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The Prophet Samuel

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Biblical Character

The Resume

    Biblical Prophet
    Son of Hannah and Elkanah
    Name in Hebrew is Shmu'el
    Name literally means 'Name of God' in Hebrew
    Spent his formative years being trained in the word of God by the Head Priest, Eli
    Leader of ancient Israel in the Books of Samuel in The Old Testament
    The last of the Hebrew Judges and the first of the major prophets who began to prophesy inside the Land of Israel
    According to the Books of Samuel, anointed the first two kings of the Kingdom of Israel; King Saul and King David
    Spirit was conjured by Witch of Endor at the beckoning of Saul, summoned to advise him on a course of action against the Philistines (1 Samuel 28:3-25)
    Died, reportedly at the age of fifty-two, and was buried in Ramah

Why he might be annoying:

    He is yet one more Biblical figure who was the offspring of a once-barren woman.
    His mother was initially believed to be drunk by the High Priest, when praying to be at last granted a son.
    He initially appointed his two sons as his successors, but they were deemed unworthy by the Israelites and rejected; he was subsequently asked to 'appoint a king to lead all other nations.'
    He selected Saul, after conducting a 'lottery,' to lead Israel but later turned against him.
    His main reasoning was that God had ordered King Saul to exterminate the entire Amalekite people, including the women and children; when he spared some of them, he was accused of 'flouting God's command' (and that he started a sacrifice without him when she showed up late to the ceremony).
    He subsequently confronted Saul, telling him that God would take his kingdom from him as punishment. As he turned to leave Saul fell to his knees and tried to prevent him from leaving, ripping his robe in the process. That tore it (no pun intended), and the King's life was Hell from then on.
    But, hey, just because you've been summoned back from the grave by a Pagan soothsayer to advise a King forsaken by God doesn't mean you have to be cranky or anything...
    He got pissed off when the Witch of Endor summoned him back from the grave, basically telling the terrified Monarch that he and his sons were going to be killed, causing him to have a complete breakdown.
    He anointed David as the new king, but it was years before he ever actually ruled as King, probably beyond Samuel's lifetime (during which time David's behavior was arguably worse than Saul's).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He is widely considered to be the last of the Hebrew Judges in the Old Testament.
    He is one of the few Biblical prophets to be revered in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition.
    He is said to have grieved emotionally when Saul fell out of favor with God, even aging prematurely.
    The Witch of Endor may have just been screwing with Saul (so theologians tend to think, anyway).
    His brief resurrection as a spirit is one of the few, if only, instances of supernatural phenomena in the Bible.
    His 'conjuring scene' by the Witch has also been a favorite of Biblical artists for centuries (ghosts, witches, kings, Prophets - so much to work with).
    He is credited with bringing about a return to God, during his years as a Prophet, inspiring at least one major victory against the Philistines.
    He probably would have eviscerated King David for his misdeeds as badly as he did King Saul, had he been alive during the time (although the Prophet Nathan did a good enough job of it...)
    He warned the Israelites about wanting a monarch - warning them that it will do more to divide than unite the nation; needless to say, they didn't listen to him.
    Rabbinic literature describes him as an earnest family man, one who took his large family with him on the 'circuit' so he didn't have to impose himself on anyone.
    Varying accounts claim he was actually nervous about being called from the dead, mistakenly believing he was being called to be judged by God; even bringing Moses along with him in some versions.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 25 Votes: 48.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 20 Votes: 45.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 18 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 13 Votes: 46.15% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 17 Votes: 17.65% Annoying