1 & 2 Samuel
1 Samuel
The book of Samuel is one of the six books that make up the Deuteronomist history (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings). Among key issues is kingship: Israel is a theocracy: God is king. How can a man be a king, like God? This is the problems asked in these books. The characters, Samuel, David, Saul are among the most famous in the Bible.
1
1: There was a certain man of the hill country of E'phraim, whose name was Elka'nah.
2: He had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
Here we get the classic birth story of Bible fame: one woman barren (without child), while the other is fruitful. In those days to be without child was to be without a future.
6: And her rival used to provoke her sorely, to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb.
9: Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.
10: She prayed to the LORD, and wept bitterly.
11: And she said, "O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt not forget thy maidservant, but wilt give to thy maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head."
Here we get the Nazirite vow we saw in the story of Samson. But Samson disobeyed all his vows; it seems the Nazirite angle was added to explain Samson's long hair in Jewish, not pagan, terms.
19: And Elka'nah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her;
For Bible writers, children come from God, with a little help from a man!
20: and in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, "I have asked him of the LORD."
Note the "el" (God) again in a Hebrew name. "S(h)am" is related to "shema" (as in the famous Shema of the one God).
2
Hannah's prayer became the model for the "Magnificat" in the Gospel of Luke. It contains motifs that should be familiar: God's values are not man's values; God reverses man's values. Moreover, as v. 1 shows, everything comes from God. The prayer may be a late addition, since it's not typical of a woman. Note the reference to God as Rock (v. 2). Verse 3 suggests that God judges motives, not actions. Verse 4 has a typical antithesis, opposing the evil man and the good; the powerful with the weak; the hungry with the fed; the poor with the rich, etc. This kind of antithesis is even more common in the New Testament, such as in the Beatitudes (Blessings) of Jesus, where blessings follow from disadvantage not advantage: "Blessed are the meek," etc.1: Hannah prayed and said, "My heart exults in the LORD; my strength is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in thy salvation.
2: "There is none holy like the LORD, there is none besides thee; there is no rock like our God.
3: Talk not proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
4: The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength.
5: Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but the hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn.
6: The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol [hell; the Underworld; a place of shadows in Hebrew thought; not like the later Christian idea of Hell] and raises up.
7: The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts.
8: He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and on them he has set the world.
9: "He will guard the feet of his faithful ones; but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness; for not by might shall a man prevail.
10: The enemies of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed."
Note the reference to "king" in v. 10, suggesting a later insertion (there were no kings at that time).
12: Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they had no regard for the LORD.
17: for the men treated the offering of the LORD with contempt.
21: And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the LORD.
This motif of the growth of Samuel will be later revised in writing of Jesus, who also grows in wisdom. Note how the "good priest," Samuel is contrasted against the old priest Eli and his two evil sons. In the same way, the "evil" Saul is contrasted against the new king, David. These writers were skilled at narration by contrasting in this way.
26: Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.
27: And there came a man of God to Eli, and said to him, "Thus the LORD has said, `I revealed myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh.
28: And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me; and I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. . . . "
I edited this out; the main idea is that God is taking away the priesthood from Eli due to his two corrupt sons. Political changes occurred and the D writer "explains" why the house of Eli was no longer allowed to be priests. Zadok will later be appointed priest by Solomon, David's son.
34: And this which shall befall your two sons, Hophni and Phin'ehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day.
35: And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind; and I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed for ever."
3
1: Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.
Verse 1 suggests there were fewer holy people worthy to receive "visions." Here we see that Eli, "blind" in both senses, is not given to understand that the torch has passed to Samuel rather than his sons:
2: At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim, so he could not see, was lying down in his own place;
Note the symbolic phrasing, "the lamp of God had not yet gone out." In other words, despite the failure of Eli and his sons, there was still hope: in Samuel:
3: the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down within the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.
4: Then the LORD called, "Samuel! Samuel!" and he said, "Here I am!"
Note the humor in these verses, yet the deeper message too.
5: and ran to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call; lie down again." So he went and lay down.
6: And the LORD called again, "Samuel!" And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, my son; lie down again."
7: Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
8: And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy.
Note the word "saw" ("perceived") again. Eli finally sees.
9: Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, `Speak, LORD, for thy servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10: And the LORD came and stood forth, calling as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for thy servant hears."
14: "I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering for ever."
This is part of the later prophetic attack on sacrifices, which merely repeat the same rites without meaning.
15: Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.
16: But Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." And he said, "Here I am."
17: And Eli said, "What was it that he told you?"
18: So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD; let him do what seems good to him."
Note Eli is not perfect, but he's not evil either and accepts God's judgment, like, later, Job will.
19: And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.
4, 5, 6
These chapters tell the Philistine victory over Israel and the capture of Israel's Ark (the Ark of the Covenant). This is considered an independent story inserted among other material. In this episode, Eli, the priest dies when he hears of the death of his two sons (as predicted by God) and the theft of the ark. The main purpose of the story is to show that, even when captured, the Ark is controlled by God, not by men. When returned to the Israelites, after plagues similar to those in Egypt, Israelites looking into the ark are also killed, again showing the ark is not something controlled by either side. As St. Paul says in the New Testament, "God is no respecter of persons.'
8
1: When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
2: The name of his first-born son was Jo'el, and the name of his second, Abi'jah; they were judges in Beer-sheba.
