1 Samuel 22 – “David Amasses a Small Army; Saul Kills Ahimelech’s Family”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
David escapes from the Philistines and safekeeps his parents with the king of Moab. With the exception of one son, Saul kills Ahimelech’s entire family.
II. Photo
David manages to escape: “David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father’s house heard, they joined him down there.” (v. 1)

III. Important Verses
1-2: David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father’s house heard, they joined him down there. Everyone who was in straits and everyone who was in debt and everyone who was desperate joined him, and he became their leader; there were about four hundred men with him.
3-5: David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab, and he said to the king of Moab, “Let my father and mother come [and stay] with you, until I know what God will do for me.” So he led them to the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David remained in the stronghold. But the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold; go at once to the territory of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.
17-19: And the king commanded the guards standing by, “Turn about and kill the priests of the LORD, for they are in league with David; they knew he was running away and they did not inform me.” But the king’s servants would not raise a hand to strike down the priests of the LORD. Thereupon the king said to Doeg, “You, Doeg, go and strike down the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite went and struck down the priests himself; that day, he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. He put Nob, the town of the priests, to the sword: men and women, children and infants, oxen, asses, and sheep — [all] to the sword.

IV. Outline
1. David escapes the Philistines
2. David is joined by his family and a motley crew of renegades
3-5. David protects his parents and travels to Judah
6-8. Saul’s diatribe to his soldiers
9-10. Doeg tells Saul about Ahimelech’s helping David
11-16. Saul condemns Ahimelech’s family to death
17. Saul’s soldiers refrain from executing the priests
18-19. Doeg kills Ahimelech’s family
20-23. Abiathar flees; David vows to protect him

V. Comment
Chapter 22 deals with two stories, one of David’s rise to power and one of Saul’s killing Ahimelech’s family. David begins his rise by amassing a group of 400 men. Who are the 400 men at David’s disposal? Verse 2 describes them as “everyone who was in straits (matzoq) and everyone who was in debt (asher lo nose’) and everyone who was desperate (mar nefesh).” Campbell writes: “It may be that the narrator does not intend this as a pejorative judgment on David’s followers; rather, there may be a hint of the portrayal of David as a deliverer. There is no question here of formulaic language for the oppressed and underprivileged, like the classic triad of the widow, the orphan, and the stranger. But there is a tendency for the language to occur in what might be called redemptive contexts, situations that call for redemption and deliverance.” (231) An example of this language can be found in the story of Hannah from chapter 1: “In her wretchedness (marat nefesh), she prayed to the LORD, weeping all the while.” (v. 10) Another example is the warnings of Deuteronomy: “You shall eat your own issue, the flesh of your sons and daughters that the LORD your God has assigned to you, because of the desperate straits (matzoq) to which your enemy shall reduce you.”

Campbell discusses the significance of the number 400. He writes: “Stoebe argues that the figure of 400 for David’s irregulars is conventional, and that the 600 of 1 Sam 23:13; 27:2; 30:9 should not be viewed as an increase (Stoebe, 404). While the 400 retainers with Esau (Gen 32:7; 33:1), the 400 virgins of Jabesh-gilead (Judg 21:12), the camel squad of 400 Amalekite fugitives (1 Sam 30:17), and the 400 prophets (1 Kgs 22:6) point in the direction of a conventional figure (cf. Stoebe), we may ask about the origin of the convention. Apart from the numbers for David’s force, the 600 figure occurs at Exod 14:7; Judg 18:16, 17; 1 Sam 13:15; 14:2; 2 Sam 15:18. The figures may represent the size of a group it was thought that one commander could effectively control and provide for. The later use of 600 in the present Davidic text, even if originally simply stemming from different traditions, may in the compilation be understood to indicate David’s growing strength. The LXX traditions fluctuate regarding these numbers.” (231)

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Collins, John J. “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible,” (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004).
Campbell, Antony F. “1 Samuel” The Forms of Old Testament Literature vol. 7 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2003).
Klein, Ralph W. “1 Samuel” Word Biblical Commentary vol. 10 (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1983).
Photo taken from http://galleries.fototagger.com/image/colored_canyon_natural_caves.jpg

1 Samuel 21 – “Ahimelech Helps David; David Feigns Madness”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
David convinces Ahimelech to provide him with bread and a sword. David flees to the Philistine city of Achish where he feigns madness.

