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12. “May My Lord King David Live Forever”: Royal Ideology in Samuel and Judges
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12 “May My Lord King David Live Forever” Royal Ideology in Samuel and Judges Primary Reading: Samuel (esp. 1 Samuel 8 through 2 Samuel 8; Judges 1–3, 13–21). Who Killed Goliath? Everyone knows that David killed Goliath—the story of 1 Samuel 17 is among the best known in the Bible; a variety of famous paintings have depicted in gory detail the scene of David delivering Goliath’s head to Saul.1 Yet in an appendix added to the book of Samuel, we read: “Again there was fighting with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, whose spear had a shaft like a weaver’s bar” (2 Sam. 21:19). Historians follow a well-known principle in their research: if two sources each attribute the same action—especially a heroic one—to a well-known figure and to one who is otherwise unknown, it probably happened with the unknown figure; and the story was later transferred to the well-known person. Thus, if there really was a giant named Goliath, then Elhanan killed him—not David. Even if we deny that this tradition about a giant-slayer was historical, we would still think it likely that the Israelites told this story first about Elhanan, and only secondarily about David. Additional evidence bolsters this claim. The David and Goliath story in 1 Samuel 17 is folkloristic. Its structure and plot do not characterize a narrative interested in the past as it actually transpired. The plot concerns a young whippersnapper who can defeat a fearful giant before whom everyone else cowers. The person who eventually defeats the giant has been promised the hand of the king’s daughter in marriage. As in much folklore, the tale includes unexpected twists, such as the manner in which David disposes of Goliath. The scene where David tries to walk in Saul’s armor is even comical. 107 In addition, the David and Goliath story conflicts with its context, suggesting that it is a late addition to Samuel. In the previous story (1 Sam. 16:15–23), David was introduced into Saul’s court as a lyre player to help ease Saul’s melancholy . However, throughout chapter 17, Saul has no idea who David is. In fact, we read: (55) When Saul saw David going out to assault the Philistine, he asked his army commander Abner, “Whose son is that boy, Abner?” And Abner replied, “By your life. Your Majesty, I do not know.” (56) “Then find out whose son that young fellow is,” the king ordered. (57) So when David returned after killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him to Saul, with the head of the Philistine still in his hand. (58) Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, my boy?” And David answered, “The son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.” Chapter 17 fits poorly with what follows as well. In the next story, Saul twice suggests to David that he marry one of his daughters in exchange for certain deeds (1 Sam. 18:17, 25). That unit shows no awareness of 17:25, which had promised the king’s daughter to the person who could slay Goliath. These tensions all suggest that a later hand inserted the David and Goliath story into the rest of 1 Samuel. Where did that later story come from? Probably from storytellers who expanded on the traditions found in the appendix to Samuel mentioned above. Both passages share a couple of unusual features. One is the odd simile that Goliath’s spear “had a shaft like a weaver’s bar” (1 Sam. 17:7; 2 Sam. 21:19); it appears in the Bible only in these two places—and their parallels in Chronicles. Another is the mention of a giant who “taunts” Israel (1 Sam. 17:10, 25, 26, 36, 45; 2 Sam. 21:21); this root (Prc, ch-r-p) is found nowhere else in Samuel. These clues suggest that the David and Goliath story grew from 2 Samuel 21:18–22, a short unit describing the exploits of “David and his men,” the giant-slayers. The suggestion that the David and Goliath story is a late, secondary addition to Samuel raises further questions: Why did someone write this episode? Why did someone insert it here? The answer to those questions will help us uncover the main purpose of the Book of Samuel. The Ideology of Samuel Some twentieth-century scholars took the...