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8' Succession Narrative or Court Narrative: 2 Sam 920 1 Kgs 12

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Title: 8' Succession Narrative or Court Narrative: 2 Sam 920 1 Kgs 12


1
8. Succession Narrative or Court Narrative 2 Sam
9-20 1 Kgs 1-2
  • BOT694 Exegesis of 1 2 Samuel

2
1. Date of Composition
  • "Rost dated the Succession Narrative to the early
    period of Solomon's kingship. Those scholars who
    have found evidence of subsequent editing by the
    Deuteronomist or others may date the finished
    document later." Forshey, "Court Narrative,"
    ABD, I, 1178
  • "The date of the work must be placed during the
    reign of Solomon. The dissolution of the personal
    union after Solomon's death is nowhere hinted at.
    We must probably assign a date to the SN during
    the early part of Solomon's reign when Solomon
    was in particular need of support. However since
    the testament of David refers to the execution of
    Shimei (1 Kgs 2.8f.), the elapse of the first
    three years of Solomon's reign is presupposed if
    we can trust the information given in 1 Kgs 2.39.
    Besides, if the prophecy of Nathan in its
    original form actually made up the opening of the
    work, this could be another indication of the
    post quem, namely if this

3
1. Date of Composition
  • original form of the prophecy contained the
    allusion to the building of the temple which is
    now found in 2 Sam 7.13 The building of the
    temple was begun in the fourth year of Solomon's
    reign (1 Kgs 6.1)." Mettinger, King and Messiah,
    31
  • Gunn argues for a late date from (1) 12.20
    mentions David going into the "House of YHWH"!
    (2) DtrH hand puts it to the late 7th or early
    6th.(3) 13.8 uses the phrase "in olden days from
    of old" in referring to Tamar's tunic of the
    royal family. (4) 18.18 conflicts with 14.27 by
    not knowing if Absalom had son/s or not. (5)
    Narrator's use of "Judah" "Israel" seems to be
    inconsistent. (6) story-telling style implies at
    least that a few generations have elapsed. Gunn,
    The Story of King David, 32-33

4
2. Limits of the Text
  • Basically 2 Sam 9-20, 1 Kgs 1-2
  • Smaller units
  • 10.1-11.1 12.26-31 The Ammonite War framework
    to the David/Bathsheba incident
  • David and Bathsheba story 11.2-12.25
  • Absalom's Revolt chapters 13-19
  • Adonijah's Revolt 1 Kgs 1

5
3. Purpose
  • Court Apologetics
  • "The aim is to justify and uphold the claims of
    Solomon himself, not primarily the Davidic
    dynasty. The leitmotif of the work is expressed
    in the words "who shall sit on the throne?" (1
    Kgs 1.20, 27). The purpose of the narrator is to
    relate how it came to pass that David was
    succeeded by Solomon and to defend Solomon with
    regard to the most incriminating of the political
    executions during his first years." Mettinger,
    King and Messiah, 31
  • Is the issue Who will sit on the throne of
    David? Succession Narrative or Why was it
    Solomon who succeeded David on the throne? Court
    apology

6
3. Purpose
  • Theological Mixture
  • The Lord's working out of history 2 Sam 11.27
    12.1, 15, 24f. 17.14
  • God's Providence functions in the realm of human
    freewill a) God's ways are hidden b) God's ways
    seen in our real life experiences. Gerhard von
    Rad has provided one of the most penetrating
    analyses of this material. He observed that the
    hiddenness of Gods action in the narrative
    embodies a bold experiment in the portrayal of
    human reality. This is not to say that the
    theological dimension is presented in intensely
    cunning and artistic ways. Brueggemann,
    Interpretation 1 and 2 Samuel, 266

7
4. History of Research
  • 4.1 Rost and his The Succession to the Throne of
    David
  • "Modern scholarly discussion of the traditions in
    the book of 2 Samuel has been shaped primarily by
    Leonhard Rost's epochal study..., which appeared
    in 1926. Rost isolated the materials of 2 Samuel
    6.16 and 20ff. 7.11b and 16 9.1-10.5
    (10.6-11.1) 11.2-12.7a 12.13-25 (26-31)
    13.1-14.24 14.28-18.17 18/19-20.22 1 Kgs
    1.1-21 2.5-10 2.12-27a and 2.28-46 as a single
    literary unit dominated by the thematic problem
    of the succession to the throne of David. Rost's
    study has been the touchstone for most subsequent
    investigation of these traditions and the basis
    for treating them as a discrete literary unit
    within the Deuteronomistic History." Forshey,
    "Court Narrative," ABD, I, 1176

