Samuel and Ezra, the writers of the Old Testament

Samuels Books: Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges

The history hath been collected from several books, such as:

• the history of the Creation composed by Moses, Gen. ii. 4
• the book of the generations of Adam, Gen. v. i
• the book of the wars of the Lord, Num. xxi. 14.

This book of wars contained what was done at the Red-sea, and in the journeying of Israel through the Wilderness, and therefore was begun by Moses. Joshua carried it on to the conquest of Canaan.

Joshua wrote some things in the book of the Law of God, Josh. xxiv. 26.

Therefore might write his own wars in the book of wars, those being the principal wars of God.

These were public books, and therefore not written without the authority of Moses and Joshua.

Samuel had leisure in the reign of Saul, to put them into the form of the books of Moses and Joshua now extant, inserting into the book of Genesis, the race of the Kings of Edom, until there reigned a King in Israel.

The book of the Judges is a continued history of the Judges down to the death of Sampson, and therefore was compiled after his death, out of the Acts of the Judges.

Several things in this book are said to be done when there was no King in Israel, Judg. xvii. 6. xviii. 1. xix. 1. xxi. 25.

Therefore this book was written after the beginning of the reign of Saul.

When it was written, the Jebusites dwelt in Jerusalem, Jud. i. 21 and therefore it was written before the eighth year of David, 2 Sam. v. 8. and 1 Chron. xi. 6. The books of Moses, Joshua, and Judges, contain one continued history, down from the Creation to the death of Sampson.

Where the Pentateuch ends, the book of Joshua begins. Where the book of Joshua ends, the book of Judges begins.

Therefore all these books have been composed out of the writings of Moses, Joshua, and other records, by one and the same hand, after the beginning of the reign of Saul, and before the 8th year of David.

Samuel was a sacred writer, 1 Sam. x. 25. acquainted with the history of Moses and the Judges, 1 Sam. xii. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. and had leisure in the reign of Saul, and sufficient authority to compose these books.

He was a Prophet, and judged Israel all the days of his life, and was in the greatest esteem with the people.

The Law by which he was to judge the people was not to be published by less authority than his own, the Law-maker being not inferior to the judge.

The book of Jasher, which is quoted in the book of Joshua, Josh. x. 13. was in being at the death of Saul, 2 Sam. i. 18.

At the dedication of the Temple of Solomon, when the Ark was brought into the most holy place, there was nothing in it but the two tables, 1 Kings viii. 9.

Therefore when the Philistines took the Ark, they took out of it the book of the Law, and the golden pot of Manna, and Aaron’s Rod. This and other losses in the desolation of Israel, by the conquering Philistines, allowed Samuel to recollect and rewrite the scattered writings of:

• Moses and Joshua
• the records of the Patriarchs and Judges

The book of Ruth is a history of things done in the days of the Judges. It is an addition to the book of the Judges, written by the Samuel at the same time.

For it was written after the birth of David, Ruth iv. 17, 22. and not long after, because the history of Boaz and Ruth, the great grandfather and great grandmother of David, and that of their contemporaries, could not well be remembered above two or three generations.

This book derives the genealogy of David from Boaz and Ruth, and omits David’s elder brothers and his sons; it was written in honour of David, after he was anointed King by Samuel, and before he had children in Hebron, and by consequence in the reign of Saul.

It proceeds not to the history of David, and therefore seems to have been written presently after he was anointed. They judge well therefore who ascribe to Samuel the books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth.

Samuel is also the author of the first book of Samuel, till the time of his death.

The two books of Samuel cite no authors, and therefore seem to be originals.

They begin with his genealogy, birth and education, and might be written partly in his lifetime by himself or his disciples the Prophets at Naioth in Ramah, 1 Sam. xix. 18, 19, 20. and partly after his death by the same disciples.

The books of the Kings cite other authors, as the book of the Acts of Solomon, the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel, and the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.

The books of the Chronicles cite the book of Samuel the Seer, the book of Nathan the Prophet, and the book of Gad the Seer, for the Acts of David;

the book of Nathan the Prophet, the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and the visions of Iddo the Seer, for the Acts of Solomon;

the book of Shemajah the Prophet, and the book of Iddo the Seer concerning genealogies, for the Acts of Rehoboam and Abijah; the book of the Kings of Judah and Israel for the Acts of Asa, Joash, Amaziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, and Josiah; the book of Hanani the Seer, for the Acts of Jehosaphat

The visions of Isaiah for the Acts of Uzziah and Hezekiah.

These books were therefore collected out of the historical writings of the antient Seers and Prophets.

The books of the Kings and Chronicles quote one another. It means they were written at one and the same time.

This time was after the return from the Babylonian captivity, because they bring down the history of Judah, and the genealogies of the Kings of Judah, and of the High Priests, to that captivity.

Ezra

The book of Ezra was originally a part of the book of the Chronicles, and has been divided from it.

It begins with the two last verses of the books of Chronicles, and the first book of Esdras begins with the two last chapters thereof.

Ezra was therefore the compiler of the books of Kings and Chronicles, and brought down the history to his own time. He was a ready Scribe in the Law of God; and for assisting him in this work Nehemias founded a library, and gathered together the Acts of the Kings and the Prophets, and of David, and the Epistles of the Kings, concerning the holy gifts, 2 Maccab. ii. 13. By the Acts of David I understand here the two books of Samuel, or at least the second book.

Out of the Acts of the Kings, written from time to time by the Prophets, he compos’d the books of the Kings of Judah and Israel, the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, and the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. And in doing this he joined those Acts together, in due order of time, copying the very words of the authors, as is manifest from hence, that the books of the Kings and Chronicles frequently agree with one another in words for many sentences together. Where they agree in sense, there they agree in words also.

