Absalom, Absalom! : narrative and language in 2 Sam. 13-20 8876530819

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ANALECTA --------------

.BIBLICA 81 --------

CHARLES CONROY

ABSALOM

ABSALOM I

ROME BIBLICALINSTITUTE PRESS 1978

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ANALECTA

BIBLICA

INVBSTIGATIONBS SCIENTIPICAB IN RBS BIBLICAS

29. A. J. SIMONIS,Die Hirtenrede im Johannes-Evangelium. Versuch einer Analyse von Johannes 10, 1-18 nach Entstehung, Hintergrund und Inhalt (1967). XIX, 344 p. 30. J. 1-IAsPECKER, Gottesfurchtbei Jesus Sirada.Ihre religiose Struktur und ihrc literarische und doktriniire Bedcutung (1967). xxv, 355 p. 31. C. H. GIBLIN,The Threat to Faith. An Exegetical and Theological ReExarnioation of 2 Thessalonians 2 (1967). XXXII, 318 p. 32. E. MALATESTA, St. John'sGospel. 1920-196.5.A Cumulative and Classified Bibliographyof Books and Periodical Literature on the Fourth Gospel ( 1967 ). XXVIII,205 p. 33. L. ERDOZAIN, La funci6n del signo en la fe segunel cuarto evangelio. Estudio critico cxegeticode las pericopas Jn IV, 46-54 y Jn XX,24-29 (1968). xv, 56 p. 34. M. H. SCHARLEMANN, Stephen: A SingularSaint (1968). x, 211 p. 35. A. ConY, A History of Old TestamentPriesthood(1969). XXVIII, 216 p. 36. S. BROWN,Apostasy and Perseverancein the Theology of Luke (1969). XVI,166 p. 37. J. GALOT,« £tre nede Dieu ». Jean 1, 1.3 (1969). 135 p. 38. Q. QUESNELL,The Mind of Mark.Interpretation and Method through the Exegesis of Mark 6, .52 (1969). XXIV, 327 p. 39. L. I. J. STADELMANN, The HebrewConceptionof the World. A Philological and Literary Study (1970). XI, 207 p. 40. J. SANCHEZ BoscH, «Gloriane,. segunsan Pablo. Sentido y teologfa de XotUXCXOIJ,otL (1970). XXVIII, 341 p. 41. J. M. REEsE, HellenisticInfluenceon the Book of Wisdom and its Consequences (1970). VIII, 197 p. 42. M. BARTH-C.K. BARRETTC. BUTLER. -J. DuPONT- J. GNILKA • J. }ERB· MIAS- S. LYONNET - P.H. MEN01m- B. RIGAUX,Foi et salut selon S. Paul (:£pitreaux Romain& 1, 16). Colloque CEcumeniquea l'Abbaye de S. Paul hors les Murs, 16-21 avril 1968 (1970). 287 p. 43. C. STUHLMUELLER, Creative Redemptionin Deutero-Isaiah(Is 40 - 55) (1970). XII, 300 p. 44. W. G. THOMPSON, Matthew'sAdvice to a Divided Community.Mt 17,2218,35 (1970). XVI,397 p. 45. E. L. BoDB, The First Easter Morning: The Gospel Accounts of the Women'sVisit to the Tomb of Jesus (1970). :xr, 247 p. 46. J. O'CALLAGHAN, « Nomina Sacra• in papyris graecis saeculi III neotestamentariia(1970). 87 p.

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ANALECTA INVESTIGATIONES

BIBLICA SCIENTIFICAE

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IN

RES BIBLICAS

81 ---------

ABSALOM

ABSALOM I

R.OMAE

E PONTIFICIO INSTITUTO BIBLICO 1978

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CHARLES CONROY, M.S.C.

ABSALOM ABSALOM !

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Narrative and Language in 2 Sam 13-20

ROME , BIBLICALINSTITUTE PRESS , 1978

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Preface The present work is a revised and abbreviated form of a dissertation presented to the Pontifical Biblical Institute and defended in February 1977. The main part of the original dissertation consisted of an analytical dose reading of 2 Sam 13,1 - 20,22; here a choice has been made of two substantial pericopes (13,1-22; 17,24 - 19,9) which can serve to exemplify the type of reading used for the whole material. Some observations concerning the other pericopes have been included in the overall survey of the whole text that concludes the work. The bibliography remains essentially as it was in the dissertation (completed in summer 1976), though it has been possible to note at least some of the relevant studies that have appeared since then. I gladly take this opportunity of thanking all the teachers who have introduced me to specialized Biblical studies - above all, the professors at the Pontifical Biblical Institute (1967-70.71-72) and at the &ole Biblique et ArcheologiqueFran~se de Jerusalem (1970-71). My thanks are due in a special way to the director of the dissertation, Dennis J. McCarthy S.J., whose perceptive suggestions and constant encouragement have been of invaluable help. The work owes much too in its basic inspiration to Luis Alonso Schokel S.J. who acted as second reader for the thesis and from whom I have learned the usefulness of approaching the Bible in the light of studies on language and literature. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my confreres and religious superiors of the Irish MSC Province - not only for bearing the entire cost of my years of study and of the publication of this work but also for their unfailing support and friendship. Finally my thanks to Pere Stanislas Lyonnet S.J. for his acceptance of this work in the Analecta Biblica series, and to Fr. Peter Heitmann S.J. for the care taken in supervising its publication. CuARLES

CoNR.OY

msc

Rome, April 1978.

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Table of Contents

ABBREVIATIONS

XI

TR.ANSLITER.ATION

xv

CHAPTER.I:

INTRODUCTION.

1

1. Various approachesto 2 Sam 13-20 2.

1

The approachtaken here

6 7 8 9 12

a. Limitations . b. The text as process and product . c. Narrative and language 3. Some remarkson text-criticalproblems

PART ONE

THE TEXT AS PR~ Samples of Analytical Close Reading CHAPTER

II: AMNONAND ABSALOM'S SISTERTAMAR: 2 SAM 1.J,1-22

17

1. Delimitationand text-criticalresults.

17

2. Nanative analysis . a. Structure and inner dynamics of the pericope b. Treatment of persons and events . c. Narrator and reader . 3. Language analysis . a. Language as conveying the story b. Other remarks on the language

17 17 21 24 26 26 36

Excursus: The transitionalformula wyhy

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

VIII

CHAPTER

Ill:

ABSALOM'SDEATH AND DAVID'S REACTION: 2 SAM 17,24-19,9 .

43

1. Delimitation and text-criticalresults . 2. Narrative analysis a. Structure and inner dynamics of the pericope . b. Treatment of persons and events c. Narrator and reader . 3. Language analysis a. Language as conveying the story b. Other remarks on the language

43 43 43 48 ,1 52 52 81

PART TWO.

THE TEXT AS PRODUCT A Survey of 2 Sam 13-20 as a Whole Introductory remarks CHAPTER

IV:

87

THE TEXT AS NARRATIVE

89

1. Structure of the narrative . a. Macrocontextual narrative patterns i) Dominant narrative pattern of chh. 15-20 ii) Dominant narrative pattern of chh. 13-14 iii) Comparison of chh. 13-14 with chh. 1,-20 b. Microcontextual narrative patterns 2. Plot of action and character.

89 89 89 90

3. Meaningand theme . a. Return and restoration b. Contrast and reversal c. The throne succession theme 4. Narrator and reader a. Narrative point of view . b. Time and pace . c. Omissions and redundancy i) Omissions ii) Redundancy . d. Control of sympathy and antipathy c. The reader's knowledge .

97 97

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99 101 105 105 106

108 108 109 111 112

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CHAPTERV:

TABLE OP CONTENTS

IX

THE TEXT AS LANGUAGE SYSTEM

11.5

1. Sound stratum . a. Consonant patterns b. Vowel patterns . c. Rhythm . 2. Vocabulary. a. Uncommon words, phrases and usages . b. Word classes c. Repetition and variation . d. Word-play and paronomasia c. Parallelism f. Figurative language 3. Uses of direct speech a. Frequency and centrality b. Quotation-formulas c. Inner direct speech and monologue d. Number of speakers and of exchanges . e. Structural elements in the speeches f. Vocatives g. Questions h. Emotion reflected in language i. Courtly style 4. Techniques of organization . a. On the level of the story as a whole . b. On the level of the single pericopes . i) Inclusions, key-words, refrains, vocabulary interweaving . ii) Concentric and chiastic patterns

146

Epilogue

I. Rarewordsandphrases in 2 Sam 13-20 . A. Expressions not found elsewhere B. Uncommon, though not unparalleled, expressions .

APPENDIX

APPENDIX

LIST

11.5 116 116 117 117 117 118 120 121 123 124 127 127 128 130 131 132 133 134 139 140 141 141 142 142 143

II. Text-critical notes on 2 Sam 13,1-22; 17,24-19,9

147 149 151 1.55 15.5 1.56 1.57

OF WORKS CITED .

1. Commentaries on 2 Sam 2. Festschriften and similar works 3. Other commentaries, books and articles

INDEXES

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Abbreviations AB

Anchor Bible. Annali dell'lstituto Orientale di Napoli. American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures.

AION AJSL

ANEP

The Ancient Near East in Pictures Relating to the Old Testament, ed. by J.B. PRITCHARD. 2nd edit. with Supplement, Princeton 1969. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament,

ANET AnOr AOAT ASTI

ATD BA BASOR BBB BDB

BHK

ed. by J. B. PllITCHARD. 3rd edit. with Supplement, Princeton 1969. Analecta Orientalia. Alter Orient und Altes Testament. Annual of the Swedish Theological Institute in Jerusalem. Das Alte Testament Deutsch. • The Biblical Archaeologist. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research. Bonner Biblische Beitrage. F. BROWN,S. R. DllIVER,C. A. BllIGGS,A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, Oxford 1906. Biblica Hebraica, ed. R. Kl'M'EL, A. ALT, 0. E1ssPELDT. Stuttgart 71951. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, ed. K. ELLIGER, RUDOLPH. Stuttgart 1968 sqq.: Liber Samuelis, ed. P.A. H. DE BoER, 1976. Biblica. Biblical Theology Bulletin. Bibliotheca Orientalis. Biblischer Kommentar Altes Testament. Bibel-Lexikon, Hrsg. H. HAAG. Einsiedeln - Zurich - Koln 21968. K. GALLING,Biblisches Reallexikon, Tiibingen 1937. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Beitriige zur Wissenschaft vom Alten und Neuen Testament. Biblische Zeitschrift. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft.

w.

BHS

Bibi BiblThcolBull BiOr BK

BL.ex BRL BSOASt BWANT BZ BZAW CAD CanadianJTh

CBQ 0:iQR

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The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Chicago 1956 ff. Canadian Journal of Theology. Catholic Biblical Quarterly. Church Quarterly Review.

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XII

ABSALOM ABSALOM

C.Omm. Ct. DBS DJD I Ott EA E.T. EThL EvTh ExpTi FRLANT Fs. GKC HAL HAT HDB2 HThR ICC IDB IDB Suppl. IEJ lnterpr

JAAR JAOS

JBL JNESt JPOS JQR JSOT JSSt JThSt

KAI

KAT

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C.Ommentators/ commentaries. C.Ontrast. Dictionnaire de la Bible. Supplement, ed. L. PIRO'r,A. ROBERT, H. CAzELLES,A. FEUILLET. Paris 1928 ff .. D. BARTHELEMY, J. T. MILIK, Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, I: Qumran Cave I, Oxford 19.5.5. Deuteronomistic History / historian(s). The Tell el-Amarna correspondence, cited from J. KNunTzoN, Die El-Amarna Tafeln, Leipzig 1907 and 1915. English translation. Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses. Evangelische Thcologie. Expository Times. Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments. Festschrift / Essays in Honour of / et sim .. W. GESENIUS,E. KA.UTZsCH, Hebrew Grammar, 2nd English edit. after the 28th German edit. of 1909, by A. E. CowLEY. Oxford 1910. Hebriiisches und aramiiisches Lexi/eon zum Alten Testament, .3. Auflage neu bearbeitet von W. BAUMGARTNER et al.. Leiden, I 1967, II 1974. Handbuch zum Alten Testament. Dictionary of the Bible, ed. by J. HASTINGS. 2nd edit. in one vol. by F. C. GRANTand H. H. ROWLEY.Edinburgh 196.3. Harvard Theological Review. The International Critical C.Ommentary. The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, ed. G. A. BUTrRICK et al.. 4 vol., Nashville - New York 1962. The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible. Supplementary Volume, ed. K. CRIMet al.. Nashville 1976. Israel Exploration Journal. Interpretation. Journal of the American Academy of Religion. Journal of the American Oriental Society. Journal of Biblical Literature. Journal of Near Eastern Studies. Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society. Jewish Quarterly Review. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament (Sheffield). Journal of Semitic Studies. Journal of Theological Studies. H. IloNNER, W. RijLLIG, Kana1.1niiische und aramiiische Inschriften, 2. Auflage, Wiesbaden, I 1966, II 1968, III 1969. Kommentar zum Alten Testament.

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ABBIEVIATIONS

KBL

L.

K5HLER,

W.

BAUMGARTNER,

XIII

Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti

219.58.

Kt

LingBib

Mg MUSJB

NAB NEB N.F. NS N.S. 0

OIZ OTS OuTWP

PEQ PN Qr RB Rt]

RHA RivBibl

RSP RSV

Libros, Leiden Ketib. Linguistica Biblica. Interdiszipliniire Zeitschrift fiir Theologie und Linguistik (Bonn-Rottgen). Marginal (alternative) reading. Melanges de la Faculte Orientale de l'Universitc Saint-Joseph, Beyrouth. The New American Bible, Paterson,N.J., 1970. The New English Bible with Apocrypha, Oxford Univ. Press & Cambridge Univ. Press, 1970. Neue Folge. Nominal sentence (sec Joiion U4). New series / nouvelle serie. Object. Orientalistische Literaturzeitung. Oudtestamentiscbe Studien. Die Ou Testamentiese Werkgemeenskap in Suid-Afrika. Palestine Exploration Quarterly. Personal name. Qerc. Revue Biblique. Revue des :8tudes Juives. Rewe Hittite et Asianique. Rivista Biblica. Ras Shamra Parallels. The Texts from Ugarit and the Hebrew Bible, ed. L. R. FISHER. Roma, I 1972, II 197.5. The Holy Bible. Revised Standard Version, C.Ommon (Ecumenical) edition, New York 1973. (O.T. part 19.52; Apocrypha 19.57). Subject. Society of Biblical Literature. The Sacred Books of the Old Testament, ed. P. Haupt. LXX, Septuagint and Cognate Studies, 2: 1972 Proceedings of the International Organization for Septuagint and C.OgnateStudies and Pseudepigrapha, ed. R. A. KRAFT. Supplements to Vetus Testamentum. Theologisches Handworterbucb 1.um Alten Testament, Hrsg. E. JENNIu. C. WESTERMANN.Miinchen - Zurich, I 1971, II 1976. Theologische Biicherei. Theologische Literaturzeitung. Theologie und Philosophic (formerly Scholastik). Theologische Rundschau. Theologische Studien (Zurich). Theologische Studien und Kritiken. Theologisches Worterbuch 1.um Alten Testament, Hrsg. G. J. BoTTERWECK u. H. R.INGGREN. Stuttgart 1970 ff ..

=

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s SBL SBOT SeptCogSt 2

SVT TIIAT ThB

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XIV

ThWNT ThZ TOB UF UT V

VD Vg.

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VT WMANT ZAW ZWTh

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Theologisches Worterbuch zum Neuen Testament, Hrsg. G. KITTEL u. G. FRIEDRICH.Stuttgart 1932 ff.. Theologische Zeitschrift. Traduction Oecumenique de la Bible: Ancien Testament, edition integrale, Paris 197.5. Ugarit-Forschungen (Neukirchen-Vluyn). C.H. GoROON, Ugaritic Textbook, Rome 1965. Verb. Verbum Domini. Vulgate. Verbal sentence (see Joiion 1.55). Vetus Testamentum. Wissenschaftliche Monographien zum Alten und Neuen Testament. Zeitschrift fiir die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft. Zeitschrift fiir Wissenschaftliche Theologie.

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Transliteration of Hebrew Consonants:

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Vowels: :,:a .. ha

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CHAPTER

I

Introduction

Since 2 Sam 13-20 is generally acknowledged to be one of the masterpieces of classical Hebrew prose narrative, 1 an attempt to see how the literary excellence of the text is manifested in its techniques of narration and use of language needs no lengthy theoretical justification. It will be enough to survey rapidly some recent approaches to the text in order to show that such a work is not superfluous in the present state of research. A short description of the procedure adopted will follow, and the introduction will conclude with a few remarks on the text-critical problems facing the reader of Samuel. 1. Various approaches10 2 Sam 13-20

These chapters are generally discussed within the framework of a wider literary unity called the Succession Narrative or the Court History of David (usually taken as 2 Sam 9-20; 1 Kgs 1-2). Though earlier scholars had already spoken of this literary unity, 2 it was Rost's work in 1926 which stands out as a landmark in the study of the material. 3 His presentation of the Succession Narrative, though criticized in part by some early reviewers, 4 was accorded what might be described as quasi-canonical status in Biblical studies for the best part of forty years, 5 and it was not until the 1960's and 1970's (a 1 GUNKEL,Genesis XII describes the story of Absalom's rebellion as 'das kostlichste Klcinod antikcr Gcschichtsschreibung in Israel'. WHYBKAY, Succ.Narr. 10 reports further superlative expressions. 2 Sec e.g. WELLHAUSEN in Einleitung (BLEEK)224-230 ( = Composition 2,5-263), and in Prolegomena(E.T.) 262; DRIVER,Introd. 182f.. STOEBE,1 Sam 35 would even sec in Eichhom's discussion of 2 Sam (Einleitung 113 ,12-,20) an anticipation of what would laterbe called the Succession Narrative. 3 RosT's Thronfolge has been reprinted in his Das kleine Credo (196,). The work will be cited here according to the pagination of the 1926 original which is indicated in the reprinted edition as well. An outline of Rost's study is given in most Introductions and need not be repeated here. 4 Sec GRESSMANN, ZAW 44 (1926) 309£.; WIENER,JPOS 7 (1927) 135-141; EISSFELDT, OLZ 31 (1928) 801-810 (with methodological comments that merit attentive study); KUHL, ThLZ 53 (1928) 99£.. 5 Most commentators on Samuel have accepted Rost's position. Sec also its approval by v. RADin his 1938 study Das formgeschichtlicheProblem des Hexateuch ( ThB 8 esp.

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period marked in other respects too by revisionist tendencies 6) that voices of dissent have been heard. Some scholars have questioned Rost's opinion that 2 Sam 6,16.20-23; 7 ,llb.16 stood at the beginning of the Succession Narrative; 7 others have doubted Rost's insistence that the Succession Narrative has no literary connection with the early chapters of 2 Sam; 8 a few have gone so far as to suspect that 1 Kgs 1-2 may not have formed a unity originally with 2 Sam 9-20; 9 it has also been suggested that the name Succession Narrative needs modification since it does not really account for the underlying themes of the whole material. 10 An even more radical departure from Rost's position can be seen in the attempt made by several scholars in the past few years to identify by literary-critical methods various redactional strata within the text. 11 78£.), and by NoTH in Oberlie/erungsgesch. Studien (1943) esp. 54.62.66. For a general survey of comm. and studies on Samuel (as well as the other books from Jos to Kgs) in that period, sec JENNI,ThR N.F. 27 (1961) 1-32.97-146. 6 One can recall the re-opening of discussion on themes such as the Amphictyony, the Holy War, the Historical Creed and the growth of Pentateuchal traditions, the natme of the Dtr History. 7 See variously BLENKINSOPP, SVT 15 (1966) 46; WEISER, VT 16 (1966) 347f.; DE VAUX, RB 73 (1966) esp. 482-488; SCHULTE,Entstehung 138f.144-147; DELORMEand BIUINDin CAzELLES(&!.), Introd. critique 289. 1 See HE1tTZBEBG 245; ScHULTE,Entstehung 138-148.170-175; GUNN, VT 24 (1974) 317 n. 2, and Semeia 3 (1975) 14f.; VANSETEitS,]SOT 1 (1976) 29 n. 7: see also RICHTER, Trad. Untersuch. 264; and R.ENDToitPP in Fs.v.Rad 432.439. Earlier scholars bad already noted contacts between 1 Kgs 1-2 and the early chapters of 2 Sam (and even parts of 1 Sam): sec DE WETl'E, Lehrbuch (71852) 236; GitAF, Die gesch. Bucher (1866) 99£.. 9 See GosLINGA183 (though in Eerste Samuel [1968] 10 he seems to have modified his position); MoWINCKEL, ASII 2 (1963) 11; LIVER, Bibi 48 (1967) 88; STOEBB,SVT 17 (1969) 215, and 1 Sam 57f.; FLANAGAN, ]BL 91 (1972) 172-181 (see next note). 1o Br.ENKINSOPP, SVT 15 (1966) 44-57 (esp. 47f.) questions the aptness of the tide 'Thronfolgegeschichte' for 2 Sam 9-20; 1 Kgs 1-2, and proposes to distinguish two themes: (i) the legitimation of David's own claim (2 Sam 6,20-23; 9; 21,1-14), and (ii) the Succession story !n the strict sense (2 Sam 11,2-27; 12,15b-25; 13-20; 1 Kgs 1-2). FLANAGAN, ]BL 91 (1972) 172-181 goes further and argues that ' ... behind the present narrative of •2 Samuel 9-20 and 1 Kings 1-2 there is an earlier literary unit, a C.ourt History, that was intended to show how David maintained legitimate control over the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. Only later was the C.ourtHistory given a succession character when a skillful redactor added the Solomonic sections.' (p. 173). B1tUEGGEMANN, CBQ 36 (1974} 175£., n. 7 appears to accept Flanagan's thesis of the later addition of 2 Sam 11,2-12,25 and 1 Kgs 1-2. Rost's views on the Succession thematic have also been criticu.cd variously by CAitLSON,David 131-139; SToEBE(see preceding note); GUNN, Semeia 3 (1975) 15. 11 See WmtTHWBIN, Thron/olge, and 1 Konige 1-16, 1-28; VEIJOLA,Die ewige DynllStie; I..ANGLAMET, RB 83 (1976) 114-137.321-379.481-528. These studies go beyond most of the classical literary critics in asserting the existence, not simply of isolated additions and glosses, but of systematic reworking(s) of the original narrative. For the views of older literary critics on 2 Sam 9-20 sec the table in NOWACKXXXII-XXXIV; among the few to hold two parallel narrative strands in 2 Sam 9-20 were DHOB.ME 345f.363f.416f., and E1ssFELDT, Komp. Sam. 34-50.61£. (though the latter abandoned this position in his Introd. 271£.276). Several of the arguments advanced by Wti1tTHWBIN and l.ANGLAMBT can be seen also in

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INTRODUcnON

Space does not permit a detailed discussion of these and similar interesting and important questions; it is enough to have pointed out that the current state of research no longer justifies an automatic and uncritical acceptance of 2 Sam 9-20; 1 Kgs 1-2 as a fully rounded literary unity with a clearly defined theme. And, to forestall misunderstanding from the start, it can be added that the purpose of the present work is not to offer a solution to the problems raised by Rost's hypothesis but to examine various literary aspects of textual material which is commonly discussed within the horizon of the so-called Succession Narrative. However the question of the literary unity is not the only one which has attracted the attention of scholars. Other studies have illustrated the historiographical qualities of 2 Sam 13-20 (again usually within the wider oontext of 2 Sam 9-20; 1 Kgs 1-2). Its technical advances over earlier Israelite narratives and its prominent place in human historiography in general have been underlined, 12 and its remarkable objectivity has often been praised. 13 Some scholars, however, have detected a definite bias or slant in the presentation, 14 to the point of being able to term the text a piece of political propaganda. 15 Concrete historical problems raised by the text have also been examined, 16 and (more rarely) there has been discussion of the fundamental question how narrative literature can be used as a historical source. 17 Another area of study bears on the oonceptual presuppositions and environment of the text, and here the question of Wisdom influence has been the main topic in recent years. Several studies have illustrated this influence,11 C.OOK, AJSL 16 (1899-1900) 145-177; BUDDEin his comm. gave a detailed criticism of Cook's views (sec e.g. 268£.276£.); for Cook's rejoinder, which deals more with general historical questions than with literary details, see ]QR. 17 (190') 782-799. 12 See v. RAD,ThB 8, 148-188. 13 Sec e.g. WELLHAUSEN in Einleitung (BI.EEK)227 ( Composition 2,9); E. MEYER, N«hb11Tstimme 480-487; WEISER, Einleitung 1.51. 14 Sec DELEKATin Fs.Rost 26-36 (heavily criticized however by ScHMmT, Menschlicher E,folg 160£., n . .5); THORNTON, ChQR 169 (1968) 1.59-166; C.ONUD, Die ;unge Generation 63 (approved by H.-J. ZoBEL in a review, ThLZ 97 [1972] 746); WORTHWEIN,Thronfolge passim; VAN SETERS,]SOT 1 (1976) 23; I..ANGLAMET, R.B 83 (1976) 136. 15 WHYBRAY, Succ. Na". 96 describes the work as 'a combination of propagandist political novel and wisdom instruction in narrative form'. Sec also his pp. 50-.5.5.96-116. 16 Besides the histories of Israel, sec WEINGREEN, VT 19 (1969) 263-266; C.OHEN in Fs.Kiev 91-112; BARDTKE in Fs.Elliger 1-8. On the work of Moshe GARSIEL,mllewt dwd. mlJqrym bhysfwryh wcywnym bhysfwrywgrpyh (The Kingdom of David. Studies in History and Inquiries in Historiography), Tel Aviv 197.5, sec the review by B. E. SHAPER,CBQ 39 (1977) 114-116. 17 Sec the important article of CASPAKI,ThStKr 82 (1909) 317-348. GUNN, VT 26 (1976) 229 also rccogni7.cs that there arc 'highly complex' problems here. 18 Sec esp. WHYBRAY, Succ. Na". 56-116, and Intell. Trad. 154. l!ERMissoN, Sprucbweisheit 126.133f.186 and in Fs.v.Rild 136-1.54, is more cautions than Whybray but does bold a connection between Wisdom circles and the Succession Narrative. Sec also v. RAD, Wisdom .58-60; and articles by BRUEGGEMANN in CBQ 30 (1968) 1'6-181; CBQ 31 (1969) 484-498; JAAR 40 (1972) 96-109; Interpr 26 (1972) 3-19; CBQ 36 (1974) 11,-192.

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though a few critical voices have also been heard. 19 Literary affinities with the Yahwistic work (J) have been noted too, 20 and a few articles have discussed the influence of the text on later Biblical literature. 21 Carlson's major study deserves special mention for its attempt to read 2 Sam within the horizon of the Deuteronomic work. 22 The more strictly literary aspects of the text have not been altogether neglected, and several of the works already referred to - in particular those of Rost (1926), von Rad (1944), and Whybray (1968) - have made valuable contributions to an appreciation of the text as a masterpiece of narrative art. There has been some discussion of more detailed stylistic questions too, especially by Rost and Whybray, and their remarks amount to a useful stylistic characterization of the text. 23 Since however the actual verbal realization of the story was not the main concern of these scholars, there is place for a work which pays close attention to the language of the text and its bearing on the narrative. It is hoped that the prevalently analytical approach adopted here will use£ully complement the several excellent synthetic studies of the text which are already available. 19 CRENSHAW, ]BL 88 (1969) 129-142 criticizes attempts to sec Wisdom influence as the exclusive background for the Succession Narrative (esp. 137-140), the Joseph-story, and Es1ber. Sec also the critical remarks of DE Puu, Promesse 146-159. 20 Sec WoLFP, ThB 22, 345-373 (esp. 348-350); BLENKINSOPP, SVT 15 (1966) 44-57; BRUEGGEMANN, CBQ 30 (1968) 156-181, and ZAW 84 (1972) 1-18; ELLIS, The Yahwist esp. 81-85; WIFALL,CBQ 36 (1974) 237-240, and BiblTheolBull 4 (1974) esp. 94£.. CAzELLES in Fs.Coppens I 49 n. 118 even suggests that the author of the Succession Narrative (2 Sam 11,2££.) is J himself. The work of Th. KLAEHN,Die sprachliche Verwandtschaft der Quelle K der Samuelisbucher mit der Quelle J des Heptateuch, Borna-Lcipzig 1914, has not been available to me. For some critical remarks on these studies see WAGNER in Fs.Winnett 130£.. 21 Sec GLASSON,ExpTi 85 (1973-74) 118f.; WIFALL, BiblTheolBull 4 (1974) 94-107; TRUDINGEB., ExpTi 86 (1974-75) 278£.. 22 CARLSON, David undertakes a traditio-historical analysis of 2 Sam 2-24 according to the methodological principles of Ivan Engnell; sec KNIGHT,Rediscovering the Traditions 327-338 for discussion of Carlson's approach and results. On contacts with Deuteronomic writings see also ScHoFIELDin Fs.Cook esp. 28£.. Schofield further suggests that the material was not really a court document but was based on 'popular songs sung by the women singers, collected in a northern milieu, possibly after 721 B.C. at Bethel, and re-used there after 586 B.C. with very little alteration by those who had accepted Jeremiah's repudiation of the Davidic line' (p. 29). The CHADWICKS, Growth of Uterature II 649£., III 895-898 had already suggested that much of the story of David was composed either by women or for the entertainment of women. 23 Sec RosT, Thronfolge 75f.111-127; WHYBRAY, Succ.Na". 45-41. Rderencc can also be made to JACKSON, Canadian]Th 11 (1965) 183-195; FLANAGAN, ]BL 91 (1972) 172-181; and GUNN,Semeia 3 (1975) 14-45. Two other studies by GUNNin VT 24 (1974) 286-317, and VT 26 (1976) 214-229 present interesting material on the possible use of traditional narrative patterns or stereotypes in the King David stories; see however the critique by VAN SETEJtS,]SOT 1 (1976) 22-29 and Semeia 5 (1976) 139-154, with GUNN's reply in Semeia 5 (1976) 155-163.