8
4. History of Research
  • 4.2 Carlson and his David the chosen King
  • Carlson argues from the perspective of the
    traditio-historical school of thought. His
    analysis divides 2 Samuel in to chapters 2-5, 6,
    7 as David under YHWH's blessing, while chapters
    9-24 are seen as David under the curse.
  • 4.3 Fokkelman's studies
  • "...whose overarching study finds a series of
    dominant themes including the dualities of
    piety-sin, illusion-truth and unity-duality."
    Forshey, 1177
  • 4.4 Sacon's "A Study of the literary Structure of
    "The Succession Narrative"
  • "Sacon...finds a concentric structure in
    15.18-19.41 centered around the account of
    David's reign in exile in 18.1-19.9, which is
    itself composed of a concentric structure."
    Forshey, 1177

9
2 Sam 9.1-13 David and Jonathan's Son,
Mephibosheth
  • "This pericope introduces two new characters
    which will play some part in the subsequent
    chapters (16.1-4 19.24-31), namely Mephibosheth
    and Ziba. The chapter as a whole is intended to
    stress David's loyalty to his covenant with
    Jonathan (1 Sam 18.3-4 20.42). Now that Yahweh
    had cut off all the enemies of David, the later
    is able to implement his obligations to Jonathan
    and his home." Anderson, 140
  • "The account of David's kindness to Mephibosheth
    is linked to the rebellion of Absalom by Ziba's
    accusation against Mephibosheth, his master, who,
    he charges, is expecting the return of his
    fathers' kingdom (2 Sam 16.1-4). A further
    narrative link appears in Mephibosheth's own
    welcome to David after the death of Absalom (2
    Sam 19.24-30)." Forshey, "Court Narrative,"

10
2 Sam 10.1-11.1 The Ammonite War I
  • If the account of the Ammonite and Aramean wars
    owes its place in our story to the author of
    11.2-12.25, therefore, it must have been drawn
    from the archives by a prophetic writer who
    sought it out as a vehicle for his report of the
    Bathsheba-Uriah affair. According to the
    tradition he knew, this incident belonged in the
    context of Davids siege of Rabbah, so he
    selected the appropriate archival entry as a
    framework. He affixed the whole (chapters 11-12)
    to the account of Abishaloms rebellion (chapters
    13-20) as a kind of theological preface. It was
    his belief that the turmoil described in the
    latter document was a direct result of Davids
    sin with Bathsheba. In this he may have been
    guilty of an anachronism, since, as we have
    noted, the siege of Rabbah seems to have occurred
    after Abishaloms

11
2 Sam 10.1-11.1 The Ammonite War I
  • rebellion. But he was living long after the
    events and, his interest being theological rather
    than chronological, he was either unaware of or
    indifferent to the contradiction involved in his
    use of his sources. His own composition begins in
    the following section. McCarter, 275-276
  • Two reasons may be given for its placement here.
    First, this narrative looks ahead to the war
    account in chapters 11 and 12. Matter are not yet
    settled with the Ammonites, who first initiated
    the conflict. That struggle must be continued in
    11.1 and 12.26-31.... Second, it may also be that
    chapter 10 looks back as a foil to chapter 9 and
    that the two chapters together concern Davids
    h9esed. As David showed h9esed to Mephibosheth
    (9.1, 3, 7), so he proposes to show h9esed to
    Hanun (10.2). Thus the narrative offers a
    positive characterization of David as a

12
2 Sam 10.1-11.1 The Ammonite War I
  • man of fidelity. It is evident in chapter 10
    that Davids fidelity is not to be mistaken for
    cowardice or softness. Brueggemann,
    Interpretation 1 and 2 Samuel, 271
  • 10.1-2 In chapter 9 it was h9esed inside Israel.
    In this narrative it is h9esed outside Israel,
    with the house of Nahash (cf. 1 Sam 11.1-11).
    David is thus portrayed on all fronts as a man of
    h9esed, seeking to honor oaths and keep faith.
    Brueggemann, Interpretation 1 and 2 Samuel,
    269

