The King-Priest in Samuel: A Messianic Motif

By Nicholas Majors

Scholars studying the ANE have noticed that Canaanite kings ruled as a representative of their god and served in a priestly role. Yahweh allows Israel to have a king "like all the nations" (Deut 17:14), but he shapes the monarchy according to his covenant. A key question remains, does God's allowance for a king "like all the nations" include a king-priest model? This study presents a synchronic view of the king as a priest within the MT of Samuel, analyzing the motif and considering how the narrator heightens the hope for the coming anointed one, whom the narrator describes as both king (1 Sam 2:10) and priest (2:35-36). This study will argue that, from the monarchy's inception, Yahweh considered Israel's kingship a sacral task. My study examined the king as a priest through a synchronic literary-theological approach.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1666765996
• ISBN13: 9781666765991
• Release Date: May 2023
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock Publishers
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Must Read!!

The author presents a very thorough biblical-theological argument for the king as a king-priest who anticipates a future king-priest, Jesus our Messiah. The book is academic but very thorough and would be a great book for pastors or anyone digging into the book of Samuel. I think it would also help anyone who wishes to see how the coming of the Messiah works itself out in the OT.