Early Judean David Narratives his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword and died with him. So Saul and his three sons and his armorbearer died together on the same day. Saul's And when the Israelites who were in the cities of the valleyk and in the Fate of cities of the Jordan saw that the Israelites had fled and that Saul and his body sons were dead, they also left the cities and fled, and the Philistines came and remained in them. But when on the following day the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent throughout the land of the Philistines to bring good news to their idols and to the people. 10And they put his armor in the temple of Ashtarte,m and they fastened his body on the wall of Bethshan." 11 And when the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all the valiant men arose and marched all night and took the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Bethshan; and they came to Jabesh and lamented over them there. 13And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days. Chronicler's Ecclesiastical History I Chr. 10 13So Saul died for his faithlessness to Jehovah, because he An explanadid not faithfully observe the word of Jehovah, and also in that he inquired tion of of a talisman, resorting to it 14instead of to Jehovah. Therefore he put Saul's him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse. sad fate 316 The Heb. adds, and all his men, which is not found in Chr. and Gk. armorbearer, to, all his house. Chr. changes, 317 The text is difficult. The Heb. makes little sense. Chr. has simply, and when the men of Israel, who were in the valley, saw. The simple reconstruction followed above gives an intelligible reading. 1319 So I Chr. 10o, Gk., and Luc. The Heb. reading, to the house of their idols, is due to an obvious scribal error. 3110 So Gk. and Luc. Chr., of their gods. The Heb., Ashtaroth, as in Judg. 213, is clearly due to a deliberate scribal change. 3110 I Chr. 1010 has for the second half of the verse, and they stuck up his skull in the house of Dagon. In 12 the reference to taking the body from the wall of Bethshan is also omitted. 311 The loyalty of the men of Jabesh was doubtless due to Saul's act of deliverance recorded in 111-11. P3112 Heb., and burn them there; but this is inconsistent with Heb. usage according to which only the bodies of culprits were burned, Lev. 2014, 219, Josh. 725, and the statement in the next verse that they buried their bones. The clause is also not found in I Chr. 1012. The mistake probably resulted from an error in the reading of a very similar Heb. word, to lament for the dead. I Chr. 1013b, 14a But cf. I Sam. 286, 16, 19 which hardly justify the sweeping judgment of the later Jewish traditions which the Chronicler voices. Cf. Introd., p. 23. III Arrival messenger DAVID'S REIGN AS KING OVER JUDAH AND OVER ALL ISRAEL, II Sam. 1-21, 238-2425, I Kgs. 11-211, I Chr. 11, 1223–2930 § 21. David's Reception of the News of the Death of Saul and Early Judean David Narratives 1 'Now, after the death of Saul, when David had returned from smiting of the the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. Then on the third day there came a man out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes torn and with earth upon his head. And as soon as he came to David, he fell to the earth and did obeisance. 3And David said to him, Whence do you come? And he answered him, From the camp of Israel have I escaped. 4And David said to him, How was the affair? Tell me. And he answered, The people fled from the battle, and many of the people fell,b and also Saul and Jonathan his son are dead. His account of Saul's death "Then David said to the young man who told him, How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead? And the young man who told him said, I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, just as Saul was leaning on his spear, and as the chariots and horsemen were following close after him. "And when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, 'Here am I.' And he said to me, 'Who are David's Reign as King over Judah and over all Israel.-The record of this thrilling epoch in Israel's history is drawn almost entirely from the early Judean David stories. The political events are presented in II Sam. 1-7, concluding in 81-14 with an editorial review of David's wars and conquests. To this original book of Samuel apparently a later editor first added the long realistic narratives of 91-2022, which present in detail the tragedy of David's family and court life. Supplements to the record of political events in 1-8 are found in 21, 23, and 24; while the account of David's family history in 91-2022 is directly continued in I Kgs. 11-211, which was evidently derived from the same early David narratives. Restored to what was approximately their original order, the different stories furnish a remarkably consistent and complete record of David's important reign. $21 The account of David's lamentation on receiving the news of the death of Saul and Jonathan is in perfect harmony with the early Judean David narratives which precede and follow. There is every reason to believe that the beautiful elegy in 18-27 first came from the lips of the former shepherd from Bethlehem, whose skill as a minstrel was universally recognized by his own and later generations. The feeling in the poem is strong and genuine and the thought is in keeping with the situation and the spirit of the age. For a study of the literary form of this and kindred poems cf. Vol. V in loco. The text has been printed so as to indicate the number of beats or measures in each line. Not only is the story complete without the details found in 5-10, 13-16, but they evidently embody a different version of Saul's death from that in I Sam. 31. Thus for example in 313 he is pursued by the archers, but in 16 by the chariots and horsemen; in 313 he is