13
2 Sam 11.2-12.25 David, Bathsheba, Uriah, Nathan
and Solomon
  • "From a literary point of view vv1-27a are fairly
    self-contained and form a single narrative unit
    but theologically they require chap. 12 for their
    completion because the story ends with an
    unrepentant David and without any divine judgment
    or critique on is behavior." Anderson, 152
  • "The Ammonite incident establishes the tone as
    well as the setting of the following crucial
    episode, the story of David, Uriah and Bathsheba.
    The direction of the plot, then, is from the gift
    offered and received, through gift rebuffed, to
    the polar opposite of giving, grasping by force.
    However precisely one interprets Nathan's parable
    in relation to its setting it is absolutely plain
    that it encapsulates the essence of David's
    dealing with Bathsheba the episode is the story
    of the rich man who

14
2 Sam 11.2-12.25 David, Bathsheba, Uriah, Nathan
and Solomon
  • took the poor man's lamb. The ironic contrast
    with 2 Sam 2-5 is marked the king who was
    content to be given his kingdom must seize by
    force (against Uriah if not Bathsheba) a wife.
    From Nathan's perspective the issue is clear. It
    was Yahweh who gave the kingdom. Yahweh in turn
    will not then let his king's act of violent
    taking pass without consequence for his kingdom
    (12.8-11). The immediate token of the consequence
    is the taking away (forcibly, as it were of the
    child of adultery. but the real issue will lie in
    the events of the succeeding chapters, with the
    onset of a pattern of events that continually
    harks back to the theme of "seizure" in this
    episode." Gunn, The Story of King David, 97
  • ...the author of the account of Abishaloms
    rebellion in chapters 13-20 is not simply a
    chronicler of events. His

15
2 Sam 11.2-12.25 David, Bathsheba, Uriah, Nathan
and Solomon
  • work represents a carefully designed narrative
    explanation of Davids role in a series of
    tumultuous and almost disastrous public events.
    David is depicted as passive, excessively
    lenient, submissive to the divine will and even
    to the whims of his family and chief officers....
    it is precisely this passivity that will account
    for his troubles and also and also, perhaps, for
    their resolution. Here in chapters 11-12,
    however, David is hardly passive He is a taker.
    McCarter, 290

16
Adultery
  • Lev 20.10 If a man commits adultery with a
    married woman, committing adultery with another
    man's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress
    shall be put to death.
  • Deut 22.22 If a man is found lying with another
    man's wife, both of them -- the man and the woman
    with whom he lay -- shall die. Thus you will
    sweep away evil from Israel.
  • Num 5.11-15 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying
    Speak to the Israelite people and say to them If
    any man's wife has gone astray and broken faith
    with him in that a man has had carnal relations
    with her unbeknown to her husband, and she keeps
    secret the fact that she has defiled herself
    without being forced, and there is no witness
    against her -- but a fit of jealousy comes over
    him and he is wrought up about the wife who has
    defiled herself or if a fit of jealousy comes
    over one and he is wrought up about his wife
    although

17
Adultery
  • she has not defiled herself -- the man shall
    bring his wife to the priest. And he shall bring
    as an offering for her one-tenth of an ephah of
    barley flour. No oil shall be poured upon it and
    no frankincense shall be laid on it, for it is a
    meal offering of jealousy, a meal offering of
    remembrance which recalls wrongdoing.
  • but note Hos 24-25
  • Jer 3.6-14

18
2 Sam 11.1-27a David, Bathsheba, and Uriah
  • It is as been argued that Bathsheba was the
    granddaughter of Ahithophel, because he was the
    father of Eliam, one of the champions, who may be
    identified with Ammiel, the father of Bath-shua
    (Bathsheba in 1 Chr 3.5, which means "the Noble
    Daughter"). N.B. the discussion on 15.32-37.
  • Uriah was one of Davids elite warriors, the
    Thirty (13.39). It does not follow from his
    designation as the Hittite that he was a
    mercenary or even a foreigner. The fact that he
    has a good Yahwistic name ()urya, Yahweh is
    my light) suggests that he was born in Israel.
    The Hittites were an Anatolian people who
    established a considerable empire in Syria in the
    second millennium BC. After the collapse of the
    empire at the end of the Late Bronze Age (ca.
    1200 BC), Hittite civilization