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One will, of course, find detailed attention to the text in the major commentaries - Driver's philological commentary and the general commentaries of Budde, Schulz,Caspari, Bressan, Hertzberg, Goslinga, and others 24 - but it will be seen that these are preoccupied largely (and unavoidably) with textcritical and philological questions and then with matters of history and realia. Literary considerations are sporadic, and even then usually of a generalizing nature. Nonetheless the notes in the present work will show how much has been learned &om these and other shorter commentaries.25 Two monographs have been devoted to a study of the literary aspects of the text. In 1923 A. Schulz wrote a 48-page description of the narrative art of the books of Samuel; 26 the work, intended as a supplement to his twovolume commentary, is set out as an illustrated list of narrative categories and devices, and as such it is a useful collection of material. It does not, however, discuss the particular literary qualities of the different text-blocks within Samuel, nor does it engage in detailed textual study. The second monograph, a 1971 dissertation by G. Ridout, marks a considerable advance.n Ridout's approach is that of rhetorical criticism as applied to Biblical studies by James Muilenburg. The presentation is thematic rather than sequential, the chapter headings being: I. Introduction (on the approach and methodology); II. Repetition and Structure; III. Repetition and Rhetorical Purpose; IV. Irony; V. Theology and Rhetoric (largely on 2 Sam 7). While there are many interesting observations and some fine pieces of textual analysis in this work, the need remains for a study which concentrates on the analysis of the material as a story (plot, character, point of view, etc.), and on the contribution of the language in its totality to this story. The present work will attempt to supply this need, and by limiting the material examined to 2 Sam 13-20 hopes to be in a position to carry out a more thorough analysis than was possible in Ridout's case. But is one justified in limiting the study to 2 Sam 13-20? Should not one take into account all the material commonly included in the Succession Narrative (at least 2 Sam 9-20; 1 Kgs 1-2)? Here one must recall the doubts and problems which have recently arisen concerning the Succession Narrative hypothesis. The extent of the literary unity to which 2 Sam 13-20 bdongs is no longer clear, and the enormously complex question of the composition of the books of Samuel would have to be faced before a satisfactory answer These and other comm. are listed together in the bibliography. I have not been able to use the comm. of (THENIUS-)L6HR. (Leipzig 1898); J. DE GROOT(Den Haag and Groningen 1935); M. SEGAL(Jerusalem 1956: Hebrew); R. D. GEHR.KE(St. Louis 1968). 25 There arc particularly valuable literary observations in the short Spanish comm. by ALONSO SCH5ICEL (1973). 26 Erzi.ihlungskunst in den Samuel-Buchern (Biblische Zeitfragen, XI 6/7), Munster 1923. rr Prose Compositional Techniques in the Succession Narrative (Diss. Berkeley, Graduate Theological Union, 1971), published on demand by University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 24

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could be found. 28 One will appreciate the methodological dilemma: on the one hand, it is clear in theory that the first step in literary study is the determination of the literary unity; 29 on the other hand, there are unsolved practical difficulties in the way of arriving at this determination in the present case. This situation, however, need not oblige one to declare a moratorium on literary study of the text, for 2 Sam 13-20 has enough internal unity to justify such a literary study. Telling the story of the clash between Absalom and his father David, what led up to the struggle and what took place as a sequel, these chapters have the basic narrative unity of a beginning, a middle, and an end. 30 Perhaps not a presuppositionless beginning nor an absolute and final end, but nevertheless enough of both to qualify for the title of story and not merely that of fragment. 31 It cannot be stressed too much, however, that in speaking of 2 Sam 13-20 as a narrative unity the intention is not to assert or even to insinuate that these chapters ever had an independent existence. The present work is not based on or meant as a revised form of Fragment Hypothesis solution to the problems of the composition of the books of Samuel.32 2 Sam 13-20 may well have existed from the start as part of a larger work (whatever that was) or these chapters may have reached their present form in several redactional phases (a rather debatable matter however), but the point is that even so they have a relatively independent narrative identity and can therefore be legitimately studied on their own. 2. The approachtaken here

What follows is simply a description of the procedure adopted in the present work; it is not meant as a theoretical justification of that procedure. 33 28 The composition of Samuel as a whole is discussed in the Introductions of E1ssFELDT,WEISER,and FoHKER,and in the special studies of E1ssFELDT,Komp. Sam.; VRIEZEN in Orient. Neerl. 1948, 167-189; SEGAL,]QR 55 (1964-65) 318-339, and 56 (1965-66) 32-50. 137-157. For favourable comment on Vriezen's study see DELORMEand BRIENDin CAZELLES (&I.), Introd. critique 291£., and STOBBE,1 Sam 48. Further bibliographical references to rcccnt discussion on traditio-historical and compositional problems in Samuel can be seen in GR0NBAEK, Aufstieg 11-36, and VEIJOLA,Die ewige Dynastie 5-15. See also n. 11 above. The diss. of J. N. MEADOWS, A Traditio-Historical Study of II Samuel 9-20, I Kings 1-2 (Southern Baptist, 1975) has not been available to me: see ZAW 88 (1976) 429. 29 See e.g. RICHTER,Exegese 66-69. 30 See ARISTOTLE, Art of Poetry chh. 7 and 23; ABRAMS,Glossary 129£.157; DIPPLE, Plot 1.9£.33.43. 31 Both RosT, Thronfolge 100-102, and v. RAD, ThB 8, 171 protest that 2 Sam 20 cannot in any way be seen as an end; other scholars however have expressed doubts on these positions (see n. 9 above). Prescinding from questions of literary history, one can hardly deny that the narrative comes to a definite point of rest at 2 Sam 20,22. 32 On the Fragment Hypothesis as applied to Samuel, sec e.g. E1ssFELDT, Introd. 243f270£ .. 33 A basic orientation in general theoretical problems can be had e.g. in WELLEKand WADEN, Theory, and in FOWLER(ed.), Diet. Crit. Terms. No attempt will be made either

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One could engagein endless debate on theoretical questions in literary criticism, but ultimately one must expose oneself to the risk of actually dealing at length with a concrete text.

a. Limitations First of all, the reader's attention can be drawn to some of the intentional limitations of the work. i) It does not claim to be a complete literary study of 2 Sam 13-20. These chapters can be read in several contextual horizons - the Succession Narrative (granted its existence), the stories about King David, the Saul-David cycle, the Dtr History, etc. - and each further reading would undoubtedly reveal new aspects of overall meaning in the text and would also supply material for a deeper appreciation of details within 2 Sam 13-20. To admit that, however, does not mean that these chapters cannot usefully be read in and for themselves as a relatively independent narrative unity. It is enough to be aware of the incompleteness implied in this approach and to accept it with good grace. In any case, it would be a naive illusion to treat as complete and definitive any discussion of a literary text, no matter how extensive and thorough. Furthermore, even within the horizon of 2 Sam 13-20, there are limitations, in that the main concern will be with how the words work to convey the story. Hence, on the one hand, a study of the language for its own sake, that is, an exhaustive linguistic description of the text, will not be attempted; such a study is non-literary, in the sense that it approaches the text simply as a corpus of data to be restructured according to extra-textual criteria. 34 Nor, on the other hand, will the content of the story be studied on its own as a means of access to extra-linguistic reality, that is, as source-material for a history of Israel, for a description of Israelite social institutions, for an analysis of the religious thought of the period. These fields of study are all valid and useful; to say that they will not be entered upon here is simply to acknowledge a legitimate pluralism in the reading and use of literary texts. ii)

Finally, even on the literary level, the work will concentrate on a study of the text in itself and will not try to characterize its distinctiveness vis-a-vis

iii)

to describe or assess recent literary studies of other Hebrew nanative texts; such a survey

would be interesting and instructive but reasons of space forbid its inclusion here. 34 On the corpus-bound approach to linguistic study and its limitations as shown up especially by Chomsky, sec CRYSTAL, Linguistics 102-107. The usefulness of technical linguistics to literary study 1s a much-debated topic: see e.g. ENKVIST et al., Linguistics and Style; FoWLEll (ed.), Essays on Style and Language; HouGH, Style and Stylistics; FOWLER, The Languages of Literature; CHATMAN (ed.), Literary Style (esp. the articles by ENK.visT and by WELLEK); TUllNER, Stylistics 141-1,0.

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other texts. The latter approach would call for systematic comparison of 2 Sam 13-20 with a number of other suitably chosen texts, each of which would have to be studied on its own first. However practical necessity demands that a start be made somewhere, and this is the main justification for the restriction imposed here. Hence systematic study of genre-elements, shared motifs, themes, and patterns will not be undertaken, though occasional passing remarks on these subjects will not be rigidly excluded. The present work, it is hoped, may provide material for future comparative studies.

b. The text as process and product 35 A story is read as a succession of sub-units (pericopes) spread out in time; the story unfolds itself as a process and one's reception of it is an inescapably temporal matter. Having arrived at the end, the reader will normally reflect on the shape and more striking features of the whole, viewing the story now as an existing product, a given thing in his memory. 36 The two parts of the present work reflect these two phases of the reader's activity: first there is a sequential study which pauses to examine selected pericopes as they gradually build up the complete story, n and this is followed by a structural study which transcends the temporal succession and surveys the story as a whole. 38 There is an unending interaction between these two phases: sharper attention to details during each sequential reading of the text will continue to increase one's appreciation of the whole, and one's overall grasp of the story's shape and intention will shed new light again and again on one's re-reading of the single pericopes. I

35

On this terminology in general sec F1tYE,Anat. Criticism 66f.; DIPPLE, Plot 9f.36f. 39f.; Ross in FowLE1t (ed.), Diet. Crit. Terms 170; ScHoLEs, Structuralism 84. 36 Cmp. F1tYE,Anat. Criticism 77: 'Works of literature also move .in time like music and spread out in images like painting. The word narrative or mythos conveys the sense of movement caught by the car, and the word meaning or dianoia conveys, or at least preserves, the sense of simultaneity caught by the eye. We listen to the poem as it moves from beginning to end, but as soon as the whole of it is in our minds at once we "sec• what it means.' On the importance of rcficcting on the shape of a work, sec also LUBBOCJ:, Craft of Fiction esp. 1-2.5. n Since the detailed analysis of all the pcricopcs of 2 Sam 13-20, carried out in the original dissertation, is too long to publish here, a full analysis of just two sections will be given in order to exemplify the type of reading envisaged. The survey in Part Two is of course based on the analysis of the entire material. 38 BAltTHESin BovoN (ed.), Analyse structurale 29-36 exemplifies what he terms 'analyse sequentielle'; he speaks also of 'analyse textuelle' (p. 28). The fact that the present work uses a rather similar terminology should not lead one to think that it is based on Barthes's structuralist approach. For a useful introduction to the latter and related topics sec SCHOLES,Structuralism; CULLER,Structuralist Poetics; WHITE, Semeia 3 (197.5)99-127. Sec also GfrrTGEMANNS, LingBib 23-24 (Mai 1973) 2-47. For an application of the UviStraussian structuralist approachto the present material sec LEACH,Genesis as Myth 2.5-83; for critique sec MALAMAT,Arch. europ. de sociologie 8 (1967) 16.5-167, and CULLEY,SVT 22 (1972) 129-142.

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Seen in this way, every literary analysis is marked to some extent by subjectivity and doomed to incompleteness, but the effort is worth while if it makes its practitioners better readers, more alert to and more appreciative of the texts. This is not to claim that literary study serves only the art of reading; one can go further and engage in literary scholarship, investigating in a systematic way the general properties of works of literature. 39 But close reading of individual works is the indispensable basis, and the more one exercises oneself in this the more solid will be the general statements that can afterwards be made.

c. Na"ative and language In both phases of reading just mentioned the text will be examined first as a narrative and then as a language performance. One could ask whether perhaps the order of treatment should not be reversed; after all, it is in and through language that the story is presented, and the story is simply one particular crystallization of language.40 In general, the observation has a certain validity, but one should also take into account the experiential fact that a reader's awareness of the language of any text varies according to the type of text in question. In a lyric, for instance, the total impact of the text lies largely in the use of language on various levels. Hence the denunciations of the paraphrase approach in some recent schools of criticism: Cleanth Brooks, one of the New Critics, spoke of the 'heresy of paraphrase', and in this he has been followed by others. 41 What may be well said of poetry need not, however, apply to the reader's reception of narrative. For in a story the reader's interest would seem to lie primarily in what is said (with the stress here more on the action, or more on the characterization, or more on the theme or message), and only secondarily (though concomitantly) in how it is said. 42 One might, it is true, have to 39

See

WELLEIC

and

WARJtEN,

Theory 1,-19; Tooo1.ov in

CHATMAN (ed.),

Literary

Style 29-30. 40 FOWLER.,

Diet. Crit. Terms 103f. briefly surveys ' ... one of the major disputes of mod-

ern criticism: docs literature consist of language, or is language simply one component of

literature?'. 41 See B1.oox:s,The Well Wrought Urn, ch. XI 'The Heresy of Paraphrase'; for some more nuanced remarks on paraphrase sec FOWLER, Diet. Crit. Terms 136f.. The limitations and on~sidedness of the approach termed 'New Criticism' have often been noted in recent years, and the tendency is now towards a 'more eclectic approach' (GUERIN et al., Handbook 2£.) which, while not abandoning the New Critics' insistence on close study of literature as literature, is also willing to use other areas of knowledge (historical, psychological, etc.) to arrive at a better understanding of literary works. On these and related points sec the articles 'New Criticism' in ABRAMS, Glossary 108-110; FOWLER, Diet. Crit. Terms 124-126; also the critical remarks of WATSON, Literary Critics esp. 196f.208-210221-223; and of FRYE, Anat. Criticism 72273 (New Criticism as 'a lyric-centred criticism'). 42 The word 'concomitantly' is important, for the intention is not to assert that one reads prose only for the subject matter; sec the critique of this 'functionalist fallacy' in RABAN,Technique 13,ff.. However Raban is aware of 'the essential di1ference between

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make an exception here for some of the prose works of, say, Virginia Wool£, James Joyce, or exponents of the nouveau roman movement, but most would agree that these occupy rather special places within the narrative tradition. In the normal or classical type of story, such as we find in 2 Sam 13-20, it seems more suitable to study the text as narrative before analysing its use of

language.

I

The discussion illustrates one of the perennial difficulties of all literary study: what is perceived as an organic and growing unity in the experience of reading must of necessity be taken in separate stages in one's reflective study of the text. The result is that a sense of artificiality is unavoidable to some extent in literary analysis, and the only remedy is to insist, as has been done above, that such study is not an end in itself: it exists to serve a more fruitful reading of the text and thus to contribute to a more solidly based general study of literature. In Part One, then, each of the selected pericopes will first be studied as a piece of narrative with particular reference to those aspects which are usually discussed by students of narrative literature in general. 43 First, aspects of plot or action will be analysed in three stages. ( 1) A short summary of what can be called the surface content of the pericopc will be given: such a paraphrase is the first transition (inadequate but unavoidable) from the experience of reading to the reflection of analysis, and it has the additional function of allowing a discussion of those disputed points of literal interpretation which have a direct bearing on the understanding of the pericope. (2) The analysis will then go below the surface to examine the structural buildingblocks of the pericope: these are the small-scalenarrative patterns ('command/ execution', 'desire/fulfilment', and the like) that underlie the actual content of the pericope; they can recur in other stories beneath other actual contents; if the term 'deep content' is here applied to these patterns, it is not by way of claiming to present a form of transformational-generative stylistics,44 but simply to indicate that the patterns cannot be detected on syntactical grounds alone without consideration of content. ( 3) Narrative is generally marked by a movement from complication to resolution, often with an intervening phase ot retardation, and the reader's response passes through the correlative stages of expectancy, growth of tension or suspense, and relief: a study of the formal the quality of attention demanded by a lyric poem and that demanded by a novel' (p.16), and his own exposition follows the order: (1) Narrative, (2) Character, (3) Style and Language, 43 Useful general works include LUBBOCK, Craft of Fiction; BooTH,Rhetoric of Fiction; ScHoLESand KELLOGG, Nature of Na"ative; RABAN, Technique; DIPPLE, Plot; SHEn, The Short Story; H. MEYER, Die Kunst des Erzahlens. On recent structuralist trends sec the works of ScH0LESand CuLLEKmentioned in n. 38. 44 On this see e.g. THORNE in LYONS (ed.), New Horizons in Linguistics 185-197. On the terminology 'surface/deep', much used by Chomsky, see LYONS, op. cit. (in the Subject Index); TURNER, Stylistics 97; KENNY,Wittgenstein 148£.. For the present work the terminological question is of little importance: one could also speak of these clements as 'deep narrative structures', or 'narrative patterns', or 'structural patterns'.

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narrational level of the pericope will examine these functions and effects of narrative. 45 Next, in a section devoted to the narrator's treatment of persons and events, the analysis will discuss elements of characterization, of narrative point of view and focus, 46 of the narrator's explicit and implicit comments on events and evaluations of personages, and finally (where relevant) something will be said on aspects of theme and meaning. Already here an important feature of narrative will have been touched on, namely, the way in which the reader is brought to become an active participant in the story, 47 and this aspect will be developed further in another section dealing with the narrator's action on the reader. Sometimes the ·reader is allowed to know more about events than the personages themselves do; at other times the reader is denied this superior knowledge and must learn with the personages; occasionally the narrator omits circumstantial details which he could have told. These various situations all help to involve the reader actively in the reception of the story. The analysis will then pass on to a study of the language of the pericope. The approach here is not that of linguistic description with its centrifugal movement from text to language-structure but that of literary study which follows a centripetal movement, remaining within the horizon of the text and studying its linguistic features in so far as they contribute to the impact of the story. Hence the main section of this part is entitled 'language as conveying the story', and the order of the pericope will be followed verse by verse. There is no point in listing here the numerous categories employed in the analysis - a glance at the table of contents for Part Two will give some indication of the main ones - but it is good to note that the aim is not to provide exhaustive lists of devices and literary figures but to show how the verbal expression creates this particular telling of the story and highlights the narrative effects analysed already. A second section entitled 'other remarks on the language' will survey some more general features of the pericope's language, and will occasionally offer a summary of one or other aspect mentioned frequently during the verse-by-verse discussion (e.g. use of repetition, occurrence of adjectives, variation in designations of personages, use of courtly style). Part Two will then study the text as an existing whole. The dominant 45 These elements of plot have been discussed since ARISTOTLE (Art of Poetry ch. 18). For further refinements sec ABRAMS, Glossary 127-131; DIPPLE, Plot 10.13-15; MEYER, Kt'1Ut des Erzahlens 304, (on narrative tension). 46 Sec esp. the works of LUBBOCK and BooTHmentioned in n. 43. 47 LUBBOCK, Craft of Fiction 17 writes: 'The author does his part, but he cannot transfer his book like a bubble into the brain of the critic .... The reader must therefore become, for his part, a novelist, never permitting himself to suppose that the creation of the book is solely the affair of the author'. Meyer too (Kunst des Erziihlens passim) insists on the cardinal importance of this aspect. The reader is a 'Mitspieler' involved in a 'Zusammenspiel' with the narrator (pp.15.26). Meyer has also some enlightening remarks on differences between the English-language and the German-language literary traditions in their attitudes to narrative (see pp. 1158fl224).

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narrative patterns in 2 Sam 13-20 will be examined in an attempt to grasp the overall shape of the story. Other aspects of theme and technique will be surveyed too, and it is hoped that the basic intention of the story will emerge more clearly as a result. Finally some of the more striking linguistic effects noted throughout 2 Sam 13-20 will be described, mainly in order to see more clearly the linguistic individuality of the text but also to serve as a basis for future comparative studies with other texts. The reader who perseveres to the end of what, at times, is of necessity a rather detailed discussion may; it is hoped, arrive at a clearer vision of the narrative power and craft displayed in 2 Sam 13-20, and may realize more sharply that the language of Hebrew narrative (here and elsewhere) deserves close attention for its manifold contribution to the story's content and to its action on the reader. 3. Some remarb oo text-criticalproblems

The notoriously difficult textual problems in Samuel have been the object of several special studies since Wellhausen's classical work of 1871. 48 There can be no question of rehearsing the whole problematic here; 49 the purpose of these remarks is simply to state the basis for the text-critical options made in the present work. The reader can find a more detailed discussion of a number of texts in Appendix II. Since the discovery of Samuel fragments at Qumran, particularly the 4Q texts, it has become certain that distinct textual families of the Hebrew text of Samuel were in circulation in the last centuries before the Christian era. 50 Debate continues, however, on the localization and dating of those text-types; the hypothesis of F. M. Cross that there were three main textual families located in Egypt, Palestine, and Babylon has had considerable influence, 51 but has not yet found universal acceptance.52 48 In the pre-Qumran era see WELLHAUSEN, Text; PETERS,Beitriige; EHltLICH,Riuulglossen III; DRIVER,Notes; BosTROM, Alternative Readings; DELITZSCH,Schreibfehler; Tncrm, Untersuchungen. 49 Sec recently STOEBE,1 Sam llf.25-32. 50 So far only portions of these texts have been published by CROSS, BASOR 132 (Dec. 1953) 15-26, and ]BL 74 (1955) 147-172; he mentions some further readings in Ancient Library 188f., n. 40a, and 191 n. 45, and in HThR 57 (1964) 292-294. Sec also FREEDMAN, Textus 2 (1962) 93. The textual notes to Samuel in the NAB (by CROSS)should be consulted in addition to the BHS edition by DE Bon. For the lQ Sam fragments (of slight importance) sec BARTIIBLEMY in DJD I 64f. with Plate XI. The work of R. WEISS (ed.), q,Cym wgyrs'wt mmgylwt spr Jmw'l mqwmrn (Fragments and variants of the books of Samuel found at Qumran), Jerusalem 1974 (sec ElenchusBibl 55 [1974] no. 2001) has not been available to me. Other studies on the Qumran Samuel texts include those of VOGT, Bihl 35 (1954) 263-266; ALBRIGHT,BASOR 140 (Dec. 1955) 27-33; Muss, ThLZ 81 (1956) 337-340; EYBERSin Studies ... Samuel 1-17; KLEIN, Textual Criticism esp. 21-30.70-72. s1 Sec HThR 57 (1964) 281-299; IE] 16 (1966) 81-95; SeptCogSt 2 (1972) 108-126. 52 Reservations or cautions have been expressed by TALMONin Cambridge Hist. of

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These advances in descriptive textual criticism call for the development of adequate criteria to guide the practical textual criticism of Samuel.53 The contrast between two recent works on Samuel appears to show that considerable divergences of opinion persist in this area. The textual notes to Samuel in the NAB (by Cross) give large credence to the longer readings of the 4Q Samuel fragments and the Lucianic Greek witnesses.54 The BHS edition of Samuel by de Boer, on the other hand, registers many of the Qumran readings but scrupulously avoids evaluative or prescriptive comments.55 Ideally, a literary study in Samuel should rest on a large-scaletext-critical investigation which would have at its disposal all the data from Qumran, as well as a critical edition of the Syriac version, 56 and a clearer picture of the relationships between the various Greek witnesses. In practice, however, an investigation of this kind is not likely to be available in the near future. In this situation, then, it seems wiser not to attempt to establish a superior eclectic text behind all the existing text-forms. So the present work will be based on one particular text-type (the MT) and will follow its readings (above all the consonantal text) in disputed points wherever it makes tolerably good sense, even though the readings of other witnesses at those points may be as good as, or possibly even better at first sight than, the MT form. No literary observations will be made on texts (not very many in fact here) where the MT appears to be quite unreadable. It should be clear, then, that this preference for the MT readings is a pragmatic and provisional option; it is not meant as an expression of Massoretic fundamentalism,57 and still less as a camouflaged form of theological fundamentalism.58 the Bible I 195-199; HowAllD,VT 21 (1971) 440-450; SANDEllS, BA 36 (1973) 141£.; }ELLICOE (ed.), Studies in the Septuagint, Prolegomenon. Sec V0LKWEIN,ThPh 48 (1973) 514-,33

for a comparative assessment of Kahle's position of 'Vu)girtcxt und Standardtext' and Cross's hypothesis of local textual families. For a general survey of the problems of the Greek texts see Tov, SeptCogSt 2 (1972) 3-1'. A plea for stricter use of the terms 'family' and 'text-type' is made by GooDING, JSSt 21 (1976) 1.5-25. 53 Thus BAllTHELEMY, SeptCogSt 2 (1972) 64. 54 Cmp. already ALBIUGHT's insistence that losses rather than glosses should be suspected in the MT of Samuel: see his Samuel and the Beginnings of the Prophetic Movement 13, and Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan 231. 55 In this respect BHS differs considerably from BHI(. In 2 Sam 13,1-20,22 BHI( has some 26 evaluative or prescriptive notes (dl, add, l, ins, etc.); BHS omits every one of these-its notes at 18,13b (on the versions) and 20,19a (on a peculiar reading of sreaction, the reader, mindful of 14,1, could expect some immediate action on Joab,s part; but the narrator delays this by inserting vv. 3-5 ·before telling of Josh's intervention in vv. 6-8. This secondary line of suspense as to Joab,s action opens the way to the resolution of the main complication of the king,s behaviour. 12 This too is delayed, however, by the long accusation which opens Joab,s speech (vv. 6-7), and the suspense increases as Joab's blunt order (' Get up now, go out and speak kindly ...', v. 8) is followed by an equally blunt threat of desertion by the whole army. The complication is resolved by the curt statement of v. 9a, and the army's coming to the king (v. 9ba) removes the threat of desertion. The personal and familial 9

For an analysis of the mcsscngcr-sccne and a comparison with 1 Sam 4,12££. and 1 Kgs 1,41££.,see RosT,Tbronfolge 115-119. For the retardation in three moments anp. 16,20-17,4: the expected clash between Hushai and Ahithophcl (15,34) is preceded by a three-stage statement of Ahithophcl's capabilities (16,20-22; 16,23; 17,1-4) which increases the odds against Hushai. 10 1be narrative pattern used here (and anp. 13,30-36) can be seen as composed of three clements: mcsscngcrs approach / a delay telling of the preliminary reaction of the ttcipicnts of the message / mcsseogcrs enter and deliver message. This pattern appears already in the Ugaritic literary texts: sec esp. UT 137: 19££., and also (in a lcu developed form) 51: II: 12££.,and •nt: III: 29££..1be race between Ahimaaz and the Cushitc is described first from the side of the two runners, then from the point of view of thoec awaiting the end of the race: anp. Iliad XXlll,287££.. On the narrative patterns and motifs connected with this messenger-scenesec also GUNN,VT 26 (1976) 225-228. 11 CAsKEL, Islamica 111,5(1930) 52-54 describes a stereotyped scene in early Arabic narratives, which he terms Teichoskopie. The setting is the return from a razzia; the protagonist cannot himself sec the approaching riders but learns from an observer by a question-and-answerdialogue who the riders arc and what their intentions might be. One can compare (apart from the razziasetting) 2 Sam 18,24££. and (even more) 2 Kgs 9,17££.. 12 BUDDE 288, not noticing the effect of suspense as to Joab's reaction, stated that

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problems have been brought under control but political complications remain, and these will provide the driving force behind much of what is to come in 19,9-20,22. b. Treatment of persons and events