II. Photo
David feigns madness: “So he concealed his good sense from them; he feigned madness for their benefit. He scratched marks on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard.” (v. 14)

III. Important Verses
5-7: The priest answered David, “I have no ordinary bread on hand; there is only consecrated bread — provided the young men have kept away from women.” In reply to the priest, David said, “I assure you that women have been kept from us, as always. Whenever I went on a mission, even if the journey was a common one, the vessels of the young men were consecrated; all the more then may consecrated food be put into their vessels today.” So the priest gave him consecrated bread, because there was none there except the bread of display, which had been removed from the presence of the LORD, to be replaced by warm bread as soon as it was taken away.
9-10: David said to Ahimelech, “Haven’t you got a spear or sword on hand? I didn’t take my sword or any of my weapons with me, because the king’s mission was urgent.” The priest said, “There is the sword of Goliath the Philistine whom you slew in the valley of Elah; it is over there, wrapped in a cloth, behind the ephod. If you want to take that one, take it, for there is none here but that one.” David replied, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
13-16: These words worried David and he became very much afraid of King Achish of Gath. So he concealed his good sense from them; he feigned madness for their benefit. He scratched marks on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard. And Achish said to his courtiers, “You see the man is raving; why bring him to me? Do I lack madmen that you have brought this fellow to rave for me? Should this fellow enter my house?”

IV. Outline
1. David and Jonathan part ways
2-10. David convinces Ahimelech to help him
11-16. David feigns madness in front of the king of Achish

V. Comment
No comment today. Stay tuned.

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Collins, John J. “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible,” (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004).
Klein, Ralph W. “1 Samuel” Word Biblical Commentary vol. 10 (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1983).
McCarter, P. Kyle, Jr. “1 Samuel,” Anchor Bible vol. 8 (New York: Doubleday, 1980).
Photo taken from http://germz.org/img/lj/beard_06.jpg

1 Samuel 20 – “Jonathan Helps David Flee”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
David angers Saul when he skips the meal for the new moon. Jonathan betrays his father by helping David flee for his life.

II. Photo
Jonathan devises a plan to communicate with David: “Now I will shoot three arrows to one side of it, as though I were shooting at a mark, and I will order the boy to go and find the arrows. If I call to the boy, ‘Hey! the arrows are on this side of you,’ be reassured and come, for you are safe and there is no danger — as the Lord lives! But if, instead, I call to the lad, ‘Hey! the arrows are beyond you,’ then leave, for the Lord has sent you away.” (vv. 20-22)

III. Important Verses
1: David fled from Naioth in Ramah; he came to Jonathan and said, “What have I done, what is my crime and my guilt against your father, that he seeks my life?”
13-16: [Jonathan said to David:] “But if my father intends to do you harm, may the LORD do thus to Jonathan and more if I do [not] disclose it to you and send you off to escape unharmed. May the LORD be with you, as He used to be with my father. Nor shall you fail to show me the LORD’s faithfulness, while I am alive; nor, when I am dead, shall you ever discontinue your faithfulness to my house — not even after the LORD has wiped out every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth. Thus has Jonathan covenanted with the house of David; and may the LORD requite the enemies of David!”
20-22: Now I will shoot three arrows to one side of it, as though I were shooting at a mark, and I will order the boy to go and find the arrows. If I call to the boy, ‘Hey! the arrows are on this side of you,’ be reassured and come, for you are safe and there is no danger — as the LORD lives! But if, instead, I call to the lad, ‘Hey! the arrows are beyond you,’ then leave, for the LORD has sent you away.
30-32: Saul flew into a rage against Jonathan. “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman!” he shouted. “I know that you side with the son of Jesse — to your shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness! For as long as the son of Jesse lives on earth, neither you nor your kingship will be secure. Now then, have him brought to me, for he is marked for death.” But Jonathan spoke up and said to his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”
41: When the boy got there, David emerged from his concealment at the Negeb. He flung himself face down on the ground and bowed low three times. They kissed each other and wept together; David wept the longer.

