Though a precise timeline cannot be established, it is likely that Samuel was somewhere between fifty and sixty years of age. If we assume that his sons were at least twenty-five years old before being appointed to serve as judges (using Numbers 8:24–26 as a guide), then Samuel must have been at least fifty if not sixty years old. Whatever his precise age at this time, many years have passed since the events of 1 Samuel 7:1–17.¹