Samuel (died 1060 BC) was a Jewish prophet who was most famous for anointing King Saul as the first ruler of the United Kingdom of Israel in 1095 BC and King David as the rightful king in 1063 BC following Saul's corruption.
Biography[]
Samuel was born in Ramathaim-Zophim, the son of Elkanah and Hannah, and he belonged to the Tribe of Levi. He worked under Eli at the shrine of Shiloh before having a vision of God at age twelve and being told that the wickedness of the sons of Eli would result in their dynasty being condemned to destruction. Samuel grew to be a widely respected prophet, and, after Eli's death in 1116 BC, Samuel helped keep Jewish identity alive amid the oppression of the Philistines. In 1096 BC, after twenty years of oppression, Samuel gathered the Israelites of Mizpah and led them to a decisive victory over the Philistines. He went on to appoint his sons Joel and Abijah as his successors, but their wickedness, and the external threats posed by the Philistines and other neighboring tribes, convinced both Samuel and Israel's tribal leaders that their nation needed a strong, centralized monarchy to lead it. Samuel was reluctant to disinherit his sons until he received another vision of God, and he came across Saul as the latter was searching for his father's lost donkeys. Samuel anointed Saul as king in 1095 BC, and Samuel proceeded to retire, giving a coronation speech for King Saul and reminding the Israelites that prophets and judges were more important than kings, as they were to hold kings to account before God. In 1063 BC, however, Saul's decision not to exterminate all the Amalekites and to spare their king and best cattle resulted in Samuel announcing that Saul and his family had lost the blessing of God, and Samuel went to Bethlehem to search for a new king. Impressed with the pure heart of the shepherd boy David, Samuel anointed David as the new king, and he later sheltered David when the jealous Saul attempted to have David killed. On his death, Samuel was buried at Nabi Samwil in the West Bank. In 1055 BC, Saul had the Witch of Endor conjure up Samuel's spirit to advise him on the eve of the Battle of Mount Gilboa, but an indignant Samuel warned Saul that the Lord had left him; Saul and many of his sons went on to be slain in that battle.