IV. Outline
1-16. Jonathan vows to help David
17-23. The plan for communication
24-31. Saul is enraged by David’s absence from the meal for the New Moon
32. Jonathan defends David
33-34. Saul fails to kill Jonathan
35-42. Jonathan sends David off into hiding

V. Comment
Chapter 20 relates how Jonathan helps David flee from Saul. What is David’s sin? The answer, according to chapter 20, seems to be “nothing.” Indeed, the entire account assumes that David is innocent. For example, v. 1 relates: “David fled from Naioth in Ramah; he came to Jonathan and said, ‘What have I done, what is my crime and my guilt against your father, that he seeks my life?’” Similarly, after Saul casts aspersions on David at the meal for the new moon, Jonathan responds: “But Jonathan spoke up and said to his father, ‘Why should he be put to death? What has he done?’” (v. 32) It is for this reason that many scholars call this account “apologetic.” Collins writes: “The stories of interaction between David and Saul in 1 Samuel 19-24 provide the closest analogies to the genre of apology, or justification of the actions of a king who might be accused of usurping the throne. Saul repeatedly tries to kill David, for no reason other than jealousy. Saul’s own family, Jonathan and Michal, side with David in the conflict. Saul commits an outrage by slaughtering the priests of Nob (a shrine north of Jerusalem, near Gibeah), for befriending and defending David. Nonetheless, when David has Saul at his mercy he refrains, declaring, ‘I will not raise my hand against the Lord’s anointed’ (24:10). Even Saul acknowledges that ‘you are more righteous than I.’” (228)

The story of chapter 20 revolves around the meal for the “new moon” (chodesh). What was the significance of the new moon in ancient Israel? Although there is no pericope in the Hebrew Bible that lists the traditions associated with this festival, scholars point to many scattered verses that illuminate the significance of the holiday. The new moon, according to Amos 8:4-5, seems to have been a day when work was forbidden: “Listen to this, you who devour the needy, annihilating the poor of the land, saying, ‘If only the new moon were over, so that we could sell grain; the sabbath, so that we could offer wheat for sale, using an ephah that is too small, and a shekel that is too big, tilting a dishonest scale…’” According to 2 Kings 4:22-23 people would visit prophets on the day of the new moon: “Then she called to her husband: ‘Please, send me one of the servants and one of the she-asses, so I can hurry to the man of God and back.’ But he said, ‘Why are you going to him today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath.’ She answered, ‘It’s all right.’” Our chapter specifies that the new moon was a day for feasting (vv. 5, 18, 29), and Numbers 28:11-15 describes the sacrifices that were offered in the temple. It is interesting to note that there were more offerings brought on the day of the new moon than the Sabbath (the new moon: 2 bulls, 1 ram, 7 lambs; the sabbath: 2 lambs), possibly indicating that this day was of greater import in Biblical Israel than the Sabbath.

1 Samuel 19 – “David Escapes Death”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Saul fails to kill David. Michal helps David flee to Ramah where he stays with Samuel.

II. Photo
David barely escapes with his life: “Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he drove the spear into the wall. David fled and got away.” (v. 10a)

III. Important Verses
6: Saul heeded Jonathan’s plea, and Saul swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death!”
9-10a: Then an evil spirit of the LORD came upon Saul while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing [the lyre]. Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he drove the spear into the wall. David fled and got away.
13-17: Michal then took the household idol, laid it on the bed, and covered it with a cloth; and at its head she put a net of goat’s hair. Saul sent messengers to seize David; but she said, “He is sick.” Saul, however, sent back the messengers to see David for themselves. “Bring him up to me in the bed,” he ordered, “that he may be put to death.” When the messengers came, they found the household idol in the bed, with the net of goat’s hair at its head. Saul said to Michal, “Why did you play that trick on me and let my enemy get away safely?” “Because,” Michal answered Saul, “he said to me: ‘Help me get away or I’ll kill you.’”
23-24: He was on his way there, to Naioth in Ramah, when the spirit of God came upon him too; and he walked on, speaking in ecstasy, until he reached Naioth in Ramah. Then he too stripped off his clothes and he too spoke in ecstasy before Samuel; and he lay naked all that day and all night. That is why people say, “Is Saul too among the prophets?”

