1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart

If it's written by Dale Ralph Davis, get it!! He is brilliant. He overviews a chapter, highlighting the main theme, but never fails to bring out intriguing insights. He is also very easy to read. No one write more interesting commentaries than Davis. This is great, as Bible study should be enjoyable. As Davis explains passages, he expertly explains the gravity of situations such as war and missing arks, but also explains the levity of situations with a use of humor, taken from the funny parts of Samuel itself. This is not only the best commentary on 1 Samuel, but, for mine, perhaps the best commentary by anyone on anything. Certainly, this is the most enjoyable commentary I have engaged with. Worth more than 5 stars.

I have become a collector of commentaries ever since my seminary days in the 1990s. As such, I am only going to recommend the best overall commentary for each book of the Bible on this site. For 1 Samuel (and 2 Samuel), for the preacher/teacher, Dr. Davis' wins out. His is not a verse-by-verse treatment and he does not deal with all the technical issues you might find in some other commentaries, but he engages the heart and the mind in an uncanny way with biblical and theological accuracy. I could not recommend his contribution on 1 and 2 Samuel any higher. (It is also worth considering getting Peter Leithart's "A Son to Me" for a different voice).

Not as in depth as some of the longer commentaries, but wonderful in its application and easy to read.

Though obviously very learned and aware of all the interpretive issues, the tow commentaries on Samuel by Dale Ralph Davis focus more on making the text real to us. There is not a focus on background information or showing different views. But the comments that he does make are very good and he does a great job with application. Another advantage is both available as Kindle books for very low cost (or at least was at one time the R4 Group – Christian Focus Commentaries: Volume 1: Old Testament). The volume on 1 Samuel especially helpful and would be my first commentary choice for first Samuel The volume one 2 Samuel is also very good though my first choice would be Robert Barron in the Brazos series.

Though obviously very learned and aware of all the interpretive issues, the tow commentaries on Samuel by Dale Ralph Davis focus more on making the text real to us. There is not a focus on background information or showing different views. But the comments that he does make are very good and he does a great job with application. Another advantage is both available as Kindle books for very low cost (or at least was at one time the R4 Group – Christian Focus Commentaries: Volume 1: Old Testament). The volume on 1 Samuel especially helpful and would be my first commentary choice for first Samuel The volume one 2 Samuel is also very good though my first choice would be Robert Barron in the Brazos series.

Very Very helpful in the process of getting from the exegetical statement to the theological statements and finally to the sermon theme [Full Review]

Dale Ralph Davis has written fantastic commentaries on many of the historical books of the Old Testament, 1 & 2 Samuel among them. (As an aside, I was excited to see in a recent catalog that he’ll also be providing Daniel for the BST series.) While they are written at such a level that they are accessible for the general reader, they are very helpful for pastors as well. Truly, if you are going to preach Samuel, you will definitely want to have access to them. [Full Review]

Davis' commentaries on Joshua and Judges set a standard for readable, insightful, introductory level commentaries on the historical books of the Old Testament. His volumes on the books of Samuel maintain that high standard. These commentaries are written at a level accessible to the layman, yet they offer numerous insights for pastors and teachers that other commentaries overlook. I cannot recommend these two commentaries highly enough. [Full Review]