19
2 Sam 11.1-27a David, Bathsheba, and Uriah
  • survived in a number of small states in northern
    Syria. The Neo-Hittite states, as they are
    called, which remained in the time of David, were
    predominantly Semitic, especially Aramean in
    population. It must have been from one of them
    that Uriahs family came to Israel, and thus,
    though probably born in Israel and ethnically
    Aramean, he is called the Hittite. McCarter,
    286
  • 11.5b "Verse 5, however, lies outside the
    episode and outside the administration of the
    king.... She says only two words, 'I'm pregnant'.
    The world is changed. The king does not govern.
    An irretrievable act of public implication is now
    done, and utterly beyond recall. The cover-up
    must begin." Brueggemann, Davids Truth, 56

20
2 Sam 11.1-27a David, Bathsheba, and Uriah
  • 11.6-11 First Resolution
  • Three times the verse uses the word s6alom the
    welfare of Joab, the welfare of the people, the
    welfare of the war. (Notice that the narrator
    employed a threefold use of s6alom in
    anticipation of the death of Abner in 3.21-23.
    Brueggemann, Interpretation 1 and 2 Samuel,
    274
  • To Davids frustration the pious soldier insists
    on maintaining the ritual purity of the battle
    camp (Deut 23.10-15 23.9-14) even on furlough.
    The warrior consecrated at arms (Josh 3.5) was
    supposed to maintain a regimen of sexual
    abstinence, a rule David himself once followed -
    or pretended to follow - scrupulously (1 Sam
    20.6). McCarter, 286

21
2 Sam 11.1-27a David, Bathsheba, and Uriah
  • 11.14-25 Second Resolution
  • "Is it not remarkable that it takes only two
    verses to execute! But it takes seven verses to
    frame a report that is properly ambiguous, with
    proper duplicity." Brueggemann, Davids Truth,
    59
  • "The narrative is an imaginative work designed to
    trace out the truth about David, who can command
    armies and manage public opinion, but who cannot
    order his life or govern the gift of life
    entrusted to him. He is obviously much better at
    death than at life. And the statement is so
    subtle, because that fact is a surprise to David,
    who perhaps thought himself to be 'pro-life.' The
    narrative shows David as bearer and agent of
    death." Brueggemann, Davids Truth, 60

22
2 Sam 11.1-27a David, Bathsheba, and Uriah
  • 11.14-25 Second Resolution
  • "The wording is important. It may mean do not let
    it 'trouble' you, do not worry, do not feel
    guilty. But the text shows the king sorting out
    moral matters. He announces that it is not evil
    (ra'), and the reason it is not evil (ra') is
    that it is the way of war." Brueggemann, Davids
    Truth, 60
  • "Maybe it was not evil in the eyes of other
    kings, or in the eyes of the royal establishment.
    But the eyes of Yahweh see differently and look
    for different things. The man is not free. The
    episode is not freestanding. Human conduct is
    answerable to Yahweh's moral governance. Nobody
    is immune. And this devastating remark sets in
    motion chapter 12 with its harsh

23
2 Sam 11.1-27a David, Bathsheba, and Uriah
  • 11.14-25 Second Resolution
  • repudiation. One would not expect anyone to talk
    that way to a king and live. But one can, if one
    knows the king is raw and embarrassingly human."
    Brueggemann, Davids Truth, 50
  • Note that the concluding formula, 'The thing was
    evil in the eyes of Yahweh' (v27), is a precise
    and intentional contradiction to David's verdict,
    'do not let this thing be evil in your eyes'
    (v25). N.B. Proverbs 16.2.
  • Here David practices the very thing the prophets
    assault Woe to those who call evil good and good
    evil. (Isa 5.20)Seek good, and not evil. (Amos
    5.14)Hate evil, and love good. (Amos 5.15)You who
    hate the good and love the evil. (Micah 3.2)He
    has showed you, O man, what is good. (Micah 6.8)

24
2 Sam 11.27b-12.25 Nathan's Parable and Its
Sequel
  • 12.1-14 The Nathan Pericope
  • Nathans juridical parable seems to be rooted
    in tribal custom and law. Simon (1967 227-31)
    cites an account of the bedouin tribes in the
    district of Beersheba for a practice by which it
    was permissible for a member of a tribe to take a
    sheep or goat from his neighbors flock to serve
    to an unexpected guest. This privilege was
    accorded, however, only when the host had no
    stock of his own available. Moreover, among the
    animals specifically excluded was a sheep that
    once had been the pet lamb of the family. Seen
    in this light (and assuming that such customs
    were very ancient), Nathans parable highlights
    Davids crime not as an instance of theft but of
    the abuse of the poor and powerless by the rich
    and powerful. McCarter, 299