The present section provides an excellent demonstration of the narrator's versatility in using different types of material. On the one extreme there is the dry reporting of 17,24-29 and 18,6-8, and on the other the highly charged emotional passage at the end (19,1-9). Between these there are the dialogues between the king and his soldiers (18,2-4), between Joab and one of the soldiers (18,10-14), Ahimaaz and Joab (18,19-23), the king and his sentinel (18,24-27), and Ahimaaz, the Cushite and the king (18,28-32). Most of the section is thus taken up with dialogue, showing that the narrator is most at home with the close-up view of personal confrontation involved in dialogue. The tendency to stress the personal aspect comes out even in the highly factual report of 17,24-29. Verse 25b interrupts the military annotations to give the family connections of Amasa, and the reader learns that Amasa and Joab are cousins. The clash thereby takes on a more intimate and familial dimension: son is against father, cousin against cousin. Then after the long list of provisions brought by David's supporters the narrator adds a personal touch by giving in reported speech the motive for the gift: 'for they said, The people are hungry and weary ...' (17,29). There is in fact more interest in the psychologicalstate of the personages in the present section than in any of the pericopes since 13,1-22. Apart from the motivation in 17,29 just noted, there are the mentions of the king's emotional states at 19,1 ('deeply moved') and 19,3 ('grieving'), as well as the external manifestations of weeping and mourning (19,1-,). Then too the narrator shows implicitly the affectionate concern of the troops for David ( 18,3), 13 and of Joab for Ahimaaz (18,20.22). The dominant psychological note is of course David's unrestrained love for his son Absalom; this appears on the language level in the fourfold use of the affectionate designation ner 'young man' for Absalom (18,,.12.29.32). 14 It is this theme which makes 19,2 would be in place only before v. 6 and even there it would be superfluous; so he took v. 2 to be a marginal gloss that entered the text by mistake. DHoJtMB402 held that v. 2 would be 'more logically' placed before v. 6. BussAN 662 rightly rejects these attempts. 13 The suggestion of v. RAD, ThB 8, 169 that Joab kept the king away from the battle so that his love for his aon would not endanger the state again, bas no textual basis: Joab's name is not mentioned in 18,2b-4a. GUNN,Semeid 3 (197') 23 secs 18,3 as 'cloying flattery' on the pan of the troops; it might be better to see it as rhetorical exaggeration stemming from genuine concern for the king. 14 Similarly BUDDE 282 and SaruLz II 214. In view of David's reaction (19,lff.), it is hard to agree with CASPARI ,ss n. 3 that the U1C of ,,•, expressesa Jnnsening of the

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the present section one of the most pathetic and moving pages of the Bible. Its grip on the reader is doubtless heightened by the deep psychologicalroots of the theme of confilct between father and son. 15 While the narrator prefers the close-up approach, it is worth noting some distinctions here which throw light on his attitude towards the personages. David's journey from Jerusalem has been narrated at length ( 1,,16-16,14; 11,1,-22), but Absalom's is mentioned only very briefly (17,24b); then too David's preparations in Transjordan are described in some detail ( 17,27-29; 18,1-,), but of Absalom it is said only that 'Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead' ( 17,26). And finally when it comes to telling of Absalom's end (18,9-1,), Absalom himself is spoken about in a completely impersonal way: no words of his are mentioned, no pleas for mercy, just the physical fact of his being caught in the tree. One can gather from these points already that the narrator docs not share David's love for his rebel son; he recognizes the human depths of this love and describes it with memorable empathy, but ultimately, one feels, he is more in agreement with Joab's blunt speech of 19,6-8, at least as regards the point that the king must put the interests of his people as a whole before his private grief. Though the picture presented of David is undoubtedly a sympathetic one (sec also 18,2b-4.24-27),the narrator is not so blind a partisan of his as not to sec the justice of Joab's brutally worded rebuke that the father's grief has overwhelmed the statesman's reason. 16 Josh himr,el£does not emerge too favourably from the present section. He is the most dynamic of the personages there; already the double mention of his name in the opening verses ( 17,24-26) points to his dominant role. His action is presented as decisive, untroubled by doubt or sentiment; but he appears as excessively violent both in his actions against Absalom (18,14f.) and in his words against David ( 19,6-8). Though the matter of his words and actions may in fact be what the circumstances demand, the manner is over-harsh and docs not gain the reader's sympathy. At a dccpcr level of analysis Joab's voice is the voice of duty, the voice of the king, speaking to the father. 17 David has been, as it were, tom apart by the tragedy in his filial relationship. The Cushite'a use of n•, at 18,32b simply re-echoes David's question of v. 32a. 15 On the psychological or psychoanalytical approach to literature sec briefly GUElllN et al., Handbook 84-114; and on its application to Biblical study see VERGOTE, DBS IX 2.52-260. 16 GUNN,Semeia3 (197') 24f. notes well the complex function of the mourning scene (19,lff.): it exhibits the king's genuine humanity and notes his self-indulgence. Gunn sees David as greatest when he stands in radical opposition to the norm, e.g. when he refuses initially to behave as king on hearing news of Absalom's death (p. 24); however the example may not be the most suitable, for in this scene David acts very much according to the norm of a /.the, (as he does in chh.13-14 to a large degree). 17 GussMANN 181 aptly dcacribes Joab as David's 'schlechteres und zugleich stiirkeres lcb'. 4

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family; the aim of 19,6-8 is to bring the king and father into living co-existence again, and 19,9 shows that this is achieved thanks to Joab. Though Joab's reluctance to allow Ahimaaz bring the bad news to David probably shows a sense of concern for the young man's safety in view of David's possibly violent reaction to the news, his abrupt dispatch of the Cushite suggests a cynical attitude that the latter's life is not worth very much anyway.18 It is possible of course that the first readers of the story took for granted an attitude of this kind. The unnamed soldier who brings the news of Absalom's predicament to Joab is presented in a more likable way. His respect for the king's publicly given command ( 18,12) outweighs the attractive bribe offered by Joab, and his frank lack of illusions about Joab's wil1ingn,.$sto protect him from the king had he taken it upon himself to kill Absalom, is a shrewd side-view on Joab's character as seen through the eyes of a rank-and-filefollower of David. The soldier's reasoned efforts to dissuade Joab from disobeying the king's command remind the reader of Tamar's reasoned plea with Amnon (13,12f.): both have a retarding function in the narrative and both convey an implicit judgement of the narrator on the addressee. A noteworthy feature in the narrator's treatment of events here is his simultaneous handling of two converging scenes in 18,19-32, which recalls the similar though less elaborate technique at 13,30ff.. The reader starts on the battle-field and the story is told from the point of view of Ahimaaz in 18,1923; then the scene changes to the waiting David and his sentinel through whose eyes vv. 24-27 are seen; the scenes converge in vv. 28 and 31 with the arrival of the two runners, and the point of view becomes again that of the impartial observer looking at both parties. A somewhat comparable interweaving of scenes can be noted at 19,2-9. First there are three single scenes: (1) with Joab (v. 2); (2) with the army (vv. 3-4); (3) with the king (v. 5). Then these are brought together in pairs: Joab and the king (vv. 6-8), and the king and the army (v. 9). A fine sense of artistic completenessis given to the reader by this technique of composition. Another feature which adds to the impact of the story is the effective use of contrast which points to a reversal of the proper order of things. Son fights against father, cousin against cousin, the king against 'all the men of Israel' ( 17,24). The son dies, the father is brought the news of this bitter victory. Absalom had caused the king to flee (15,14); he himself comes to a shameful end during his own flight. The king was pictured as hiding in 'one of the pits' ( 17,9), but it is Absalom whose last resting-place is a great 18 Several comm. (e.g. SaroLz II 222; BiENKINSOPP 32,/281d; MAuCHLINE 287) sec in Joab's words the implication that David would probably have executed the bearer

of such bad news. GoSLINGA 324£., however, rejects this, noting that 2 Sam 1,14££.and 4,10 refer to (suspected) criminal acts. The text of 2 Sam 18 does not stop to explain matters, and it is more important to note that the presentation of the story gains greatly by the presence of a second messenger whatever the motivation for his being sent.

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pit in the forest (18,17). If 18,18 is accepted as original, then a contrast might be seen between the shameful heap of stones raised over Absalom's pit-grave and the ostentatious pillar he raised for himself in the King's Valley; however, as will be argued below, it seems more probable that 18,18 is a later addition. Then in the race between the two messengers it is the last starter who arrives first. The theme of contrast and reversal becomes more explicit in 19,1-9-: the king wishes he could have died instead of Absalom (v. 1); victory is turned into mourning (v. 3); a victorious army steals back into the city as if they were fugitives from a defeat (v. 4); the pride of victory seems turned to shame (vv. 4.6); David is accused of loving those who hate him and of hating those who love him (v. 7 ), even more, of wishing that his rebel son were alive and his loyal followers dead (v. 7). He is threatened with the desertion of those followers who have just now risked their lives for him. The prominence of this theme recalls ch. 13 and in particular the recurrence of the love/hate contrast (see 13,1.15.22). It is as if the unnatural event of a son's revolt against his father has unleashed the forces of chaos and disorder; things are turned upside down; order is eventually restored but it is no simple return to the initial state of things. There is no cyclic concept of history here; the return comes but the loss and the pain cannot be cancelled. c. Narrator and reader

As the present section opens the reader has the advantage over the personages of knowing the decision of the Lord 'to bring down evil upon Absalom' (17,14). However this does not spoil the effect of the long preparation for the battle, since the reader still does not know just how this evil will come upon Absalom. An added poignancy is given to the king's command to deal gently with Absalom (18,5) by the fact that the reader knows that here David's thoughts and Yhwh's thoughts are not the same. It is in the second part of the section however that the reader's superior knowledge is an important factor in the reception of the story. The reader knows from 18,23 who the leading runner is, and he knows what the 'great tumult' (18,29) meant; yet the narrator prolongs the identification scene (vv. 24-27), and this has the effect of making the knowing reader appreciate more keenly the deep pathos of the scene and of increasing his sympathy with the king. In contrast to the scenes with Hushai and Ahithophel (16,16-17,14) where the narrator frequently used the situation of better knowledge on the reader's part to set up ironical word-plays, the interest in the present section is more in action and emotional confrontation than in exercise of verbal skill. An exception to this is had in the king's words at 18,27: 'He is a good man and comes with good tidings'; the tragic irony is strong here. Then Ahimaaz's

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first word of greeting to the king, Jlwm (18,28), in no way corresponds to the way the king will receive the tidings brought. Though the reader knows much more than David throughout most of the section, he is still greatly surprised by the emotional intensity of David's reaction to the news. Though the command of 18,, had indicated a feeling of affection for Absalom, the vehemence of David's fatherly love revealed at 19,t-, was not prepared for and constitutes the most memorable part of the whole story for the reader. Little is left unsaid on the level of action in the present section, but there are a few points on which the reader would like more explanation. No indication is given of the length of time involved in the preparations for the battle (17,24-181'); the gathering of the Israelite forces must have taken some time, but the narrator was not interested in specifying how long. The account of the battle itself ( 18,6-8) is quite bare; no details of tactical movements or of the progress of the clash are given, though this lack of interest in elaborate battle descriptions is a common feature of Hebrew narrative. 19 The reference in 18,9 to Absalom's meeting with David's men docs not say whether the incident took place during the battle or in the flight afterwards; however from the placing of vv. 9-1, between vv. 6-8 and v. 16 the latter setting seems to be suggested.

). Laaaaaae aaalysis a. Language as conveying the story

1 7 , 2 4 - 2 9 : After the rapid action of 17,23 with its seven wyqtl verbs the pace of narration slows down in the two sub-units of 17,24-26.27-29, thus giving the impression of the passage of a period of time; on the verbal level this is achieved by the use of long sentences full of descriptive details, by the avoidance of wyqtl narrative (v. 26 is the only wyqtl sentence there), and by the preference given to inverted x-qtl sentences (vv. 24a.24b.2,a.27b-29a) and to NS (vv. 25b.29b). One can also note the heavily substantivized vocabulary in vv. 24-29: out of approximately ninety words only nine are verbs (one wyqtl, six x-qtl, one in a relative clause, one instance of the otiose wyhy) contrast 17,23 which has nine finite verbs in only twenty-three words. Verses 24-29 then mark a pause in the narrative and enable the reader to contemplate the two forces gathering before the decisive encounter. tt SaruLz, Brtahlletmst 44, and ALONSO Sa10DL, Bibi 42 (1961)162 n.1 remark on the inability of early Hebrew narrators to give a detailed clelcription of a battle. On the formal clements and life-setting of the Biblical battle-reports see RICHTER, T,"". Untersuch. 262-26,; PLOOER., Untersuch. Deut. 16-19; VANSETHS, ]BL 91 (1972)csp.187189; GUNN,]BL 93 (1974),u-,18, and VT 24 (1974)286-297; VANSETHS, Semeia , (1976) 139-1,4; GUNN,Semeia , (1976)1,s.163.

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An A-B-B'-A'structural pattern can be seen in vv. 24-29: v. 24 serves as the heading, the parties being mentioned in the order, David (A) - Absalom (B); then in vv. 25-26 Absalom's side is further described (B'); and in vv. 27-29 David's (A'). Verbally, however, vv. 24-26 are linked by inclusion on words of the IjNH root (mpnymh, v. 24; wypn, v. 26). The personal confrontation between David and Absalom is stressed by the fact that Absalom alone is the subject of cbr (v. 24b) while the remaining subjects are kept for a later clause (hw:i wkl :iyI yJr:il emw): the narrator could just as well have said *w:ibilwm wlel :iyI yJr:il cbrw :it hyrdn, so the linguistic choice made shows that his interest is more in the confrontation of persons than in that of armies. The time-setting is not specified; wdwd b:i... w:ibilwm cbr need not, and should not, be translated as if the two actions were simultaneous, for Absalom would have needed some time to gather his forces.:ai The reader's attention is drawn to Amasa's name already by its position at the start of v. 25 and still inore by the information about his family-origin.21 Though the naming formula bn :iys wimw N. is unparalleled in the Bible, there is no convincing reason why it should not be accepted here. 22 The x-qtl of v. 25a breaks the time-sequenceby going back before the time of v. 24; this also serves to give the impression of the passage of some time taken up by the manoeuvres of the armies referred to in v. 24. Amasa is placed over the army (cl hfb:i) 23 instead of Joab whose name is kept before the reader's attention by its double mention in this verse. The names of the rival commanders :a>Cmp. BR.ESSAN 6.50. NEB renders well: 'By the time that Absalom had crossed... David was already at Mahanaim'. SaroLZ, Erzahlkunst 9 with n.1 argues for simultaneity, taking both verbs as simple past tenses, but the context makes this less than probable. 21 VAN SETERS,]SOT 1 (1976) 2.5 suggests that the whole genealogical note of v. 2.5 is an invention of the author of the C.ourt History 'who made an anomalous matronymic out of the patronymic •sons of 2.cndah• for his own literary purposes'. There arc genealogicalproblems in v. 2.5 (sec DKIVE1t,Notes 326), but Van Sctcrs's solution may be too drastic. 22 WELLHAUSEN, Text 200 held that the gentilitial name (which he took to be hyimnly with 1 Chr 2,17) belonged with 'yI, the intervening words wimw ytr' being either misplaced or a later addition; this could bring the formulation into accord with the type found at Gen 38,2 and 1 Sam 17,12. But it is hardly necessary to level out the formulations in this way. 23 Two aprcssions for 'commander of the army' arc found in the present material: cz h,tb' ( 17,2.5),and Jr ,tb' ( 19,14). The first type, cz + a form of ,tb', is found at Num 10,14.1.5.16.18.19.20.22.23.24.2.5.26.27; 2 Sam 8,16 ( 1 Chr 18,1.5); 17,2.5; 20,23 (text?); 1 Kgs 2,3.5; 4,4. The second type occurs as (a) Jr (sing.) + a form of ,tb' at Gen 21,22.32; 26,26; Jos .5,14.1.5;Jgs 4,2.7; 1 Sam 12,9; 14,.50; 17,.5.5;26,.5; 2 Sam 2,8; 10,16.18 ( 1 Chr 19,16.18); 19,14; 1 Kgs 1,19; 2,32.32; 11,1.5.21; 16,16; 2 Kgs 4,13; .5,1; 2.5,19 ( Jcr .52,2.5);Dan 8,11; 1 Chr 27,.5.34; and (b) Jry (plural) + a form of ,tb' at Dt 20,9; 1 Kgs 1,2.5; 2,.5; 1 Chr 12,22; 2.5,1; 26,26; 27,3; 2 Chr 33,11. The first type is found in lists and in the P material of Num 10; also in the narrative appointment-notices of 2 Sam 17 and 1 Kgs 2 (with the same preposition, tlpt, but with different verbs, SYM and NTN respectively). The distribution of this form would suggest an official style, the usage of the royal administration or archives; the bureaucratic style of the P-list would be •

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framev. 25. Amasa will not be referred to during the account of the battle, so the present mention prepares for 19,14 and for ch. 20. After the genealogical parenthesis the narrator returns to a military annotation in v. 26. 24 The order of the subjects yJl'l w.,bilwm is interesting, contrasting as it does with v. 24. 25 While one could point to 2 Sam 11,11 (where 'the Ark and Israel and Judah' are mentioned before the commander Joab and his picked troops) as another example of this word-order ('army + commander') in a battle-context, it may be that the text at 17,26 hints at Absalom's lack of leadership qualities. 'The hearts of all the men of Israel were after Absalom' ( 15,13), but at 17,26 Absalom comes after the men of Israel, and this dishonourable position foreshadows his dishonourable end. Verse 27a takes up v. 24a in order to refocus on David: this is a good example of resumption (Wiederaufnahme) which does not indicate that extraneous material has been inserted. 26 One can compare 16,14-16 for a similar juxtaposed description of the two parties with the narrative resumed in v. 16 with wyhy k.,I, (in 17,27 with wyhy k). In the long and awkward sentence that follows (vv. 27b-29a) the unusual word-order, S + 0 + V + adverbial complement, is probably determined more by the length of the subjects and objects than by a desire to give special prominence to the subjects. rr Common words and collocations,28 as well as rarer ones, 29 are found in the list of rations later dcrivatioo. The second type, found in various strata (J, E, Rise of David, Succession Narrative, annalistic material, Elisha-cycle, Dtr, etc.) appears to be the normal narrative expression. _ 24. A mention of encampment (IJNH) is common in reports of battles and sieges. There arc two main types: (1) place where encamped (gencrally IJNH b; only at 2 Sam 17,26 is a simple accusative of place used); (2) against whom encamped (IJNH cl: generally against a town being besieged; against people at Jgs 6,4). 25 CASPARI 618 makes 'Absalom' the sole subject of wy!,n; the word 'Israel' was inserted later by someone who felt that the verb needed a plural subject. MAuCHLINE 283 suggests that the unexpected order 'Israel and Absalom' may be intended to 'emphasize that Absalom had gone on campaign with his troops'. 26 Sec in general KUHL, ZAW 64 (1952) 11; SEELIGMANN, ThZ 18 (1962) 316; RICHTER, Bxegese 70£. with n. 81. rt In ANET 236 n. 33 Wilson suggests that certain brief notations without true sentence form in the Karnak Annals of Thut-mose III 'probably derive from the army's • daybook'. See also ANET 237a with n. 39; 239b with n. 13. See ANEP 235.236.367 for illustrations of Assyrian scribes writing a report of the booty and the slain after a battle. It does not seem too far-fetched to suppose that army quartermasters (cmp. 1 Sam 17,22 where Jwm, hklym is rendered 'quartermaster' by NEB) noted down the sources of their provisions, and this might account for the awkward form of the sentence at 2 Sam 17,27-29. 21 Wheat and barley (!,tym / !,th and rrym / r,h) arc mentioned together at Dt 8,8; 2 Sam 17,28; Isa 28,25; Jer 41,8; Ezek 4,9; 45,13; Joel 1,11; Job 31,40; Ru 2,23; 2 Chr 2,9.14; 27,5: sometimes juxtaposed, sometimes in parallelism. In all but one of the texts given, 'wheat' is mentioned first, probably due to its greater importance in Syria and Palestine (sec OPPENHEIM, Anc. Mesop. 44). The exception is Ru 2,23 where the order 'barley and wheat' reflects the chronological sequence of the harvests (see GALLING,BRL 186; CAMPBELL, Ruth 108). DAHOOD in RSP I.II 176 (and cmp. II 304) lists Ugar. texts

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and supplies.30 The length of the list makes for an effect of vividness and narrative realism, and also possibly suggests the happy surprise of David and his men at the generous and urgently needed help. 31 Unlike the previous mention of a gift of provisions at 16,1-4, there is no attempt here to show in dialogue how David reacted to the gift. The provisions were presented ldwd wrm 'Ir 'tw (v. 29a); the word-order, contrasting with the 'Israel and Absalom' of v. 26, may suggest that David, unlike Absalom, was a capable military leader. The motivation attributed to David's supporters is given in direct speech in v. 29b (ky 'mrw: cmp. 16,3) and repeats the ideas of hunger, thirst, and fatigue in the wilderness which were mentioned at 16,2. One can note, however, that the terms used are di£. ferent (in ch. 16 'KL, STH, yep; here RcB, cyp, $~). 32 The sub-unit ends impressively on this ternary group. 1 8, 1 - 5: The next sub-unit (18,1-5) is structured on the pattern of dialogue (vv. 2b-4a) framed by narratives (vv. 1-2a.4b-5). One can note the inclusions between vv. 1 (Jry 'lpym wiry m'wt) and 4 (lm'wt wl'lpym), and between vv. 2 and 5 (the names of the generals); these interlock to give a firm unity to the passage. It is the central v. 3 which most attracts the reader's attention by its length, its syntactical complexity, and its use of parallelism and hyperbole. The first narrative part (vv. 1-2a) forms a well balanced exposition, articulated on a ternary pattern (cmp. 17,29b): three wyqtl sentences corresponding to the three-fold division of the army, 33 and to the triple repetition of hiliyt

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where !Jtmand rrm occur together. Another stock pair seems to be 'honey and butter': dbJ + l;m'h at Dt 32,13-14; 2 Sam 17,29; Job 20,17: and l;m'h + dbJ at Isa 7,1.5.22. Flour (qml;) and parched grain (qly) are also common (14:x and .5x respectively), though this is the only text where they occur together. 29 kly 'YWfl' occurs at 2 Sam 17,28; Jer 19,11 (/dy hywfr): Ps 2,9. The pairing pwl wcdfym occurs at 2 Sam 17,28 and Ezek 4,9 only (sec WIPALL, BiblTheolBull 4 [1974] 97); pwl occurs nowhere else, cdJym in two other texts. On Jpwt see App. II. The word sappdt is generally taken to be the plural of I sp 'basin, bowl' (thus ZoRELL 5.58; NAB; NEB). However the plural of this word elsewhere is sipplm/sipp8t; and KBL 663 prefers to take it here as cognate with Akk. Ji-pate 'skin, wool material'; cmp. Vg. 'tapetia'. Either sense fits the context. 30 Sec MALAMAT in Fs.Robert 114-121. SaroLTE, Etstehung 215 with n. 46 ~ serves that 10th cent. Hebrew liked to list provisions and gifts: sec Gen 37,25; 43,11; 1 Sam 25,18; 30,12; 2 Sam 16,1; 17,28£.. On the use of waw in enumerations sec Jo'OON 1770-p. 31 This is suggested by GUTBROD 211. 32 The only other text with cyp + RcB + $M' appears to be Isa 29,8; cyp occurs with $M' at Ps 63,2. For other RcB + $M' texts sec DAHOOD in RSP I. II 523. 33 Division of a military force into three companies is traditional, with antecedanta already at Mari: see BoLING, Judges 147 with reference to MENDENHALL, ]BL 77 (19.58) 57£., n. 32. Sec also Jgs 7,16; 9,43; 1 Sam 11,11; 13,17£.; Job 1,17. There is a division into four companies at Jgs 9,34.

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(v. 2a). 34 The PN 'David, is used in vv. 1-2a as it was in 17,24-29; the narrator focuses attention on the aspect of personal conflict involved in the preparation for battle. The vocabulary is quite ordinary: the verb PQD occurs elsewhere in accounts of preparation for battle; 35 the titles of the officers Jry 'lpym and Jry m'wt are frequent, 36 though it should be noted that the 'thousands' and 'hundreds' need not be taken literally; 37 SLij byd is a fairly frequent phrase though not in the sense used here. 38 Among the generals Abishai is given a longer naming formula than either Joab or Ittai. At first sight this is somewhat surprising, for Abishai has already been identified as bn 1rwyh at 16,9, but a closer examination shows the stylistic merits of this language choice. The rather heavy triple repetition of v. 2b is varied by expanding the central element; this emphasis on the second of three elements is characteristic of 18,1-5: in its overall structure (narrative, dialogue, narrative), within the dialogue part (v. 3, the second of the three utterances, is the most prominent), and here in the naming of the three generals. The longer titulature bn 1rwyh '!Jy yw'b recalls the '!Jwt ffwyh 'm yw,b of 17,25 in the genealogy of Amasa, and reminds the reader again of the familial dimension of the conflict. Furthermore, by using the longer form of Abishai's name the narrator makes Joab's name appear twice in v. 2; it had already appeared twice in 17,25, so the reader is being prepared for the prominent role which Joab will play in what is to come. The central dialogue section (vv. 2b-4a) is also constructed on a ternary centre-stressed pattern: short statement (v. 2b) + longer speech (v. 3) + short reaction (v. 4a). The verb Y$' is a word-bridge between the proposal (v. 2b) and its rejection (v. 3), and the root 'fWB between the rejection and the king,s reaction (v. 4a). In this exchange with the soldiers the title hmlk is used (vv. 2b.4a); the narrator remains aware of rank distinctions for all his emphasis on the personal aspect. The king's proposal Yl 'l ...is phrased emphatically,,,

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34 For hJIJyt... whJIJyt... whJlfyt sec also 2 Kgs 11,,f. ( 2 Chr 23,4f.). Ezck .5,12 (cmp. .5,2). 35 Sec e.g. Jos 8,10; 1 Sam 11,8; 1 Kgs 20,1.5; 2 Chr 2,,,. 36 'Leader(s) of thousand(s)' occurs 21x in all: a) Jr "Ip at 1 Sam 17,18; 18,13; b) Jry •zpym at Ex 18,21.2.5;Dt 1,1.5; 1 Sam 8,12; 22,7; 2 Sam 18,1; 2 Chr 17,14; c) Jry h"lpym at Num 31,14.48..52..54; 1 Chr 13,1; 1.5,2.5;26,26; 27,1; 28,1; 29,6; 2 Chr 1,2; 2.5,,. 'Leader(s) of hundreds' occurs 2.5x in all: a) Jry m"wt at Ex 18,21.2.5;Dt 1,1.5; 1 Sam 22,7; b) Jry hm"wt at Num 31,14.48..52 ..54; 2 Sam 18,1; 2 Kgs 11,4.9.10.1.5.19;1 Chr 13,1; 26,26; 27,1; 28,1; 29,6; 2 Chr 1,2; 23,1.9.14.20; 2.5,.5. Forms of the two phrases occur together (as here) 13x; and they occur with 'leaders of fifties' at Ex 18,21.2.5and Dt 1,1.5. 37 Similarly SCHULZ II 212£.. On "lp(ym) as 'companies, contingents' in some texts, see MENDENHALL, ]BL 11 (19.58) .52-66; BoLING, Judges .54£.. 38 byd ... is used with SLJ:l qal at Gen 38,20; Ex 4,13; 1 Sam 16,20; 2 Sam 10,2; 11,14; 12,2.5; 1 Kgs 2,2.5; 2 Kgs 17,13; Jer 29,3; Zech 7,12; Prov 26,6; Esth 8,10; 2 Chr 8,18; 36,1.5: with SLJ:l piel at Lev 16,21; 1 Sam 11,7; 2 Sam 18,2; Jer 27,3 (text?); Job 8,4: and with SLJ:l ni£ at Eath 3,13. See also App. II. 39 The strengthening infin. absol. construction with Y$" qal is relatively infrequent: 7x in all, two of these here at 16,, and 18,2.

