Books of Samuel

Davi.

The stories of the relations between the founders of the respective monarchies of Israel and of Judah reflect the popular interest in DAVID (q.v.). Apart from the more detailed and continuous history, there are miscellaneous passages in 2 Sam. v.–viii., with an introduction (v. 1-3), and a concluding chapter rounding off David's reign (viii.). A similar collection in xxi.–xxiv. severs the closely-knit sequence of narratives in ix.–xx. (the "Court history of David") from David's death in I Ki. i ii. Their contents range over all periods, from the Amalekite war (viii. 12, cf. I Sam. xxx.) to David's "last words" (xxiii. ; but see I Kings i. I and ii. r). In particular they narrate the cap ture of Jerusalem from the Jebusites (v. 6-1o) and other fights in that district as far as Gezer (vv. 17-25), the purchase of land from a Jebusite for the erection of an altar (xxiv. ; see I Chron. xxi.–xxii. I, 2 Chron. iii. r), and the pacification of the Gibeonites (xxi. 1-14). The last two inter-related narratives are severed by the no less inter-related material in xxi. 15 sqq., xxiii. 8 sq. (con nected with the conflicts in ch. v.) ; and these in turn are now separated by the psalm in xxii. (Ps. xviii.) and by David's "last words." The repetition of the list of officials in viii. 15-18 and xx. 23-26 is attributed by several authorities (after Budde) to the later insertion of ix.–xx. 22. On this view, the two groups v.–viii., xxi.–xxiv. were once contiguous—though not necessarily in their present form or order.

The compiler of 2 Sam. v.–viii. has placed after the capture of Jerusalem (v. 6 sqq.) the conflict with the Philistines (v. 17 sqq.), where the "hold" is not Zion but some place of retreat, perhaps Adullam (c f . xxiii. 14). Similarly, the conflicts in xxi. 15 sqq., xxiii. 8 sqq., which are located around Gath, Lehi (so read xxiii. i), Pas-dammim (so v. 9; see I Chron. xi. 13), Beth lehem, and the valley of Rephaim, should also precede the occu pation of Jerusalem and the subsequent partition of territory among David's sons and others (e.g., xiii. 23, near Bethel). These passages combine to furnish a representation of the events lead ing to the capture of the capital which is distinct from and now superseded by the detailed narratives in ii. 12–iv. Here, Ishbaal is east of the Jordan, David's men are engaged in fighting Ben jamin and Israel—even at Gibeon (about 6 m. N.W. of Jeru salem), the interest of the history is in David's former relations with Israel at Saul's court, and he is regarded as the future de liverer of the oppressed people. The fragments preserved in 2 Sam. v.–viii., xxi.–xxiv. throw another light upon David's rela tions to Saul's family (xxi. 1-14, contrast ix.) ; and the stories of heroic conflicts with giant-like figures of Gath, etc. (xxiii. 9 seq., 18, cf. i Chron. xi. I 20) find no place by the side of the more detailed records of his sojourn under the protection of a king of Gath, one of a confederation of Philistine cities (I Sam. xxvii., xxix.). It is possible that popular stories cf the conquest of the earlier inhabitants have been applied to the PHILISTINES (q.v.) ; their general character associates them with the legends of the "sons of Anak," who enter into Judaean (perhaps originally Calebite) tradition elsewhere (Num. xiii. 22, 28), and who ac cording to one group of traditions occupied all the hill-country from Hebron northwards (Josh. xi. 21 sqq., xv. Saul and David.—The accounts of David's conflicts with giant heroes and of the conquest of Jerusalem and its district belong to Judaean traditions which have been almost superseded by other traditions of the rise of the Hebrew monarchy and by popular narratives of early relations between the Tudaean David and the (north) Israelite king and people. The emphasis (in I Sam.) upon the rejection of Saul, his enmity towards David, the latter's chivalry, and his friendship for Jonathan, partly ac count for the present literary intricacies. On quite general grounds, divine traditions of distinct origin (Calebite or Jerahmeelite; indigenous Judaean; North Israelite or Benjamite) are to be expected in a work now in post-exilic form. Moreover, the late

