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Introduction
to 2 Samuel
Introduction
INTRODUCTION TO 2 SAMUEL
This
book, in many copies of the Hebrew Bible, is carried on without any new title put
unto it; the reason of it is, because, by some, this, with the preceding, has
been reckoned but one book: hence the Jews sayF1T. Bab. Bava Bathra,
fol. 14. 2. , Samuel wrote his book, not his books; in others it is called
Samuel Second; and by the Vulgate Latin the Second Book of Samuel, which we
call the Second of Kings; though why his name should be put to it at all I see
not, since it neither concerns him, nor could it be written by him, being an
history of events after his death. The Greek version calls it the Second of
Kings; and the Syriac version, the Second Book of the Kings of Israel; whereas
there is but one king of Israel it makes mention of, and of whose actions only
it is an history; and therefore with greater propriety it is called, as the Arabic
version, the Book of David the Prophet, of whose reign, from the beginning to
the end of it, it gives an account: wherefore IsidoreF2Origin. l. 6.
c. 2. thinks it was written by David; and if so, it has this mark of simplicity
and integrity, that the writer does not spare himself, nor conceal his own
faults, and particularly that very capital one, the affair of Bathsheba, and
also his numbering of the people; but it is most probable that it was written
by Nathan and GadF3Alting. Theolog. Hist. loc. 2. p. 86. , see 1 Chronicles 29:29;
but whoever was the penman of it, there is no doubt to be made of its being
written by inspiration, or that it is canonical; which has never been
questioned, since there stands in it a famous prophecy concerning the building
of the temple by a son of David, which had an exact accomplishment, 2 Samuel 7:12; as
well as of the family of David, for a great while to come, which also was
fulfilled, 2 Samuel 7:19; and
an eminent passage concerning the Messiah, the son of David, and of his divine
sonship, 2 Samuel 7:14;
quoted by the Apostle Paul in proof of it, Hebrews 1:5. It
contains an history of about forty years, for so long David reigned, seven
years and six months in Hebron, over Judah, and thirty three years in
Jerusalem, over all Israel and Judah; and this book relates his last words.
Commentator
John Gill (November 23, 1697-October 14,
1771) was an English Baptist, a biblical scholar, and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
In his youth, he attended Kettering Grammar School, mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve, Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor, William Wallis, on the text, "And the Lord called
unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel,
Horsleydown, Southwark in 1719. In 1757, his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane, St. Olave's Street, Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748, Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist, which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself, which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James Version Bible, NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay
Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and
grammar of the King James Version, while preserving the classic style of the of
the 1611 version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order,
grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou",
"thee", "ye," "thy," and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example, "speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young, who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.