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but the soldiers' reply is even more emphatic. 40 No courtly or polite formulas are used in their three-part answer: (1) the refusal is blunt (f tl'), 41 and is driven home (2) by a reason in three parts (fey 'm ns ... w'm ymtw bfynw ... ley 'th kmnw ... ), followed (3) by a counter-proposal introduced by the conventional wcth. The tone of affection which emerges clearly from their words is given added force by the direct second-person address forms. A reversal of 17,11 can be noted here: Hushai who was not speaking for Absalom's good had urged him to lead his forces personally into battle, but David's men who are genuinely concerned for his welfare urge him to stay behind. Emphasis is given by the strengthening infin. absol. construction ns nnws, 42 which balances the use of this construction in David's words at v. 2. The repetition of r ysymw 'lynw lb, with its recurrent -I, sound and its regular rhythm (two framing alliterative monosyllables and two centre-stressed trisyllables)43 gives an impression of parallelism and adds cumulative insistence to the soldiers' argument, while the numerical hyperboles (ki11ing'half of us', and 'you are worth ten thousand of us' 44) make a strong rhetorical appeal. The word fey occurs three times in v. 3; it tends to be frequent in the more emotional speeches (cf. 16,10 and especially 19,6-8). On the sound level one can also note the rhymes -lent2 / -yent2 / -lent2 (v. 3a), and _cz,/ -zlr (v. 3b, though the text is uncertain here). The closing narrative part (vv. 4b-5) begins with a vivid picture (v. 4b) which contrasts rest (cMD) with movement (Y$'), and the lone king with the many soldiers (kl hem ... lm'wt wflpym). 45 The phrase cz yd h'Jcr(v. 4) links back to byd (v. 2), and reminds the reader of Absalom's intrigues as he prepared his rebellion (wcmd cz yd drk h'Jcr: 15,2). One can also note the variation in word-order between v. 1 (l000's and l00's) and v. 4 (l00's and l000's). The command of v. 5 is given greater emphasis by the long quotationformula with its repetition of the three generals' names. The alliteration in l 40 The soldiers speak as a group, no spokesman being singled out. This is rare enough in the present material (sec also 19,10£.; 19,42-44), and gives greater force to their words. 41 B:uGHT, ]BL 92 (1973) 197f. has noted that 2 Sam 18,3 and 21,17 (and possibly Jgs 19,24 where the text is uncertain) arc the only cases where the lo➔ prohibitive is used by inferiors to superiors. The subjects here 'feel themselves in a position to enforce their wishes through moral suasion' (p. 198). 42 The infin. absol. construction with NW S occurs only here. 43 ALONSO ScuoKEL 236 notes that both David's proposal and the soldiers' answer arc 'muy rftmicas y marcadas'. 44 CASPAKI 588 n. 2 refers to the Annals of Thut-mosc III (ANET 237a) where the taking of Mcgiddo is said to be 'the capture of a thousand towns' because at that time 'every prince of every northern country' was shut up there. For 'ten thousand' (rbbb, however, not cJrh'lpym as here) in hyperboles, sec also 1 Sam 18,7 ( 21,12 and 29,5). EHRLICH,RllndglossenIII 318 rejects the rendering 'ten thousand' here on the grounds that the st. cstt. of the numeral (* cJrt 'lpym) would have been needed to express the collective notion: he renders 'ten regiments, ten alapbim'. For cJrh 'lpym sec also 2 Kgs 24,14 (Kt): and sec GKC 97g and JoOoN 142d NJ. 45 lm'wt wPlpym occurs only at 1 Sam 29,2 (with cBR) and 2 Sam 18,4 (with Y$').

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(four times) in the reported words of the king (cmp. v. 3a) adds to their intensity, 46 while the word nc, 'young man' explicitly betrays the father's affection for his son in spite of everything. The depth of feeling revealed here surprises the reader, 47 and the narrator stresses the point by telling how all the soldiers heard the command to the generals (v. .5b, where the double kl with its note of universality adds to the concluding tone of the verse). The interweaving of vocabulary, noted above of yd in vv. 2 and 4, continues here: hfwt hmlk takes up wyfw hmlk of v . .5a and drives home the fact of the command, while the mention of the generals (Jrym) recalls v. 1. Absalom's name is given extra prominence by the end-position repetition (vv. .5a..5b). Though most of vv. 1-.5are taken up by dialogue an undercurrent of movement sweeps through the verses, as is shown by the five occurrences of Y,r. 41 Finally one can note the similarity of structure between vv. 4 and .5: in each there are two sentences - a wyqtl with subject hmlk, and an x-qtl with subject hem; in v. 4 it is the king who is more passive and the soldiers more active, while in v. 5 the positions are reversed, the king gives the orders and the soldiers listen. 1 8, 6 - 8 : It is probably best to see vv. 6-8 as the next sub-unit which reports in general terms the fact and outcome of the battle, while the change to the particular incident about Absalom at v. 9 will mark the start of the next unit. 49 The opening verb wy{'w (v. 6) takes up the repeated Yf of the preceding vv. 1-.5. The extra length and complexity of v. 8b with its con]BL 4, (1926) 3'7 saw in rt the verb LW'f'to cover, veil', and hence 'to deal gently'. But this is not accepted by ZollELL 38 and HAL 36.488 who see here the preposition l and the noun •at 'gentleness'. This compound of l + 't occurs in adverbial function at Gen 33,14 and Isa 8,6; the nearest to an action-word function as here is probably Job 1,,11. SMR which replaces in the equivalent phrase at 2 Sam 18,12 docs not occur in other contexts of rt. 47 GuTBJlOD 216f. observes that the narrative, usually so concise in external details, becomes fuller when there is question of David's love for Absalom, and he sees this as a sign of the theme of succession to the throne. But there is nothing in the text itself to indicate that a successor was needed soon at all. The greater detail of 18,lff. is adequately explained by the extraordinary nature of David's love for his rebel son, and it must be added that the greatest attention to detail in the narrative is had in the accounts of David's meetings with various persons and groups during his flight and return. 41 One of the typical verbs of battle-reports: sec RICHTER, Trad. Untersuch. 262. 49 Similarly ALONSOSCH0JCEL 236. But DE VRIES, ]BL 92 (1973) 2, takes v. 7 as the end of a unit with bywm hhw' as part of a concluding epitome, while the bywm hbw• of v. 8 introduces a new episode within the pcricopc. This division has its advantages: it avoids the repetition both of bywm hhw' and of wthy Jm in the same unit, and it takes account of the connections of v. 8 with vv. 9ff. (the forest in v. 8 and the tree in vv. 9ff.; the 'sword devouring' of v. 8 and the killing of Absalom in vv. 9ff.); and for bywm hhw' at the end and start of successive units one can compare 1 Sam 14,23.24; Nch 12,43.44. Nonetheless the division after v. 8 is preferred here in view of (1) the more general tone of v. 8 which links it with vv. 6-7 rather than with the more personalized vv. 9ff., and (2) the rhythm of v. Sb which seems more fitting as a conclusion than as an exposition. 46 HAUPT,

r,

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eluding bywm hhw' makes a rhythmically suitable close for the sub-unit. A care for rhythm can be seen too in the designations of the opposing armies. At v. 6 the single-term hem (David's) is opposed to the single-term yJ?l (also in v. 16); while at v. 7 both sides receive a double-term name - cbdy dwd and cm yJr'l, where the alliteration in cayincan be noticed also. Details of place (hJdh, v. 6a; b,Cr 'prym, v. 6b; sm, vv. 7a.7b.8b; cl pny kl h'rf, v. 8a) and of time (bywm hhw", vv. 7b.8b) are plentiful, even apparently superfluous at times here. Other word-recurrences can be noted too: wthy (vv. 6b.7b.8a); hml/Jmh (vv. 6b.8a); ,Cr (vv. 6b.8b): and these contribute to the tone of generality which characterizes the verses. The emphasis on 'there' and 'on that day' stresses the reader's geographical and temporal separation from the events which are made to stand out all the more in their historical uniqueness. This contrasts with the dialogue sections of the narrative which draw the reader into the story to a much greater extent. The language is predominantly factual and even stereotyped at times, as if the narrator had no particular interest in the battle itself. 50 Phrases such as ¥$" lqr't (v. 6), NGP ni£ + lpny (v. 7), cl pny kl h'rf (v. 7) are of frequent occurrence and are not particularly vivid. 51 However PW$ with subject ml!Jmh (v. 8) is unusual, 52 as is the use of mgph (v. 7) in a battle-context. 53 A more imaginative use of language appears in v. 8b - the forest and the sword devour the people. Though 'KL+ !Jrb is quite common, the first phrase wyrb h,Cr r kl ... appears to be more creative or poetical, 54 and this, 50 RICHTER, Trad. Untersuch. 264 notes the close resemblance in structure between 18,6£. and 2,17 (except for wthy hmgph gdwlh) and adds: 'Die Verwandtschaft erldirt sich bier durch den glcichen Verfasscr der Thronfo]gegcschichte'. The observation is useful but the explanation is unusual; sec however n. 8 on p. 2 above. 51 lpny is used in 20 of the 22 occurrences of NGP nif. The phrase cz pny kl h'rf occurs at Gen 1,29; 7,3; 8,9; 11,4.8.9; Dt 11,25; 1 Sam 30,16; 2 Sam 18,8; Zech 5,3; Dan 8,5. Note too cz kl pny h'rf at Gen 41,.56 and Ezek 34,6: and cz pny h'rf at Num 11,31; Jer 27,5; Ezck 39,14; Am 5,8; 9,6. These expressions arc found with PW$ 'to scatter, disperse' at Gen 11,4.8.9; 2 Sam 18,8; Ezck 34,6: but 2 Sam 18,8 is the only occurrence in a battle context. 52 There is no other instance in the MT, but the Vorlage of LXX at 1 Sam 14,24 may have had this combination too (see NAB in loc.). The verb PW$ occurs often in battle contexts: sec Num 10,35; 1 Sam 11,11; 2 Sam 18,8; 20,22; 1 Kgs 22,17; 2 Kgs 25,5 ( = Jer 52,8); Jer 40,15; Zech 13,7; Ps 68,2. But it is usually said of soldiers or enemies who arc scattered after their defeat, not of the fighting itself as here. The sense at 2 Sam 20,22 is unusual too: 'demobilized' after victory, not 'scattered' after defeat. For the concept of a battle 'spreading' cmp. 1 Sam 4,2 (wtfJ hmll;mh), if the verb is NTS ni£ (but sec ZoRELL 515 and KBL 614 for doubts on this point). KUHNIGK, Hosea 71 repoints as Qal passive wattuUaJ ('die Schlecht breitete sich aus') and refers to 2 Sam 18,8 as a 'sachliche Parallele'. s3 mgph with reference to a battle is found at 1 Sam 4,17; 2 Sam 17,9; 18,7. More often the word refers to a plague, disease, or some other divine punishment: in battle contexts the more usual word is mkh. 54 For a comparable note at the end of a battle account sec Jos 10,llb (with VAN DEN

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combined with the repetition of bywm hhw,, lends a slight epic or heroic tone to the otherwise factual account. The quasi-parallel structure of vv. 6b-7 on the one hand and v. 8 on the other adds to the more elevated tone: v. 6b wthy hmllJmh ... v. 6b place mention v. 7 casualties bywm hhw,

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1 8, 9 - 1 7 : The episode of Absalom's death makes up the next sub-unit, constructed on the familiar pattern of dialogue (vv. 10-14a) framed by narratives (vv. 9.14b-17). The dialogue delays the outcome and heightens the suspense; it also throws light on the characters and enables the narrator to imply a judgement on them (on Joab in particular here). In contrast to the generalizing tone of vv. 6-8, the narrative at v. 9 becomes detailed and vivid. The phrase lpny cbdy dwd (v. 9) re-echoes the same phrase of v. 7, and within v. 9 the effect of a rapid successionof events is conveyed by word links between the different sentences. Thus, ,bllwm of v. 9a is taken up in the following NS; the hprd of the latter appears in the next VS (wyb, hprd ...); the ,lb of that is used in the following VS; the next sentence (wytn byn hlmym wbyn h,rf) 56 uses new words all through and so stands out in a particular way; the concluding sentence (whprd ,I, t!Jtyw cbr) rounds off the description and, as a NS, encourages the reader to pause for a moment and contemplate the scene and its meaning. The mule was a royal mount; losing his mule Absalom has lost his kingdom.57 A pattern can be noted in the order of sentences at v. 9. Two sentences with 'Absalom' as subject are followed by one with 'the mule' as subject; and then this 2 + 1 pattcm is repeated. However the regularity of the pattern does not extend to the sentence-types,which are in the order VS+ NS+ VS; VS+ VS+ NS. The absence of £ull regularity here (cmp. 15,30) helps to give a restless onward thrust to the narrative at this point. The repetition of t!Jt with different referents adds to this onward movement: wyb, hprd t!Jt hJwble... whprd ,J, t/Jtyw cbr. The use of the article with h,lh hgdwlh (v. 9b) BollN 195); and also Jgs 16,30. On 'KL+ l;rb sec OrrossoN, ThWAT I 2.5.5. On the adverbial use of RBH hi£ sec JoOON141h, and HoFTIJZEJt,VT 20 (1970) 428£., n. 2. 55 DE VJllEs, VT 25 (197.5)91 speab of an 'epitomizing casualty report with bayy8hahd' ', and refers to Ex 32,28; Jos 8,25; Jgs 3,29 (instead of bywm hhw' this bas bet hhy'); Jgs 20,3.5.46; 1 Sam 22,18; 2 Sam 18,7. 56 On 'air' in Hebrew sec RosMAJtIN,]BL .51(1932) 71£.; LEVINE,Beth Milera 61,2 (1975) 288-291.306, and ZAW 88 (1976) 97-99. The phrase byn h"rt wbyn hlmym ('in the air') occurs at Ezck 8,3; Zech 5,9; 1 Chr 21,16: the reverse order occurs only at 2 Sam 18,9. On the variation in order of 'rt and Jmym in Hebrew and Ugaritic texts sec DAHOOD in RSP I.II 71 and 554. 57 Sec 2 Sam 13,29; 1 Kas 1,33. ALONSO ScHOKEL 237 comments: 'Absal6n sc qucda sin mulo y sin rcino', and notes that this is one of the instances where the reader must be alert to 'la rcsonancia simb6lica de algunos detallcs' (p. 2.36).

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may indicate a local tradition which was able to point out the tree in question. 51 60 The form Jwbk 59 and the phrase lJZQ b'!Jlh in this verse are unparalleled. Three rapid wyqtl verbs (v. 10) express the urgency of the message which is introduced by the attention-calling hnh; the first-person r'!Jyty,instead of a third-person statement, makes the news more vivid, and the word '!Jlhrecurs for the third time. Joab's reply (v. 11) is delayed slightly by the unnecessarily long quotation-formula with the very explicit fys hmgyd lw. His opening words whnh r'!Jyttake up in a tone of surprised or sarcastic rebuke the first words of the soldier's message in v. 10, 61 and given the context it is hard not to see a nuance of reproof in the following mdwc. 62 The double modification Jm '!Jrfhgives added force to Joab's words. Just as Joab took up the soldier's words at the start of v. 11, so now (v. 12) the soldier takes up Joab's offer, multiplies it by a hundred, and then decisively rejects it: 6.l cirh !esp (v. 11) is answered by '!Jlp!esp (v. 12), SLJ:Iyd '!Jl(v. 12) 64 is a variation of NKH hi£ (v. 11), and Joab's wcly is re-echoed in cl kpy (v. 12). The use of waw with the opening lu-:,takes up the whnh and the other two waws of v. 11, and helps to accelerate the polemical dialogue. While Joab referred to Absalom merely by a pronoun (hkytw, v. 11), the soldier goes to the heart of the matter when he terms him bn hmlk (v. 12), and this leads on to a reminder of the king's command. $WR hmlk occurs for the third time in the section (twice already in v. ,); b-:,znynwin an emphatic pre-verbal position recalls the Jmcw of v. ,b, and the reference to the three Cmp. KI:u:PATRICIC 171; Mos1s,ThWAT I 932. One can also note the article in v.17 with bp!Jt hgdwl which suggests a known pit (so too DHollMB398). There seems to be no way of deciding whether 'lb means 'oak', 'tercbinth', or just 'large tree': see Tuvu, IDB III '7,; IV '74; MAsTDMAN and BROCICINGTON, HDB2 970£.; HAL ,o. 59 The form Jwbk is hapu, but with the same meaning 'entangled foliage, thicket' the forms S-bak (Gen 22,13; Isa 9,17; 10,34) and S-bole (Jer 4,7; Ps 74,5) occur. 60 l;IZQ b in the sense 'to be caught, fixed in' occurs only here. C.OntrastGen 22,13 where 'l;fZ nif + b expresses this idea. For another sense of l;IZQ b see 2 Sam 13,11. 61 The wbnh of 18,11 is taken to mean 'if then ...' by BUDDE 61; Lm>o, Rechtssillze 24 n. 12; LABusCHAGNE in Syntax and Meaning 12; and anp. HAL 242 s.v. bnh, 10. However the sense 'if' here is rejected by GKC 1,9wN and by JoOoN 1671N; and of the comm. ScHuLz II 212, Gunaon 209, and HE1t.TZBERG 292 prefer to take it as an exc]amation of surprise or astonishment. The context seems to favour this stronger sense. On the 'sarcastic UJ(lU)' see WILLIAMS,Syntax 439; and d. OllvEa, Notes 373. A structural aimilarity can be noted between 1 Sam 9,6£. and 2 Sam 18,lOf.: 1 Sam 9,6 nlkh Jm ... 9,7 wbnh nlk 2 Sam 18,10 bnh ryty ... 18,11 whnh ryt In both cases then a question follOW1the whnb phrase. 62 C.OntrastJEPSEN'sview (in Fs.Rost 106-113) that mdw' always (except possibly at Job 3,11£.) expresses a simple request for information. 6.l The motif 'Reward offered but refused even if it were still greater appears at Num 22,18; 2 Sam 18,11£.; 1 Kgs 13,7£.. 64 Other instances of this phrase in a hostile sense: Gen 22, 12; Ex 24,11; Job 1,12. unp. $LJ:l yd b at 1 Sam 24,7.11; 26,9.23; Ps ,,,21; Esth 2,21; 3,6; 6,2; 8,7; 9,2; Neb U,21. See also App. I, A at 1',5. 51

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generals links back to v. 5a. The interweaving of vocabulary in this section is quite noticeable. The words of the command quoted by the soldier in v. 12 are not a verbatim repetition of those given in v . .5; the narrator, it is dear, is not detained by scruples of exactitude in such matters. 65 On the soundlevel one can note the predominance of the -m and -b sounds in Imrw my ... in contrast to the -l alliteration in the words of v. 5. The second part of the soldier's argument is introduced by '6 'or' (v. 13): 66 one can contrast Hushai's more rhetorical whsnyt (16,19) and Joab's wcth (19,8). The consonance between Iqr at the start of this second argument and Iql at the start of the first helps to unify the soldier's speech. The theme of the king's universal knowledge (wkl dbr r ykbd ...) recalls 14,20. 67 In the fmal sentence the emphatic use of the independent pronoun w'th links back to the 'nky of v. 12a. The short quotation-formula of v. 14 reflects Joab's impatience which finds expression then in his words whose brevity has caused difficulty to commentators (see App. II). In the dialogue section, then, besides the interweaving of vocabulary noted above, one can remark the vivid concrete terms: tlwy (v. 10) instead of the more general wytn (v. 9); the addition of 'rfh to hkytw (v. 11); the precise details of the promised reward (v. 11); and the vivid reference to weighing in v. 12a. 68 Among the rarer phrases used here are cSH Iqr bnpiw (v. 13), m $WR b'zn(-) (v. 12), 10 SQL cl kp (v. 12), 71 and finally Y$B mngd (v. 13). 12 Rapid action follows in vv. 14b-17: a series of seven wyqtl sentences in vv. 14b-16 with an x-qtl making a pause at the end (ky bJk ..., v. 16b); 73 then ~ Other examples of inexact citations can be seen at Gen 18,13; 2 Sam 1,16; 1, 134; 16,18£.. 66 The use of '8 85 a sentence-level conjunction seems to be rare in narrative texts (sec Ex 4,11; 1 Sam 20,10; 26,10; 2 Sam 18,13), though it is frequent in legal texts. 67 KlJD (but in piel) occurs with dbr also at 1 Sam 3,17; 2 Sam 14,18; Jer 38,14. 68 If Mo1tGENSTERN (VT 11 [1961] 313) was right in saying that the fundamental meaning of SQL in Hebrew was 'to hang down, suspend', then the reference to 'weighing' in v. 12 may be a grim word-play on Absalom's 'hanging'. m csH with obj. Jqr occurs at 2 Sam 18,13; Jer 6,13; 8,10: but the addition of bnpl(-) is found only at 2 Sam 18,13. Cmp. also Jer 8,8; Hos 7,1; Prov 11,18. l.BMADE, Semitica 23 (1973) 16 finds bnpI 'at peril of (your) life, in excbanv. for (your) life' at 2 Sam 14,7; 18,13; 1 Kgs 2,23; 20,39; Prov 7,23; Lam ,,9; and in the Ramat-Negeb ostracon, line 7. 10 b'zn(-), which occurs with many verbs of speaking (esp. DBR and QR'), seems to occur with $WH only here. 11 SQL cz kp occurs only here. SQL cz yd is found at Eath 3,9; Ezra 8,26.3.3, but in those texts two different persons arc referred to in SQL and yd (the payer and receiver). 12 unp. CMD mngd at Ob 11 and Ps 38,12. 73 This seems to be the only time 1:{SKis used in a military context. Its meaning is disputed here: (1) THEmus 23,; KLOSTERMANN 21,; REHM 108; BussAN 6.56; GosLINGA 322 take it as 'wished to spare the people' (i.e. the Israelite army); (2) most other comm. as well 85 ZollELL 273; HAL 345; NAB; NEB keep the more usual sense 'held back the people' (i.e. David's army). While it is true, as proponents of the first opinion argue, that the reason-clause is superfluous, there arc other instaoceaof such superfluous

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another three wyqtl sentences in v. 17 with another x-qtl (v. 17b) to conclude the sub-unit. The sentences are generally short in vv. 14b-16 giving a high proportion of narrative verbs: seven wyqtl forms in thirty-four words. The sentences become slightly longer in v. 17 as the end comes near. There is a neat balance between the subjects of the sentences. The first two (v. 14b) have Joab as subject; then come three (v. 15) with the ten armour-bearers as subject; 74 then two wyqtl forms with Joab as subject (v. 16); and finally three wyqtl verbs with the soldiers as subject (v. 17a). The symmetry is added to by the use of LQI::Ias the first verb at v. 14b and 17a. Here too vocabulary interconnectionshelp to create a tightly woven verbal texture. Joab took the three sticks bkpw (v. 14b); 75 this recalls the lql cl kpy of v. 12. The wykw of v. 15b re-echoes the hkytw of v. 11, and the N$B hi£ of v. 17 recalls the Y$B hitp of v. 13. Absalom is thrown into a great pit (ppt) in the forest (ycr) (v. 17); this recalls the destruction wrought by the forest conditions (ycr) on the fleeing Israelites (v. 8), and also links back to Hushai's words at 17,9 (David hiding b~pt hpptym). There is another echo of ch. 17 in the use of SWB at v. 16 here; when Absalom is slain, the people (hem) return from the pursuit (wylb ... mrdp): this recalls, but in reverse, the advice of Ahithophel at 17,1-3 where the words RDP, SWB, and hem all occur.76 The theme of reversal also appears within vv. 14-16 in the juxtapositioning of the words 'life' (cwdnw py, v. 14) 71 and 'death' (wymytw, v. 15). Two instances of word-play can be noted in vv. 14b-17. At v. 14, blb is used of Absalom meaning 'in his chest', and then of the tree meaning 'in the middle (of the oak)'. 78 The verb TQc is used in v. 14 in the unusual sense of 'to thrust', and in v. 16 in the common phrase 'to blow the shofar'. 79 At this reason-clauses: sec Num 12,1; and the supcrtluous wyqtl sentences at 2 Sam 2,28ay.b.

The effect here is to create a slight pause in the action. 74 It may be better with G. R. DRIVER (in Fs.Neuman 134) to render 'bodyguard' instead of 'armour-bearers' in the technical sense of the expression, since in most texts there is mention of only one armour-bearer (Jgs 9,54; 1 Sam 14,1-17; 17,7; 31,4-6; 2 Sam 23,37 Qr). Another plural text however is had at 2 Sam 23,37 Kt. The number 'ten' is used of a small military company at Ex 18,21; 1 Sam 25,5; 2 Sam 18,15; 2 Kgs 25,25 (sec BRONGERS in Fs.Vriezen 32). 75 Cmp. Num 25,7 wyqlJ rmlJ bydw. 76 Cmp. HERTZBERG 297. 71 cwd + suffix+ form of IJy is frequent: sec Gen 25,6; 43,27.28; 46,30; Ex 4,18; 1 Sam 20,14; 2 Sam 18,14; 1 Kgs 20,32. 71 lb(b) can mean 'chest' as well as 'heart' (see esp. Nab 2,8): thus with ZoRELL 386; G. R. DRIVER in Fs.Neuman 133f.; STOLZ, THAT I 861£.; HAL 488, s.v. lb, 1. A wordplay on two senses of lb is found also at Ezek 28,2.6.8 ('heart' or 'mind', and 'middle of the sea'); Ezek 11,21 is textually doubtful (see ZIMMERLI, Ezechiel 201) but the existence of the word-play elsewhere might argue for the retention of the MT. The occurrence of lb 'heart' and 'middle', not strictly in word-play, but in close proximity is had at Prov 23,33 and 34; and cf. Dt 4,9 and 11. 79 GUNN,VT 24 (1974) .3()6.308notes that TQc bJwp, is used of the withdrawal of troops only at 2 'Sam 2,28 and 18,16 (anp. also 20,1£.22), and suggests that it is here part of a narrative pattern. Word-play on different senses of TQc is had at Jgs 3,21.27

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moment of high drama the language reaches an intensified degree of complexity. The phraseology in v. 17 recalls some other descriptions of the disposal of notorious corpses, ID but in the horizon of the present text it is more remarkable for the way in which the narrator widens out the perspectives at the end of the sub-unit. The enormity of the deed just committed is reflected in the double use of magnifyingqualifications - hp/pt hgdwl and gl 'bnym gdwl m'd 11 - and in the final universalizingnote kl yJr'l nsw with its formulaic modification 'yJ fhlw 12 which adds a note of solemnity to the close of the sub-unit. Though vv. 9-17 have told of the death of Absalom, the dominant character there is undoubtedly Joab whose name occurs no less than seven times in those verses. 11 1 8 , 1 8 : As the text stands the caesura marked by v. 17b is deepened by v. 18 with its x-qtl opening, but there are reasons for thinking that v. 18 is a later explanatory note. 14 (strike: blow trumpet); 2 Sam 18,1◄.16 (strike: blow trumpet); Jer 6,1.3 (blow trumpet: pitch tent). On the Jgs text eee ALONSOScHOKEL,Bibl 42 (1961) 1,2.i,4,1,1. The similarities between Jgs 3,21 and 2 Sam 18,14 are quite noteworthy: (1) only in these two texts is TQc used in the sense of 'wounding, striking' a person; (2) in both, LQI;l with object 'instrument, weapon' precedes; (3) in both the construction is TQ• + pronoun 1uflix standing for the instrument (p,b in Jgs; lbtym in 2 Sam) + part of body affected (bbtnw in Jgs; blb 'bllwm in 2 Sam); (4) in both contextl there is word-play on two senses of TQc. Is this a narrative pattern, or does it point to a common redactor, or is it simply coincidence? ID See Joa 1,2,f.; 8,29; 10,26f.: in .U of these the etiological •a hywm bib concludes the notice (see 2 Sam 18,18b). SLK is often used of 'throwingdead bodies': in the Hi£ at Joa 8,29; 10,27; 2 Sam 18,17; 2 9,2,.26; 10,2,; 13,21; Jer 22,19; 26,23; 41,9: and in Hof at 1 13,24.2,.28; Isa 14,19; 34,3; Jer 14,16; 36,30. MollGENSTEUf, IDtes 286 interpreu the heap of stones as a memorial for a departed hero; more probably, however, it was meant to dishonourthe corpse (see the Joa textl above: and cf. BUDDE and 179); possibly too it was a of protection against spirit of the evil-doer (ace NELIS in Bu,c 1nlf.). ~MP, Pri111itivtConceptions 67 finda a similar burial custom alluded to at Lam 3,,3, though the vocabulary is su,htly di£. ferent there. II GosLINGA322 suggests that there may be IOIDCthingof irony in the repeated gdwl: 'het enige wat un Absalom DOI groot is, het symbol van zijn schande'. 12 See RICHTER, Trad. Unttrsuch. 219£.. The formula is usu.Uy said to have had itl origins in the nomadic period of Israel's (pre-)history: Duvn, Dtuttronomy 194; JENNI, THAT I 309; DELCOll,VT 2, (197') 319£.: this is not altogether certain however, u BUKNEY, Judges 463, and DAHOOD, Pss III 244 variously point out. The distributive form 'yl rhl(-) is found in some 11 texta: Jgs 7,8; 20,8; 1 Sam 4,10; 13,2; 2 Sam 18,17; 19,9; 20,1.22; 2 14,12 ( 2 Chr 2,,22); 2 Chr 10,16. The verb NWS is used with rbl(-) at 1 Sam 4,10; 2 Sam 18,17; 19,9; 2 8,21; 14,12 ( 2 Chr 2,,22). ll At 17,23 seven wyqtl verbs tell of Ahithophel's death; earlier at 17,1-3 there seven first-person verbs in Ahithophel's advice to Abulom which, if accepted, would have meant David's death. Are these recurrencea of the number aeven in deciaive contezta simply a matt.er of c:bance? 14 Thus with XV.183; C.UO 1141 (though 14,2,-27 allo later for Kgs