3: Yet his sons did not walk in his ways, but took bribes and perverted justice.
4: Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,
5: and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint for us a king to govern us like all the nations."
This is an important chapter on the pros and cons of having a king. Even Samuel is not good enough, because his children are corrupt. So this chapter argues there are limits to "charismatic" leadership. "Charisma" means gift, and people who rule charismaticlly (like the judges) rule by personal gift and power. That's good if the person is a saint; but they're few, if any; then there are children who are assumed to have the same gift as their father but (as with Eli's and Samuel's sons) do not.
6: But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to govern us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD.
7: And the LORD said to Samuel, "[T]hey have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
9: Now then, hearken to their voice; only, you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them."
10: So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking a king from him.
The following seems to be a realistic depiction of the abuses of the later king, Solomon, inserted as prophecy after the fact:
11: He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots;
12: and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
13: He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
14: He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants.
15: He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants.
16: He will take your menservants and maidservants, and the best of your cattle and your asses, and put them to his work.
17: He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.
18: And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the LORD will not answer you in that day."
19: But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, "No! but we will have a king over us,
20: that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles."
Note that in wanting "to be like other nations," the Israelites are turning their back on God's rule.
9
1: There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish;
2: and he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man; from his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
Height even then was a mark of superiority!
3: Now the asses of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, "Take one of the servants with you, and arise, go and look for the asses."
14: So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.
15: Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed to Samuel:
16: "Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have seen the affliction of my people, because their cry has come to me."
This chapter is ambivalent (of two feelings) about whether God approves or disapproves of kings, showing the conflict between at least two sources.
17: When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, "Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall rule over my people."
27: As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God."
10
1: Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said, "Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their enemies round about. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.
17: Now Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah;
18: and he said to the people of Israel, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel,
19: "[Y]ou have this day rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said, `No! but set a king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands."
21: But when they sought Saul, he could not be found.
22: So they inquired again of the LORD, "Did the man come hither?" and the LORD said, "Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage."
Saul is pictured as insecure, hiding. He is also passive, obedient to Samuel.
23: Then they ran and fetched him from there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.
24: And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"
During the age of kings, this phrase became the classic cry of acclamation when a new king was crowned. For those who read Shakespeare's history plays, it's familiar.
27: But some worthless fellows said, "How can this man save us?" And they despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
11
1: Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Ja'besh-gil'ead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you."
2: But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus put disgrace upon all Israel."
11: And on the morrow Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and cut down the Ammonites until the heat of the day; and those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
Jabesh-gilead will later bury Saul's dead body in gratitude for this victory.
13
1: Saul was . . . years old when he began to reign; and he reigned . . . and two years over Israel.
The MS (manuscript) is corrupt [stating Saul was 2 years old!]; Saul's age when he reigned is uncertain.
5: And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude.
6: When the men of Israel saw they were in trouble they hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns,
7: or crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8: He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him.
9: So Saul said, "Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings." And he offered the burnt offering.
10: As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel came.
11: Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul said, "When I saw the people were leaving, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had gathered at Michmash,
12: I said, `Now the Philistines will come down upon me at Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of the LORD'; so I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering."
13: And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which he commanded you; the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel for ever.
14: But now your kingdom shall not continue; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart; and the LORD has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."
Samuel as priest should have sacrificed. This is a defense of the rights of the priesthood.
15
1: And Samuel said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore hearken to the words of the LORD.
2: Thus says the LORD of hosts, `I will punish what Am'alek did to Israel in opposing them on the way, when they came up out of Egypt.
3: Now go and smite Am'alek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.'"
7: And Saul defeated the Amal'ekites, from Hav'ilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.
8: And he took Agag the king of the Amal'ekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9: But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; all that was despised and worthless they utterly destroyed.
10: The word of the LORD came to Samuel:
11: "I regret I made Saul king; for he has not performed my commandments." And Samuel was angry; and he cried to the LORD all night.
13: And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed be you to the LORD; I have performed the commandment of the LORD."
14: And Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"
15: Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amal'ekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed."
16: Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop! I will tell you what the LORD said to me this night.
Samuel seems to understand that Saul, though king, doesn't feel kingly (he has an "inferiority complex" as we say today):
17: "Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel.
18: And the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, `Go, utterly destroy the sinners, the Amal'ekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.'
19: Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop on the spoil, and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?"
20: And Saul said to Samuel, "I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, I have brought Agag the king of Am'alek, and I have utterly destroyed the Amal'ekites.
21: But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal."
22: And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23: For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king."
24: And Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
25: Now therefore, I pray, pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD."
26: And Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel."
27: As Samuel turned to go away, Saul laid hold upon the skirt of his robe, and it tore.
28: And Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. "
32: Then Samuel said, "Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amal'ekites." And Agag came to him cheerfully. Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is past."
33: And Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women." And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
16
God tells Samuel to go to Bethlehem, and the clan of Jesse, to anoint a new king, even while Saul is king. The family is invited to a sacrifice.
6: When they came, [Samuel] looked on Eli'ab and thought, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before him."
7: But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."
10: And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these."
11: And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he comes here."
12: And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he."
13: Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
14: Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.
Note the balance: as the Spirit of God leaves Saul it rests in David.
17: Saul said to his servants, "Find me a man who can play well, and bring him to me."
21: And David came to Saul, and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer.