25
2 Sam 11.27b-12.25 Nathan's Parable and Its
Sequel
  • he serves to die and that he must make sevenfold
    restitution... In the MT David is said to say,
    "he shall restore the lamb fourfold," which is in
    accordance with the regulation of Ex 21.37 (RSV
    22.1), "If a man steals... a sheep... he shall
    pay... four sheep for a sheep." Carlson, 153
  • Carlson argues that the LXX reading "Sevenfold"
    is correct for (1) it expresses David's
    passionate reaction more forcefully than the
    "fourfold," (2) it is used to mean "in full
    measure in 1 Sam 20.31, 26.16, (3) "Sevenfold"
    occurs in Prov 6.31 in a similar context as here,
    (4) and finally "David's sevenfold retribution
    has to do with the theft of Bathsheba and it is
    significant that this verdict leads to the death
    of Bathsheba's sons "on the seventh day"
    (12.18a)." note Carlson, 154-155

26
2 Sam 11.27b-12.25 Nathan's Parable and Its
Sequel
  • "They may even have been aware that the principal
    of restitution ("sevenfold" or otherwise) was
    especially characteristic of the Hittite legal
    tradition, particularly since Jerusalem had the
    reputation of being a bastard, born of an Amorite
    father and a Hittite mother (Eze 16.3, 45), and
    since Hittite influence on Israelite law can be
    clearly traced.... an alteration of the original
    ...to fit Ex 21.37, probably inspired by the fact
    that David later lost four of his sons, 12.18,
    13.28f., 18.14f. and 1 Kgs 2.25." Carlson, 156
  • the sword!... A sword. Because David was
    responsible for Uriahs death by the sword,
    Davids family will be ravage by the sword His
    firstborn son, Aminon, will die by the sword
    (14.23-29) his son Abishalom will take up the
    sword in rebellion and then die by the sword
    (18.15) his son Adonijah will die by the sword
    (1 Kgs 2.25). McCarter, 300

27
2 Sam 11.27b-12.25 Nathan's Parable and Its Sequel
  • The three commandments David violated are the
    prohibitions on killing, adultery, and coveting.
    Brueggemann, Interpretation 1 and 2 Samuel,
    281
  • 12.15-23
  • ...David and his servants have differing views
    of the death of the child, because David alone
    knows that it has been foreordained by Yahweh as
    atonement for Davids sins. From the servants
    viewpoint David seems to be mourning at the wrong
    time. From his own viewpoint, however, David is
    not mourning at all. By his fasting and
    self-humiliation he is imploring Yahweh to spare
    the child (David entreated God on behalf of the
    boy, v. 16). Whereas it would be illogical to
    stop mourning when someone dies, it is logical to
    stop imploring God when ones petition has
    failed. Thus, behavior that seems strange to his
    servants seems perfectly reasonable to David.
    McCarter, 301

28
2 Sam 12.26-31 Ammonite War II
  • This pericope is the continuation 10.1-11.1. It
    is a sort of flashback according to Fokkelman,
    which is an appropriate conclusion to the
    David/Bathsheba story.

29
2 Sam 13-19 The Absalom Revolt
  • Chapters 13-19 concern principally Absalom.
    Within that larger unit, chapters 13-15 are
    commonly reckoned as a separate episode
    ostensibly having Amnon and Tamar as the lead
    characters. Even at the beginning (13.1) and at
    the end (14.33) of those chapters, however, it is
    Absalom to whom attention is given.
    Brueggemann, Interpretation 1 and 2 Samuel,
    286

30
2 Sam 13-19 The Absalom Revolt
  • "David's ability to discipline his sons was
    vastly weakened by his own wrongdoing. He was not
    longer in a position to enforce the code without
    fear or favor he could not condemn Amnon he
    could neither condemn nor forgive Absalom....
    Forgiveness is impossible except as it is linked
    with punishment, else David stands revealed as
    devoid of moral sense.... Herein is portrayed the
    debilitating effect of sin. 'Blessed are the pure
    in heart, for they shall see God' (Matt 5.8).
    David's moral sense has been disastrously
    weakened. Amnon could have been punished and
    forgiven, as David had been. A sinner himself,
    David could neither punish without seeming
    hypocritical and unjust, nor forgive without
    seeming too tolerant and devoid of moral
    principle.... He David could not do what God
    did through the cross of