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( 1) The statement that Absalom erected the stde because he had no son, conflicts with 14,27 which speaks of three sons of Absalom; (2) the etiological intention of the whole note with the typical cd hywm hzh formula, 85 while not automatically a sign of later origin, can confirm that suspicion if it arises on other grounds. Neither argument, it must be admitted, is decisive, for one can attempt to harmonize the data about the sons in 14,27 and 18,18, 86 and etiologies can be original in some texts; yet the balance of probabilities seems to favour those commentators who take v. 18 as a secondary explanation. fl The fact that several scholars have seen a close paralld between v. 18 and a Ugaritic text is no argument for the literary originality of the verse in its context. 88 It is sometimes said that the effect of the surprising shift back to Absalom's lifetime in v. 18 is to set up a sharp contrast between the proud monument he had erected for himsdf and the shameful heap of stones in the forest under which his tom corpse now lies. 89 This explanation does not quite fit, however, for the original point of v. 18 is not to describe the splendour him: p. 1121); PFEIFFER107; CARLSON, David 138 n. 4 (18,18 comes from the Deuteron. redactor); ScHuLTE, Entstehung 169 n.124 (but 14,2.5-27may be an addition too); LANGLAMET, RB 83 (1976) 3.5.5. KLosTEKMANN 21.5 proposed another solution which was developed by BUDDE284-286 and LoDs, Croyance I 206f.: the original text of v.18, placed after v. 17a, told how David erected a memorial for Absalom; v. 17b then led on to the messenger scene of vv.19ff.; the MT form is a deliberate correction of the original which was found to be unedifying. But this seems too hypothetical; even CAsPill .590 n. 2 terms the textual changes postulated 'willkiirlich'. 85 Sec JENNI, THAT I 714f. (with bibliog.). And add SEELIGMANN, Zion 26 (1961) 141-169 (Hebrew with Eng. summary on pp. I-II), and ThZ 18 (1962) 309£.320. 86 If Absalom's three sons of 14,27 died young, then later it is exact to say that he had no son (thus THENIUs214; ScHuLz II 218; BussAN 6.58; HERTZBERG 27.5; GosLINGA323). Brcssan himself (p. 621) raises the decisive difficulty to all such harmoni7.ations: even if those three sons died, why should Absalom have despaired of having others? fl The contradiction about the sons is the crucial point. If harmonization is rejected, then either 14,27 or 18,18 must be secondary: the presence of an etiology throws suspicion on 18,18, and the interest in the theme of personal beauty favours an early date for 14,2.5-27 (sec GERLEMAN, Hoheslied 72-7.5). 88 2 Aqht I:26-29 (= I:44-47; II:14-17) speaks of Daniel's son who will 'set up the stele of his ancestral spirits' (RAINEYin RSP II.III 7 prefers to render ilib as 'family deity'). 1, and the first scene closes with an account of his reaction to Amnon,s action (13,22). The three time-indications (13,23.38; 14,28) are all in direct relation to Absalom; events take place within Absalom-time. The elements of obstacle and stratagem too set Absalom apart, for while Amnon has to be shown a way out of his predicament by Jonadab and David by Josh and the Tekoite woman, Absalom twice finds his own way to overcome the obstacles which appear to frustrate his designs. Chh. 13-14, then, can hardly be seen as an independent 'Story of Tamar' as some scholars have claimed; 4 they arc thematically subordinate to the Absalom material and can be termed the prehistory of Absalom,s revolt. iii) Comparison of ch h. 1 3 - 1 4 with c hh:. 15-2 0: The repetition of an underlying schema gives a taut unity to chh. 13-14 and helps to set these chapters at a higher pitch of narrative intensity than chh.1.5-20 with their more relaxed or diffuse structure of 'departure/return, stretching right through the material. The 'departure/return, pattern of chh. 15-20 belongs more to the spatio-temporal sphere of external action, as is shown by the greater attention to political and other public events in those chapters. In chh. 13-14, on the other hand, there is more interest in the expression of human emotions and the clash of personalities, and this is facilitated by the See GRESSMANN XIV, 181 (retracted apparently in ZAW 44 [1926] .310); CA.SP.ill, ThStKr 82 (1909) .318-.324;and ZWTh .5.3(1911) 2.39-242; and in his comm. pp. 19..571.60.3; KUHL, ThLZ .5.3(1928) 100; SEELIGMANN, ThZ 18 (1%2) .317-.319; MILDENBEJtGEll, ThLZ 87 (1%2) 779; DELEitAT in Ps.Rost 26.29. 4

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dominance there of the psychologically orientated pattern of 'desire/fulfilment of desire,. 5 The difEerencesbetween the two blocks of material should not be overstressed, however, for just as the dominant pattern of chh. 1.5-20 appears in a secondary function in chh. 13-14 (as shown above), so too elements of the dominant pattern of chh. 13-14 appear in a secondary function in chh. 1.5-20. The text makes it clear that Ahithophel is the main obstacle to David,s return, and David expresses his desire in a prayer to the Lord (1.5,31: 'turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness'). Ahithophel is defeated by the stratagem of Hushai,s pretended transfer of allegiance to Absalom (1.5,33-36; 16,16-19) and by his plausible but disastrous advice (17,7-14); the greatest obstacle to David's return is thus overcome and David,s prayer-desire is fulfilled (17,14). The suicide of Ahithophel ( 17,23) means the definitive removal of this obstacle. Absalom, the remaining obstacle to David,s return, is then disposed of without further trouble. In brief, the 'departure/return' pattern is the dominant narrative pattern of chh. 1.5-20; it plays a secondary but not unimportant role in chh. 13-14; and it affects the reader by gaining his sympathy to some extent for Absalom in chh. 13-14 and to a much greater extent for David in chh. 1.5-20. The 'desire/fulfilment of desire, pattern dominates in chh. 13-14; it plays a secondary but not unimportant role in chh. 1.5-20; and it affects the reader mainly by giving him a deeper psychological insight into the personages of the story.

b. Microcontextual na"ative patterns These patterns help to structure the text by functioning as minor nuclei of narrative tension. A simple listing of the more important instances may be useful as a basis for comparisons with other narrative texts. 1. The 'command/execution, pattern and its variants: 6 1.1 'command/execution,: 13,7-8; 13,9b; 13,10; 13,17-18; 13,28-29; 14,2-3. 4-20; 14,21-23; 14,24; 14,30; 14,32-33; 1.5,2.5-29;18,21; 18,30; 19,8-9; 20,6-7. 1.2 'command/inadequate execution,: 20,4-.5. 1.3 'royal grant/reaction of subject,: 16,4; 19,30-31. 1.4 'motivated suggestion of superior/acquiescence of inferior/action': 15,1416; 1.5,33-37; 20,21-22. 1..5 'suggestion of superior/rejection and alternative proposal by inferior/acquiescence of superior/action': 15,19-22; 18,2b-4; 19,34-41. s On the two aspects sec also WESTERMANN in Fs.v.R.ad 615££.. It is easy to show, he writes (p. 616), that ' ... die beiden Motivkrcisen, der politische und der familiire, tatsichlich urspriinglich verschiedenen, weit voneinander entfemten Traditionsbereichen entstammen'; and he points to motifs that the familial sections of the Succession Narrative have in common with the Patriarchal stories of Genesis. 6 See BAUMGARTNER in Fr.Gunkel esp. 145-150; GALBIATI, Esodo 19-21.39; LIEDKE, THAT II 532; BLENKINSOPP, CBQ 38 (1976) esp. 27fr279 (on P texts).

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1.6 1.7

'suggestion of superior/rejection by inferior/action': 18,11-14. 'command of superior/rejection by inferior and (implicit) request/refusal by superior/action': 13,11-14; 13,15-17.

2. 2.1

The 'request/ granting' pattern: 'request of inferior/granted by superior': 13,6-7; 14,5b-8; 14,9-10; 14, 11; 15,7-9; 19,20-21.24; 20,17b. 'proposal of inferior/accepted and acted on by superior': 13,5-6; 19,1516; 20,16-17a. 'request of inferior/refused by superior': 16,9-10; 19,22-23. 'request of inferior/refused by superior/insistence of inferior/refusal of superior': 13,24-25. 'request of inferior/refused by superior/insistence of inferior/acquiescence of superior': 13,26-27. 'request of inferior/refused by superior/insistence of inferior/new refusal/new insistence/acquiescence': 18,19-23.

2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 3. 3.1 3.2 4. 4.1

The 'news or message' pattern: 'news or message/reaction': 13,30-31; 15,13-16; 15,31; 17,21-22; 18,1011; 18,25; 18,26; 18,27; 18,28-19,1; 19,2.6-8; 19,9; 19,12-15. 'message sent/incidents on the way/message delivered': 17,15-21; 18, 19-32.

4.2

The 'question/answer' pattern: 'information sought/and given': 13,4; 14,5-7; 14,19-20; 14,31-32; 15,2; 16,2; 16,3; 16,17-19; 18,29; 18,32; 19,26-29; 20,17. (A nuance of rebuke is probably present at 14,31; 16,17; 19,26.) 'accusing question/excusing answer': 19,42-43; 20,19-21.

5. 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4

Other patterns: 'prediction/fulfilment': 13,5-6; 13,32-33.35. 'advice sought/and given': 16,20-21; 17,6-13. 'advice given/reaction of recipients': 17,1-4; 17,8-14. 'perception/action': 14,1-2.

One can ask whether the use of these patterns may not owe something to the techniques of oral story-telling. Oral narrative verse tends to be formulaic, particularly on the level of epithets and phrases, 7 and a number of recent field studies of oral narrative prose agree in seeing the stock incident as a basic element of these stories. 1 The more frequent patterns listed above may well reflect the oral narrative technique of using 'fillers' to give the narrator time to think ahead. This is not to suggest, however, that the Absalom 7 Sec e.g. the influential work of Lo:RD, The Singer of Tales; and his art. 'Literature, Oral Transmission of' in New Cath. EncyclopediaVIII (1967) 828-832. • Sec CULLEY, Semeia , (1976) 9.

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material went through a period of oral transmission, for an originally written narrative could quite well adopt the techniques of oral narrative which would ao doubt have been fami1iar to the author. It is hazardous, in fact, to draw too sharp a line between oral and written literature especially in the earlier stages of written literature. 9 l.

Plot of action and character

The elements of complication, retardation and resolution, and their normal correlatives in the reader's response, namely, expectancy, growth of tension, and relief, are best examined during an analytical reading of the single pericopes. Here the aim is not to summarize the findings but rather to sketch the overall narrative movement of the text. Though the action of the story is undoubtedly the basic aspect, character description too plays an important part in the impact of the story as a whole. If action and character are examined separately, they will be seen to form distinct, though interwoven, narrative movements throughout the story. The action of the narrative can be exhibited approximately in the following schemas under the title of 'The Rebellion of Absalom': a) Materially: Usurpation (causes and fact) Struggle Restoration

13,1-15,12 15,13-18,17 18,19-20,22

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first phase second phase

13,1-14,33 15,1-12

for David for Absalom

15,13-16,23 17,1-23 17,24-18,17 18,19-20,22

In the exposition the narrator tells how Absalom, initially an integrated

member of David's family, became a rival for David's throne; the first phase concentrates on the events that caused the breakdown of family relationships, and the second phase brings the rivalry out into the open. The action becomes more complex at this point: David's fortunes go down with his flight to the Jordan valley and Absalom's go up with his unopposed entry into David's 9

Sec Pol.Tu, ]BL 87 (1968)22 with n. 24 (where he refers to the Succession Narrative). On the complex problem of the relationship between oral and written literature sec also I..AWUNCB in FowLER(ed.), Essays on Style 11na 'Langll4gt 166-183; GUNN,VT 24 (1974)esp. 311-317; DB Puu, Promtsst 458-467.

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city (15,13-16,2.3);but a change of fortune is prepared for, as Absalom accepts Hushai's deceptive advice and David crosses the Jordan safely (17,1-23). After the delay caused by those episodes the climax comes with the armed clash of the usurper's forces and David's, and the action culminates in Absalom's death. The usurpation is over, and the rest of the action (18,19-20,22) tells how David was restored as unopposed king in Jerusalem. An attentive reader will immediately feel that this is not a satisfactory account of the artistically complex story, for one cannot prescind from the psychologicaldrama which is interwoven with the action in the organic unity of the story. If one may use the Aristotelian terms of plot-analysis in discussing psychologicalaspects, the following schemas of the interpersonal dimensions of the narrative can be set out under the title 'Absalom and David'. a) Materially: Focus on Absalom's character Focus alternately on David and on Absalom Focus on David's character b) Formally:

Exposition Complication

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13,1-15,12 15,13-18,17 18,19-20,22 13,1-38

first phase (Absalom) second phase (David)

Climax Denouement

13,39-15,12 15,13-18,17 18,19-19,9 19,9-20,22

In the exposition the reader is shown the first stages of Absalom's fall from a state of uncomplicated filial relationship to David. This change is developed in the first phase of the complication, at the end of which ( 15,12) Absalom appears as a potential parricide (d. 15,14). David's character, which had not been given a front-stage presentation up to now in spite of his intervention in the action, is illuminated in the second phase of complication where the king is shown reacting in different ways to the various persons he meets and to the disasters which have overtaken him; David's character becomes alive in this phase. Absalom is not forgotten here either (see 16,15-17,14), but the narrator seems to sec his character as now fixed, no longer in development. Hence the psychological climax (18,19-19,9) concerns only David and his reaction to the news of Absalom's death: there is a violent sequence of reversals here from hope-filled expectation (18,24-27) to despairing grief (19,1-5) and then on to outward acceptance (19,6-9). From this point onward the psychologicaltension begins to run down. Though further facets of David's character are illuminated by the meeting scenes of 19,17-41 and by the observations of 20,3-6, the tone is more muted there, and the story is rounded off on a predominantly action note (20,7-22), which balances the predominantly psychologicalnote of its opening (13,1-22). If the schemas of action and character arc compared, it will be seen that they do not wholly overlap. The climax of the action comes in the defeat

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of the rebel forces and Absalom's death, while the psychologicalclimax comes later in David's reaction to the news of his son's death. Both climaxes are violent ones (violent physical action; violent psychologicalreversals), but their non-overlap is significant. Furthermore the plot of character begins its phase of complication earlier than the plot of action: rebellion breaks out only at the start of ch. 15, while the corrosive change in Absalom's character begins, very probably, during his exile in Geshur and is given impetus by David's mishandling of Absalom when· at length he returns to Jerusalem. Much of the subtlety and complexity of the story can be attributed to these displacements between the plots of action and of character. The reader tends to focus his attention now principally on the one, now principally on the other aspect, without however becoming deaf to the aspect which has momentarily receded into the background. Perhaps one could describe this situation as a form of narrative counterpoint. It cannot be denied that the effect is somewhat strange for today's reader who is accustomed to other narrative forms. Normally we expect that a story should have one climax either a decisive action with subordinate character effects, or a decisive revelation of character in some action. The double climax of the Absalom story does not fit into these expectations - another reason, perhaps, for the ultimate inadequacy of schemas such as the Aristotelian one which are adopted from other literatures. It is clear that the aspects of action and character have not been exhaustively covered in the foregoing paragraphs. Many other points of detail can be gathered from an analysis of the movement of each pericope's action and from a study of the personages who appear there. 10 A closer reading of the story will go back to these and will not be satisfied with schemas, but the more general presentation given here may have its use in enabling the reader to grasp with greater clarity the broader outlines as a help towards a more fruitful close re-reading of the story. 3. Meaning and theme

a. Return and restoration The importance of the theme of David's return, noticed already in the discussion of the narrative patterns of chh. 13-20, is confirmed by various details in the text. During the account of David's flight the city of Jerusalem is mentioned so often that one could almost take it as the focus of the narrator's interest: 1.5,14 one of David's motives for flight is to save the city from destruction; 1.5,16£.double use of Y$' 'went forth' (from Jerusalem); 1.5,19 'go back' (to the city); 1.5,25 'bring the Ark back to the city' ... 'he 10 For general comments on the narrator's manner of presenting the personages, see RosT, Thronfolge 124-126; v. RAD,TbB 8, 178-180; WHYBliY, Succ.N"". 33-45.

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will bring me back'; 1,,21 'go back to the city in peace'; 1.5,28 'until word comes from you' (in the city); 1.5,29 ' ... back to Jerusalem and they remained there'; 1.5,34 'if you return to the city ...'; 1,,3.5 'are not ... the priests with you there?', ... 'the king's house'; 1.5,36 'their two sons are with them there'; 15,37 'Hushai ... came into the city just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem'; 16,3 'he remains in Jerusalem'; 16,7 'get out, get out' (double Y$'). This insistence on the departure from Jerusalem is balanced in chh. 19-20 by an insistence on the return to the city: Jerusalem is mentioned at 19,20.26.34.35; 20,2.3.7 .22; 11 the opening scene of the return (19,9b{3-16)stresses the verb 'to return' (SWB qal twice, and hi£ three times in the phrase lhJyb 't hmlk); the theme re-echoes at 19,44 (lhJyb 't mlky) and is rounded off in the last sentence of the narrative (20,22: SWB of Josh's return to the king in Jerusalem). The importance of the theme of return is not merely quantitative but is also theological. The statement of 1.5,25f. gives a theological interpretation of all that is to come: 'if I find favour in the Lord's eyes, he will bring me back (SWB hi£)...' The possibility of the Lord's disfavour is held open too (v. 26 ), and this adds powerfully to the narrative tension, but as the story proceeds the reader sees that it is the first alternative (v. 2.5) that is being verified. David in all his misfortunes has found favour with the Lord; Yhwh subverts Ahithophel's advice (1.5,31; 17,14) and decrees a bad end for Absalom (17,14). David's return is the work of Yhwh, the sign of his abiding favour. This, and not simply the hidden guidance of events in general by Yhwh, ·is the main theological statement of chh. 1.3-20.12 One should not think, however, that the then1e of return and restoration implies that the hero comes back to the happy initial condition or even to something better. From the geographicalpoint of view the story does end in a cyclic way with David as unopposed king in Jerusalem again, but psychologically matters have changed for the worse; one can see here too a displace11

If the yrwJlm of 19,26 is part of the original text there (doubted by BUDDE 292; 629; EISSFELDT, Komp. Sam. 4.5; HERTZBERG 299), it must be taken in the sense 'from Jerusalem', as the context of 19,16-20,2 clearly demands. An emendation to myrwJlm is not necessary: sec bWIN, Isaiah 28-33, 14. 12 In his discussion of the theology of the Succession Narrative v. RAD,ThB 8, 181£. takes no account of 'die mannigfachcn mehr oder minder rhetorischen Apostrophierungcn Gottes' used by the personages in the course of the action, and limits the narrator's theological statements to 2 Sam 11,27; 12,24; 17,14: sec also his Theology I 314f.. One must ask however whether this takes enough account of the narrative genre; in a story the narrator can surely convey his stand-point just as well by his arrangement of the action and dialogue as by explicit thematic statements. That the narrator here uses few of the latter could indeed be a sign of a new theological stance, but it could also be a sign of a new mastery of the art of narrative. For a critique of v. Rad's restrictive position here sec WESTERMANN in Fs.v.Rad 613f.; and GUNN,Semeia 3 (197.5)38 n. 6. It can be added that v. RADhimself (ThB 8, 276f.) found no difficulty in the fact that the two theological statements of the Joeepb-story both occur in items of direct speech (Gen 4.5,.5££.;.50,20). CASPARI

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ment, a lack of overlap, between the devdopmcnt of action and the devdopment of character. By the end of the story three main patterns of human fulfilment have been frustrated or endangered: 13 on the personal levd, the father is bereft of the son he loves; on the sexual levd, the fair Tamar has been left desolate and barren in her brother's house (13,20) and the concubines too are confined by David and obliged to life-long continence (20,3 ); on the social levd, the disintegration of David's kingdom is averted only by force of arms. The theme, or mythos, of 2 Sam 13-20 belongs to what Frye calls the 'autumn mode'; there is reintegration after the peripetcia but it is coloured by sacrificialovertones of loss and grief. 14 b. Contrast and reversal The muted ending of the story is but one manifestation of the theme of contrast and reversal which pervades the whole account. Rape and murder disrupt the life of a family (chh. 13-14), and the disorder spreads outwards into the life of the kingdom as the anointed king is driven from his throne and a son seeks the life of his father. A close reading of the single pericopes will reveal many instances of upheaval and contrast, even on the levd of language details; the following more thematic sketch will indicate at least some of the main points. Tamar's obedience to her father's command brings her to ruin (13,7f.1416); entering the story as a beautiful virgin, she makes her mournful exit disfigured and dishonoured (13,lf.19f.). Amnon's love has turned to hatred (13,15); hatred poisons relations between the half-brothers Amnon and A~ salom (13,22.32). A joyful shearing-feast becomes the setting for a coldblooded murder ( 13,23.28f.), and the king's son flees from his father's kingdom (13,37f.). A reconciliationbetween father and son is eventually ananged (14,33), only to lead on immediatdy to the son's conspiracyto usurp his father's throne (15,1). The king permits Absalom to go in peace to worship the Lord at Hebron (15,8f.); Absalom goes to make the last preparations for his war on the king (15,10-12). Driven from his palace by the menacing approach of his son's army, the king takes flight and on the way down to the depths of the Jordan valley is cursed by Shimci as a 'man of blood' and a 'worthless fellow' (16,7); yet the king prevents Shimci's own blood being shed for these insults ( 16,l0f.). Hushai, David's friend, appears to abandon his loyalty to his friend (16,16-19), but the acceptance of his well-sounding advice means that Absalom will come to a bad end ( 17,5-14). Ahithophel, whose counsel was as if one consulted an oracle of God (16,23), has his advice defeated by the Lord (17,14), and instead of setting out to pursue David and strike him down ( 17,1-3), he sets out for his own home and takes his own life ( 17,23). 13 14

On these patterns of fulfilment see F1tYB, Anat. Criticism 148££.. fIYB, Aluzt.Criticism 208££.; sec also CuLLEI., StructuralistPoetics 222.

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When the armies of father and son eventually clash, Joab who had brought father and son together again in ch. 14, now definitively separates them by having Absalom cut down as he hangs with his head fixed in a tree ( 18,1015) - that head which had earlier been noted as a striking feature of Absalom's princely beauty (14,25f.). The king's hopeful expectation for good news from the battle turns to despairing grief (18,24-19,1), and the victorious army returns to Mahanaim as dispirited as if they had fled the field in utter defeat (19,4). A severe lecture from Joab the subject to David his king is needed before the latter comes back to an awareness of his royal duties ( 19,6-9). The king's return to his palace should have been an occasion of joy and peace, but mentions of death and discord run right through the account. The Israelites recall that 'Absalom has died in battle' (19,11). Abishai calls for Shimei's death (19,22); David refuses this ('Shall anyone be put to death in Israel today?' 19,23; and to Shimei, 'You shall not die' 19,24), but the mentions of death continue. Meribbaal admits that all his father's house were 'men doomed to death' (19,29); Barzillai knows that he has few years to live ( 19,35) and asks permission to return to his own city in order to die and be buried there (19,38). On reaching Jerusalem, David imprisons the ten concubines 'until the day of their death' (20,3). Amasa, the defeated general who had replaced Joab the victorious general as commander-in-chief(19,14), dies a victim of brutal violence. The wise woman of Abel-beth-maacahaccuses Joab of wanting to destroy a metropolis in Israel and to swallow up the heritage of the Lord (20,19); and the story ends with the violent death of Sheba (20,22). The pervasive presence of contrast and reversal gives something of a tragic tone to the story. Not that it can be termed a tragedy without further qualification, but there are elements of the tragic mood here. The picture given of Absalom is basically a sympathetic one at first (13,1-22); flaws begin to emerge - his cold-bloodednessand violence - but these are offset to some extent by the heroic tone of the description given at 14,25-27. Though the reader loses all sympathy for Absalom in chh. 15ff., there is something of the flawed hero in his character as presented by the narrator, and the disaster which befalls a flawed hero is one of the characteristics of tragedy. 15 Another point to be noted here is that David's intense grief for Absalom prevents the reader from feeling unmitigated satisfaction at the outcome of events, as would indeed be the case at the death of a thoroughly evil personage; in the reader's participation in this scene there is surely an undercurrent of regret for what Absalom might have become but did not. Significantly, the reader has no such reaction to Ahithophel's death; he is more the type of the total villain. The theme of reversal is manifested too in the narrator's use of the 15 Admittedly, in tragedy the disaster exceedsthe measure deserved by the protagonist for his tragic flaw (see ABRAMS, Glossary 174); since Abaalom'• end, however, appears to be a fitting one for his crimes, one cannot uy that he is presented as a genuinely tragic hero.

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technique of submerged form: by this is meant the occurrence of narrative elements whose function or meaning in the story is the opposite of what one normally finds in other occurrences of those elements. 16 An instance can be seen in the opening verses of ch. 13 where the allusions to princely love and love-sickness and obstacles in the way of love could well remind the attentive reader of the motifs of Egyptian love-poetry with its idyllic mood and happy endings (the submerged form), but the expectation aroused by these allusions is brusquely overturned and reversed by the actual course of events. 17 Another example can perhaps be seen in the heroic description of Absalom at 14,2.5-27which reminds one of comparable descriptions of the hero's physical beauty at the start of the Saul and David stories (1 Sam 9,2; 16,12); these were success-stories,initially at least in Saul's case, but matters are quite different for Absalom who goes steadily downhill after this description and eventually loses his life with his handsome head fixed in a tree.

c. The throne successiontheme According to the commonly accepted interpretation, 2 Sam 13-20 tells how various potential successors to David's throne were removed one by one: first Amnon, then Absalom, and finally (for some commentators at least) the Saulides in the person of Sheba hen Bichri. 18 Having given the 'prehistory of the succession',19 the text goes on to tell how Solomon overcame Adonijah's challenge and became David's successor (1 Kgs 1-2). If one follows Rost in working backwards from a study of 1 Kgs 1-2 to a study of 2 Sam 13-20,211 then there is much to be said for that interpretation. But there is no reason why the relatively independent narrative unit 2 Sam 13-20 should not be read on its own without extrapolation from 1 Kgs 1-2; if the succession theme really pervades the whole material, 21 then it should emerge even from this reading of 2 Sam 13-20 in isolation. This however does not seem to be the case. ( 1) The foregoing survey of the dominant narrative patterns and of the plot of action and character has shown that 2 Sam 13-20 for all its complexity is a recognizable narrative unity centred on Absalom and David. The Amnon, Absalom and Sheba sections cannot be treated as three thematic units of equal 16 17

See R.ABAN, Technique 122-132.

See above p. 27 with n. 27. See e.g. WELLHAUSEN in Einleitung (BLE.u:) 224£. ( ComPosition2.56£.);DlllVBa, Introd. 182; RosT, Thronfolge 121; VAN DEN BoltN 17.5;BLENUNSOPP 323/280k; WHYBliY, Succ.Nllt'r.22, and Intell.Trad. 90. For the inclusionof Shebain the progressiveeUrninetlon of rivals, sec HEtTZBE:RG 308; WHYBliY, Succ.N.,,. 21-23; RmoUT, Comp.Tecbni1/f#S213. 19 RosT, Thron/olge104 includes2 Sam 9 under this beadingtoo. 20 See his Thron/olge86-104. 21 RosT, Thron/olge124. On p. 100 he says that chh.1,-20 deal 'ohne Zweifel' with the questionof succession.