22: And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight."
23: And whenever the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand; Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
Now begins the interwoven stories of Saul and David; as David prospers with the Spirit of the Lord, Saul meets a tragic end, including bouts of madness.
17
4: And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
8: He shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.
9: If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us."
26: And David said to the men who stood by him, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
31: When the words which David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul; and he sent for him.
32: And David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."
33: And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth."
37: And David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you!"
38: Then Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a helmet of bronze on his head, and clothed him with a coat of mail.
39: And David girded his sword over his armor, and he tried in vain to go, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these; for I am not used to them." And David put them off.
Nice realistic detail!
40: Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in his shepherd's bag or wallet; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.
41: And the Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.
42: And when the Philistine looked, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, ruddy and comely in appearance.
45: Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
46: This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down, and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
47: and that all this assembly may know the LORD saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD'S and he will give you into our hand."
48: When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.
49: And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone, and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
50: So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine, and killed him; there was no sword in the hand of David.
51: Then David ran and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
52: And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron.
18
3: Then Jonathan [Saul's son] made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.
4: And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his girdle.
This suggests another symbolic action: that David has inherited the royal succession; moreover, Jonathan (heir apparent) is giving it to him willingly.
5: And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him; so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
6: As they were coming home, when David returned from slaying the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with timbrels, with songs of joy, and with instruments of music.
7: And the women sang to one another as they made merry, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands."
8: And Saul was angry, and this saying displeased him; he said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands; and what more can he have but the kingdom?"
9: And Saul eyed David from that day on.
10: And on the morrow an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand;
11: and Saul cast the spear, for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall." But David evaded him twice.
12: Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul.
20: Now Saul's daughter Michal loved David; and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
Saul tries to trick David by offering his daughter, Michal, hoping David will be killed in battle with the Philistines to win the daughter. This plot fails since David is successful in battle..
19
11: That night Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, "If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed."
12: So Michal let David down through the window; and he fled away and escaped.
13: Michal took an image and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head, and covered it with the clothes.
14: And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, "He is sick."
15: Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, "Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him."
16: And when the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at its head.
17: Saul said to Michal, "Why have you deceived me thus, and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?" And Michal answered Saul, "He said to me, `Let me go; why should I kill you?'"
18: Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt at Naioth."
Saul pursues David at Naioth.
20
32: Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, "Why should David be put to death? What has he done?"
33: But Saul cast his spear at him to smite him; so Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.
34: And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had disgraced him.
35: In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David.
41: And David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed three times; and they kissed one another, and wept with one another, until David recovered himself.
42: Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, `The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants, for ever.'" And he rose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.
21
1: Then came David to Nob to Ahim'elech the priest; and Ahim'elech came to meet David trembling, and said to him, "Why are you alone, and no one with you?"
2: And David said to Ahim'elech the priest, "The king has charged me with a matter, and said to me, `Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.' I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place.
3: Now then, what have you at hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here."
4: And the priest answered David, "I have no common bread at hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women."
5: And David answered the priest, "Of a truth women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition; the vessels of the young men are holy, even when it is a common journey; how much more today will their vessels be holy?"
6: So the priest gave him the holy bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the LORD, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
Jesus mentions this story in the New Tesament.
7: Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; his name was Do'eg the E'domite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.
8: And David said to Ahim'elech, "And have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste."
9: And the priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here." And David said, "There is none like that; give it to me."
10: And David rose and fled that day from Saul.
22
1: David escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him.
2: And every one who was in distress, and every one who was in debt, and every one who was discontented, gathered to him; and he became captain over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.
5: Then the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah." So David departed, and went into the forest of Hereth.
6: Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gib'e-ah, under the tamarisk tree on the height, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him.
7: And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, "Hear now, you Benjaminites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds,
8: that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a league with the son of Jesse, none of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day."
Saul is losing confidence in his own men, thinking they have been bribed, and sees it as a tribal issue between Saul's tribe (Benjaminites) and David's (son of Jesse).
9: Then answered Do'eg the E'domite, who stood by the servants of Saul, "I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahim'elech the son of Ahi'tub,
10: and he inquired of the LORD for him, and gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."
18: Then the king said to Do'eg, "You turn and fall upon the priests." And Do'eg the E'domite turned and fell upon the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod.
19: And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both men and women, children and sucklings, oxen, asses and sheep, he put to the sword.
20: But one of the sons of Ahim'elech the son of Ahi'tub, named Abi'athar, escaped and fled after David.
21: And Abi'athar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD.
22: And David said to Abi'athar, "I knew on that day, when Do'eg the E'domite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father's house.
David recognizes that he is the cause of the deaths of all the priests.
24
1: When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, "Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-ge'di."
2: Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats' Rocks.
3: And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave.
4: And the men of David said to him, "Here is the day of which the LORD said to you, `Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.'" Then David arose and stealthily cut off the skirt of Saul's robe.
5: And afterward David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.
6: He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD'S anointed, to put forth my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD'S anointed."
This, like other stories, seems like an etiological story intended to "sanctify" royalty. David, knowing he is next in succession, teaches that kings are God's anointed, so untouchable. This is a later writing, when kings were a commonplace.
7: So David persuaded his men with these words, and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave, and went upon his way.
8: Afterward David also arose, and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth, and did obeisance.