represented as wounded, but in 19 dizziness seizes him so that he cannot stand; in 314 he falls upon his sword, but in 110 the Amalekite slays him; in 319 the Philistines strip Saul's body, but in 110 the Amalekite. On the other hand, there is no evidence in the words or acts of David to indicate that he or the historian regarded the story of the Amalekite as false. Furthermore, there are inconsistencies between 114 and 5-10, 13-16. In 2 the messenger is spoken of as a man, presumably an Israelitish soldier, who came as a mourner directly from the camp of Saul, but according to 13 he was a young man, an Amalekite, who happened to be on Mount Gilboa just as the battle was in progress, and instead of mourning for Saul, he comes with gory proofs of his crime to claim a reward from David. The question in 13 is a repetition of that in 3. That 5-10, 13-16 are secondary seems perfectly clear. Expressions like, Here am I, in 7 and be afraid and destroy in 14 are characteristic of the Northern Israelitish group of narratives. This version also saves Saul from the charge of taking his own life. The probabilities are that it was the popular account of Saul's death, current in Northern Israel and introduced here by some editor. 11 The fulness and awkwardness of this verse strongly suggests that the editor has at least added the opening clause to join the story to that which immediately precedes. b 14 So Luc. and Syr. The Heb. adds, are dead. Early Judean David Narratives you?' And I replied, 'I am an Amalekite.' And he said to me, 'Stand, I pray, before me and slay me, for dizziness has seized me, because my life is yet whole in me.' 10So I stood before him and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen; and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the armlet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord. tation over 11Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them; and all the men Lamenwho were with him did likewise. 12And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of Jehovah the and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. fallen 13 And David said to the young man who told him, Whence do you come? And Execuhe answered, I am the son of an Amalekite sojourner. 14And David said to him, How tion of is it that you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy Jehovah's anointed? the 16And David said to him, Your blood be upon your head, for your own mouth_testi- me fied against you, when you said, 'I have slain Jehovah's anointed.' called one of the young men, and said, Go near and strike him down. Accordingly he smote him, so that he died. 15Then David senger 17Then David sang this dirge over Saul and Jonathan his son 18(behold, it is David's written in the Book of Jashar), and said,e Weep, O Judah! 19Grieve, O Israel! On thy heights are the slain' 20 Tell it not in Gath, Declare it not in the streets of Askelon; Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, 21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, may no dew descend, 22 From the blood of the slain, The bow of Jonathan turned not back, 23 Saul and Jonathan, the beloved and the lovely! 19 Heb., for yet my life is whole in me. Gk., for all my life is in me. Luc., as above. Saul's dizziness may have been due to the approach of one of the epileptic attacks to which he appears to have been subject. Cf. the symptoms in I Sam. 1614-23, 1810, 11, 198-10, 226-19. If so, life would refer to his physical vigor. d 116 This verse has evidently been introduced, probably through the mistake of a copyist, after 15 instead of before it, as the sense demands. 118 The difficulties presented by this verse are many and the reconstructions suggested equally numerous. The reading adopted above is practically that of Smith (Sam., 259, 260). The statement, behold it is written in the Book of Jashar, appears to be an early editorial note, probably first introduced into the margin and subsequently into the latter part of the verse, rather than the first part, where it fits more naturally. Cf. for the character of Book of Jashar, Vol. I, Introd., p. 16. All analogies lead us to expect that the initial words, and said, originally introduced the dirge itself. Vs. 19 with its two lines seem also to be abrupt and incomplete, for practically without exception the following stanzas contain four lines. The Heb. text as it stands is not only ungrammatical but also unintelligible. The word, bow, is not found in the Gk. and Luc. Slight corrections in the remaining text give the above consistent reading. 1121 So Gk, and Luc. The Heb., fields of offerings, is evidently a corruption and makes no sense. dirge The greatness of the calamity Bravery and attractiveness of the fallen Saul's ser vices to Israel David's love for Jonathan David's estab lishment as king at Early Judean David Narratives 24 Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who clothed you daintily in fine linen, Who put golden ornaments on your garments, [and say]: 25 How have the mighty fallen in the midst of battle!'s Jonathan, in thy death hast thou wounded me!h 26I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan! Thou wert surpassingly dear to me, Thy love to me was far more than the love of woman! How have the mighty fallen, And the weapons of war perished! § 22. David King at Hebron and Ishbaal at Mahanaim, II Sam. 21-11 Early Judean David Narratives II Sam. 2 1Now after this David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah? And Jehovah answered him, Go up. And when David said, Whither shall I go up, he said, To Hebron. 2So David went up with his two wives, Ahinoam, the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, the Hebron wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 3And David brought up the men who were with him, each with his household, and they dwelt in the towns of Hebron. 