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rank, since the episodes involving Amnon and Sheba are subordinate both structurally and thematically to the story of Absalom's revolt against David. Amnon's crime is told for the sake of Absalom's reaction, and the killing of Amnon marks the first break between Absalom and David. The account of Sheba's rebellion is not an independent unit; it has been well described as 'the post-mortem twitchings of a dead rebellion', 22 and is linked with the Absalom material by the indivisible literary unit 19,42-20,2.23 (2) The question 'Who will sit on David's throne after him?' is nowhere audible on the immediate text level of 2 Sam 13-20. Solomon is neither mentioned nor alluded to in those chapters - a strange omission if the whole •- • material is really presented 'ad maiorem gloriam Salomonis'.24 Nor is it legitimate to conclude from 1 Kgs 1,1-4 that David was already so old and feeble during Absalom's revolt that the question of a successorwas unavoidablyurgent even if never mentioned. In 2 Sam 13-20 David, though no longer young, is shown as still capable of resolute military action (17,8-10: a lie in fact, but it had to be plausible) and able to enjoy the pleasures of court life (19,36: in implicit contrast to the eighty year old Barzillai).25 An unprejudiced reading of 2 Sam 13-20 shows that these chapters deal with the causes and outcome of an attempted coup d'etat, not with the question of succession; the distinction may be fine, but it is real and should not be swept aside. (3) The dominance of the 'departure/return' pattern in chh. 1,-20 shows that it is David, not Absalom, who is the central figure of those chapters; the crisis of Absalom's revolt and death is the occasion, but the Bight and restoration of David is the point. (4) None of the alleged allusions to the succession theme in details of the text of 2 Sam 13-20 stands up to close examination. This can be seen more clearly in a detailed study of each pericope, but a few instances can be noted here. a) Absalom had Amnon killed because he hated Amnon for having raped his sister Tamar, not because Amnon stood between him and the throne. 26 The statements of 13,22 and 13,32 are clear, and the predominantly familial 22

LITl'LE, in CAIID-LITTLE 11.50. On the lack of connection of the Sheba episode with the theme of succession see also JACKSON, Canadian]Th 11 (196') 194, and FLANAGAN, ]BL 91 (1972) 175. 23 Though 20,1 is often taken

88 the start of a new literary unit, a close analysis of the context does not favour this view. See the retrospective Jm of 20,1, and the IsraelJudah inclusion between 19,42 and 20,2. C.Omm.who refuse to take 20,1, 88 the start of a new unit include SMITH366, GussMANN 180, KE'M'Ell290, BVBElland ROSENZWEIG 309, VANDENBORN202, and BLENKINSOPP 325/28lh. 24 Thus RosT, Thronfolge 128. See above p. 78 with n. 149. 25 CooK, ]QR 17 (1905)792, and FLANAGAN, ]BL 91 (1972) 173£., also insist that the David of ebb. 13-20 is not a feeble old man. 26 C.OntrastBUDDE 262; SaruLz II lS,; v. RAD,ThB 8, 164; NOTH,Geschichte 184; WHYBRAY, Succ. Na". 22. See n. 1, on p. 36 above.

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tone of ch. 13 as a whole confirms that the text presents Absalom's act as a personal, non-political matter. Political consequences should not be confused with political motivation. b) The mention of 'the heir' (hywrJ) at 14,7 is necessary for the intrinsic plausibility of the Tekoite woman's fictitious case, for if the fratricide were not the heir (i.e. the sole surviving son) the woman could look to her other son(s) both for protection and for the continuance of the father's name. It is at best doubtful, therefore, that the text sees Absalom as David's heir at this point. c) David's kiss of reconciliation with Absalom (14,33) cannot be seen as a public acknowledgement that Absalom is the future king. rr The kiss was an ordinary gesture of greeting (see Ex 18,7; 2 Sam 1.5,.5),and there is no question of anointing in Absalom's case at 14,33 (contrast 1 Sam 10,1). d) Absalom's ostentatious display at 15,1 is aimed at attracting public notice in view of his conspiracy (15,2-6); 28 there are no grounds for saying that this way of acting was typical of an expected successor to the throne there was no precedent for this in Israel anyway. e) Nothing in the text of 19,17-24 suggests that the king's pardon of Shimei was merely a political gesture or was accompanied by mental reservation. David's oath (v. 24) is unconditional: he says 'You shall not die', not 'I will not execute you' (sotto voce: 'but my son will!') and still less 'You shall not die today' (sotto voce: 'but at a suitable future date you will!'). 29 Nothing in the telling of the episode demands a new appearance of Shimei in the story, and the reader is quite prepared to have seen the last of him at 19,24. (5) Finally one can argue from the intrinsic narrative dynamism of 2 Sam 13-20, that is, from the movement of the story through complication to resolution of tension. None of the narrative threads of 2 Sam 13-20 needs a continuation outside the text; when the reader arrives at 20,22, narrative tension is at an end for the first time since 13,1. 30 The fact that 1 Kgs 1-2 has many allusions to 2 Sam 13-20 only shows that it needs 2 Sam 13-20 as a prepararr Suggested by SaroLZ II 17'. 28 With ALONSO SCHOKEL 222 ('sc trata de imponer una imagen al pueblo'). Contrast RosT, Thron/olge 100. 29 Contrast DE HUMMELAUER 408; RosT, Thron/olge 101£.; VEIJOLA, Die ewige Dynastie 34 (who attributes 19,22£. to the Dtr Historian). 30 One could perhaps object that the hostility between Israel and Judah (19,42-20,2) has not been adequately resolved at this point. Only Sheba's own clansmen seem to have followed him (20,14: though the text is doubtful), and the text has nothing more about 'all the Israelites' (20,2) who initially supported Sheba. Without going into the difficult question of the literary prehistory of the Sheba episode, it can be noted that the Israel-Judah conflict does not appear in 1 Kgs 1-2 either, and therefore the objection only serves to show that 2 Sam 13-20 stands within a wider horizon than the alleged Succession Narrative.

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tion; it does not show that 2 Sam 13-20 needs 1 Kgs 1-2 as an indispensable continuation. Hence the dominant theme of 1 Kgs 1-2 (succession to the throne) need not be the dominant theme of 2 Sam 13-20. The point of what has been said up to now is not to argue that the Succession Narrative never existed, but to assert that it is possible to read 2 Sam 13-20 in its present form quite closely without making use of the succession interpretation. The least that would seem to follow is that this interpretation should be handled with greater refinement in future. 31 Several possibilities can be envisaged. If one accepts the usual position that 1 Kgs 1-2 (its basic stratum, at least) and 2 Sam 13-20 are from the same narrator, then the succession interpretation of the whole must reckon with a unity that is more episodic than thematic. The unity rests on the undeniable fact that the events narrated in 2 Sam 13-20 did have a bearing on the eventual succession to David's throne, but £ull thematic uniformity cannot be asserted since the intrinsic meaning of 2 Sam 13-20 does not bear directly on the problem of the successor or succession to David. If, on the other hand, one is of the opinion that 1 Kgs 1-2 and 2 Sam 13-20, while coming from closely related environments, are not the work of the same narrator, 32 then one could hold that the earlier text (2 Sam 13-20) had been taken up by the author of 1 Kgs 1-2 and used as part of his Succession Narrative. The insertion of 2 Sam 13-20 into this wider horizon necessitates a reading of those chapters which does not take £ull account of their intrinsic meaning; originally a story focused on David's restoration to the throne after the crisis caused by Absalom, the material is now read as concerned more with Absalom (and Amnon) than with David. The succession thematic proper to the writer of 1 Kgs 1-2 englobes 2 Sam 13-20 by reinterpreting those chapters in a way not directly contrary to, but still at variance with, their original intrinsic scope. A reading of 2 Sam 13-20 within the same thematic horizon as 1 Kgs 1-2 is possible then, though inadequate. •One can ask, however, whether it may not be possible to find a wider horizon of reading for 2 Sam 13-20 that will allow the intrinsic scope of those chapters to emerge with greater clarity than is the case when they are read with 1 Kgs 1-2 alone. No more need be said on these questions here, since the purpose of the present work is not to confirm or disprove the hypothesis of a Succession Narrative but to examine the narrative of 2 Sam 13-20 as it stands. A £ull verification of the Succession Narrative hypothesis would call for a detailed study of, at least, 2 Sam 2-4.7. 9-12 and 1 Kgs 1-2 in addition to an analysis of 2 Sam 13-20. It may be that such a study would uncover a whole series of reinterpretations involving 31 One can recall the general remark of BooTH,Rhetoric of Fiction 73: ' ... most works worth reading have so many possible •themes•, so many possible mythological,metaphorical or symbolic analogues, that to find any one of them, and to announce it as what the work is for, is to do at best a very small part of the critical task.' 32 Sec the authors listed in n. 9 on p. 2 above.

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large sections of the David and Saul material, 33 but these problems of literary history are outside the scope of the present work. 4. Narratorand reader

Since 2 Sam 13-20 is told by a narrator and received by a reader, the inter-subjective aspects of narration must now be surveyed in order to complement the more objective study of narrative patterns, plot, meaning and theme. a. Narrative point of view

2 Sam 13-20 is third-person narrative told from an omniscient point of view, as is usual in Biblical narrative. The narrator, being thoroughly master of the material, is in no way limited to the viewpoint of one or other of the personages. He can change locations when he pleases (see especially 13,24-36; 15,17-17,22; 18,19-32); on several occasions he juxtaposes mention of the movements of two personages or groups (15,32.37; 16,1.5.14f.; 17,24; 19,16; 20,2); he can describe an approach both from the viewpoint of the person(s) approaching and from that of the person awaiting the arrival (13,30ff.; 18,19ff.). He has privileged access to scenes that take place in private (13,4f.; 13,10-16; 14,2£.; 14,31£.; 19,6-8), and to the feelings and thoughts of the personages (13,lf.; 13,15; 13,21£.; 13,39-14,1; 15,llh; 19,15a). For the most part, the narrator is content to show the characters as they talk and act; this dramatic presentation leaves it up to the reader to infer the motivations of the characters and to form a judgement on their actions; various aids to that end can be given in words spoken by the personages (e.g. 13,12f.; 14,32; 15,21; 15,25f.; 16,llf.; 16,17; 18,13). 34 Occasionally however the narrator himself intrudes into the story in order to tell why things happened as they did (17,14b is the outstanding example; see also 13,15), or to express a judgement in his own words on one or other of the personages (15,6b; 35 15,llb; 36 20,lb 'yl bl,Cl). 33 See e.g. VEIJOLA, Die ewige Dy,uutie; and UNGLAMET, RB 83 (1976) 114-137.321379.481-528. 34 These, and other similar texts, can be discussed adequately only in a contextual analysis. 35 Absalom who has insisted so much on the need for true justice (15,2-6) is here said to have stolen (GNB) the hearts of the men of Israel - a thief preaching justice! The comment, apparently so offhand, is in fact devastating, coming as it docs in the emphatic final sentence of the pcricopc 15,1-6. This observation holds whether the sense of GNB piel + lb here is •deceived, duped' or 'stole the loyalties, or affections, of'. 36 Thc narrator is at pains to exonerate the two hundred Jerusalcmites from complicity in Absalom's rebellion. It is not clear who these men were. If Ps 22,27 refers to a sacrificial meal on the occasion of the fulfilment of a vow to which the poor were invited (sec KllAus,Psalmen 183), then perhaps the two hundred Jcrusalemitcs belonged to the poorer classes: they would be more easily swayed to Absalom's side by the excitement

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The narrator can compose elaborate speeches and complex dialogue scenes (14,4-20; 17,7-13), but he can also refuse to report in full the words spoken by a personage (14,3; 17,1.5; 17,21). Some scenes arc described in close-up detail (Tamar during the baking scene and then during her expulsion from Amnon's house; David and the Tekoite woman; David and his followers during the meeting scenes of 1.5,17-16,14; the death of Absalom at 18,9-17; David at 18,24-19,1). But the narrator also knows how to stand back and take a broader view of the overall situation (1.5,6; 1.5,12b; 16,23; 18,6-8; 19,3; 19,10£.). These changes in narrative distance give vigour and flexibility to the story. The narrator's stance appears to be rather less than omniscient, however, in his presentation of Ziba and Meribbaal (16,1-4; 19,2.5-31). Does he agree with Ziba ( 16,3) that Meribbaal supported Absalom's coup? Or does the narrator speak more in Meribbaal's voice (19,27£.) accusing Ziba of deliberate slander? Commentators are divided, and reasons can be given for both positions. n Perhaps a way out of the difficulty can be found by suggesting that the narrator's apparent refusal or inability to come to a clear decision is really a subtle way of showing that both Meribbaal and Ziba deserve the reader's contempt. The narrator wants the whole House of Saul to be seen in an unfavourable light, and the concluding Sheba episode would tend to confirm that interpretation. 31 b. Time and pace 39

The temporal setting of events is carefully marked in the earlier pericopes: 13,23 ('after two full years'); 13,38 ('for three years'); 14,28 ('for two full years'); 1.5,7 ('after forty [sic] years' 40). After this, however, there arc of the Hebron feast and by hopes of bettering their own c:onclition. For other hypotheses see BUSSAN627. n GussMANN 177.180 holds that Ziba was telling the truth at ch.16. BUDDEz,,; Au, KJ..Schr. III 3,8; DE VAUX 208 also incline to this opinion. BuGHT, History 204 n. 62 terms Mcribbaal's behaviour 'ambiguous'. But most other comm., if they reach a decision at all, conclude that Ziba was probably lying: thus e.g. SCHULZ II 193 ('von Anfang bis zu Ende erfundcn'); REHM103; BussAN 636 (as very probable); CAiltD 1129£.; GoSLINGA 290; CARLSON, David 140 n. 2; JACKSON, Canadian]Th 11 (1965) 192; MAUCHLINB 275; RIDOUT, Comp. Techniques 161-167 (csp.165); GUNN,Semeia 3 (197') 18£.. 31 One can hardly go so far as to see here an instance of what recent criticism terms the 'fallible or unreliable narrator' (sec Boom, Rhetoric of Fiction, ch. XII; .ABJtAMs, Glossary 136) - one whose voice docs not necessarily re-echo the author's own and who cannot be wholly trusted by the reader. However the subtlety of the narrator's attitude is well worth notice. 39 For further discussion of time in narrative see WELLEJC and WAllBN, Theory 218£. 274 (n. 5). 305 (n. 16); WEISS, Bibi 46 (1965) 182f.; R.ilAN, Technique ,6-66; GUTTGEMANNS, LingBib 32 (Sept. 1974)56-76. 40 The MT 'forty years' (of David's reign?) is usually corrected to ',be Jnym 'four years' (with Lucianic Greek and Syr.); for an analogous case sec possibly 1 Sam 13,5 where the contat seems to demand Jilt 'lpym for the MT Jllym 'Ip. However at 2 Sam

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no other precise chronologicalnotes: the passage of a period of time is implied at 15,12; 17,24; 19,10-15, but the reader does not learn how long it was in each case; the 'three days' of 20,4f. is a time limit that was not observed and so does not serve to date with precision the events that follow. The lack of precise chronologicalindications in the later part of the story suggests that one should reconsider the purpose of the earlier mentions of time. The reader is not told what Absalom did during the two years after the rape of Tamar or during the three years of exile in Geshur (apart from his own account of the vow he made there: 1.5,8) or during the two years of exclusion from court life in Jerusalem. The text simply speaks of Absalom's hatred for Amnon (13,22), of David's grief over Amnon and of his desire for Absalom's return (13,39-14,1), and of Absalom's petulant impatience (14,28-32). The chronological note of 1.5,7, set between the account of Absalom's efforts to win supporters for his coup (1.5,1-6) and the interview scene with David (1.5,7-9),serves to stress Absalom's cold-blooded determination and hypocrisy. It appears then that the references to the passage of time in chh. 13-1.5 are meant primarily to throw light on the characters of Absalom and David, the personages most affected by those passing years. For the most part the narrative follows the normal linear time-sequence, telling of events one after the other as they occur. A number of exceptions to this show the narrator's control of the dimension of time. There are several brief flashbacks to past events: see 14,2.5-27(which in part at least refers to the past); 1.5,8 (Absalom's alleged vow in Geshur); 16,3 (alleged words of Meribbaal); 16,8 (the death of some of Saul's family); 16,23 (Ahithophel's counsel in David's time); 17,2.5 (the genealogical information about Amasa); 18,18 (if original); 19,l0f. (David's victories over the Philistines; the anointing of Absalom which had not been told earlier); 19,2.5 (Meribbaal's behaviour during David's absence from Jerusalem); 19,27 (Ziba's deceit); 19,29 (David's former favour to Meribbaal). The narrator can also anticipate the future consequences of present events: see 13,20 (Tamar's dwelling in desolation in Absalom's house for an indefinite period of time); 17,14b (anticipates Absalom's end within the horizon of divine causality); 17,23 (it is possible, though not certain, that Ahithophel committed suicide after the battle in the Wood of Ephraim); 41 20,3b (the concubines were imprisoned until the day of their death). 15,7 EHllLICH,Randglossen III 311 and ErssFELDT,Komp. Sam. 39£. prefer to read ',beym y(w)m 'forty days', a reading found in two Hebrew MSS (DE Rossi, Variae Lectiones II 180): the y(w)m could have been omitted by haplography, and the lacuna filled in later with lnh. Both suggestions have their practical difficulties: (1) is it conceivable that Absalom could have engaged in subversive activities for four years (after the return to Jerusalem - thus most comm.; or after the readmission to the court - thus BUDDE270; DoNNER in Fs.EUiger ,0) without any news of this reaching David's cars? But (2) would forty days, on the other hand, have been enough to stir up the people to a rebellion? As matters stand, it seems better to register the uncertainty and not to build further conclusions (chronological or structural) on a doubtful text: contrast C.ULSON,David 167£.. 41 Sec WACHTER, Der Tod 92.

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Long periods of time can be spanned by brief notices ( 13,2.3; 1.3,.38; 14,28; 15,7), while the events of a single day can be described at great length (the day of David's Bight at 15,1.3 to 17,22; 42 the day of his return at 19,16 to 20,2). This is one way in which the narrator can choose to vary the proportion between material time and narrative time. He can also do this by varying the pace or tempo of his narration: in the Tamar episode the slow pace of the baking scene (1.3,8) and of the dialogues (vv. 4-5.11-1.3.15-17)contrasts effectively with the rapid description of the act of violence (v. 14); then the laconic mention of the murder of Amnon ( 13,29a) stands out against the detailed account of David's reaction (vv. .30-.36);after the abundant verbiage of the Tekoite woman's interview with David (14,5-20) and of Hushai's advice to Absalom (17,7-1.3)there are brisk accounts of action (14,2.3f.; 17,17-22.2.3); the battle in the Wood of Ephraim, where twenty thousand men fell, is told briefly (18,6-8), while much more time is spent on the account of one man's death, Absalom's (18,9-17). In brief, then, the narrator uses chronological indications to explain changes in character; he can vary the regular sequence of events with brief flashbacks and anticipations; he can cover long periods of time in a few words, or spend pages on a single day; he can slow down the tempo of the story by detailed description or speed it up by a rush of narrative.

c. Omissicns and redundancy Choice and control, the indisputable prerogatives of any narrator, are exercised too in deciding the amount of circumstantial detail to be given in a story. This gives rise to two stylistic phenomena: omission of details which could have been told, and redundancy in the giving of details which are already known or which are otherwise unnecessary for the essential narrative line of the story. i) 0 missions : An analysis of 2 Sam 1.3-20 reveals many small omissions of information, some of which have been noted in the pericopes studied above. The following rough classification will give some idea of the extent of the phenomenon. The place where words were spoken can be left unspecified;43 similarly for the time-setting of words or actions. 44 Explicit mention of entries and especially exits of various personages can be omitted. 45 Omission of words spoken takes several forms: an obvious conclusion is left 42 Cmp. KENNEDY 264: 'Of no single day in the whole course of the recorded history of the Hebrews have we so detailed a record as we have of the day on which David fled before his undutiful son.' 43 Sec 1.3,4; 16,16; 19,10£ .. 44 Sec 14,27 (before, during, or after Absalom's exile?); 18,9 (during or after the battle?); 19,10-1.5(the length of time involved). .s For entries sec 14,21; 1.5,7; 17,1.5. For exits sec 1.3,7; 14,20; 14,33; 16,19; 17,14; 19,24; 19,31; 20,22 (of Sheba's followers).

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unsaid (13,.5); spoken words can be omitted altogether (14,3) or deliberately shortened by the narrator; 46 a person's reaction to words addressed to him can be omitted. 47 The narrator often omits explanations for details in the story, 41 or gives explanations later than one would expect. 49 A study of the individual contexts will often reveal particular narrative effects achieved by these omissions, but in general it can be said that there are two main reasons for the withholding of information by the narrator. In part, it is expected that these details will be filled in by the reader's intelligent and imaginative participation in the story; in part, details are bypassed because they are simply not relevant and would distract the reader from the ongoing movement of the story. The handling of circumstantial detail is thus seen to be one of the privileged areas of stylistic choice and is all the mote important because it is often inconspicuous and taken for granted in a rapid reading of a story. Re dun d a n c y : Studies in Information Theory have shown that redundancy is a necessary element in the use of language.50 It has been calculated that languages exhibit an average redundancy of about fifty per cent in their formal and semantic structures; really new information, in other words, accounts for about half of a normal message.51 Narrative on the macrocontextual level is also a message, admittedly an extremely complex one, so it should not be surprising to find that a narrative text contains more than is absolutely necessary for the essential thread of the story. It would therefore be a major methodological oversight if one were to set about paring down a Biblical narrative to the utmost limits of logical leanness simply on the grounds that what appears to be logically unnecessary for the progress of the story must ipso facto be a secondary addition to the text. 52 There is more to a story than the essential thread of the narrative. Depiction of character, creation of atmosphere, establishment of tone, insinuation of comment - all these can be conveyed by the words of the text. So the first stage in studying a narrative must be an attentive and imaginatively open examination of all the literary effects of a particular context or word-

ii)

Sec the use of the formulas /ert wlert at 17,1.5and lib at 17,21. Thus after 13,32£.; 1.5,10; 16,19; 16,21; 19,12£.; 19,14. See 14,2 (why Tekoa?); 14,29 (why did Joab refuse twice?); 14,30£. (how did Joab know who the arsonist was?); 15,12 (why oould Absalom count on Ahithophcl?); 17,18££.(why did the unnamed woman of Bahurim help the priests' sons?). • Thus at 13,9b (the presence of the servants which explains Amnon's surprising refusal at v. 9a is mentioned only at v. 9b); 15,7£. (the vow mentioned in v. 7 is explained in v. 8, though it refers to 13,37£.). On such post-factum narration (Nachholung) see GUNDL, Gmesis LIV .221£.; Riarru., Exegese 93 with n. 60, and 9.5 with n. 67. 5DSec NmA, TOUHll'da Science of Translation 12.5-144;l..aPSalY, Unguistie11 strfltt• rlk 1~200 (with further bibliog.). 51 NmA, Toward II Science of Translation 126. 52 Unhappily this error does not always aeem to have been avoided by WORTHWEIN, Tbronfolge. 46 ~ 41

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cluster; what is redundant from the logical point of view may well contribute effectively to the impact that the narrative as a whole makes on the reader. It follows that those passages in the present material which some scholars have seen as logically redundant can be studied properly only in a detailed contextual analysis.53 All that can be done here is to take as an example the case of 14,25-27. Many commentators refuse to accept these verses as part of the original narrative; 54 others hold that they belong rather to the beginning of ch. 15; 55 only a few have thoroughly investigated the function of the verses as they stand before making judgements about their alleged original position. 56 One can grant that the verses interrupt the narrative and are not logically indispensable for what follows, but matters should not end there, for this interruption has an important set of narrative effects. ( 1) As a static description, it focuses the reader'sattention on Absalom to an extent unparalleled for any other personage met so far in the story. The reader is left in no doubt that the text is interested in Absalom for his own sake and this at the very moment when an unexpected state of tension exists between Absalom and the king (v. 24 ). Future tensions are foreshadowed by this juxtaposition. (2) Absalom remained excluded from court life for two years (v. 28); the presence of the non-temporal material of vv. 25-27 between v. 24 and v. 28 serves to fill out this interval of time, to suggest its length, and so to make Absalom's subsequent actions (vv. 28-32) more understandable. st The section 14,25-27, then, performs several useful narrative functions whose analysis adds considerably to one's appreciation of the narrator's art. 53

An adequate discussion of the literary-critical arguments advanced by W0:1THWEIN, Thronfolge, and I.ANGLAMET, RB 83 (1976) 114-137.3,0-3,6, would take more space than is available here, and is in any case outside the scope of the present work with its largely synchronic approach. 54 Thus KLOSTERMANN 19,; BUDDE 264 (who eliminates v. 28b too: p. 268); NowACX 207; DHoRME 416f.; ScHuLz II 173; HOLSCHEll, Geschichtsschreibung 379; BllESSAN 619£.; VAN DEN BollN 182; MAcLAUIUN, Hebrew Theocracy 126; DE VAUX 201; TOB ,90a. MAuCHLINE 268 states confidently: 'There is no doubt that this section 2,.21 has no relevance where it stands and interrupts the course of the narrative'. 55 Already BUDDE, Samuel (SBOT) 91 had suggested that v. 2, might have come originally before 1,,1; later in his comm. (p. 264) he says that the same could hold for v. 27 too, but he decided finally to eliminate both verses since v. 27 contradicts 18,18. The misplacement theory was propounded especially by CAsPAllI, ZWTh ,3 (1911) 239-242; for a slightly less complicated presentation see his comm. ,11.603. More recently the theory has received the support of SEELIGMANN, ThZ 18 (1962) 317-319. 56 CARLSON, David 164f., n. 3 and 184-188, and WHYBllAY, S11ec. Na". 27f. both hold the originality of vv. 2,-27 and offer useful desaiptions of the narrative functions of the verses. 57 Two other arguments advanced by some to show that 14,2,-27 is secondarycan be mentioned briefly. (1) The resumption of v. 24b at v. 28a is not an infallible sign that the intervening material is secondary, for there are texts where resumption (Wieder11ufnahme) is indisputably part of the original text: see above n. 26 on p. ,4. (2) The mention of 'the king's weight' (v. 26) is not neccsaarily post-enlic, u WELLHAUSEN, Text 194 and others have asserted: see CAllLSON, David 187£.; RAINEY,BASOR 179 (Oct. 196') 34-

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Omissions and redundancies, therefore, should be examined first of all in the synchronic phase of study, where the text is taken as it stands and the effects created by these phenomena within the total context of the narrative are patiently observed. It may well be, of course, that omissions and redundancies will in fact point to the presence of redactional work or various literary strata within a text, but an awareness of the multiplicity of effects proper to narrative art will counsel great prudence in the use of this literary-critical argument. d.

Control of sympathy and antipathy

The narrator's manner of presenting the personages of his story determines the reader's feelings of sympathy and antipathy towards them. A full account of this aspect in the present narrative would need a long discussion of many textual details; all that can be given here is a general sketch of the reader's reaction to Absalom and David as presented by the text, and this can be compared with the general survey of the plot of character given above. Since Amnon is presented in a thoroughly unsympathetic light from the start (13,2.llf.15), the reader can understand, and to some extent sympathize with, Absalom's violent reaction to Amnon's offence. The long period of Absalom's exile sustains the reader's sympathy, and the admiring description of 14,25-27 increases it. The first change in the reader's attitude, a slight one, is achieved by the account of Absalom's reaction to Joab's double refusal to intercede for him with the king (14,29-32). When 15,1-12 makes it clear that the reconciliation scene of 14,33 was all a sham on Absalom's part, the reader's antipathy to him increases greatly, 58 and becomes a 6xed attitude as Absalom's willingness to kill David is confirmed again and again (15,14; 16,11; 17,4; 17,14a). Absalom's shameful end is presented in such a way as to make the reader quite indifferent to Absalom and concerned only with David's reaction (18,5.12). From initial sympathy, or at least sympathetic understanding, the reader's attitude to Absalom curves down to thorough antipathy. The presentation of David, on the other hand, begins on a rather less favourable note. He is used as an unwitting accomplice in Amnon's shameful crime (13,6£.), does not react effectively by punishing Amnon (13,21), and unknown to himself provides the occasion for Absalom's murder of Amnon (13,24-27). His love for Absalom (13,39-14,1) gains the reader's sympathy however, and the scene with the Tekoite woman increases this. Though his severity towards the returned Absalom (14,24.28) is somewhat surprising, the reconciliation scene (14,33) confirms the sympathetic picture of the king. 36; GIBSON, Textbook I 67. There are still other problems in vv. 25-'27, but what has been said should at least urge a closer examination of all the possibilities before one reachesconclusions as to the original state of the text. 5a The striking contrast between the pious tone of Absalorn's request 0,,1£.; NDR 3x; cultic 0 BD; ybwh 3x) and his real intentions known already to the reader (vv.1-6) heightens the latter's antipathy.