9: And David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of men who say, `Behold, David seeks your hurt'?
10: Lo, this day your eyes have seen how the LORD gave you today into my hand in the cave; and some bade me kill you, but I spared you. I said, `I will not put forth my hand against my lord; for he is the LORD'S anointed.'
11: See, my father, see the skirt of your robe in my hand; for by the fact that I cut off the skirt of your robe, and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it.
12: May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me upon you; but my hand shall not be against you.
13: As the proverb of the ancients says, `Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness'; but my hand shall not be against you."
16: When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.
Note how David calls Saul "father" and Saul calls David "son."
17: He said to David, "You are more righteous than I; for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.
19: So may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.
20: And now, behold, I know you shall surely be king, and Israel shall be established in your hand.
21: Swear to me therefore by the LORD you will not cut off my descendants after me, and you will not destroy my name out of my father's house."
22: And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home; but David and his men went up to the stronghold.
25
1: Now Samuel died; and Israel assembled and mourned for him. Then David rose and went to the wilderness of Paran.
1: David said in his heart, "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines; then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand."
4: And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he sought for him no more.
5: Then David said to A'chish, "If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there; for why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?"
6: So that day A'chish gave him Ziklag; therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.
7: And the number of the days that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.
8: Now David and his men went up, and made raids upon the Gesh'urites, the Gir'zites, and the Amal'ekites; for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt.
Note that David, though pretending to support the Philistines is actually killing Israel's enemies.
11: And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, thinking, "Lest they should tell about us, and say, `So David has done.'" Such was his custom all the while he dwelt in the country of the Philistines.
12: And A'chish trusted David, thinking, "He has made himself utterly abhorred by his people Israel; therefore he shall be my servant always."
28
3: Now Saul had put the mediums and the wizards out of the land.
4: The Philistines assembled, and came and encamped at Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilbo'a.
5: When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.
6: And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.
7: Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "Behold, there is a medium at Endor."
8: So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments, and went, he and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, "Divine for me by a spirit, and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you."
9: The woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the wizards from the land. Why then are you laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?"
10: But Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing."
11: Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" He said, "Bring up Samuel for me."
12: When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul."
13: The king said to her, "Have no fear; what do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up out of the earth."
14: He said to her, "What is his appearance?" And she said, "An old man is coming up; and he is wrapped in a robe." And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance.
This is the only example of necromancy (magically calling the dead). Note, the dead have no choice but to come when commanded in the proper way. This text poses a problem for those who view death in a different way, including Christians. So it's claimed Saul saw only a vision of Samuel.
15: Then Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" Saul answered, "I am in great distress; for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams; therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do."
16: And Samuel said,
18: "Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD, and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Am'alek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day.
19: Moreover the LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines; and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me; the LORD will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines."
20: Then Saul fell upon the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel; and there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night.
24: Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she quickly killed it, and she took flour, and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread of it,
25: and she put it before Saul and his servants; and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.
1: Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amal'ekites had made a raid upon the Negeb and upon Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag, and burned it with fire. . .
18: David recovered all that the Amal'ekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives.
David does what Saul did not do: he destroyed all the Amalekites.
31
1: Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilbo'a.
2: And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abin'adab and Mal'chishu'a, the sons of Saul.
3: The battle pressed hard upon Saul, and the archers found him; and he was badly wounded by the archers.
4: Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and make sport of me." But his armor-bearer would not; for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword, and fell upon it.
5: And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword, and died with him.
6: Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.
7: And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
8: On the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilbo'a.
9: And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to their idols and to the people.
10: They put his armor in the temple of Ash'taroth; and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
11: But when the inhabitants of Ja'besh-gil'ead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12: all the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to Jabesh and burnt them there.
13: And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
2 Samuel
Originally part of 1 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings, it was later divided as Samuel and Kings, and then divided again into two parts, the commonly accepted form of reference today. The book is part of the Deuteronomist history, a theodicy explaining why the Jews lost their kingdom. In essence, this theodicy continues into the New Testament, where the Davidic Messiah preaches a "New Jerusalem," not of this world. The book follows Saul's death.
1
17: And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son,
18: and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah. He said:
It's unclear how to read this, whether as sincere praise or mockery ("How are the mighty fallen and the weapons of war perished!"). Gath and Ashkelon are two of five Philistine cities called the Pentapolis ("five cities"), including Ekron, Ashdad, and Gaza (where we get the word for the cloth, gauze).
19: "Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places! How are the mighty fallen!
20: Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ash'kelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
21: "Ye mountains of Gilbo'a, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor upsurging of the deep! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
23: "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
Much of David's rhetoric reads like politics. We know facts say the opposite of what David says; but David's goal is to unite Saul's friends with his own goal to be king over all Israel.
24: "Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you daintily in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
25: "How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! "Jonathan lies slain upon thy high places.
26: I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
27: "How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!"
2
This begins a schism (or break) that will continue until 587 and the end of Judah, following the end of Israel (the northern part of "Israel") in 722. It continues the sibling rivalry begun in Genesis.3: And David brought up his men who were with him, every one with his household; and they dwelt in the towns of Hebron.
4: And the men of Judah came, and they anointed David king over the house of Judah. "
8: Now Abner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ish-bo'sheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahana'im;
9: and he made him king over Gilead and the Ash'urites and Jezreel and E'phraim and Benjamin and all Israel.
