and culture.

In 1 Samuel 13, Tsumura correctly states that Saul's sin was not making the burnt offering in and of itself (because he makes an offering in the next chapter, and kings sometimes do make offerings (David in 2 Samuel 24). The sin was in deliberately disobeying the word of the Lord to wait until Samuel arrived.

Some have suggested that there is an exegetical conundrum in 1 Samuel 16-17. How can King Saul know who David is in chapter 16, and then say "Who is this guy" after he kills Goliath in chapter 17? But Tsumura explains this very plausibly. He observes that Saul did not say "Who is this man?" He asked "Whose son is that young man?" He was asking about David's father.

I was disappointed that Tsumura did not say more about how David's faith in God's promises to deliver Israel from their enemies was the catalyst that gave him the faith to confront Goliath.

Many scholars have suggested that 1 Samuel 20 makes no sense. Why would David be expected to eat at the king's table after Saul tried to kill him twice? Tsumura suggests that the evil spirit that afflicted Saul came and went, and that this may have been a calmer period in between outbursts.

The foolish and angry Nabal and his death by the Lord's hand in 1 Samuel 25 prepares the reader for Saul's death at the Lord's hand in 1 Samuel 31.

To be honest, I think that this commentary is more helpful for the seminary student writing a term paper than it is for the busy pastor. It gets bogged down in linguistics issues and in defending the textual art of the writer(s). It is extremely valuable for its evangelical counter arguments to Kyle Mccarter.

Here and there, Tsumura gives some meaty expositional and theological reflections. But in my opinion, the pastor is better served by getting Robert Bergen's NAC contribution.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent commentary for wrestling with the meaning of the text, May 2, 2008

By 

Trevor Geddes (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The First Book of Samuel (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (Hardcover)

Having used a number of different commentaries over the years when preaching through Samuel I have found this commentary in a league of its own. The author seriously engages with the text itself rather than overly dwelling on the textual issues which though of some importance become very frustrating when they dominate in a commentary. He brings insight and conveys the sense that he genuinely likes the first book of Samuel. I unreservedly recommend it and look forward to his second volume.

20 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A magnificent work from the long-accomplished, March 31, 2007

By 

Commentary Surveyor (Stoughton MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The First Book of Samuel (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (Hardcover)

At last a conservative, semi-technical commentary on 1 Samuel (2 Samuel to follow)! Tsumura unravels the difficult Hebrew text, paying attention to the Canaanite and Philistine cultures which serves as the backdrop to this enigmatic book. His knowledge of ancient Semitic languages, Hebrew poetry, and discourse analysis are brought to bear in this tour-de-force.

Previously, he has authored The Earth & the Waters in Genesis 1 & 2 (Journal for the Study of the Old Testament), Creation And Destruction: A Reappraisal of the Chaoskampf Theory in the Old Testament; a study which upholds the biblical concept of creation ex nihilo (from nothing) rather than an earth formed from primeval chaos, and co-edited "I Studied Inscriptions from Before the Flood": Ancient Near Eastern, Literary, and Linguistic Approaches to Genesis 1-11 (Sources for Biblical and Theological Study Old Testament Series).