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From ch. 1.5 on the reader's sympathy with David grows in proportion to his misfortunes and sufferings. The scenes of meeting seem designed to strengthen this sympathy: David put to flight by his son is supported by the foreigner lttai (15,19-21); David's piety and resignation to the Lord's will is insisted on (l.5,2.5f.; 1.5,31; 16,10-12), and by the time the weary fugitives reach a temporary resting place ( 16,14) the reader is wholly on the king's side. The change of scene to Jerusalem where Absalom is pictured in a thoroughly negative fashion (16,17.22; 17,4.14a) gives time for the consolidation of this sympathy which reaches its climax during the moving display of fatherly grief (19,1-5). Here however the mention of the effect that this grief had on David's victorious troops (19,3f.) and the telling rebuke of Joab help the reader to maintain a certain distance from David. It seems that the narrator wants the reader to sympathize with the king but, at the same time, not to ignore the flaws of character (13,21; 13,27; 19,1-.5) and errors of political judgement (19,3f.; 19,12-14; 19,42-20,2; 20,4) that were largely responsible for the pain and disasters both within the king's family and within his kingdom. The narrator's presentation of David, then, is sympathetic but not uncritical. 59 The sympathy mounts to a climax in the centre of the material (chh. 15-18); a more critical distance is kept at the start (ch. 13 and even ch. 14) and at the end (chh. 19-20). If one takes into account the artistic complexity of this presentation, one will be less inclined to affirm a straightforward pro-Davidic or anti-Davidic bias in the story.

e. The reader's knowledge Variations in the nature and amount of knowledge available to the reader can determine various degrees of his involvement in the story. Four such degrees can be mentioned in 2 Sam 13-20. i) The narrator presents the reader with all the information necessary to visualize and understand a scene, even if the reader knew nothing at all about it beforehand. The reader accepts and assimilateswhat is given to him. This is the normal situation here. ii) The narrator withholds some information, usually circumstantial details; examples have been mentioned above in the discussion of omissions in the text. The reader is brought to fill in these details for himself to the extent that they are pertinent to the progress of the story; the narrator involves the reader in the story to a greater extent by this call on his active, though often scarcely conscious, participation. 59 One can comparethe attitude of nearly all the old narrativesin Judges where the narratorwu ' ... profoundlysympatheticwith his prougonists, but all the while retaineda aitical perspectiveon the problemsof public and privatelife' (BoLING,Judges210).

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iii) The narrator plays on the fact that the (first) readers share with him a certain amount of background knowledge. Hence he can merely allude to certain points, aware that his brevity will stimulate the readers to draw on their own knowledge, to respond as it were with a knowing nod. Shared knowledge can strengthen the psychologicalbond between narrator and readers, and make the latter enter more and more into the story. 60 It is quite likely that the brevity of the reference to Ahithophel at 15,12 is an instance of playing on shared knowledge. The readers arc presumed to know already who Ahithophel was - not just David's counsellor (15,12) but a major pillar of Absalom's cause - and this presumed knowledge will enable them to recognize the true importance of the laconic notice. Shared knowledge seems to be involved also at 16,8 (the reference to an unspecified act of violence done by David to the House of Saul) and possibly at 16,1-4 and 19,29 (ref~ to Ziba and Meribbaal and David's former acts of kindness to the latter); it may be that the same narrator had previously told the events of ch. 9 but it is hardly likely that 21,1-14 came from him too. iv) In the three preceding types it was a question of the reader's knowledge in relation to that of the narrator. The fourth type, probably the most important of all from the literary point of view, has to do with the reader's knowledge in relation to that of one or more of the characters. There arc times when the narrator allows the reader to know more than the characters in a particular scene; this opens the way for situations of dramatic irony and, often enough, of ironic double senses on the level of language. But even when the various forms of irony are not so evident, the situation of better knowledge frees the reader from the tyranny of wanting to know what happened next, enables him to take a more detached view of persons and events, and thus makes it easier for him to adopt an attitude of sympathy or aversion to the personages. A skilful narrator can add to the impact of his story by sometimes giving the reader this better knowledge and sometimes denying it. Once again, these effects can best be examined in detailed contextual analysis, but some examples can be mentioned briefly here without any claim to full description of their effects; a few other instances have been noted in the analytical sections of Part One. At 13,24-27 the reader knows what Absalom's real intentions are, while the king does not. The king's words at v. 2.5 ('in order not to be a burden to you') acquire an ironic ambiguity: the surface meaning refers to the expense Absalom would incur in providing a feast for the king and court, but in a deeper sense the king's presence would indeed be a burden for Absalom, for it would make the planned murder of Amnon very difficult, if not impossible.

'°

On the importanceof taking account of shared informationsec NmA, JBL 91 (1972)79 who notes: 'Going into detail about shared informationimmediatelycreates • barrier to real communication,since it suggests to the receptor that the source and be 8

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All through 14,4-12 the reader knows more than the king. Besides contributing suspense to the narrative (when will the king realize what is afoot?), this situation wins the reader's sympathy for David who is shown acting in all sincerity as the ideal king, willing to have justice done to a defenceless widow. 61 At 14,28-33, on the other hand, the reader is not given more knowledge than the personages but is obliged to read between the lines as best he can. The narrator gives him no help to understand the short reconciliation scene of v. 33, and the reader's feeling of insecurity suggests that this verse cannot be the end of the story. 62 The reader's better knowledge during Hushai's dealings with Absalom in Jerusalem (16,16-17,14) adds considerably to the impact of this pericope. Irony and double meanings abound. Hushai's acclamation 'Long live the king' (16,16) refers on the surface to Absalom, but the reader knows that it is David's life that depends on the outcome of Hushai's mission; Absalom accepts Hushai's affirmation of life, and thereby enters on the path that leads to his own death. Then Absalom's rhetorical question, 'Is this your loyalty to your friend?' (16,17) is meant as the statement 'You have shown no loyalty to your friend', but for the knowledgeable reader the statement is another one: 'This is Hushai's loyalty to his friend'. Double senses return in Hushai's words at 17,7. Ahithophel's counsel is indeed 'not good' - for David and his men it would be disastrous. Then Hushai addresses Absalom: 'You know your father and his men ...' (v. 8); but Absalom does not know them, for if he did he would have accepted Ahithophel's advice (17,1-3) without further ado. Hushai characterizes David and his men as 'warriors and in bitter mood' (mry nps: 17,8), but the reader knows that they are exhausted and in need of refreshment (wynps Im: 16,14). David is lying in ambush 'even now' (hnh cth: 17,9), says Hushai; but the reader knows that David is waiting in a vulnerable position on the near side of the Jordan (16,14). The double sense of twbh 'good', already met in v. 7, reappears in v. 14a: Hushai's advice is indeed better - for David, not for Absalom. In brief, then, the narrator can give the reader better knowledge than one or more of the personages, or he can make the reader learn the story as an observer beside the personages. In the latter case, the narrator can show and tell the reader all that is necessary,or he can withhold various circumstantial details, or he can appeal to the knowledge which the reader shares with him from outside the story context. It is contextual analysis that will determine the narrative effects of these various situations as they occur. do not have much in common after all or that the message is really directed to someone else.' 61 For this standard mark of a good king in the Ancient Near East see the Ugaritic story of Kcrct (UT 127:33£.4.5-.50).Further examples in FE.NsHAM, ]NESt 21 (1962) 129139; HOFFNER, ThWAT I 308-313. 62 This is another reason for refusing to see chh.13-14 u a once independent Story of Tamar. Sec above p. 92 with n. 4.

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The text as language system Some of the more striking features which close verbal analysis has noted in the language of 2 Sam 13-20 are here set out in a more systematic fashion. The approach is largely descriptive, and indeed must be so because the stylistic effects of each particular usage can be discussed properly only in a contextual analysis. Incomplete and imperfect as it is, the present essay can at least provide some data for stylistic comparisons with other Biblical narrative texts. 1. Sound11:ntum

Since reading aloud was the normal practice in ancient Israel, 1 literary study of Biblical texts must concern itself with the dimension of sound, not only in verse passages as has long been recognized,2 but also in prose texts. It is not, of course, the case that a narrator deliberately set about including alliteration, assonance and the like in his story as an ornament to soothe the reader's ear; the question of intention is irrelevant here, for the real criterion is simply the effect on the reader in the context. Wherever the sound stratum of a text attracts attention, it constitutes an integral part of the aesthetic effect and communicative force of that text. 3 Striking sound effects draw the reader closer to the text, make him more aware of what he is reading, highlight certain moments of the narrative, and thus aid the impact of the text as a whole. While it is true that the Massoretic pointing cannot always be taken as a faithful reproduction of the pronunciation of Hebrew in pre-exilic times, the differences are not so great as to render invalid any study of the sound effects of old Hebrew texts. 4 So the following observations, based on the Massoretic pronunciation, will usually have been noted {perhaps analogously, at times) by the first readers of 2 Sam 13-20 too. Some further remarks on the sound stratum can be seen in the discussion of word-play in the next section. 1 2 3

4

Sec LA.BUSCHAGNE, THAT II 672. Sec ALONSO

SCHOKEL,

Estudios 71-117.

Sec WELLEK and WAltltEN, Theory 158. Sec ALONSO SCHOKEL, Estudios 78-80.85£..

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a. Consonant patterns

Here one must mention initial repetition of consonants (alliteration), repetition of internal consonant patterns with different vowels (consonance), and other internal consonant patterns. Some thirty-five instances of initial consonant repetition have been noted; seventeen of these have alliteration in aleph, seemingly a favourite usage of the narrator. 5 To these can be added some twenty-five cases of internal consonant recurrence or patterning. 6 Some of the examples are undoubtedly more striking than others, 7 but the amount of noticeable consonant recurrence is such as to suggest that attention to this phenomenon will prove fruitful in studies of other Hebrew prose narratives. b. Vowel patterns

Some thirty instances of assonance have been noted, 1 and also a number of cases of rhyme. It may be useful to call attention to the latter phenomenon in particular. 9 End rhyme occurs at 17,14 (-ba / _ca); internal rhyme at 18,3 (-yent2 I -lent2; and ·.c;r I -zir), 19,10 (-lant2 I -tanu), and 19,35 (-me I -ne); while there is an initial-end rhyme at 19,36 (htledac / l•ra-=). Looser or imperfect rhymes are found at 13,19 (qara-=4/ za~aqa), 18,29 ('abial6m I Ial6m), 19,2.5b (y6m / Ial6m), and 19,3.5-36(kamma / w•lamm4). It is not that these rhymes were intended as a structural device as in some forms of verse, but they do exist and attract the reader's attention. 5 See 13,4 (b: 3x); 14,7 (Im wl'ryt: and note the several other J sounds there too); 15,7 (n: 2x); 15,8 (y: 4x; b: 3x; n: 2x); 15,14 (w•hi-: 2x); 15,18 (0 : 3x); 16,7 (1: 2x); 17,9 (b: 5x); 18,5 (l: 4x); 19,1 (b: 6x); 19,4 (b: 2x); 19,5 (b: 3x) 19,10 (m: 4x); 19,36 (Jrym wlrwt: cmp. 14,7); 20,9 (y: 3x); 20,12a (b: 2x); 20,20 (/J: 2x). Initial aleph alliteration can be seen at 13,4b (6x); 13,12-13; 13,20; 13,26; 13,27b; 14,5; 15,7; 15,19a; 16,7; 17,8; 19,1 (5x); 19,5; 19,34b; 19,36; 20,9a; 20,20. 6 See 13,12£.{repeated "al sound in v. 12 is balanced by repeated 'an- in v.13); 13,19b (l - k); 13,25a (nlk, klnw, nkbd); 13,26 (l - m); 14,2a (/J - J - J - p); 14,7 (J); 14,28a (J - l - m); 14,29 (J); 16,5b (J); 16,5£.(wmqll - wysql); 16,16£. (ypy - ypy - !Jsdk); 16,18£. (l - b); 17,9a (/J - b); 17,13 (/J - b); 18,3a (l - J - m); 18,12 (b - m); 18,12£. (Jql - Jq,); 19,1 (triple cl); 19,3 (l); 19,30b-31a(IJ - q - q - IJ); 19,32a (g - l); 19,33a (% • % - J - J); 19,37 (l - m - g); 20,1 (J); 20,12a (m - l). 7 Among the more interesting examples see (a) aleph alliteration at 13,4b; 13,12£.; 14,5; 19,1; 19,36; 20,20: b) other alliterations at 15,8; 18,5; 19.1.5.10: (c) internal consonant recurrence at 16,16£. (the emphatic IJ sound links the two utterances); 17,13 (the recurrence of -!Jb- in !Jblym and ws!Jbnw harmonu.cswith the massive physical exertion envisaged); 18,12£.(the similarity in sound between Jql and Jq, links the two arguments of the soldier); 19,1 (the triple 01 conveys the sense of sorrowful toil up to the room above: cf. 15,30); 19,30b-31a (the contrast between 'divide' in v. 30b and 'take it all' in v. 31a ia underlined by the link in sound between t!Jlqw and yq!J). • See 13,4.11.30; 14,7.32a; 15,1.l0b.23.30; 16,11.18.19; 18,3.20; 19,1.5.10.21.25.29.33b. 34b.36.38.42.44; 20,1.4.17.20. The more striking instances are the repeated -I sounds at 13,4.11; 19,1.38; 20,20: and the ..C, sounds at 15,23.30; 20,4. 9 KONIG,Stilistik 355-357sccma to be too negative in the matter of rhyme in Hebrew. For a more positive statement see BtmmY, Judges 388£.; and PaIJs, BZ N.F. 7 (1963) esp. 37-42.

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c. Rhythm Much work remains to be done in the investigation of Hebrew prose rhythms, an area in which very little material seems at present to be available. Arvid Bruno's studies (see Bibliography) rely so much on arbitrary textual emendation that their practical value is, at most, slight. A large number of texts would have to be analysed before one could establish an adequate classification of rhythmical effects in Hebrew prose. How feasible such a classification would be is another question, for the analysis of prose rhythm is notoriously difficult to elaborate even in living languages where the patterns of stress, pitch, and tone are known intuitively to the native speaker. 10 Some points can be made provisionally in any case. It has been noted that rhythmical effect is achieved at times by ending a group of sentences on a longer sentence (e.g. 13,20.27; 14,7; 15,12.22; 17,16.22; 19,8.25; 20,3.15); in other cases there is a progressive shortening of sentences within a group (e.g. 13,5-7; 14,29; 18,20-23), and the unit can end on a single emphatic word (e.g. 13,25.29; 20,l0a) or on a short phrase (e.g. 13,39; 15,29b; 16,14). Other features that contribute to a noticeable sense of rhythm include rapid sequences of short sentences (e.g. 13,8f.; 14,6.33; 15,5; 17,18f.; 18,24-27), accumulations of nouns (e.g. 16,lf.; 17,27-29; 19,6), and the interplay of units of three and two. 11 Phrasal rhythm within sentences can be noticed at 14,2a{i; 18,3a; 19,10; and 20,lb. 2. Vocabulary

a. Uncommon words, phrases and usages Particular attention was paid throughout the analytical reading to the vocabulary of the text, not for the sake of finding affinities with other texts but as an attempt to situate the vocabulary of 2 Sam 13-20 within the whole 10 For some examples of analysis of English prose rhythm sec BouLTON, Anatomy of Prose 49-69. The very term 'rhythm' used of prose has created some problems: sec WIMSATT, Prose Style of Samuel Johnson esp. 6-8.31£. with n. 68; READ, English Prose Style esp. 58f.; WELLEK and WARREN, Theory 163-165.341. CoHN, Jona 47-61 uses the term 'rhythm' in a very wide sense to indicate the 'harmoniscbe Gliederung einer lebendigcn Bcwegung in der 1.eit zu sinnlich fassbaren Teilen', and refers to E. K. B:aoWN, Rhythm in the Novel, Toronto 1963 (not available to me). 11 At 16,7 the words fall into groups of two; 16,Sa changes to a prcdotninantly threestress grouping, while 16,Sb reverts to two-stress groups. At 19,25b there are three negative sentences describing what Meribbaal did not do, and two temporal termini each of which is divided into three units (lmn hywm/lkt/ hmlk; ed hywmr1r b•I b1lwm). At 19,36 each of Barzillai's three questions has a paired expression: in the first it is the object of YDe - byn fwb Ire; in the second it is the double noun-clauseobject of rM •t •Jr •Jel and •t •1, •Jth; and in the third it is Jrym wJrwt; while the first and third questions fall into two rhythmic units (h•tr / byn fwb lrc; and •m •1me ewd / bqwl Jrym wJrwt), the second has three groups (•m 1tm chdk / •t •Jr •Jel I w•t •Jr •Jth).

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corpus of Biblical Hebrew. While one docs not find many hapax words in the text, the number of non-stereotyped and even unique phrasal combinations is considerable; the more important examples are listed in Appendix I. One can also note a few words which are rare in prose but more frequent in poetry: thus nwh (15,2.5); 12 m!,z (15,34); 13 RGZ (19,1); 14 and possibly !Ip (20,14 ). 15 The conclusion seems justified that 2 Sam 13-20 shows a fresh and creative use of language which can touch at times on the poetic and in any case goes well beyond the more formulaic tendencies characteristic of simple oral narration. b.

Word classes

Adjectives are said to be relatively rare in Hebrew generally; 16 the situation in 2 Sam 13-20 is as follows. Adjectives occur in predicative function some forty times, 17 and in attributive function (excluding numerals) over thirty times; 18 the latter figure becomes less impressive however when it is noted that over half the occurrences are accounted for by four adjectives (gdwl, 12x; IJ!em,twb, and yph 3x each). In all, the text has forty distinct adjectival words: twenty-eight different adjectives and verbal adjectives, as well as twelve verbs whose participles function as adjectives. The high frequency of the rather colourless gdwl is indicative of the narrator's lack of interest in vivid and precise depiction of scenes, and can be set side-by-side with the massive use 12 DllIVER,

Notes :n,f. remarks that the only prose uses of nwh arc at 2 Sam 7,8 On nwh as a survival from nomadic times see DEtcoJt.,VT 2,

(= 1 Chr 17,7); i,,2,.

(197') 317-319. 13 m.,z is opposed to weth at 2 Sam 1,,34 and Isa 16,13-14. Sec also Dz / eth at Jos 14,11; Dz/ meth at Hos 2,9; eth / mDzat Isa 48,7: d. JENNI, ThZ 28 (1972) 11 n. 34. The adverbial use of m•z is very rare in narrative prose (it occurs nowhere else in Jgs, Sam, Kgs); it is used mainly in poetry and in the elevated prose of the prophets (ZollELL 26). So one can probably hear a tone of particular solemnity about the exprcssi011at 2 Sam 1,,34 which is well suited to the courtly fashion of speech. 14 Sec n. 130 on p. 7' above. 15 The correctness of Dphere is doubted or rejected by BUDDE 301£.; NOWACK 234f.; DllIVER, Notes 34,; BussAN 680; NAB (emending to .,ap bemm4); HAL 74. However it is kept by SCJIULZ II 243; REHM114; HERTZBERG 30, n. 4; DE VAUX 229. The rhetorical effect which Dpgenerally has when used in prose (see DllIVER, Notes 34, with n. 3) may well have been intended here too by way of mock solemnity. However the bad textual state of v.14 as a whole prevents any certainty on this point. 16 Sec JoOON 141. 17 The instances are: (a) adjectives and verbal adjectives: •1;rwn(2:x:),gdwl, dl, zqn, J;y, };km, fwb (9:x:),'Yl, y!Jp, yJr, kbd, mr-npJ, met, nkl;, nqy, e'YP(2:x:),psi;, fm', qrwb, rJwn (2x), ,e (2x), ,eb, rph-ydym: (b) participles: DYN nif, I;lPH qal pass., PW$ nif, QR' qal pass., $RR qal pass., TLH qal pass.. The forms Jlmy 'mwny at 20,19 are doubtful. 18 The instances are: a) adjectives and verbal adjectives: b1wr, gdwl (12x), };km (3x), fwb (3x), ymyn, yph (2x) + yph-mrh, met, rb, Jkwl: (b) participles: I;lBS qal pass., KLM nif, MLT piel, NGR nif, QRe qal pass., RW$ qal. At 20,3 };ywt is probably a substantive (see HAL 298).

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of /el 'all' (some 87x as attributive adjective). 19 The predominance of direct speech in the text undoubtedly goes far to explain the lack of interest in descriptive adjectives; the narrator is more concerned with the interaction of persons and the emotions displayed at these moments than with scenepainting. Relative clauses and phrases also belong to the descriptive functions of language. The word 'Jr appears as a relative pronoun some sixty times: about twenty-five of these are relative phrases (i.e. 'sr + prep. + suffix or noun), the rest are relative clauses ('Jr + verbal sentence: ca. 3.5x; or 'sr + nominal sentence: at 14,18; 1.5,20; 17,10; and see the doubtful 17,3). Only a comparative study of other texts could tell whether these figures have a particular stylistic significance or whether they represent a normal proportion of the different relative usages. There are a number of unnecessary relative clauses and phrases, that is to say, either the information they convey is already known to the reader (e.g. 13,10; 14,7; 1.5,14; 16,11) or the relative construction could have been replaced by a status constructus expression (e.g. 17,7 ). The reader will be more alert to these 'unnecessary' phrases, since they belong more clearly to the area of deliberate stylistic choice. Only once in 2 Sam 13-20 is there a relative clause within another relative clause: this occurs in a dramatic and emotional context at 18,28. Finally it can be noted that the adverbial modifier m'd 'very' occurs eight times: with ~km (13,3 ); with zqn (19,33); with gdwl (13,1.5.36; 18,17; 19,33); and twice with verbs (13,21; 14,2.5); its function is not particularly vivid. Apart from a few instances of list-like accumulations of substantives (16,1-2; 17,27-29; 19,6), the language of the text is strongly verbal. This is particularly clear in those places where there is an accumulation of narrative verbs (e.g. 13,8f.; 14,33; 17,18f.; 17,23; 18,6-8; 18,14b-17; 18,24f.; 20,3 ), but it is indeed an overall characteristic of the text (and, it would seem, of early Hebrew narrative in general). It is this, one feels, that gives the narrative its intensity and vigour, its artistic and (by our standards) often quasi-poetic density of language. So much action is compressed into so small a space that the reader's attention is inevitably drawn more to the language than would be the case in our contemporary literature of a comparable size and genre. It is true, of course, that a successionof wyqtl narrative verbs can generate a certain sense of monotony in the reader. The changes in viewpoint and focus noted above help to offset this possible monotony, and here two further remedies can be mentioned on the syntactical level. First, the narrator can break up a succession of verbal sentences by one or more nominal sentences, whose effect in general is to make the reader pause for a moment to see the scene rather than follow the action (see e.g. 13,8; 17,2; 17,18). Secondly, the verbal sentences themselves can be grouped in series of varying length Add to this the 7 occurrences of lel 'Jr, 2 of !el + suffix, and one of kl with the def. article. 19

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otten in threes, also in fours, and occasionally in even larger groups (e.g. the seven successivewyqtl verbs at 13,8b-9a, and at 17,23). This gives something of a wave movement to the narrative: at one moment the action interest rises to a more prominent height, and the reader's attention is focused more closely on the detailed sequence of actions, at another moment the onward movement is less impetuous and the reader is free to view things more at a distance. Furthermore, it will be seen below that almost every scene is so constructed that its central part is made up of direct speech; it is this above all that averts the monotony of a succession of narrative sentences.

c. Repetition and variation Variation in prepositions was noticed especially for 't and cm 'with': see 13,26; 14,17 with 19; 1,,20 with 22; 19,26 with 27; 19,34; 19,38 with 39. Variation occurs too in the order of personal names ('Jonathan and Ahimaaz' at 17,17; vice versa at 1,,27.36; 17,20), and in the order of the 'hundreds and thousands' at 18,1 and 4. Several cases of variation in nouns and verbs have been noted above during the analysis of 13,,-11. The most important variations from the stylistic point of view are probably those bearing on the designation of personages (use and non-use of titles; choice of titles) and of groups. 20 The use of the PN 'David' was seen in several places to have an effect on the narrator-reader level too, in that the reader was brought to see David rather as a man than as a king at those points and so to have more sympathy with him. 21 However, this can hardly be established as a general rule for all uses of the PN as against the title hmlk. 22 Of the many instances of repetition, special attention can be called to initial-position repetition (19,32.33); to end-position repetition (13,24; 16,16. 17; 17,8; 18,,; 19,9a.9ba; 19,12f.); and to chiastic or inverted repetition (1.5,21; 1,,3.5f.). 23 Various stylistic effects are achieved also by the unnecessary repetition of titles and designations of personages (see 13,32 with 13,3; 16,16 with 1.5,32.37; 18,2 with 16,9; 19,17.19 with 16,.5; and the constant use of the long form Sheba hen Bichri in ch. 20 ). Some of these repetitions help to give an interwoven feel to a pericope's language; others have a refraineffect or express the thematic key-word of a pericope, and these will be mentioned again below in the discussion of the techniques of organization in the story. 20

See, for example, the summaries given for 13,1-22 on p. 38 above, and for 17,2419,9 on p. 81. There is little point in listing all the other instances here, since their value can be appreciated only in contextual analysis. The long section 19,9-20,22 provides particularly striking examples of variation in the designations of the king and of the Israelitesand Judcana. 21 See e.g. 13,7.21.30; 1.5,13.14.22.30J1J2.33; 16,1.6.11.13; 17,16.22; 18,1.2.24; 19,23; 20,3.6.

See above p. 81. At 15,21 yhyh Jm / Jm yhyh; at 15,3.5£.e,,,,e Jm / Jm emm. Sec also 1.5,34 (with some textual difficulties) •bdk •ny / w•ny ebdle. 22 23

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d. Word-play and paronomasia G. R. Driver has noted that playing on words, though rare in Akkaclian and Ugaritic and apparently unknown in early Aramaic, is remarkably common in Hebrew. 24 This finds solid confirmation in 2 Sam 13-20 where the main types of word-play and paronomasia can be set out as follows: 1. 1.1

1.2

2. 2.1 2.2

juxtaposition of roots that are distinct but phonetically related: :iBL and :iblat 13,37-14,2 and 14,.5; mlk and mr k at 14,17 and 19,28; BRlj and BljR at 15,14f.; SWB and YSB at 15,8. 19.29; 16,3; and see also 14,21 with 28, and 19,9 with 11; IjPH and YI:IP at 15,30; 25 rt and LW'.f at 18,5 and 19,5; SBB and Y$B at 18,30. semantically related: :idwnand h:ilhymat 14,17 and 19,28; yd and YMN and S~L at 14,19; possibly SKL and :ilpytplat 1.5,31;26 pslp and RGL at 19,27f.. recurrent use of the same root in stylistically striking forms: recurrence of same root in two different words: miplph and Iplph at 14,7; SLM and Ilwm at 1.5,7.9; ,ch and ,c at 16,16f.; :ibilwm and Ilwm at 18,29; SMR and mimrt at 20,3. recurrence of the same word with different senses or referents: IjLH hitp at 13,2..5.6; SMc at 14,16.17; n ph / pnym at 14,19f.24.28-32; byt at 15,16.17 and in the two occurrences at 17,23; brgl(y)w at 1.5,16-18;21 ,:iI at 1.5,32a.32b; lb at 18,14; TQc at 18,14.16.

24 See G. R. DRIVER in Fourth World Congress of Jewish Studies I (1967) 121-129. For further bibliography sec ALONSO ScHOKEL, Estudios 72-77: also G. R. DuvER, VT 4 (19S4) esp. 240-24S; GUILLAUME, JSSt 9 (1964) 282-290; GLOCK:, Semitics 1 (1970) S0-78; PEETERS, Semitics 2 (1971-72)127-142. Word-play and paronomasia are commented on too in studies on particular texts: e.g. BLENKINSOPP, CBQ 26 (1964) esp. 447f. with n. 89; PAYNE, JSSt 12 (1967)207-229; HOLLADAY, VT 20 (1970) 1S3-189. 25 The word-play remains whether one understands l;IPH here in its usual sense of 'to cover' (thus e.g. KUTSCH, Trauerbriiuche 26 with n.13; HAL 32S; NAB; GERLEMAN, Esther 118), or whether one secs here another root l;IPH 'to uncover, go barefoot, shave the moustache'. The latter sense is preferred by GoRDIS, ]QR N.S. 27 (1936-37)41-43; G. R. DRIVER, EThL 26 (19SO)343; NEB. BROCKINGTON 33S/281d admits the possibility of this sense, and EMERTON (in a review at VT 22 [1972] '°9) criticizes HAL for having ignored the occasional sense of 'uncover' for I;lPH. 26 In Ahithophd's name the dcmcnt TPL 'insipid, stupid' may however be a disparaging scribal alteration of an original 'Ahibaal': sec CAllLSON, Daoid 251£., and HAL 33. n SMc at 14,16 is 'hear the appeal, accept the petition', while in v. 17 it probably means 'discern, judge' (cmp. 1 Kgs 3,9.11). 21 While brgl(y)w could be rendered 'following him, under his command' at lS,16.17 as well as at 1.5,18(where this sense seems certain), it is also possible that the narrator is playing on other senses of the expression: 'on foot' at vv. 16.17 (cmp. 16,1-2), or even 'on the spot, instantly' at v. 16 and/or v. 17 (a sense suggested by GEllLEMAN, JSSt 4 [19S9] S9 n. 1 for Jgs S,lS; 2 Sam 1S,16f.; Job 18,8: one could compare the Italian 'su due picdi').