IV. Outline
1. Saul plans to kill David
2-7. Jonathan persuades Saul to reconsider
8. David is victorious yet again
9-10a. David escapes Saul’s murder attempt
10b-17. Michal helps David escape
18. David flees to Samuel in Ramah
20-24. An explanation of the phrase “Is saul too among the prophets?”

V. Comment
No comment today. Stay tuned.

1 Samuel 18 – “David’s Rise in Popularity”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Saul becomes jealous of David’s military victories. After failing to kill David with his own spear, Saul relegates David to the army’s front line. David succeeds in battle, marries Saul’s daughter Michal, and becomes more popular than the king.

II. Photo
David’s popularity supersedes Saul’s: “The women sang as they danced, and they chanted: ‘Saul has slain his thousands; David, his tens of thousands!’” (v. 7)

III. Important Verses
1: When [David] finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan’s soul became bound up with the soul of David; Jonathan loved David as himself.
4: Jonathan took off the cloak and tunic he was wearing and gave them to David, together with his sword, bow, and belt.
6-7: When the [troops] came home [and] David returned from killing the Philistine, the women of all the towns of Israel came out singing and dancing to greet King Saul with timbrels, shouting, and sistrums. The women sang as they danced, and they chanted: Saul has slain his thousands; David, his tens of thousands!
10-11: The next day an evil spirit of God gripped Saul and he began to rave in the house, while David was playing [the lyre], as he did daily. Saul had a spear in his hand, and Saul threw the spear, thinking to pin David to the wall. But David eluded him twice.
25-27: And Saul said, “Say this to David: ‘The king desires no other bride-price than the foreskins of a hundred Philistines, as vengeance on the king’s enemies.’” — Saul intended to bring about David’s death at the hands of the Philistines. — When his courtiers told this to David, David was pleased with the idea of becoming the king’s son-in-law. Before the time had expired, David went out with his men and killed two hundred Philistines; David brought their foreskins and they were counted out for the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Saul then gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.

IV. Outline
1-4. Jonathan loves David; David is enlisted by Saul
5-7. David is succesful in battle and outshines Saul
8-9. Saul envies David
10-12. Saul’s murder attempts fail
13-16. David is a success marching at the head of the army
17-19. Saul offers his daughter Merab to David but she marries another
20-27. David kills two-hundred Philistines and is given Saul’s daughter Michal
28-29. Saul becomes more jealous
30. David’s reputation as a warrior grows

V. Comment
No comment today. Stay tuned.

1 Samuel 17 – “David Slays Goliath”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Goliath, a mighty Philistine soldier, ridicules the Israelites. David travels to the battlefield and kills him with his sling. The Israelites attack and force the Philistines to retreat.

II. Photo
David prepares to battle Goliath: “He took his stick, picked a few smooth stones from the wadi, put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s bag and, sling in hand, he went toward the Philistine.” (v. 40)

III. Important Verses
4-7: A champion of the Philistine forces stepped forward; his name was Goliath of Gath, and he was six cubits and a span tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head, and wore a breastplate of scale armor, a bronze breastplate weighing five thousand shekels. He had bronze greaves on his legs, and a bronze javelin [slung] from his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s bar, and the iron head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels; and the shield-bearer marched in front of him.
32-37: David said to Saul, “Let no man’s courage fail him. Your servant will go and fight that Philistine!” But Saul said to David, “You cannot go to that Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth!” David replied to Saul, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep, and if a lion or a bear came and carried off an animal from the flock, I would go after it and fight it and rescue it from its mouth. And if it attacked me, I would seize it by the beard and strike it down and kill it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and that uncircumcised Philistine shall end up like one of them, for he has defied the ranks of the living God. The LORD,” David went on, “who saved me from lion and bear will also save me from that Philistine.” “Then go,” Saul said to David, “and may the LORD be with you!”
38-40: Saul clothed David in his own garment; he placed a bronze helmet on his head and fastened a breastplate on him. David girded his sword over his garment. Then he tried to walk; but he was not used to it. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk in these, for I am not used to them.” So David took them off. He took his stick, picked a few smooth stones from the wadi, put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s bag and, sling in hand, he went toward the Philistine.
45-47: David replied to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hands. I will kill you and cut off your head; and I will give the carcasses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. All the earth shall know that there is a God in Israel. And this whole assembly shall know that the LORD can give victory without sword or spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and He will deliver you into our hands.”
49: David put his hand into the bag; he took out a stone and slung it. It struck the Philistine in the forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