31
2 Sam 13-19 The Absalom Revolt
  • Christ. Thus he permitted an infection of the
    spirit already acknowledged as existent in
    himself, which might have been caught in time by
    incisive action, to progress until only radical
    surgery could save the kingdom and God's
    purpose.... David is panic-stricken, not so much
    by the power of Absalom's rebellious forces as
    through self-doubt and fear that he no longer
    could command the affection of his people. Guilt
    is still at work!" IB, 1109

32
2 Sam 13.1-22 Amnon and Tamar
  • The story of the rape of Tamar and its
    consequences in chapters 13 and 14 stands as a
    prologue to the account of Abishaloms rebellion
    in chapters 15-20. The prologue has it won
    literary integrity, beginning as it does with
    detailed report of the violent events that led to
    Abishaloms exclusion from the court and
    concluding with an equally detailed description
    of the process by which his reconciliation to the
    king was finally achieved. It would be a mistake,
    however, to conclude that chapters 13-14
    originally existed as an independent narrative
    centered on Tamar.... These chapters are
    principally concerned with Abishalom.... More
    specifically, chapters 13-14 provide the
    knowledge of private matters necessary, in our
    narrators opinion, for a correct understanding
    of the public event recounted in chapters 15-20.
    McCarter, 327

33
2 Sam 13.1-22 Amnon and Tamar
  • Note that this case is not seen as incest Lev
    18.9, 11 20.17 Deut 27.22 but as a rape of a
    virgin.
  • Intercourse between brother and sister is
    explicitly forbidden in both Deuteronomic (Deut
    27.22) and Priestly (Lev 18.9,11 20.7 cf. Eze
    22.11) legislation, suggesting that marriage
    between Aminon and Tamar would be impossible....
    the interpretation of Tamars words. There seen
    to be four possibilities. (1) The laws of Lev
    18.9, 11 were not effective in the time of
    David.... (2) The laws were in effect but not
    recognized by in Jerusalem.... (3) The laws were
    in effect in Jerusalem, but their purpose was not
    to regulate marriage but to prevent casual
    intercourse with women a man could expect to
    encounter in his household.... (4) The laws were
    in full effect. McCarter, The Anchor Bible II
    Samuel, 323-324

34
2 Sam 13.1-22 Amnon and Tamar
  • A Amnon in love with Tamar (vv. 1f)
  • B Intervention of Jonadab (vv. 3-5)
  • C Tamars arrival (vv. 6-9a)
  • D Amnons servants are ordered to leave (v. 9b)
  • E Amnon commands Tamar to come lie with him she
    pleads but to no avail (vv. 11-14a)
  • F Amnon rapes Tamar, and love turns to hate (vv.
    14b-15a)
  • E Amnon commands Tamar to depart she pleads but
    to no avail (vv. 15b-16)
  • D Amnons servant is recalled (v. 17)
  • C Tamars departure (vv. 18f.)
  • B Intervention of Absalom (v. 20)
  • A Absalom hates Amnon (vv. 21f.)

35
Egyptian Love Poetry
  • Seven (days) to yesterday I have not seen the
    sister,
  • And a sickness has invaded me.
  • My body ahs become heavy,
  • Forgetful of my own self.
  • If the chief of physicians come to me,
  • My heart is not content (with) their remedies
  • The lector priests, no way (out) is in them -
  • My sickness will not be probed.
  • To say to me Here she is! is what will revive
    me
  • Her name is what will lift me up
  • The going in and out of her messengers
  • Is what will revive my heart.

36
Egyptian Love Poetry
  • More beneficial to me is the sister than any
    remedies
  • She is more to me than the collected writings.
  • My health is in her coming in from outside
  • When (I) see her, then (I) am well.
  • If she opens her eye, my body is young (again)
  • If she speaks, then I am strong (again)
  • When I embrace her, she drives evil away for me
  • But she has gone forth from me for seven days!

