Problem: According to this passage, the Philistines gathered together 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen. However, an army of 30,000 chariots has never been recorded in all of ancient history, even among the most powerful empires. How could the Philistines have amassed such a large group of chariots?
Problem: Among the several translations of the OT, 1 Samuel 13:1 is rendered as “one year” in the nkjv, by “forty” in the nasb, by “thirty” for the first number and “[forty-]two” for the second number in the ___. Which of these is the right number or numbers for this verse?
Problem: The Bible says Saul was chosen by the people (1 Sam. 8:19), by the Lord (1 Sam. 9:17; 10:24), and by casting a lot (1 Sam. 10:20–21). Which was it?
Problem: According to 1 Samuel 10:1, Samuel anointed Saul at the outskirts of Ramah in the territory of Zuph (cf. 9:5). However, 1 Samuel 10:17–24 asserts that Saul was appointed king of Israel at Mizpah. Are these accounts contradictory?
Problem: The Scriptures testify to the fact that God had planned for Israel to have a king. Deuteronomy 17:14–20 specifically lays down the rules for selecting a king in Israel. However, when the people of Israel requested that Samuel appoint a king, the Lord told Samuel that the people “have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Sam. 8:7). How could God condemn Israel’s request for a king when He had already given them the guidelines for selecting a king?
Problem: In this verse, we are informed that “Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.” However, Samuel lived after Saul was anointed king (1 Sam. 8:5; 12:1; 25:1).
Problem: When the Philistines returned the ark of the Lord to Israel, they placed it on an ox cart and sent it down the road without a driver. When the oxen had pulled the cart into the borders of Beth Shemesh, the people of Beth Shemesh took the ark off of the cart and placed it on a large stone. However, some of the men of Beth Shemesh looked into the ark, and the Lord “struck the people with a great slaughter” (v. 19). But why did God strike the people with such a severe judgment simply because they looked into the ark?
Problem: After the people of the town of Beth Shemesh had received the ark of the covenant, some of the citizens ignored the sacredness of the ark and looked inside it. This passage states that the Lord “struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people.” However, a population of over 50,000 seems to be much too large for such a community.
Problem: This text informs us that Eli’s sons “made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.” However, in the previous chapter, Eli rebuked his sons for their evil deeds (2:23–24).
Problem: In the short genealogical note in 1 Samuel 1:1, Elkanah is said to be from the mountains of Ephraim. However, in 1 Chronicles 6:16–23, the longer genealogical record indicates that Elkanah was a Levite. Which is correct?
Problem: Deuteronomy 25:5–10 delineates what is known as the law of the levirate marriage. If a man dies and leaves his wife childless, the man’s brother was morally obligated to take his brother’s wife and raise up children in the name of his deceased brother. This practice insured that the brother’s name would not die out. However, Boaz was not the brother of Ruth’s dead husband. Wasn’t this marriage arrangement contrary to the law of the levirate marriage?
Problem: After Boaz had eaten and drunk, he went to lie down. After he lay down, Ruth came up softly, uncovered Boaz’s feet, and lay with him. Doesn’t this imply that Ruth had intercourse with Boaz to obligate him to redeem her?
Problem: The events of the Book of Judges cover a period from circa 1380 to 1050 b.c.Judges 18:30 makes reference to the fact that the sons of Jonathan were priests in Dan “until the … captivity of the land.” However, the captivity of the land took place in 722 b.c. How could this book have been composed during the time or shortly after the time of the Judges?
Problem: Suicide is murder, and God said, “You shall not murder” (Ex. 20:13). There were many suicides in the Bible (see comments on 1 Sam. 31:4), and none of them received divine approval. Yet Samson committed suicide here with God’s apparent blessing.