Texts in Conversation
2 Samuel 23 and 1 Samuel 26 describe a hero entering enemy ground and having the chance to kill the enemy with their own spear. In 2 Samuel the weapon is used, but in 1 Samuel David stops Abishai from doing so. The similarity suggests the stories were shaped to connect to each other.
Share:
1 Samuel 26:8
Hebrew Bible
7 So David and Abishai approached the army at night and found Saul lying asleep in the entrenchment with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Abner and the army were lying all around him. 8 Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me drive the spear right through him into the ground with one swift jab! A second jab won’t be necessary!” 9 But David said to Abishai, “Don’t kill him! Who can extend his hand against the Lord’s chosen one and remain guiltless?”
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
2 Samuel 23:21
Hebrew Bible
20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave warrior from Kabzeel who performed great exploits. He struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in a cistern on a snowy day. 21 He also killed an impressive-looking Egyptian. The Egyptian wielded a spear, while Benaiah attacked him with a club. He grabbed the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who gained fame among the three elite warriors.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Search:
Notes and References
"... 2 Samuel 23:13-17 provided part of the raw material from which the author of the "flight and pursuit" section constructed the narrative about the raid on Saul's camp; the author included the borrowed motif of "stolen water" and refrained from returning the vessel along with the spear, reflecting the motifs original context, where the water was not put to profane use but poured out to Yahweh. While the episode in 2 Samuel 23:13-17 seems to have provided the author of 1 Samuel 26 with the stolen water motif and the camp raid scheme, other hero anecdotes seem to have provided him with the idea of killing the enemy with his own spear after stealing it away from him (2 Samuel 23:21, compare 1 Samuel 26:8), as well as the association of Avishai with lethal brandishing of spears (2 Samuel 23:18, compare 1 Samuel 26:8), and the aid Avishai extends to David on an expedition (2 Samuel 21:17, compare 1 Samuel 26:6) ..."
Edenburg, Cynthia
How (not) to murder a king: Variations on a theme in 1 Sam 24; 26
(pp. 64-85) Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament, 12(1), 1998
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.