10: Ish-bo'sheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
11: And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
1: There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.
6: While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul.
7: Now Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Ai'ah; and Ish-bo'sheth said to Abner, "Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?"
8: Then Abner was angry over the words of Ish-bo'sheth, and said, "Am I a dog's head of Judah? This day I keep showing loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not given you into the hand of David; and yet you charge me today with a fault concerning a woman.
9: God do so to Abner, and more also, if I do not accomplish for David what the LORD has sworn to him,
10: to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beer-sheba."
As Samuel predicted, sex is causing a lot of problems (wives, concubines mess up politics). We see it later with David's problems (to challenge his father, Absalom beds with David's concubines). This is one warning. A related issue: the king is not in control, as we see later with David too, who seems pushed around by military leaders and his "court." The later story of David and Bathsheba shows the same thing: David stays home, abusing his power with sex, while the military leaders risk their lives, but also take control. Later Joab, the military leader, bosses David around and tells him to meet the people after Absalom (David's rebellious son) is killed.
11: And Ish-bo'sheth could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.
21: Abner said to David, "I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires." So David sent Abner away; and he went in peace.
Peace; yet he's later killed by Joab, David's commander. Note the repetition of the word "peace" in v. 22.
22: Just then the servants of David arrived with Jo'ab from a raid, bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.
23: When Jo'ab [David's commander] and the army that was with him came, it was told Jo'ab, "Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go, and he has gone in peace."
27: And when Abner returned to Hebron, Jo'ab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he smote him in the belly, so that he died, for the blood of As'ahel his brother.
28: When David heard of it, he said, "I and my kingdom are for ever guiltless before the LORD for the blood of Abner the son of Ner.
29: May it fall upon the head of Jo'ab, and upon all his father's house!"
32: They buried Abner at Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept.
33: And the king lamented for Abner, saying, "Should Abner die as a fool dies?
Note, David calls his own general "wicked"!
34: Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered; as one falls before the wicked you have fallen." And all the people wept again over him.
36: And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them; as everything that the king did pleased all the people.
37: So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's will to slay Abner the son of Ner.
4
5: Now the sons of Rimmon the Be-er'othite, Rechab and Ba'anah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ish-bo'sheth, as he was taking his noonday rest.
7: When they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, they slew him. They
8: brought the head of Ish-bo'sheth to David at Hebron. And they said to the king, "Here is the head of Ish-bo'sheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life."
9: But David answered Rechab and Ba'anah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Be-er'othite, "As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity,
10: when one told me, `Behold, Saul is dead,' and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and slew him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.
11: When wicked men have slain a righteous man in his own house upon his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand, and destroy you from the earth?"
12: And David commanded his young men, and they killed them, and cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bo'sheth, and buried it in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.
5
3: So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.
Note the "contract" theory of government (stated by John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, among others) can be traced back here; that is, the king rules by the consent of the governed. Hence "King David made a covenant." The early American colonists made similar covenants or "compacts," as in the famous Mayflower Compact at Plymouth Rock.
4: David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
It's always doubtful whether "40" represents a real or only a symbolic number (like the "40 years" in the wilderness, the "40 days" of Moses on Mt. Sinai (Horeb), or the "40 days" of Jesus' in the desert (wilderness).
7: [Then] David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.
Note v. 13, the writer again subtly suggests wrongdoing:
13: And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David.
6
3: And they carried the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abin'adab which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahi'o, the sons of Abin'adab, were driving the new cart
4: with the ark of God; and Ahi'o went before the ark.
5: And David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the LORD with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.
As v. 5 shows, worship of God was probably more noisy than it became in Christian churches; more like in Black churches.
6: And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.
7: And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there because he put forth his hand to the ark; and he died there beside the ark of God.
9: And David was afraid of the LORD; he said, "How can the ark of the LORD come to me?"
The writers were making a point: do not take God for granted; his ways are not our ways. The writers wish to keep God as "transcendent," and not too familiar.
10: So David was not willing to take the ark of the LORD into the city of David; but David took it aside to the house of O'bed-e'dom the Gittite.
11: And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of O'bed-e'dom the Gittite three months; and the LORD blessed O'bed-e'dom and all his household.
12: And it was told King David, "The LORD has blessed the household of O'bed-e'dom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of O'bed-e'dom to the city of David with rejoicing;
There's a note of sarcasm here. Only when David saw the Gittite prospered did David decide it was safe to move the ark to Jerusalem.
13: and when those who bore the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.
14: And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
One of the great images in the Bible, omitted in the Hollywood version.
15: So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the horn.
16: As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.
17: And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place, inside the tent which David had pitched for it.
18: And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts,
19: and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins.
20: And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, "How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' maids, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!"
21: And David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me above your father, and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the LORD -- and I will make merry before the LORD.
22: I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes; but by the maids of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor."
23: And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.
Politically, Michal's childlessness may be intended to convince the reader that David had no heirs from Michal to challenge his throne.
7
1: Now when the king dwelt in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies round about,
Note the motif of "rest" again. This the great goal of the entire Bible: the final Sabbath, shown in the book of Revelation.
2: the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent."
4: But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan,
5: "Go and tell my servant David, `Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in?
6: I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.
7: In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'
8: Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David,
11: "The LORD declares to you I will make you a house.