4And the men of Judah came and there anointed David king over the house of Judah. His mes sage to eadites And when they told David about the men of Jabesh in Gilead who had buried Saul, 5David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh in Gilead and the Gil- said to them, May you be blest of Jehovah, because you have shown this kindness to your lord Saul and have buried him. Even so may Jehovah show kindness and truth to you; and I also will do well by you, because you have done this thing. Now therefore be courageous and valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah have anointed me king over them. "Now Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ishbaali the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim. And he made Ish baal's kingdom 125 Evidently these are the words of lament which the poet would put in the mouths of the wailing women. It is a variation of the refrain in 19b. c. h 125b Heb., Jonathan on thy heights are the slain. This gives no sense. The confusion in the text appears here to be due to the fact that the scribe had in mind the rest of the refrain of 19. The parallelism imperatively demands here a line synonymous with 26. Following a suggestion of the Gk. text that the original read not, on thy heights, but in thy death, the above reading may be conjecturally restored after Budde. § 22 This section has all the characteristics of the early Judean David narratives. The chronological notices in 10 and 11 are evidently a part of the chronological scheme of the editor. Forty is a round number frequently employed by the same editor in Judg. The early narratives imply that Saul was not old at his accession. In I Sam. 1449 it is stated and elsewhere implied that Jonathan was the eldest son. Hence unless Saul's reign was much longer than is suggested by the sources, Ishbaal was very young at his accession. This conclusion also explains his inefficiency and folly and the dominant position held by Abner. The reign of David at Hebron was practically synchronous with that of Ishbaal, so that either the two years in 10s or the seven and a half in "is a mistake. There is no indication that David severed his relation of vassalage to the Philistines. The transfer of Israel's capital to Mahanaim, east of the Jordan, is evidence that they held central Canaan. It is not improbable that they also exacted tribute and fealty from Ishbaal. i 28 Heb., Ishbosheth, the man of shame. Evidently this, like Ashtaroth, I Sam. 3110, Judg. 213, represents simply the repugnance of later scribes to repeat the names of the heathen deities. The most striking illustration is in Num. 3228, where the name Meon-baal is followed by a note stating that it is to be changed in name. In I Chr. 83, 939, and in some Gk. manuscripts of this passage in the Old Lat. the original form Ishbaal is preserved. Early Judean David Narratives him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel. 10(Ishbaal, Saul's son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years). But the house of Judah followed David. "And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah, was seven years and six months. § 23. Hostilities between the Two Kingdoms, II Sam. 212-31 Early Judean David Narratives of II Sam. 2 12Now Abner the son of Ner and the servants of Ishbaal the Battle son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13And Joab the son of Gibeon Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool. 14Then Abner said to Joab, Let the young men arise and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise. 15Then they arose and went over by number:k twelve for Benjamin and Ishbaal the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16 And they of Asa each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called, Field of the Enemies (which is in Gibeon). 17And the battle was very fierce that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were vanquished before the servants of David. 18 And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel; Death and Asahel was as swift of foot as one of the gazelles which are in the field. 19 And Asahel pursued Abner; and as he went he turned neither to the right hel nor to the left from the pursuit of Abner. 20Then Abner looked behind him and said, Is it you, Asahel? And he answered, It is I. 21Therefore Abner said to him, Turn aside to your right or to your left and seize one of the young men and take his spoil. But Asahel would not turn aside from pursuing him. 22Therefore Abner said again to Asahel, Turn aside from following me. Why should I smite you to the ground? How then could I look Joab your brother in the face ?m 23 But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner smote him with a backward stroke" in the body, so that the spear came out at his back; and he fell there and died in his place. Then all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still. ° 24 But Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner. And as the sun was set- Abner's ting, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah on the highway in the Wilderness of Gibeon. 25 And the Benjamites assembled behind i 29 Probably located immediately north of the plain of Esdraelon. Cf. Judg. 131. 32 and Vol. I, map opp. p. 71. Syr. and Lat. read, Geshurite which would include a territory near Gilead, but Geshur appears to have been independent at this time. Cf. 33. § 23 The résume in 31 may be from the editor, but otherwise the section as a whole appears to be the original continuation of the preceding. k215 I.e., were counted off by passing before the teller. 1221 I.e., the armor and whatever might be stripped from the fallen warrior. 222 Heb. idiom, hold up my face to Joab. 223 Slightly emending the text. The current translation, with the hinder end of the spear, is very doubtful. 223b This may be an editorial gloss introduced from 2012. P 224 Giah is unidentified and the text doubtful. escape |