37
2 Sam 13.23-37 Absalom's Revenge and Flight
  • "Nearly half of it is taken by the utterances of
    different characters. Although the death of Amnon
    is the focal point, it is dismissed in half a
    line (v29a) because the real interest is now
    centered on Absalom. The pericope consists of two
    main sections vv23-29 depict Absalom's plot
    which culminates in Amnon's death, while vv30-37
    are largely concerned with David's grief and
    Absalom's flight to Geshur." Anderson, 180

38
2 Sam 13.23-37 Absalom's Revenge and Flight
  • "Absalom's revenge is not impulsive act, but the
    result of a long period of waiting and cool
    consideration. The dishonor done to his sister is
    the only motive given it is not said whether he
    also means to do away with the claimant to the
    throne, but this cannot be excluded in view of
    Absalom's desire for power, which emerges so
    clearly later." Hertzberg, 326
  • "The mourning of David for Amnon was prolonged
    (v37) he had more need to bewail his own
    inability to rule his own household than to shed
    tears for Amnon. However, he may have seen
    himself in Amnon and that added a pungency to his
    grief." Mauchline, 264
  • The narrative is emphatic, saying three times,
    Absalom fled (vv. 34, 37, 38). Brueggemann,
    Interpretation 1 and 2 Samuel, 290

39
2 Sam 13.38-14.33 The Tekoite Woman's Story and
Absalom's Return
  • The text belongs with 13.1ff as part of the
    prologue to Absalom's rebellion and its sequel in
    chapters 15-20.
  • "The essential features of these particular
    parables are, first, the deception the parable
    is presented in such a way that its nature as
    parable is not apparent to the addressee second,
    the aptness of the parallel and third, a
    judgment or evaluation by the addressee that
    suits the deceiver's purpose." Gunn, The story
    of King David, 41

40
2 Sam 13.38-14.33 The Tekoite Woman's Story and
Absalom's Return
  • In it disregard for the larger moral questions
    and consequences in the interest of the
    attainment of an immediate goal, the womans
    masquerade exhibits what has become familiar to
    us as the Machiavellian spirit of the sons of
    Zeruiah (1 Sam 26.6-11 2 Sam 2.24-30 16.9-12
    18.10-15 20.8-10 etc.). Behind the scene lurks
    the sinister figure of Joab, manipulating the
    king and his authority to purposes that he, Joab,
    thinks good. It may be true, as Gunn suggest
    (1978 100), that in this instance Joab is acting
    out of a genuine interest in the welfare of the
    sate. But, if so, he remains nonetheless
    indifferent to the moral issues involved and, in
    any case, his efforts lead to disaster, as Gunn
    admits. Thus David, though not free of blame, is
    presented as a king sincerely interested in the
    welfare

41
2 Sam 13.38-14.33 The Tekoite Woman's Story and
Absalom's Return
  • of his people (14.13-14 18-21) but unable to
    control the reckless sons of Zeruiah (cf. 3.39)
    and, as always, sentimental and vulnerable where
    his own sons are concerned. McCarter, 352

42
2 Sam 15.1-12 Absalom's Subversive Activities
  • This extended narrative may be organized in
    three general sections (1) the coup and Davids
    flight (15.1-16.14) (2) the conflict of David
    and Absalom and competing strategies
    (16.15-18.8) and (3) the victory of David, the
    defeat of Absalom (18.9-19.43). It will be
    immediately apparent, however, that the narrative
    is in fact a series of loosely related
    encounters, each of which draws us more
    powerfully into the terrible drama of ruthless
    power and ambivalent love. In most cases the
    speeches and conversations are more important
    than the actions. Brueggemann, Interpretation
    1 And 2 Samuel, 300

43
2 Sam 15.13-16.14 Absalom's Revolt and David's
Flight
  • "This account of David's withdrawal from
    Jerusalem and his flight to the wilderness has no
    clearly developed plot but it presents us with a
    series of successive incidents which will have
    some bearing upon the subsequent events and their
    understanding. There is a great deal of movement
    in this pericope there is coming and going,
    there is marching and crossing, and ascending.
    Some of the decisions en route appear to have
    been taken on the spur of the moment, without any
    previous planning." Anderson, 202

44
2 Sam 15.13-16.14 Absalom's Revolt and David's
Flight
  • 15.32-37 Hushai to counter Ahithophel's wisdom
  • 16.1-4 Meeting with Ziba 19.24-30
  • "It is difficult to judge whether Ziba's
    accusation of Mephibosheth was justified or not.
    David, clearly, regarded it as true, at least at
    this stage. Later of course, Mephibosheth claimed
    that Ziba had slandered him (19.27).
    Nevertheless, it seems that David was not quite
    convinced by this protestation. Although "the
    chances of a lame man gaining the kingship at
    this point were very remote" (so Ackroyd, 151),
    it must be noted that Mephibosheth had a son who
    by this time may have been twenty years old (cf.
    4.4 9.12). Therefore the house of Saul had at
    least one fit potential candidate for the
    kingship." Anderson, 205