12: When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
God, offered a "house" (dwelling place) refuses it, and instead offers David a "house" (a royal promise of David's line: this is the fourth and final covenant in the Old Testament: the Davidic covenant). There's confusion as to whether this covenant is unconditional (as with the Abrahamic Covenant) or conditional (as with the Mosaic covenant). The problem may be solved geographically: the promise is conditional for all Israel, but unconditional for Judah. Christians value the uncondtional covenants of Abraham and David over the conditional (hence, legalistic) covenant of Moses. For Jesus ended the law of Moses.
13: He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
14: I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men;
15: but I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.
Note the unconditional words above. Also the "father-son" theme that Jesus will use. Only in the later Gospel of John is there a sense of a divine Father-Son relationship. "Son(s) of God" was a common phrase in Hebrew literature; how Jesus used it is another matter.
16: And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.'"
17: In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
8
15: So David reigned over Israel; and David administered justice and equity to all his people.
16: And Jo'ab the son of Zeru'iah was over the army;
17: and Zadok the son of Ahi'tub and Ahim'elech the son of Abi'athar were priests;
18: and David's sons were priests.
Note that David's sons, who were not Levites, were priests, against Mosaic law.
From 2 Samuel 9-20 to 1 Kings 2 is generally called the Court History or Succession Narrative, with focus on David's court, considered an independent insertion. The last chapters of 2 Samuel are not considered part of that document.
1: In the spring of the year, the time when kings go forth to battle, David sent Jo'ab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they ravaged the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.
At "the time when kings go forth to battle"), David stays home and commits adultery, then murder. This seems to be an anti-royalist tract, as much as anti-David; a swipe at kings in a society that thought only God was king. Note also the previous reference to David having many wives, just as Samuel predicted. The phrase, "kings go forth" (in the King James translation) is famous and became the title of a Hollywood movie. Now follows another of the famous Bible stories, also a Hollywood movie: David and Bathsheba (the student can find countless paintings of the couple).
2: It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking upon the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was beautiful.
3: And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is not this Bathshe'ba, the wife of Uri'ah the Hittite?"
4: So David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house.
The reference in v. 4 of the woman's "uncleanness"insures that the baby that follows had to be David's. Style may express content here: the short phrases leap across time, showing how a mere impulse can quickly lead to results: David sent messngers. She came. They had sex. The woman had a baby. Young people should ponder this style (and content).
5: And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, "I am with child."
6: So David sent word to Jo'ab, "Send me Uri'ah the Hittite." And Jo'ab sent Uri'ah to David.
7: When Uri'ah came to him, David asked how Jo'ab was doing, and how the people fared, and how the war prospered.
8: Then David said to Uri'ah, "Go down to your house, and wash your feet." And Uri'ah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king.
In the Bible "feet" is a euphemism for sex; so "wash your feet" means to have sex. The phrase is also in the book of Ruth. David wants Uriah to have sex to explain Bathsheba's child. Yet Uriah, the Hittite, is more holy than David, for he refuses sex while he's a soldier (soldiering was holy, because all battles were for God). Noteworthy in the idiom about "feet" is that sex was a bodily need, like washing one's feet. It was not something special in the Hebrew Bible, either for good or bad, anymore than daily bathing is good or bad; just necessary.
9: But Uri'ah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.
10: When they told David, "Uri'ah did not go down to his house," David said to Uri'ah, "Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?"
11: Uri'ah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths; and my lord Jo'ab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing."
12: Then David said to Uri'ah, "Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart." So Uri'ah remained in Jerusalem that day, and the next.
13: And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.
14: In the morning David wrote a letter to Jo'ab, and sent it by the hand of Uri'ah.
15: In the letter he wrote, "Set Uri'ah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die."
16: And as Jo'ab was besieging the city, he assigned Uri'ah to the place where he knew there were valiant men.
17: And the men of the city came out and fought with Jo'ab; and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uri'ah the Hittite was slain also.
18: Then Jo'ab sent and told David all the news about the fighting;
19: and he instructed the messenger, "When you have finished telling all the news about the fighting to the king,
20: then, if the king's anger rises, and if he says to you, `Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall?
21: then you shall say, `Your servant Uri'ah the Hittite is dead also.'"
22: So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Jo'ab had sent him to tell.
25: David said to the messenger, "Thus shall you say to Jo'ab, `Do not let this matter trouble you, for the sword devours now one and now another; strengthen your attack upon the city, and overthrow it.' And encourage him."
26: When the wife of Uri'ah heard that Uri'ah her husband was dead, she made lamentation for her husband.
27: And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.
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This is a great allegory, trapping David into admitting his own evil deed and punishment:
1: And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.
2: The rich man had many flocks and herds;
3: but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his morsel, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him.
Nathan puns on "daughter" in Hebrew: "bath" (Bathsheba).
4: Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb, and prepared it for the man who had come to him."
5: Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die;
6: and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."
If the word ("fourfold") is correctly translated, then this prophecy comes true; because 4 of David's sons die: the first child with Bathsheba; and other sons: Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah.
7: Nathan said to David, "You are the man. Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, `I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul;
8: and I gave you your master's house, and your master's wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if this were too little, I would add to you as much more.
9: Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have smitten Uri'ah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites.
10: Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uri'ah the Hittite to be your wife.'
11: Thus says the LORD, `Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
12: For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.'"