genealogy of Saul in 1 Chron. viii. 29 sqq., ix. 35 sqq., is evidence of a keen interest in the Saulidae in post-exilic times. David's history is handled independently of Saul in I Sam. xxv. ; and the narrative, now editorially connected with the context (v. r, see xxviii. 3; and v. 44, see 2 Sam. iii. 15), gives a valuable picture of his life in the south of Palestine, with which we may com pare his relations with south Judaean cities in xxx. 26-31. (The chapter with the prophecy of Abigail may be of Calebite origin.) His flight northwards to the Philistine king of Gath (xxvii.) is hardly connected with the preceding situations in xxiv. 17-22, xxv., or xxvi. 21-25, or with his previous slaughter of Philistines at Keilah (xxiii. 1-15). His earlier successes over them are ignored in xxix. 5, although the couplet there quoted now finds its only explanation in xviii. 7 after the death of Goliath and the defeat of the Philistines. These traditions of the relations be tween Judah and the Philistines (cf. xxvii. 5 seq.) are distinct from the popular stories of giants of Gath, and now form part of the joint history of David and Saul.

The independent narrative of Saul's fate represents one of the disastrous attacks which recur in earlier and later history of the north (xxviii.-4, xxix.). The geographical data are confused by the stories of David (see I Sam. xxviii. 4, xxix. I), and while the "Philistines" march north to Jezreel to deliver their attack, David's presence is not discovered until Aphek is reached (xxix.). His journey is the opportunity for an Amalekite raid (xxx. cf. xxvii. 8 seq.), and a defeat of Amalek by David proves more successful than that which led to Saul's rejection (xv. 20 seq. 26-28). Similarly, Saul's disaster leaves Israel again in the hands of the "Philistines" (xxxi. 7, cf. xiii. 6 seq.), and it is for David to save the people of Israel out of their hands (2 Sam. iii. 18, cf. I Sam. ix. 16) ; so, also, David's wars (2 Sam. viii.) bear a certain resemblance to those of Saul (I Sam. xiv. 47). The sequel to the joint history has another version of Saul's death (2 Sam. i. 6-1o, 13-16), and an Amalekite is the offender; contrast his death in i. 15 seq. with iv. Io seq. The chapter explains the trans ference of the royal insignia from Israel to Judah. Here is quoted (from the "Book of Jashar") the old poetical lament over the death of the valiant friends Saul and Jonathan, describing their successful warlike career, the wealth they brought the peo ple, and the vivid sense of national misfortune (i. 19-27). It is utilized for the history of David, to whom it is attributed.

In general, it appears that those narratives wherein the his tories of Saul and David are combined—very much in favour of the latter—were originally distinct from those where (a) Saul's figure is more in accord with the old poem from the Book of Jashar, and (b) where David's victories over prehistoric giants and his warlike movements to Jerusalem pave the way for the foundation—from a particular Judaean standpoint—of his remarkably long dynasty, for the literary problem of I and 2 Samuel is that of the writing of the history of the early monarchy and how it came to be formed.

further the (German) commentaries of Lohr (1894), Nowack, Budde (1902) and Caspari (1926) ; H. P. Smith in the Internat. Crit. Comm. (1899) with his O.T. History (pp. 507— 155), and A. R. S. Kennedy, Cent. Bible (1905) ; articles by Stenning in Hastings' Dict. and Stade in Ency. Bib. For the text see especially Wellhausen's model commentary (1871) ; Driver, Text of Samuel (1953) ; Budde in Haupt's Sacred Books of the O.T. (1894) ; Dhorme, Livres de Samuel (Iwo). For the psychological character of the several narratives see Gressmann's Schriften d. A.T. in Auswahl (Gottingen).

(S. A. C.)