Outline of the Book of 1 Samuel
1 Samuel General Structure (per Jerusalem Bible)
I – Samuel
1. The childhood of Samuel
The pilgrimage to Shiloh (1 Sam 1:1-1:8)
The prayer of Hannah (1 Sam 1:9-1:18)
The birth and consecration of Samuel (1 Sam 1:19-1:28)
The Canticle of Hannah(1 Sam 2:1-2:11)
The useless sons of Eli (1 Sam 2:12-2:17)
Samuel at Shiloh (1 Sam 2:18-:20)
The other children of Hannah (1 Sam 2:21-2:21)
The sins of the sons of Eli (1 Sam 2:22-2:25)
Samuel grows in stature (1 Sam 2:26-2:26)
The announcement of the punishment for Eli’s two sons (1 Sam 2:27-2:36)
Yahweh’s call to Samuel (1 Sam 3:1-3:9)
Yahweh reveals to Samuel the fall of the house of Eli (1 Sam 3:10-3:18)
Samuel continues to grow as a prophet (1 Sam 3:19-4:1)
2. The Ark of the Covenant among the Philistines
The Ark of the Covenant in the Israelite-Philistine war (1 Sam 4:1-4:9)
Philistine victory and the capture of the Ark of the Covenant (1 Sam 4:10-4:11)
The death of the priest Eli (1 Sam 4:12-4:18)
Death of the wife of Phinehas at child birth (1 Sam 4:19-4:22)
The Philistine god Dagon and the Ark of the Covenant (1 Sam 5:1-5:5)
The setbacks and tumors of the Philistines with the Ark of the Covenant (1 Sam 5:6-5:12)
The Philistines return the Ark of the Covenant (1 Sam 6:1-6:12)
The ark at Beth-shemesh (1 Sam 6:13-6:19)
The ark at Kiriath-jearim (1 Sam 6:20-7:2)
Samuel calls for repentance (1 Sam 7:3-7:6)
Samuel the liberator (1 Sam 7:7-7:14)
Samuel the judge (1 Sam 7:15-7:17)
II – Samuel and Saul
1. Institution of the Kingdom
The sons of Samuel (1 Sam 8:1-8:3)
The people demand a king (1 Sam 8:4-8:9)
The problems with a king (1 Sam 8:10-8:22)
Saul (1 Sam 9:1-9:2)
Saul and his father’s lost donkeys (1 Sam 9:3-9:10)
Saul meets Samuel (1 Sam 9:11-9:21)
Saul eats with Samuel (1 Sam 9:22-9:25)
Samuel anoints Saul (1 Sam 9:26-10:1)
Samuel instructs Saul on where to go (1 Sam 10:1-10:8)
The return home of Saul (1 Sam 10:9-10:16)
Yahweh is not happy about the idea of a king (1 Sam 10:17-10:19)
Saul is chosen as king by a lottery (1 Sam 10:20-10:27)
The threat of Nahash, the Ammonite (1 Sam 11:1-11:4)
Preparing for the battle against the Ammonites (1 Sam 11:5-11:10)
Victory against the Ammonites (1 Sam 11:11-11:11)
Saul is proclaimed king (1 Sam 11:12-11:15)
The integrity of Samuel (1 Sam 12:1-12:5)
Samuel reminds them of Yahweh’s help to their ancestors (1 Sam 12:6-12:11)
Samuel reminds them of their recent history (1 Sam 12:12-12:15)
Samuel reminds them that they must serve Yahweh (1 Sam 12:16-12:25)
2. Beginning of the Reign of Saul
The age and reign of Saul (1 Sam 13:1-13:1)
Preparing to fight the Philistines (1 Sam 13:2-13:7)
Rupture between Samuel and Saul (1 Sam 13:8-13:15)
Preparing for war (1 Sam 13:16-13:23)
Jonathan attacks the Philistine garrison (1 Sam 14:1-14:14)
The general battle (1 Sam 14:15-14:23)
The interdiction oath of Saul (1 Sam 14:24-14:24)
Jonathan violates Saul’s interdiction (1 Sam 14:25-14:30)
Ritual fault of the people eating the blood of the animals (1 Sam 14:31-14:35)
Jonathan recognizes his culpability and is saved by the people (1 Sam.14:36-11:46)
The reign of Saul continues against his enemies (1 Sam 14:47-14:48)
The family of Saul (1 Sam 14:49-14:52)
The holy war against the Amalekites (1 Sam 15:1-15:9)
Saul is rejected by Yahweh (1 Sam 15:10-15:11)
Samuel confronts Saul (1 Sam 15:12-15:21)
The Oracle of Samuel (1 Sam 15:22-15:23)
Saul implores in vain for forgiveness (1 Sam 15:24-15:31)
Samuel kills Agag (1 Sam 15:32-15:33)
Departure of Samuel (1 Sam 15:34-15:35)
III – Saul and David