13: David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
14: Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child that is born to you shall die."
15: Then Nathan went to his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uri'ah's wife bore to David, and it became sick [and died].
24: Then David comforted his wife, Bathshe'ba, and went in to her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him,
25: and sent a message by Nathan the prophet; so he called his name Jedidi'ah, because of the LORD.
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1: Now Ab'salom, David's son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar; and after a time Amnon, David's son, loved her.
2: And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her.
6: So Amnon lay down, and pretended to be ill; and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, "Pray let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand."
10: Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand." And Tamar took the cakes she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother.
11: But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her, and said to her, "Come, lie with me, my sister."
12: She answered him, "No, my brother, do not force me; for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this wanton folly.
13: As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of the wanton fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray you, speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you."
14: But he would not listen to her; and being stronger than she, he forced her, and lay with her.
Note how deeply the writer sees into the mind of Amnon, whose lust soon turns to hatred:
15: Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred; so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, "Arise, be gone."
16: But she said to him, "No, my brother; for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other which you did to me." But he would not listen to her.
17: He called the young man who served him and said, "Put this woman out of my presence, and bolt the door after her."
19: And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent the long robe which she wore; and she laid her hand on her head, and went away, crying aloud as she went.
20: And her brother Ab'salom said to her, "Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister; he is your brother; do not take this to heart." So Tamar dwelt, a desolate woman, in her brother Ab'salom's house.
21: When King David heard of all these things, he was angry.
22: But Ab'salom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad; for Ab'salom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.
Note David does nothing. There are plot elements, characters, and dialogue that resemble the movie, The Godfather. Absalom's tricky comment about Amnon being a brother is like Michael Corleone assuring his sister that he will not kill her sister's husband. Both lie and intend to kill from revenge.
23: After two full years Ab'salom had sheepshearers at Ba'al-ha'zor, which is near E'phraim, and Ab'salom invited all the king's sons.
24: And Ab'salom came to the king, and said, "Your servant has sheepshearers; pray let the king and his servants go with your servant."
25: But the king said to Ab'salom, "No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you." He pressed him, but he would not go but gave him his blessing.
26: Then Ab'salom said, "If not, pray let my brother Amnon go with us." And the king said to him, "Why should he go with you?"
27: But Ab'salom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him.
28: Then Ab'salom commanded his servants, "Mark when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, `Strike Amnon,' then kill him. Fear not; have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant."
29: So the servants of Ab'salom did to Amnon as Ab'salom had commanded.
37: And David mourned for his son day after day.
38: Ab'salom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years.
39: And the spirit of the king longed to go forth to Ab'salom; for he was comforted about Amnon, seeing he was dead.
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2: And Jo'ab sent to Teko'a, and fetched from there a wise woman, and said to her, "Pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning garments; act like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead;
3: and go to the king, and speak thus to him." So Jo'ab put the words in her mouth.
5: And the king said to her, "What is your trouble?" She answered, "I am a widow; my husband is dead.
6: I had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field; there was no one to part them, and one struck the other and killed him.
7: And now the whole family has risen against your handmaid, and they say, `Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew'; and so they would destroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal which is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant upon the face of the earth."
10: The king said,
11: "As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground."
12: Then the woman said, "Pray let me speak a word to my lord the king." He said, "Speak."
13: And the woman said, "Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again."
19: The king said, "Is the hand of Jo'ab with you in all this?"
21: Then the king said to Jo'ab, "Go, bring back the young man Ab'salom."
24: And the king said, "Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence." So Ab'salom dwelt apart in his own house, and did not come into the king's presence.
25: Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his beauty as Ab'salom; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
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1: After this Ab'salom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him.
2: And Ab'salom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate; and when any man had a suit to come before the king for judgment, Ab'salom would call to him, and say, "From what city are you?" And when he said, "Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,"
3: Ab'salom would say to him, "See, your claims are good and right; but there is no man deputed by the king to hear you."
4: Ab'salom said moreover, "Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a suit or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice."
Absalom is rebelling against his father's rule. Yet there could be implied criticism of David's rule; as if to say, "This is how a real king should behave" (see v. 6).
6: Thus Ab'salom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Ab'salom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
7: And at the end of four years Ab'salom said to the king, "Pray let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the LORD, in Hebron.
8: For your servant vowed a vow while I dwelt at Geshur in Aram, saying, `If the LORD will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to the LORD.'"
9: The king said to him, "Go in peace." So he arose, and went to Hebron.
10: But Ab'salom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, `Ab'salom is king at Hebron!'"
11: With Ab'salom went two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited guests, and they went in innocence, and knew nothing.
12: And while Ab'salom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahith'ophel the Gi'lonite, David's counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Ab'salom kept increasing.
Some scholars see a parallel with the Passion story of Jesus, betrayed by Judas; like Judas, Ahithophel will hang himself (the only suicide hangings in the Bible.) Similarities are more clear, below.
13: And a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Ab'salom."
14: Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise, and let us flee; or else there will be no escape for us from Ab'salom."
24: And Abi'athar came up, and lo, Zadok came also, with all the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of God; and they set down the ark of God, until the people had all passed out of the city.
25: Then the king said to Zadok, "Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his habitation;
26: but if he says, `I have no pleasure in you,' behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him."