IV. Outline
1-3. The Philistines and Israelites line up for battle
4-7. Goliath is described
8-11. Goliath taunts Saul’s army
12-15. The house of Jesse
16-23. David travels to the camp to bring his brother’s provisions
24-30. David’s interest in Goliath
31-37. David decides to fight Goliath
38-40. David advances with only a stick, some stones, and a sling
41-44. Goliath scoffs at David
45-47. David responds by praising God
48-51a. David kills Goliath with his sling and chops off his head
51b-53. The Israelites defeat the Philistines and loot their camp
54. David takes Goliath’s head and weapons
55-58. David meets Saul

V. Comment
Chapter 17 relates how David, the young shepherd boy, kills the mighty Goliath. As was mentioned in the previous comment, many scholars view the events of 1 Samuel 16-17 as an amalgamation of different “historical” documents. There are many verses in this chapter that support this theory. For instance, although David’s family had been introduced in the previous chapter, vv. 12-15 reintroduce them: “David was the son of a certain Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah whose name was Jesse. He had eight sons, and in the days of Saul the man was already old, advanced in years. The three oldest sons of Jesse had left and gone with Saul to the war. The names of his three sons who had gone to the war were Eliab the first-born, the next Abinadab, and the third Shammah; and David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul, and David would go back and forth from attending on Saul to shepherd his father’s flock at Bethlehem.” Similarly, although Saul had shown favor to David in chapter 16, he meets him for the first time in vv. 55-58: “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.’ ‘Then find out whose son that young fellow is,’ the king ordered. 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. Saul said to him, ‘Whose son are you, my boy?’ And David answered, ‘The son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.’”

Verses like these, and an analysis of the Greek witnesses to the Hebrew Bible, are what lead some scholars to conclude that 1 Samuel 16-17 contains four different accounts of David’s rise to power. Collins writes: “Yet another account of the discovery of David follows in the story of his combat with Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. There are actually two stories here. The first is found in 17:1-11, 32-40, 42-28a, 49, 51-54. The second is found in 17:12-31, 41, 48b, 50, 55-58; 18:1-5, 10-11, 17-19, 29b-30. The verses that make up the second story are missing from the Old Greek translation, as found in Codex Vaticanus. It is generally agreed that in this case the Greek preserves the older form of the text. The second story is an independent account of the combat. It introduces David as if he were previously unknown. Moreover, he is still a shepherd, rather than a musician at Saul’s court. This popular variant of the story must have been interpolated into the Hebrew text at some time in the Second Temple period.” (227)

1 Samuel 16 – “David is Anointed as King; David Alleviates Saul’s Pain”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
God sends Samuel on a mission to anoint David as the future king. Saul is plagued by an “evil spirit,” and it is alleviated by David’s music.
II. Photo
David alleviates Saul’s pain with his music: “Whenever the [evil] spirit of God came upon Saul, David would take the lyre and play it; Saul would find relief and feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.” (v. 23)

III. Important Verses
6-7: When they arrived and he saw Eliab, he thought: “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands before Him.” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Pay no attention to his appearance or his stature, for I have rejected him. For not as man sees [does the LORD see]; man sees only what is visible, but the LORD sees into the heart.”
11-13: Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the boys you have?” He replied, “There is still the youngest; he is tending the flock.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send someone to bring him, for we will not sit down to eat until he gets here.” So they sent and brought him. He was ruddy-cheeked, bright-eyed, and handsome. And the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him, for this is the one.” Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD gripped David from that day on. Samuel then set out for Ramah.
14-18: Now the spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD began to terrify him. Saul’s courtiers said to him, “An evil spirit of God is terrifying you. Let our lord give the order [and] the courtiers in attendance on you will look for someone who is skilled at playing the lyre; whenever the evil spirit of God comes over you, he will play it and you will feel better.” So Saul said to his courtiers, “Find me someone who can play well and bring him to me.” One of the attendants spoke up, “I have observed a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skilled in music; he is a stalwart fellow and a warrior, sensible in speech, and handsome in appearance, and the LORD is with him.”
23: Whenever the [evil] spirit of God came upon Saul, David would take the lyre and play it; Saul would find relief and feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

