Historical Footnote for 1 Samuel

We don’t know all that happened, but the narrative in 1 Samuel 1-6 recounts the loss of the Ark of Covenant. It doesn’t say what happened to Shiloh, but the Tabernacle standing there disappears from history. It is quite likely that when the Philistines captured the Ark, they also sent a unit to destroy the Tabernacle. Or it could be simply that, with the Ark gone and the High Priest (Eli) dead, the whole place was left to rot.

At any rate, during the entire ministry of Samuel as Judge and Prophet, there is no Tabernacle or Temple. It was not built until Solomon’s day. The Ark, once returned, stood in the home of Abinidab in Kiriath-jearim until David’s reign. And that was after Jerusalem was captured from the Jebusites by David and his personal troops. Then it stood in a tent in the royal courtyard in Jerusalem until Solomon built the Temple.

For the entirety of Samuel’s ministry, there was no Temple, no proper Altar or Burnt Offerings, etc. Offerings and such had to be handled in alternative ways. After the death of Eli when the Ark was captured, the priesthood became pretty disorganized, and it required a major effort to get things back in order during Solomon’s reign.

This entry was posted in bible and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Historical Footnote for 1 Samuel

  1. Iain says:

    Interesting, I had never thought of that. Now I imagine the the tabernacle would rot pretty quickly unmaintained over the course of a couple of winters. I can see how those people, at that time would adopt the local Idolatry and think that they were serving Yahweh. Outside of the rituals laid down in the Law, their worship would be ignored and they would receive no blessings. “we want a king, dadnabbit”.

Comments are closed.