So the Prophecies of Isaiah, written at several times, he has collected into one body. And the like he did for those of Jeremiah, and the rest of the Prophets, down to the days of the second Temple. The book of Jonah is the history of Jonah written by another hand. The book of Daniel is a collection of papers written at several times.

The 6 last chapters contain Prophecies written at several times by Daniel himself: the six first are a collection of historical papers written by others.

The fourth chapter is a decree of Nebuchadnezzar. The first chapter was written after Daniel’s death: for the author saith, that Daniel continued to the first year of Cyrus; that is, to his first year over the Persians and Medes, and third year over Babylon. And, for the same reason, the fifth and sixth chapters were also written after his death. For they end with these words: So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Yet these words might be added by the collector of the papers, whom I take to be Ezra.

The Psalms composed by Moses, David, and others were collected by Ezra into one volume.

I reckon him the collector, because in this collection I meet with Psalms as late as the Babylonian captivity, but with none later.

After these things, Antiochus Epiphanes:

• spoiled the Temple
• commanded the Jews to forsake the Law
• burnt the sacred books

In these troubles the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel was entirely lost.

But upon recovering from this oppression, Judas Maccabæus gathered together all those writings that were to be met with, 2 Maccab. ii. 14. and in reducing them into order, part of the Prophecies of Isaiah, or some other Prophet, have been added to the end of the Prophecies of Zechariah.

The book of Ezra has been separated from the book of Chronicles, and set in 2 different orders:

1. One order in the book of Ezra, received into the Canon
2. Another order in the first book of Esdras.

After the Roman captivity, the Jews preserved their traditions by writing their Talmud.

To preserve their scriptures, they agreed on an Edition.

Such marginal notes, or other corruptions, as by the errors of the transcribers, before this Edition was made, had crept into the text, are now scarce to be corrected.

The Jews before the Roman captivity, distinguished the sacred books into the Law, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa, or holy writings.

They read only the Law and the Prophets in their Synagogues.

Jesus and his Apostles laid the stress of religion on the Law and the Prophets, Matt. vii. 12. xxii. 4. Luke xvi. 16, 29, 31. xxiv. 44. Acts xxiv. 14. xxvi. 22. Rom. iii. 21.

By the Hagiographa they meant the historical books called Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, the book of Job, the Psalms, the books of Solomon, and the Lamentations.

The Samaritans read only the Pentateuch.

When Jehosaphat sent men to teach in the cities, they had with them only the book of the Law; for the Prophecies now extant were not then written.

After the return from the Babylonian captivity, Ezra read only the book of the Law to the people, from morning to noon on the first day of the seventh month; and from day to day in the feast of Tabernacles: for he had not yet collected the writings of the Prophets into the volume now extant; but instituted the reading of them after the collection was made.

By reading the Law and the Prophets in the Synagogues, those books have been kept freer from corruption than the Hagiographa.

In the infancy of the nation of Israel, when God had given them a Law, and made a covenant with them to be their God if they would keep his commandments, he sent Prophets to reclaim them, as often as they revolted to the worship of other Gods: and upon their returning to him, they sometimes renewed the covenant which they had broken.

These Prophets he continued to send, till the days of Ezra: but after their Prophecies were read in the Synagogues, those Prophecies were thought sufficient. For if the people would not hear Moses and the old Prophets, they would hear no new ones, no not tho they should rise from the dead.

At length when a new truth was to be preached to the Gentiles, namely, that Jesus was the Christ, God sent new Prophets and Teachers: but after their writings were also received and read in the Synagogues of the Christians, Prophecy ceased a second time. We have Moses, the Prophets, and Apostles, and the words of Christ himself; and if we will not hear them, we shall be more inexcusable than the Jews.

For the Prophets and Apostles have foretold, that as Israel often revolted and brake the covenant, and upon repentance renewed it; so there should be a falling away among the Christians, soon after the days of the Apostles; and that in the latter days God would destroy the impenitent revolters, and make a new covenant with his people.

The giving ear to the Prophets is a fundamental character of the true Church. For God has so ordered the Prophecies, that in the latter days the wise may understand, but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, Dan. xii. 9, 10. The authority of Emperors, Kings, and Princes, is human. The authority of Councils, Synods, Bishops, and Presbyters, is human.

The authority of the Prophets is divine, and comprehends the sum of religion, reckoning Moses and the Apostles among the Prophets; and if an Angel from Heaven preach any other gospel, than what they have delivered, let him be accursed.

Their writings contain the covenant between God and his people, with instructions for keeping this covenant; instances of God’s judgments upon them that break it: and predictions of things to come. While the people of God keep the covenant, they continue to be his people: when they break it they cease to be his people or church, and become the Synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not. And no power on earth is authorized to alter this covenant.

The predictions of things to come relate to the state of the Church in all ages: and amongst the old Prophets, Daniel is most distinct in order of time, and easiest to be understood: and therefore in those things which relate to the last times, he must be made the key to the rest.

Notes to Chap. I.

[1] 2 Chron. xxxiii. 5, 6, 7.

[2] 2 Chron. xxxiv.

[3] 2 Chron. xii. 2, 3, 4, 8, 9. & xv. 3, 5, 6.

[4] 2 Chron. xiv. 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12.

[5] 2 Chron. xv. 3, 12, 13, 16, 18.

[6] 2 Kings xvii. 27, 28, 32, 33.

[7] 2 Kings xvii. 34, 41.

[8] Gen. xxxvi. 31.