IV. Outline
1-3. God tells Samuel to anoint another king
4-5. Samuel travels to Bethlehem
6-10. God tells Samuel that Jesse’s oldest sons are not to be king
11-13. Samuel anoints David as king
14. An evil spirit flows through Saul
15-20. David is brought to play music
21-23. Saul takes a liking to David

V. Comment
Chapter 16 introduces the reader to the character of David: “[David] was ruddy-cheeked, bright-eyed, and handsome.” (v. 12) David’s rise to power will be the subject of the rest of 1 Samuel and the first few chapters of 2 Samuel. As was the case with Saul’s rise to power, many modern scholars question the unity of the Biblical texts that describe David’s rise to power. For example, Collins writes: “There is more than one account of how David became king. First he is anointed by Samuel (1 Sam 16:1-13). This story follows a familiar biblical pattern in the exaltation of the lowly (cf. the Song of Hannah). Saul was taken from the lowly, and recently humiliated, tribe of Benjamin; David is the youngest of the sons of Jesse, and initially thought to be of no account. The moral is articulated by Samuel: ‘The Lord does not see as mortals see. They look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart’ (16:7). Yet the story of Saul would seem to show that the Lord too can make a mistake.” (226-227)

Collins describes the “second account” as follows: “First Samuel 16:14-23 gives a different account of the discovery of David. He is picked out because of his skill as a musician. Saul has now lost the spirit of the Lord, and instead is afflicted by ‘an evil spirit from the Lord’ (16:14). In modern parlance, this would be described as a psychological illness, perhaps manic depression or bipolar disorder. It should be noted that evil spirits are supposed to come from the Lord. In Deuteronomic theology, there is no other power that might be responsible for them. Saul’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic, but this is quite intelligible in view of the way he has been frustrated by Samuel. David is summoned to court to soothe the king his music. Saul, of course, is unaware that David has been anointed as his replacement.” (227) Scholars such as Collins see more accounts in the next chapter as well. Thus, according to this view, 1 Samuel 16-17 is the amalgamation of four different historical sources. Indeed, as Klein says, “The exact way in which David first came to prominence in Israel may not be discoverable by us.” (167)

1 Samuel 15 – “Saul’s War with Amalek; God Rejects Saul”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Samuel instructs Saul to slaughter the Amalekites. Saul kills the Amalekite men, women, and children, but spares the king and a few choice animals. Samuel informs Saul that he has been rejected by God. Samuel then kills the king of Amalek.

II. Photo
Saul’s fate is sealed: “As Samuel turned to leave, Saul seized the corner of his robe, and it tore. And Samuel said to him, ‘The Lord has this day torn the kingship over Israel away from you and has given it to another who is worthier than you.’” (vv. 27-28)

III. Important Verses
2-3: “Thus said the LORD of Hosts: I am exacting the penalty for what Amalek did to Israel, for the assault he made upon them on the road, on their way up from Egypt. Now go, attack Amalek, and proscribe all that belongs to him. Spare no one, but kill alike men and women, infants and sucklings, oxen and sheep, camels and asses!”
6: Saul said to the Kenites, “Come, withdraw at once from among the Amalekites, that I may not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they left Egypt.” So the Kenites withdrew from among the Amalekites.
10-11: The word of the LORD then came to Samuel: “I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned away from Me and has not carried out My commands.” Samuel was distressed and he entreated the LORD all night long.
12: Early in the morning Samuel went to meet Saul. Samuel was told, “Saul went to Carmel, where he erected a monument for himself; then he left and went on down to Gilgal.”
24-26: Saul said to Samuel, “I did wrong to transgress the LORD’s command and your instructions; but I was afraid of the troops and I yielded to them. Please, forgive my offense and come back with me, and I will bow low to the LORD.” But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not go back with you; for you have rejected the LORD’s command, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel.”
27-28: As Samuel turned to leave, Saul seized the corner of his robe, and it tore. And Samuel said to him, “The LORD has this day torn the kingship over Israel away from you and has given it to another who is worthier than you.
32-33: Samuel said, “Bring forward to me King Agag of Amalek.” Agag approached him with faltering steps; and Agag said, “Ah, bitter death is at hand!” Samuel said: “As your sword has bereaved women, So shall your mother be bereaved among women.” And Samuel cut Agag down before the LORD at Gilgal.