1. David
Yahweh sends Samuel to Bethlehem (1 Sam 16:1-16:5)
The anointing of David (1 Sam 16:6-16:13)
David enters the service of Saul (1 Sam 16:14-16:23)
Goliath defies the Israelite army (1 Sam 17:1-17:11)
David with his father and brothers (1 Sam 17:12-17:19)
David arrives at the battle camp (1 Sam 17:20-17:30)
David offers to fight Goliath (1 Sam.17:31-17:39)
The preparations for the combat (1 Sam 17:40-17:47)
David defeats the Philistine (1 Sam 17:48-17:54)
The victorious David is presented to Saul (1 Sam 17:55-17:58)
David and Jonathan become good friends (1 Sam 18:1-18:5)
The jealousy of Saul (1 Sam 18:6-18:9)
Saul throws his spear at David (1 Sam 18:10-18:11)
David, the leader of the thousands (1 Sam 18:12-18:16)
David does not want to be Saul’s son-in-law (1 Sam 18:17-18:19)
The Marriage of David to Michal (1 Sam 18:20-18:30)
Jonathan intercedes for David (1 Sam 19:1-19:7)
2. Flight of David
The attack of Saul against David (1 Sam 19:8-19:10)
David is saved by his wife Michal (1 Sam 19:11-19:17)
The frenzied prophets at Naioth (1 Sam 19:18-19:24)
The meeting between Jonathan and David (1 Sam 20:1-20:3)
The love pact between Jonathan and David (1 Sam 20:4-20:17)
The complicated plan of Jonathan and David (1 Sam 20:18-20:23)
David is missing at the festival table (1 Sam 20:24-20:34)
The plan of Jonathan and David in action (1 Sam 20:35-20:40)
Final farewell of Jonathan and David (1 Sam 20:41-20:42)
David at Nob (1 Sam 21:1-21:9)
David at Gath (1 Sam 21:10-21:15)
3. David, chief of the outlaw gang
David gathers people around him at Adullam (1 Sam 22:1:22:2)
David went to Moab (1 Sam 22:3:22:4)
The prophet Gad (1 Sam 22:5:22:5)
Saul is upset (1 Sam 22:6-22:8)
Doeg the Edomite (1 Sam 22:9-22:10)
Saul questions Ahimelech (1 Sam 22:11-22:15)
The massacre of Ahimelech with the priests and people of Nob (1 Sam 22:16-22:19)
Abiathar goes to David (1 Sam 22:20-22:23)
David’s victory at Keilah (1 Sam 23:1-23:14)
Jonathan visits David (1 Sam 23:15-23:18)
The Ziphites report David to Saul (1 Sam 23:19-23:24)
David alludes Saul at the Rock of Escape (1 Sam 23:24-23:29)
David refuses to attack Saul in the cave (1 Sam 24:1-24:7)
David and Saul reconcile (1 Sam 24:8-24:23)
The death of Samuel (1 Sam 25:1-25:1)
David and Nabal (1 Sam 25:1-25:13)
The kindness of Abigail, Nabal’s wife, to David (1 Sam 25:14-25:35)
The death of Nabal (1 Sam 25:36-25:38)
David marries the widow Abigail (1 Sam 25:39-25:42)
The wives of David (1 Sam 25:43-25:44)
Saul pursues David (1 Sam 26:1-26:5)
David finds Saul (1 Sam 26:6-26:16)
Saul and David reconcile with each other again (1 Sam 26:17-26:25)
4. David among the Philistines
David seeks refuge at Gath (1 Sam 27:1-27:4)
David receives the town of Ziklag from King Achish (1 Sam 27:5-27:7)
David serves the Philistine King Achish (1 Sam 27:8-27:12)
The Philistines prepare for a war against Israel (1 Sam 28:1-28:2)
The death of Samuel (1 Sam 28:3-28:3)
Saul and the soothsayer at Endor (1 Sam 28:3-28:14)
The appearance of Samuel to Saul (1 Sam 28:15-28:19)
The reaction of Saul (1 Sam 28:20-28:25)
The Philistines refuse to fight with David on their side (1 Sam 29:1-29:5)
King Achish sends David home (1 Sam 29:6-29:11)
The Amalekites attack Ziklag (1 Sam 30:1-30:6)
David plans to pursue the Amalekites (1 Sam 30:7-30:10)
David meets the sick Egyptian (1 Sam 30:11-30:15)
David attacks the Amalekites (1 Sam 30:16-30:20)
David shares the spoils equally (1 Sam 30:21-30:31)
Saul and his three sons die at the battle of Gilboa (1 Sam 31:1-31:7)
The fate of Saul’s body (1 Sam 31:8-31:13)