45
2 Sam 15.13-16.14 Absalom's Revolt and David's
Flight
  • 16.5-14 Meeting with Shimei 19.18-23 1 Kgs
    2.8-9 36-46a
  • The issue of the ymiD'h vyai " or "a man
    responsible for bloodshed" may refer to 2 Sam
    21.1-14 and the eliminating of the seven
    descendants of Saul at Gibeon. Other
    possibilities include Abner, (3.31-39)
    Ishbosheth (5.5-12). David's reason for not
    having Shimei killed in vv11-12 may have had the
    2 Sam 21.1-14 incident behind it. He therefore
    was putting all into God's hands for the proper
    judgment

46
2 Sam 16.15-17.23 Absalom and His Counselors
  • In this episode we stand at the midpoint in the
    story of Abishaloms revolt.... much of the
    account of Davids sorrowful march into exile in
    the preceding material was preparatory. In
    particular, the encounters with Zadok and
    Abiathar in 15.24-29 and Hushai in 15.31-37 were
    described in anticipation of the present episode.
    Moreover, the course of future events, as
    recounted in chapters 18-20, is, to a large
    extent, set by what happens here. The outcome of
    the battle in the Forest of Ephraim is decided in
    advance by Abishaloms choice of counsel here.
    This episode, then, is central, pivotal to the
    story in chapters 13-20. McCarter, ibid., 390

47
2 Sam 16.15-17.23 Absalom and His Counselors
  • 16.15 Absalom and Ahithophel arrive in Jerusalem
  • 16.16-19 Hushai insinuates himself into Absalom's
    confidence
  • 16.20-17.4 Ahithophel's plan
  • 17.5-14 Hushai's alternative scheme
  • 17.15-22 The success of Hushai as informer
  • 17.23 The suicide of Ahithophel

48
2 Sam 17.24-19.9a The Decisive Battle and
Absalom's Death
  • "The decisive battle receives surprisingly little
    attention (see 18.6-8, 16) probably because the
    central theme of this section is the tragic end
    of Absalom. In this connection, the narrator is
    at pains to stress, on the one hand, the great
    concern of David for the safety of his rebellious
    son (18.5, 29, 32) and, on the other hand, Joab's
    total disregard for the king's wishes and
    feelings, which led to the demise of Absalom.
    From the narrative it is obvious that David did
    everything that was in his power to protect
    Absalom while it is equally clear that Joab bear
    full responsibility for the young man's cruel and
    unnecessary death. Rightly or wrongly, the reader
    gets the impression that the narrator is trying
    to convince those who still sympathized with
    Absalom's aims, that David was utterly blameless
    as regards the humiliation of Absalom while Joab
    is

49
2 Sam 17.24-19.9a The Decisive Battle and
Absalom's Death
  • presented as the evil genius. The situation
    envisaged may have arisen out of the fact that
    the rebellion ended in an uneasy compromise
    David once more became the king while Amasa,
    Absalom's commander-in-chief, became commander of
    David's army (militia?) instead of Joab."
    Anderson, 222

50
2 Sam 19.9b-20.22 David's Return to Jerusalem and
Sheba's Revolt
  • 19.9b 8b - 44 43 David's problems and return
    to Jerusalem
  • 19.16-23 Shimei
  • 19.24-30 Mephibosheth
  • 19.31-40 Barzillai
  • 20.1-22 Sheba's rebellion
  • "Here we have several successive scenes which
    mark the progress of the story. First, Sheba
    raises his rebel cry (20.1-2) and is joined,
    apparently, by all Israel. Next, the king enters
    Jerusalem and deals with his unfortunate
    concubines (v3). Then vv4-13 relate Amasa's first
    and last commission by the king as well as his
    violent death, while vv14-22 recount what seems
    only the final stage of Sheba's revolt."
    Anderson, 235

51
2 Sam 20.23-26 David's Inner Cabinet
  • These verses indicate an end to the extended
    narrative of 2 Sam 9-20. As though to signify
    that the action is over the king is safe and
    well-established, the text reviews the royal
    bureaucracy. The list at the end of this long
    narrative of David and his family is matched to
    that placed at its beginning. Thus the narrative
    of David and his family is framed in 8.15-18 and
    20.23-26 by two inventories of Bureaucratic
    organization. Brueggemann, Interpretation 1
    and 2 Samuel, 332
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