IV. Outline
1-3. Samuel commands Saul to attack Amalek
4-9. Saul vanquishes the Amelekites but spares the king and the choice animals
10-11. God regrets making Saul king
12. Saul erects a monument for himself
13-23. Samuel informs Saul that God has rejected him as king
24-25. Saul begs for forgiveness
26. Samuel is unyielding
27. Saul accidentally tears Samuel’s robe
28-29. Samuel’s rebuke
30-31. Saul and Samuel leave together
32-33. Samuel kills the king of Amalek
34-35. Saul and Samuel depart, never to see each other again

V. Comment
Chapter 15 tells the story of Saul’s war with Amalek. Verse 2 says that Amalek is to be killed for revenge: “Thus said the LORD of Hosts: I am exacting the penalty for what Amalek did to Israel, for the assault he made upon them on the road, on their way up from Egypt.” There are similar verses in the Pentateuch. Exodus 17:4 says: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Inscribe this in a document as a reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua: I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven!’” Similarly, Deuteronomy 25:17-19 says: “Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt — how, undeterred by fear of God, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear. Therefore, when the LORD your God grants you safety from all your enemies around you, in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as a hereditary portion, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!” Indeed, there seem to be literary connections between 1 Samuel 15 and the aforementioned passage.

In v. 3 God asks Saul to “place a ban” (herem) on the Amalekites, i.e. completely wipe them out. This is a concept known from Deuteronomy 20:16-18: “In the towns of the latter peoples, however, which the LORD your God is giving you as a heritage, you shall not let a soul remain alive. No, you must proscribe (tacharimeim) them — the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites — as the LORD your God has commanded you, lest they lead you into doing all the abhorrent things that they have done for their gods and you stand guilty before the LORD your God.” While the ban in chapter 15 is uncompromising, Klein notes that different types of bans appear in the Hebrew Bible. He writes: “According to the prescriptions of Deut 20:12–15, distant cities, outside the land of Israel, were only to have their men put under the ban, while the women, children, livestock and other spoil could be saved. For the cities of the land, a total ban was prescribed. But in 1 Sam 15, a total ban is ordered for a distant people, Amalek. This may reflect the intense hatred felt for Amalek and/or the need for defense against their raiding activities. In any case, by violating the ban mediated by a prophet, Saul lost his kingship. Saul had been ordered to be unsparing, and no possibility for misunderstanding was left open in v 3: he was to kill them, and care was taken to indicate the all-inclusiveness of the command. Doeg’s ruthless attack against the city of Nob took place with similar thoroughness (1 Sam 22:19). In David’s own battles with the Amalekites he killed all the people but spared the livestock and certain garments without committing an offense (1 Sam 27:8–9; 30:20). Hence the ban was not necessarily total in every case (cf. Josh 6:21–25; 8:27; 11:4).” (149) Thus, some bans were complete while others were moderate.

1 Samuel 14 – “A Battle with the Philistines”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Jonathan leaves the camp and kills twenty Philistine soldiers. The Philistines panic and are defeated by the Israelites. Saul, who forbids eating on the day of battle, almost kills his son for tasting some honey.

II. Photo
Jonathan eats some forbidden food: “He put out the stick he had with him, dipped it into the beehive of honey, and brought his hand back to his mouth…” (v. 27b)