This suggests a new humility in David. It also shows the ark is not to be used a magical tool to manipulate God. God's will cannot be manipulated by a religious token, even one as holy as the Ark of the Covenant. V. 30 is a clearer analogy of David with Jesus, since both ascend to the Mount of Olives in agony. V. 26 also shows David surrendering to God's will.
30: But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered; and all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went.
31: And it was told David, "Ahith'ophel is among the conspirators with Ab'salom." And David said, "O LORD, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahith'ophel into foolishness."
32: When David came to the summit, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent and earth upon his head.
33: David said to him, "If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me.
34: But if you return to the city, and say to Ab'salom, `I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father's servant in time past, so now I will be your servant,' then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahith'ophel.
35: Are not Zadok and Abi'athar the priests with you there? So whatever you hear from the king's house, tell it to Zadok and Abi'athar the priests.
36: Behold, their two sons are with them there, Ahim'a-az, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abi'athar's son; and by them you shall send to me everything you hear."
37: So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city, just as Ab'salom was entering Jerusalem.
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5: When King David came to Bahu'rim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; and as he came he cursed continually.
6: And he threw stones at David, and at all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.
7: And Shimei said as he cursed, "Begone, begone, you man of blood, you worthless fellow!
8: The LORD has avenged upon you the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Ab'salom. See, your ruin is on you; for you are a man of blood."
9: Then Abi'shai the son of Zeru'iah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head."
10: But the king said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeru'iah? If he is cursing because the LORD has said to him, `Curse David,' who then shall say, `Why have you done so?'"
David is here shown, as in Saul's attack on him, to be spiritually mature, allowing God to handle his enemies.
14: And the king, and all the people who were with him, arrived weary at the Jordan; and there he refreshed himself.
15: Now Ab'salom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahith'ophel with him.
16: And when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Ab'salom, Hushai said to Ab'salom, "Long live the king! Long live the king!"
20: Then Ab'salom said to Ahith'ophel, "Give your counsel; what shall we do?"
21: Ahith'ophel said to Ab'salom, "Go in to your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened."
22: So they pitched a tent for Ab'salom upon the roof; and Ab'salom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
23: Now in those days the counsel which Ahith'ophel gave was as if one consulted the oracle of God; so was all the counsel of Ahith'ophel esteemed, both by David and by Ab'salom.
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1: Ahith'ophel said to Ab'salom, "Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set out and pursue David tonight.
2: I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged, and throw him into a panic; and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down the king only,
3: and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace."
4: And the advice pleased Ab'salom and all the elders of Israel.
5: Then Ab'salom said, "Call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he has to say."
6: And when Hushai came to Ab'salom, Ab'salom said to him, "Thus has Ahith'ophel spoken; shall we do as he advises? If not, you speak."
7: Then Hushai said to Ab'salom, "This time the counsel which Ahith'ophel has given is not good.
11: But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you, from Dan to Beer-sheba, as the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person.
12: So we shall come upon him in some place where he is to be found, and we shall light upon him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and all the men with him not one will be left."
14: And Ab'salom and all the men of Israel said, "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahith'ophel." For the LORD had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahith'ophel, so that the LORD might bring evil upon Ab'salom.
23: When Ahith'ophel saw his counsel was not followed, he set his house in order, and hanged himself.
24: Then David came to Mahana'im. And Ab'salom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.
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5: And the king ordered Jo'ab and Abi'shai and It'tai, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Ab'salom." And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Ab'salom.
Are the orders about Absalom (v. 5) true, or is this a later insertion to make David look good?8: The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword.
9: And Ab'salom chanced to meet the servants of David. Ab'salom was riding upon his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.
It is possible that the phrase "between heaven and earth" is intended symbolically, as if Absalom tried to make himself God by his rebellion (compare the later story of the fall of Lucifer in the New Testament or John Milton's poem, Paradise Lost.
15: And ten young men, Jo'ab's armor-bearers, surrounded Ab'salom and struck him, and killed him.
21: Then Jo'ab said to the Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." The Cushite bowed before Jo'ab, and ran.
32: The king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Ab'salom?" And the Cushite answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be like that young man."
33: And the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, "O my son Ab'salom, my son, my son Ab'salom! Would I had died instead of you, O Ab'salom, my son, my son!"
Note the careful wording of Absalom's death, cloaked in flattery.
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1: It was told Jo'ab, "Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Ab'salom."
2: So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people; for the people heard that day, "The king is grieving for his son."
3: And the people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle.
Another famous text. Note the repetitions of "my son" and "Absalom." Note below how strongly Joab speaks to the king, suggesting he has more power than the king!
4: The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, "O my son Ab'salom, O Ab'salom, my son, my son!"
5: Then Jo'ab came into the house to the king, and said, "You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life, and the lives of your sons and your daughters, and the lives of your wives and your concubines,
6: because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you; for today I perceive that if Ab'salom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased.
7: Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants; for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night; and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now."
8: Then the king arose, and took his seat in the gate. And the people were all told, "Behold, the king is sitting in the gate"; and all the people came before the king.
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1: Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:
"Sweet psalmist of Israel" has become a famous descriptive phrase for David.
2: "The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me, his word is upon my tongue.
3: The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God,
4: he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth upon a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.
5: Yea, does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?
6: But godless men are all like thorns that are thrown away. . . . "
These words are similar to many of the great praise and lament psalms.
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