The Second Book of Samuel

David Toshio Tsumura

• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781467457248
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Criticism & Interpretation

Second Samuel includes some of the most well-known and theologically layered episodes in the Old Testament, such as the Lord's establishment of an eternal covenant with David, David's sin with Bathsheba, and the subsequent account of Absalom's rebellion. In this second part of an ambitious two-volume commentary on the books of Samuel, David Toshio Tsumura elucidates the rich text of 2 Samuel with special attention to literary and textual issues. Tsumura interprets the book in light of the meaning of the original composition, and he provides a fresh new translation based on careful analysis of the Hebrew text.

TEXT AND COMMENTARY

V. “STORY OF KING DAVID” (1:1–20:26)

STORY OF DAVID’S REIGN (1:1–12:31)

A. DEATH OF SAUL (1:1-27)

From here the history of the early Israelite monarchy moves into the second stage, the era of King David. The narrator first directs our attention to the end of Saul’s life, his death and that of his sons at Mount Gilboa (1 Sam. 31). This episode emphasizes David’s grief, especially as expressed in his elegy, but the deaths of the king and his heir are in fact a step toward David’s kingship. Literarily and discourse grammatically, this section (a: 2 Sam. 1) functions as a LINK between the “Story of Saul and David” (A: 1 Sam. 16–31) and the “Story of King David” (B: 2 Sam. 1–20). In other words, the present section is “a” of the A/aB pattern (“transitional technique”).¹

Since not only Saul but his three sons died (though we are later informed that another son is alive), the question as to his successor is implicitly raised. But Saul’s regalia are brought to David without his intervention, by a person acting completely on his own. The narrator presents the whole progress of events as the providential act of God.

1. Report of Saul’s Death (1:1-16)

David in Ziklag hears of the death of Saul. But instead of rejoicing, he mourns and kills the man who claims to have killed Saul. His elegy (vv. 17-27) shows his deep personal grief over the deaths of both Saul and Jonathan.

a. The Amalekite’s Report (1:1-10)

1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned from attacking Amalek, David stayed in Ziklag for two days.

2 On the third day, a man came from the camp where Saul was,² with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head.

When he came to David, he fell to the ground and bowed.³

3 And David said to him,

“Where have you come from?”

And he said to him,

“I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”

4 And David said to him,

“What happened?

Tell me!”

And he said,

“Because the people fled from the battle and many of the people fell and died.⁴

Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.”

5 And David said to the young man who was telling him this,

“How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”

Verse 1 follows after the events of 1 Sam. 30; David is back at home in Ziklag. In v. 4 the man, an Amalekite (v. 8), reports the events of 1 Sam. 31. Since he arrived on the third day after David’s return to Ziklag, David had probably arrived home around the day that Saul died.

1After the death of Saul. This way of beginning a new section is very common; verse 1a is a good example of a LINK between the previous two episodes (A: 1 Sam. 30 and 31) and the following one (B: 2 Sam. 1:1-16) in the pattern of A/aB, just as the entire chapter 1 (a) is a LINK between the “Story of Saul and David” (A) and the “Story of David” (B), as noted above.

This verse illustrates the multidimensional reality of life as against the monodimensional nature of linguistic description.⁵ David had been back for two days after his attack on Amalek. During this time the Amalekite had been running from Gilboa to Ziklag. Since it probably would have taken him two full days to cover the distance — some 100-112 miles (160-180 km) — David probably had arrived in Ziklag around the day of the battle. The Amalekite must have taken Saul’s diadem and armlet before “the next day” (1 Sam. 31:8), when the Philistines came to strip the slain.

The word order, waw+David šāb (pf.), signifies simultaneity; hence when David had returned. If it meant “After the death of Saul, David returned from” (NIV, Bergen),⁶ the Hebrew sentence would have a different word order and structure such as *wayyāšob (wayqtl) Dāwīd.

Through all these details the narrator makes it clear that David was not involved in the death of Saul and his sons, especially Jonathan, even though he was a Philistine vassal at that time.

2On the third day, a man comes running to Ziklag with the “good” news, which ends up causing the death of its bearer. On the similarity in narrative pattern between this episode and the messenger’s reporting the defeat of Israel to Eli, see on 1 Sam. 4:12-17.⁷ Torn clothes and dirt on one’s head are expressions of extreme grief; see also 2 Sam. 13:19; 15:32 and the commentary on 1 Sam. 4:12.⁸ If this man is lying (see below), his gestures with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head may have been planned “to lend dramatic weight to his story.”⁹

3–4First, David asks him where he came from. Then he asks: What happened? (lit. “what was the word/matter” = 1 Sam. 4:16). The man begins his answer with ʾăšer; lit. “that.”

It has been debated whether ʾăšer here introduces a direct quotation¹⁰ or indirect speech (JPS). However it is probably the first word in the direct speech, meaning “because,” and exhibits some degree of hesitancy, as in 1 Sam. 15:20: “Because (ʾăšer) I listened to the voice of the Lord, I went on the mission on which the Lord sent me.” Like Saul, this man is reluctant to answer straightforwardly.¹¹ Hence, because is here not a matter of cause and effect; rather, it has a metalinguistic function, making an excuse for his answer, like a speaker-oriented kî, which explains the reason for the preceding words.¹²

5The term young man here refers particularly to a “young fighting man,” that is, a soldier. Fo...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• General Editor’s Preface
• Author’s Preface
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Text and Commentary
• Indexes