III. Important Verses
8-10: Jonathan said, “We’ll cross over to those men and let them see us. If they say to us, ‘Wait until we get to you,’ then we’ll stay where we are, and not go up to them. But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the LORD is delivering them into our hands. That shall be our sign.”
20-23: Saul and the troops with him assembled and rushed into battle; they found [the Philistines] in very great confusion, every man’s sword turned against his fellow. And the Hebrews who had previously sided with the Philistines, who had come up with them in the army [from] round about — they too joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. When all the men of Israel who were hiding in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they too pursued them in battle. Thus the LORD brought victory to Israel that day. The fighting passed beyond Beth-aven.
29-30: Jonathan answered, “My father has brought trouble on the people. See for yourselves how my eyes lit up when I tasted that bit of honey. If only the troops had eaten today of spoil captured from the enemy, the defeat of the Philistines would have been greater still!”
32-35: The troops pounced on the spoil; they took the sheep and cows and calves and slaughtered them on the ground, and the troops ate with the blood. When it was reported to Saul that the troops were sinning against the LORD, eating with the blood, he said, “You have acted faithlessly. Roll a large stone over to me today.” And Saul ordered, “Spread out among the troops and tell them that everyone must bring me his ox or his sheep and slaughter it here, and then eat. You must not sin against the LORD and eat with the blood.” Every one of the troops brought his own ox with him that night and slaughtered it there. Thus Saul set up an altar to the LORD; it was the first altar he erected to the LORD.
43-45: Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me, what have you done?” And Jonathan told him, “I only tasted a bit of honey with the tip of the stick in my hand. I am ready to die.” Saul said, “Thus and more may God do: You shall be put to death, Jonathan!” But the troops said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, after bringing this great victory to Israel? Never! As the LORD lives, not a hair of his head shall fall to the ground! For he brought this day to pass with the help of God.” Thus the troops saved Jonathan and he did not die.
52: There was bitter war against the Philistines all the days of Saul; and whenever Saul noticed any stalwart man or warrior, he would take him into his service.

IV. Outline
1-5. Jonathan decides to covertly infiltrate the Philistine camp
6-10. Jonathan determines a plan of action
11-14. Jonathan and his servant kill twenty Philistines
15. God brings terror to the Philistine camp
16-17. Jonathan and his servant are discovered to be missing
18-23. Saul leads the Israelites to victory
24-27. Jonathan unknowingly breaks his father’s oath
28-30. Jonathan’s counterclaim
31-33. The troops eat meat “with the blood”
34-35. Saul gathers the troops to eat lawfully
36-37. Saul realizes that someone has sinned
38-44. Jonathan is condemned
45. The troops defend Jonathan
46. The Philistines return home
47-48. Saul’s military exploits
49-51. Saul’s family
52. Sauls ongoing battle with the Philistines

V. Comment
No comment today. Stay tuned.

1 Samuel 13 – “Saul’s Fatal Mistake”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
In response to Saul’s offensive, the Philistines prepare to attack Israel. Saul assembles an army but offers a sacrifice before Samuel arrives. Samuel tells him that he is doomed to lose the monarchy.

II. Photo
The Philistines prepare to attack: “The Philistines, in turn, gathered to attack Israel: 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sands of the seashore.” (v. 5a)

III. Important Verses
3: Jonathan struck down the Philistine prefect in Geba; and the Philistines heard about it. Saul had the ram’s horn sounded throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.”
6-7a: When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble — for the troops were hard pressed — the people hid in caves, among thorns, among rocks, in tunnels, and in cisterns. Some Hebrews crossed the Jordan, to the territory of Gad and Gilead.
11-14: But Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul replied, “I saw the people leaving me and scattering; you had not come at the appointed time, and the Philistines had gathered at Michmas. I thought the Philistines would march down against me at Gilgal before I had entreated the LORD, so I forced myself to present the burnt offering.” Samuel answered Saul, “You acted foolishly in not keeping the commandments that the LORD your God laid upon you! Otherwise the LORD would have established your dynasty over Israel forever. But now your dynasty will not endure. The LORD will seek out a man after His own heart, and the LORD will appoint him ruler over His people, because you did not abide by what the LORD had commanded you.”
19-21: No smith was to be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines were afraid that the Hebrews would make swords or spears. So all the Israelites had to go down to the Philistines to have their plowshares, their mattocks, axes, and colters sharpened. The charge for sharpening was a pim for plowshares, mattocks, three-pronged forks, and axes, and for setting the goads.

IV. Outline
1-2. Saul assembles an army
3. Jonathan defeats the Philistines at Geba
4-5. The Philistines respond and prepare for war
6-7a. Some Israelites flee
7b-9. Samuel is absent and Saul offers a sacrifice
10-14. Samuel predicts Saul’s downfall
15-18. The Philistine military advances
19-22. The Israelites lack metal smiths
23. The Philistine advance

V. Comment
No comment today. Stay tuned.