This commentary begins with an Introduction, which gives an overview of the issues of date, authorship, sources and so on, but which also outlines more fully than usual the theology of 1 & 2 Samuel, and provides pointers toward its interpretation and contemporary application.

In this excellent commentary, David G. Firth takes seriously the narrative techniques employed in the books of Samuel and explores the central theme of how the reign of God is worked out in the interplay between king and prophet.