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recurrence of the same verb in different phrases: SKB in ch. 13 (with cl mskb, v. .5; absolutely, vv. 6-7; with cm, v. 11; with accus., v. 14); I:ISB in ch. 14 (with cl, v. 13; with m!Jsbwt,v. 14). 2.4 recurrence of the same verb in different themes (conjugations): SWB gal and hi£ at 1.5,20; cBR gal and hi£ at 19,19.41. 2..5 recurrence of the same verb of two contrasted personages: I:IZQ at 13,11.14.28; Jwmh and SYM lb at 13,32f.; MHR at 15,14; SWB hi£ at 1.5,8.2.5;16,8; NPL at 17,9.12; 'SP at 17,11.13. Further study would be needed to see whether this type is found in other narratives too. The effect is to heighten the contrast between opposing personages by bringing them together under the same verb. 3.

recurrent use of the same root in constructions that are stylistically less striking:

3.1

a verb with its infin. absol.: 3.1.1 in dialogue: 14,14; 1.5,8; 17,10.11.16; 18,2.3; 19,43.43(?); 20, 18.18. 3.1.2 in narrative: 13,19; 1.5,30; 16,5.13; 18,25. One can note especially the double use of this construction in the highly charged speeches of Hushai (ch. 17), of the men of Judah (ch. 19), and of the wise woman (ch. 20). In contrast, the Tekoite woman (ch. 14) uses many cognate accusative constructions (sec below) but only one infin. absol.: can this be seen as a pointer to the fact that there is no genuine emotional involvement in her words but only a skilled and abundant use of language? The double use of the construction at 17, 10.11 and 18,2.3 helps to underline the antithetical tone of both contexts.

3.2

3.3

a verb with its cognate accusative: 3.2.1 involving a relative clause: in dialogue: 1.5,7; 17,7. in narrative: 13,1.5.1.5; 16,23; 20,.5. 3.2.2 otherwise: in dialogue: 13,6; 14,12.13.14.14.15; 1.5,8; 19,30.37. in narrative: 13,1.5.36; 14,26; 1.5,12; 18,18. various other collocations of cognate words: 13,.5.8; 14,3.20; 16,13; 17,6.9.23; 19,1.19.

The particular stylistic values of these various forms of word-play and word-recurrence can only be seen in a contextual analysis; it is enough here to have listed the main types and to have shown how frequent these linguistic features are in the present text. This is another piece of evidence that the language of the text draws attention to itself and is an integral part of the impact of the whole text on the reader.

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e. Paral.lelism

Besides the obvious instance of parallelism in Sheba's cry at 20,1, 29 several other occurrences of this phenomenon have been noticed during the analysis. There are clear examples of parallel sentences at 19,l0b; 30 19,20; 31 19,44. 32 One can also note 14,5b; 16,18b; 19,7b; 33 19,13a; 34 19,43b. 35 The type 'affirmation + negation of its opposite' is had at 13,30b and 15,11. An identical phrase is repeated at the same position in two successivesentences at 18,3, and there is a form of antithetical parallelism at 14,9. One can also note the 29 The nouns IJlq and nlJlh occur together often (in parallelism or in juxtaposition) with IJlq alwaysin the first position: sec Gen 31,14; Num 18,20; Dt 10,9; 12,12; 14,27.29; 18,1; 32,9; Jos 18,7; 2 Sam 20,1; 1 Kgs 12,16 ( 2 Chr 10,16); Jer 10,16; .51,19; Job 20,29; 27,13; 31,2. See also Jos 19,9 and Ps 16,5-6; and for the verb NI:IL and the noun l;lq see Num 18,20 and Zech 2,16. In words of the same speaker dwd I I bn yfy at 1 Sam 2.5,10; 2 Sam 20,1; 1 Kgs 12,16 ( 2 Chr 10,16); 1 Chr 12,19. Contrary to what several comm. affirm, the bn yfy form here does not seem to have a disparaging nuance: see CLINES,VT 22 (1972) esp. 282-287; VANDERWoUDE,TIIAT II 942£.. The parallelism here seems to be a break-up of the pair dwd bn yJy which occurs at 2 Sam 23,1; Ps 72,20; 1 Chr 10,14; 29,26 (on this phenomenon in general see MELAMED, Scripta Hieros. 8 [1961] 11.5-1'3; BRAULIK,Semitics 1 [1970] 7-11; DAHOOD in Fs.Gaster 83-89). 30 N$L and MLT occur in strict parallelism only at 2 Sam 19,10: they occur fairly close together at Isa 20,6; Jer 39,17.18; Ps 33,16.17.19. For kp I I kp see DAHOOD in RSP I.II 30.5 (and on repetitious parallelism in general see his notes',in UF 1 [1969] 30£., and RSP I.II Intro 6a pp. 79£.); mlepI I mkp occurs only at 2 Sam 19,10; see mkp ... wmlep at 2 Sam 22,1; 2 Kgs 16,7. The parallelism 'ybynw II plJtym is hapax too; onp. the juxtaposition at 2 Sam 3,18. 31 I:ISB qal I I ZKR only here; onp. the collocation at Jer 11,19; 1:ISB piel II ZKR at Ps 77,6£.. One can note that the judgement scene in 2 Sam 14 uses these two verbs also: I:ISB at vv.13.14; ZKR at v.11. ewn (noun) I I ewH (verb) only at 2 Sam 19,20; the words occur in proximity at Ps 38,5.7 (eWH nif); 2 Sam 24,10.17 (eWH hi£). The noun ewn also recalls ch. 14 (vv. 9.32). 32 Chiastic parallelism (A-B-B'-A'): eJ, ydwt ly bmlk II wgm bdwd 'ny mmk. If this is accepted, then (1) eJr ydwt is more likely to be a round figure expressing superiority (d. Dan 1,20: and see BRONGERS in Fs.Vriezen esp. 33f.) than a reference to the ten northern tribes (thus NOTH, System 4f. [cf. however his Konige 260]; McKANE 274; MAuCHLINE293; DE VAUX,Hist. II 65): and (2) one will not follow most comm. (and recently NAB; NEB [BROCKINGTON, Hebrew Text '6]; HAL 126.307) in changing bdwd to bkwr. The MT bdwd is defended by REHM 112; BussAN 674; GoSLINGA354.

=

=

33 34

ky hgdt hywm ky ...

I I ky yJCty hyw111ky ...

For mention of 'IJ 'brother' with the 'bone and flesh' phrase see Gen 29,14f.; Jgs 9,2f.; 2 Sam 19,13. See also the Akkadian 'I am your brother, your flesh and your blood', quoted by Km>AR-KOPPSTEIN, ThWAT II 252. On the 'bone and flesh' formula, see DHoltME,L'emploi m/tapborique 9£.; REISER,ThZ 16 (1960) 1-4; DELEKAT,VT 14 {1964) 49-52; BRUEGGEMANN, CBQ 32 (1970) 532-.542; GERLEMAN,TIIAT I 377; BRATSIOTIS, ThWAT I 852.861£.. It is to be noted that the phrase is not simply a 'relationship formula' as Reiser termed it, for the aspect of acceptance (granted or requested) is present in all the occurrences. BRUEGGEMANN (111't. cit., 538) goes so far as to term it 'a covenant formula' referring to partners who have obligations to each other in all kinds of circumstances; BoLING,Judges 171 accepts the covenantal designation. 35 Though the sense of 19,43bfl remains problematic, the parallelism is clear enough.

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parallel words or short phrases at 14,7a.11; 18,32; 20,20. 36 An instance of long-distancephrase-parallelismcan be seen at 18,19 and 18,31. n These various forms of parallelism could be further examined within the more general horizon of binary and ternary articulation of language in the text. 38 Since ternary articulation is the less frequent form in Hebrew, 39 it may be useful to set out some of the more striking occurrences in 2 Sam 13-20: i) ternary articulation on the level of pericope structure: 14,5b-ll: three exchanges within the fictitious part of the Tekoite's interview with David; 14,29ff.: two unsuccessful attempts and a third successful one (similarly at 18,19-23); 16,20-17,14: three counsd scenes (two unfavourable to David, and the third favourable); 18,25-27: three exchanges between the sentind and the king; 19,17-41: three meeting scenes with individuals. ternary articulation on lexical and sentence 1 eve l: 13,5-7: triple mention of command to Tamar; 13,19: three signs of grief; 13,30.32f.: triple mention (once affirmed, twice denied) of the death of all the princes; 16,2: triple statement of purpose for Ziba's provisions; 17,27: three supporters of David; 17,29: three adjectives; 19,25: three items of description; 19,36: triple question. ii)

the number 'three' : 13,38: three years of exile; 14,27: three sons; 18,2 'one-third' (3x); 18,14: three sticks or darts; 20,4: three days. Some instances of the interplay of binary and ternary articulation have been noted above in the discussion on rhythm, 40 and one can also note the following texts. At 1.5,30 there are three descriptive phrases for David and two for his followers. At 16,20-17,14 there arc three counsel scenes divided into two acts, each terminated by a generalizing remark (16,23; 17,14b); and the second act (17,1-14) is itsdf divided into two scenes (17,1-4..5-14). This variety on the underlying structural levd contributes to the movement and artistic complexity of the text. iii)

f.

Figurative language

The use of simile and metaphor is one of the dearest signs of a heightened use of language in a text. One must distinguish however between diches and more original images. Some of the similes used in 2 Sam 13-20 appear 36 BL• I I SI;IT at 2 Sam 20,20; Lam 2,.5 (SI;IT pie!). For SI:IT + BL'=see Lam 2,8. Cmp. :.KL 'to devour' and SI;IT at Jer 1.5,3. n Sec above n.127 on p.74. 31 Sec ALONSO SCHOICEL, Estudios 19.5-230. 39 Sec ALONSO SCHOKEL, Estudios 217; and also SaruLz, Eruhlltunst 22-2.5; CilLSON, David 47 n. 2 and 64£.. 40 Sec p. 117 with n. 11. On the interplay of binary and ternary articulation sec ALONSO SCHOICEL, Estudios 218-220.

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to belong to stereotyped courtly style - thus the comparison of the king with an angel of God (14,17; 19,28), and of the king's wisdom with that of an angel of God (14,20). 41 Two of Hushai's similes are stock expressions too: 'like a bear robbed of her cubs' (17,8); 42 and 'as sand by the sea for multitude' (17,11). 43 There are three similes which, as far as can be judged from extant texts, are more original. The Tekoite woman at 14,14 says that the people are 'like water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again'; 44 Hushai speaks of a brave warrior 'whose heart is like the heart of a lion' (17,10), 45 and he urges Absalom to come upon David with a mighty host 'as the dew falls on the ground' (17,12). 46 The exact force of the last image is not too clear: many take it to refer to the immense number of troops Absalom is to employ in the operation; ff others however see the point of the comparison in the silence of the attack; 41 while it is also possible that the reference is to the irresistible falling of the dew which covers over all that lies in its path. • And it cannot be excluded that the image points to all these aspects simultaneously. The most striking metaphor occurs at 14,7 ('they would quench my coal 41 EissFELDT, IntroJ. 99 suggests that these phrases go back to royal songs. mrk 'lhym appears in comparisons also at Jgs 13,6; 1 Sam 29,9: sec SalMmT, TIIAT I 161. Cmp. the use of mrk yhwh at Zech 12,8. For the tone of hyperbole cmp. Gen 33,10 (sec GUNKEL, Genesis 367). See earlier UT 126: IV: 3 /Jkmt ktr lfpn. 42 kdb lkwl (without bJdb however) occurs at Hos 13,8, and d. Prov 17,12. On other images with bean see WoLFF, Hosea 294£.; CAQuOT, ThWAT II 7'£.. 43 In 19 of its 22 occurrences !Jwl is used in comparisons (exceptions: Ex 2,12; Dt 33,19; Jer 5,22). The term of comparison is 'number' in all cases except Job 6,3 and Prov 27,3 where it is 'weight'. The precise form of the phrase used at 2 Sam 17,11 is

=

found also at 1 Kgs 4,20. On the disputed Job 29,18 sec POPE, Job 208.214-216 (!Jwl 'sand': thus too NEB text); and DAHOOD,CBQ 36 (1974) 85-88 (!Jwl = 'phoenix': thus too HAL 285; NAB; NEB mg). In general see KAPELI.UD,ThWAT II 803-806. 44 GEVAllYAHU, Beth Mikra 36,1 (1%9) 18£. compares Mic 1,4 and Qoh 12,6 and suggests that the image was at home in laments for the dead; however there is hardly enough evidence to make this a probable opinion. On the image sec also HOFTIJZEI.,VT 20 (1970) 433£., n. 4. OrrossoN's suggestion (ThWAT I 427) that 'the water poured out' is the rain is unlikely, since NGR is nowhere chc used of rain. 45 lb h'ryh occurs only here. The lion and the bear appearin the same contat (here vv. 8.10) also at 1 Sam 17,34.36£.; Isa 11,7; Hos 13,7£.; Am ,,19; Prov 28,1,; Lam 3,10. On the lion in imagery see STOLZ, THAT I 225-228; BoTrERWECK,ThWAT I 404-418. 46Dew (#) appears in similes at Dt 32,2; 2 Sam 17,12; Isa 18,4; Hos 6,4; 13,3; 14,6; Mic ,,6; Ps 110,3(?); 133,3; Prov 19,12. And in metaphors at Isa 26,19; Ps 110,3(?); Job 29,19. Usually the refcrcncc is to the beneficent, life-restoring clfcct of dew, sometimes to its transience (e.g. H01 6,4; 13,3). One can note the occurrence of 'dew' imagery in a military context also at lQM XII,9; XIX,2: sec VANDER PL0EG, VT 5 (195') 413. ff Thus GoLDMAN291; VAN DEN Bol.N 192; STOBBE in Fs.Baumgiirtel189 n. 123; GosLINGA 305£.. Rejected however by EHi.LICH, R4ndglossen III 316. 41 Scoff, IDB I 839; MAUCHLINB 280. • Cmp. Mic ,,6; and possibly Isa 18,4.

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which is left'), 50 and one can note too the use of BLe 'to swallow' at 17,16 and 20,19, 51 and of "KL 'to devour' at 18,8. Other comparisons occur at 16,23 (Ahithophel's counsel was 'as if one consulted the oracle of God'), and the particularly effective 19,4 where the victorious army in complete reversal of the natural state of things steals back to Mahaoaim 'as people steal in who are ashamed when they Bee in battle'. As well as the stock personification of a city as a mother at 20,19, 52 there may be a more poetic example of animism, the attribution of human emotions of sympathy to natural objects, at 1.5,23 where 'all the country' (kl h"rt) is said to have wept aloud as David and his followers began their Bight from Jerusalem. While it is possible that kl h"r1 here means 'all the inhabitants of the land' or even 'the whole city', 53 one should note that vv. 23 and 30 describe David's Bight in terms reminiscent of mourning rites; forms of personification often occur in other contexts of lamentation. 54 Some instances of natural symbolism have been noted during the analysis apropos of the closing of Amnon's door (13,17), the tearing of Tamar's dress (13,18f.), and Absalom's loss of his mule, a royal mount (18,9). s., Another, perhaps more interesting, case can be seen in ch. 17. Ahithophel's menacing advice if acted on would, as the reader knows (16,14), have been fatal for David; the setting is night (hlylh: 17,1). Hushai's proposal (17,7-13) rejects 50 Sec MOLLO, Rest 39-46 (esp. 43); GASTER, Myth 479£.; GEVilYAHU, Beth Mil:r« 36,1 (1969) 16-18; H0PTIJZEI.,VT 20 (1970) 422 (with Akkadian parallels). 51 At 17,16 the verb is taken as II BLe pual 'mitgetcilt werden' by JACOB,ZAW 32 (1912) 287; JENNI,Das hebr. Piel 246; HAL 129. However it is more probable that the mlk in question is David himself and this is confirmed by the phrase Id hem "Jr "tw which almost always refers to David's men. GUILLAUME,JThSt N.S. 13 (1%2) 321£. takes the BLe of 17,16 to be cognate with Arabic balaJ.a:'lest disaster befall the king'. But the difference between this and a metaphorical sense of BLe 'to swallow' seems slight; the latter is accepted by ZoRELL 114; NAB; SCHOPPHAUS, ThWAT I 6,9£ .. 52 The usual interpretation of the phrase as 'metropolis with dependent villages' has been questioned by DE Bou in Fs.Rowley 60 who takes "em to mean 'counsellor' here and at Jgs ,,7: the explanation seems rather forced however. FITZGERALD, CBQ 34 (1972) 410 with n. 34 understands the designation against the background of the idea that capital cities were goddesses, mothers of their inhabitants and daughter-cities, and wives of the city's god. 53 bWIN, Isaiah 28-JJ, 1,3 secs 2 Sam 1,,23 88 a particularly instructive example of •rf meaning 'city'. On this sense in generalsee howeverSalMm, TIIAT I 229, and OrT0SS0N,ThWAT I 423. 54 Sec Lam 1,4 ('the paths to Zion mourn'), and Gilgamesh's mourning-poem for Enkidu ('May the countryside weep for thee ...': Gilg VIII, Sultantcpc text: ANET .506). Cmp. too Job 31,38 ('if its furrows wept together ...'). It has been suggested that the dethronement of a king could be referred to 88 his death: sec WIJNGAAIU>S, VT 17 (1967) 226-239; J.M. MILLER, VT 18 ( 1968) 392-394, and PEQ 106 (1974) 16 n. 33. Wijngaards argues from treaty texts and refers also to UT 68: 32.34; Miller interprets 1 Kgs 16,22 in this light. (For MWT + MLK at 1 Kgs 16,22 cmp. MT + MLK in the Ugar. text mentioned.) Whatever of the treaty terminology, the general connection of loss of throne with death seems to offer a good background for the mourning tone of 2 Sam 1',23 ..30. 55 Sec above pp. 33f.60.

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the night setting of Ahithophel's on the level of chronology, but the image he uses in v. 12 ('as the dew falls on the ground') remains in the area of night, 56 and destructive notes follow (vv. 12f.). But the image, like Hushai's whole speech, is ambiguous and open to more than one reading. For dew is generally seen as a sign of blessing (e.g. Gen 27,28; Dt 33,13.28); so too Hushai's advice, on the surface destructive for David, in reality is in his favour. Then at 17,22 David and his followers succeed in reaching a place of safety across the Jordan as day begins to break: the coming of light coincides with the escape from the danger of death. So one can note a transition on the level of symbolism: unqualified evil 17,1 night

ambiguity 17,12 dew falling

deliverance 17,22 daybreak

Finally there are a few instances of hyperbole that are worth noting. 57 Absalom's impatience at being excluded from court life leads to the outburst: 'if there is guilt in me, let him [the king] kill me' (14,32): words which, on a second reading of the text, are heavy with dramatic irony. At 17,13 Hushai's inflated rhetoric pictures the utter destruction of the city where David might seek refuge: 'we shall drag it into the valley, until not even a pebble is to be found there'. 58 Numerical hyperbole occurs at 18,3.12 (both spoken by soldiers), and there is another case of hyperbole in Joab's rhetorical tirade at 19,7. st 3. Uses of direct speech

a. Frequency and centrality The importance of the direct speech passages in 2 Sam 13-20 appears already on the purely quantitative level. Of the 259 verses in the text, some 171 (almost two-thirds of the total) contain some direct speech, and of these about 117 consist entirely of direct speech (with quotation-formulas).60 Dew falls mostly at night and disappears with the rising sun: d. Hos 6,4. See ZAW 64 (1952) 16; BALY, Geog. 44-46. On hyperbole in general see EYBERS, Semitics 1 (1970) 38-49. 58 The occurrence of a somewhat similar image at Mic 1,6 could suggest that the notion belongs to a 'destruction of city' topos (anp. the verbally less similar texts at Isa 17,1; 23,13; 25,2.12; Jer 26,18; Mic 3,12). FABRY, ThWAT II 702 suspects that behind the rhetorical exaggeration there is an allusion to the military technique of assault by means of grappling-irons and ropes. st On these three occurrences see above pp. 57 with n. 44; 61 with n. 63; and 79. 60 In ch.13 there are 22 vv. with at least some direct speech and 17 vv. without any; in ch. 20 the proportion is 11: 11. In all the other chapters, however, the ratio of direct speech to narrative is considerably higher. The special situation of chh. 13 and 20 in this regard may be due to chance, or it may depend on the fact that these chh. mark the 56 ScOTT, 57

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Many of the sub-units of the story are set out as 'narrative/dialogue/narrative' - an arrangement of the material that puts the crucial part of the sub-unit in direct speech. See for instance: i) on a simpler level: 14,28-29/30-32/33; 1.5,1-2a/2b-4/.5-6; 1.5,24/2.5-28/ 29; 1.5,32/33-36/37; 16,.5-6/7-12/13-14; 18,9/10-14a/14b-17; 19,32-33/3439/ 40-41; 20,14-1.5/ 16-21/22. ii) on a more complex level with several groups of dialogue: 13,1-3/4-20/2122; 13,23/24-3.5/36-38; 13,39-14,1/14,2-22/23-24 (and it can be noted that the direct speech in v. 24a gains in surprise effect by its position in the concluding narrative part). 61 There is a second sense too in which it can be said that dialogue has a central part in the story, for two of the scenes that have the most decisive bearing on the action are largely in direct speech, namely, the Tekoite woman's plea in ch. 14 which brings about the recall of Absalom and thus leads on to the rebellion, and the duel of words between Ahithophel and Hushai in ch. 17 which decides the outcome of the rebellion before ever a blow is struck on the field of battle. b. Quotation-formulas There is one place in the present text ( 18,23) where direct speech is not indicated as such by an introductory quotation-formula; the omission is adequately explained by the rapid pace of the context. 62 Since it is in con• textual analysis that the stylistic effects of variation in the wording of quotation-formulas can best be discussed, all that will be done here is to indicatethe main types of formulas. The purpose of this is not merely statistical (though that too has its value in comparative stylistics) but is also literary. in that the reader is given a clearer view of the extent of variation in the use of these formulas - a variation which, while not approaching what we arc accustomed to in contemporary literature, is still quite noteworthy and wu, no doubt, more sharply perceived by the fust readers of the text. 63 1. 1.1 1.2 1.3

Form u 1as with 'MR (wyqtl or qtl): the direct speech is preceded immediately by 'MR alone: 34x. 'MR + fmr: only 20,18. (See also 1.10 below.) 'MR+ 'l + suffix: 4x (13,.5.28; 14,2.31).

start and end of a long narrative unit and so use relatively less direct speech than the central part. MACDONALD, BiOr 32 (1975) 163 has calculated that the ratio of prose narrative to spoken passages in 1 Sam is 45:55. 61 More rarely, scenes end on direct speech: sec 16,1-4; 16,1'-19; 19,17-24; 19,2.5-31. 62 On this sec above p. 70 with n. 109. 63 On the great variety of quotation-formulas in English sec e.g. Fowua and Gowns, Modern English Usage 302.533. On quotation-formulasin Hebrew sec also WoLPP,ThB

22, 41-47; LAPOINTE,Dialogues 240-244.

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1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12

'MR+ 'MR+ 'MR+ 'MR+ 'MR+ 'MR + 'MR+ 'MR + 'MR+

'l + (substantive or PN): Bx. l + suffix: 6x (13,4.11.12.16; 18,23; 20,17). l + (substantive or PN): 2x (15,34; 19,14). S ( explicit subject): 38x. 'l + suffix+ S: 3x (13,20; 15,3; 18,4). l + suffix + S: 12x. S + 'l +suffix+ fmr: only 17,6. S + 'l + (substantive or PN): 35x. S + l + (substantive or PN): 6x (15,14.25; 16,4; 18,11.21;

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20,9). While in most cases 'MR is in the wyqtl form, there are a few instances of the inverted x-qtl form, and one sub-form of this can be noted: kb + 'MR + b + infin., which occurs at 16,7 (type 1.7) and 19,1 (type 1.1). 2. 2.1

Other

verbs

SLI:I 2.1.1 2.1.2 2.1.3 2.1.4

SLI:I+ SLI:I+ SLI:I+ SLI:I+

with

fmr:

'l + suffix + r mr: 14,32. dir. obj. + 'l + substant. + r mr: 14,32.

S + 'l + PN + fmr: 13,7; 19,12. S + dir. obj. + fmr: 15,10. 2.2 NGD + fmr: 15,31; 17,16; 19,9. 2.3 $WR+ fmr: 13,28; 18,.5.12. 2.4 DBR + fmr: 19,12; 20,18. 2.5 SYM 'l lb dbr + fmr: 13,33. 2.6 BW' + fmr: 15,13. 2.7 DYN ni£ (periphrastic) + fmr: 19,10. 2.8 NDR + fmr: 15,8. 2.9 SM: + fmr: 19,3. 2.10 hJmeh BW' ... fmr: 13,30.

In all, then, fmr occurs 21 times: with SLI:I 5x, with NGD and $WR 3x each, with 'MR (types 1.2 and 1.10 above) and DBR 2x each, and in six other instances. It occurs twice in close successionat 14,32; 19,12; 20,18. In comparison with the Joseph-story of Gen 37.39-50, fmr occurs surprisingly rarely with 'MR and DBR in 2 Sam 13-20, though both verbs are quite frequent there; on the other hand, SLlj fmr which seems to be a favourite usage of 2 Sam 13-20 does not occur at all in the Joseph-story.64 3.

0th er verbs without fmr: ZCQ(19,5); NGD (19,2); CNR (19,43); QR' (20,16); SLI:I (19,1.5). 64

The Joseph-story (taken as Gen 37; 39,1-46,7; 46,28-48,22; ,0) is slightly longer

than2 Sam13-20;in BHS the formertext has ca. ,OS lines, the latter 4,2. In the Josephstory rmr occurs with !IIMR,x and with DBR 6:x:. The absence of rmr in the Tekoite woman scene, with its very frequent use of verbs of ~peaking,is particularlystriking. 9

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4.2 4.3 4.4 4 ..5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9

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S e n t e n c e - c h a i n s introduce direct speech: (all the 'MR texts have also been mentioned in section 1 above.) cNH + 'MR: 7x (13,32; 14,18.19; 1.5,21; 19,22.44; 20,20). In all instances this chain seems to signal an important intervention. Its use at 13,32 shows clearly that cNH does not necessarily mean 'answer' to a foregoing statement or query. BW' + 'MR: 7x (13,6.24; 16,16; 17,20; 18,31; 19,6.42). The two verbs occur together also at 17,6 and 19,26, but their subjects are different in both cases. QWM + BW' + 'MR: only 14,31. QWM+ 'MR: only 14,7. QR'+ 'MR: 4x (13,17; 1.5,2; 18,26.28). Homage scenes with 'MR: 4x. 14,4 (NPL + J:{WH + 'MR); 14,22 (NPL + J:{WH + BRK + 'MR); 18,28 (IfWH + 'MR); 19,19f. (NPL + 'MR). SMc + 'MR: 2x (1.5,10; 17,9); and cf. 20,16. NGD + 'MR: 17,21 (HU( + NGD + 'MR); 18,10 (R'H + NGD + 'MR). Others: YSP + 'MR (18,22); LQ.If + 'MR (14,2); SWB + 'MR (1.5,34); TQC bspr + 'MR (20,1).

A final point concerns the use of two quotation-formulas in two successive uninterrupted discourses by the same speaker. Instances of this in the present text have been seen at 1.5,3.4; 1.5,2.5.27;16,10.11; 17,7.8. One should probably see these double occurrences as having a function on the level of narrative rhetoric (sharpening the reader's attention; signamng a new point of major importance within the discourse) rather than as signs of composite narrative. 65 c. Inner direct speech and monologue Syntactically marked indirect speech is not common in early Hebrew narrative - examples in the present text can be seen in Absalom's question at 17,.5 and in Joab's speech at 19,7 - but in effect several of the instances of 65 There are numerous other examples of two speeches in immediatesuccession made by the same speaker to the same or similar addressees: see e.g. Gen 19,9; 20,9.10; 24,24.2.5; 27,36; 37,21-22; 41,39.41; 42,1.2; 47,3.4; Jgs 11,36.37; 1 Sam 4,7; 16,l0b.lla; 17,8.10; 17,34.37 (see DIUVE1t,Notes 14.5); 26,9-10; 2 Sam 24,22-23b; 1 Kgs 2,13b-14a; 2,42.44; Ru 2,20. In some of the Gen texts there may be question of two sources (see the comm.), but the usage is too widespread to be claimed as a certain sign of source composition. GUNICEL'sformulation on this point is too strong: 'Stilregel ist, dass man zwei Reden derselben Person hintereinander vermeidet, sondem sic durch das Wort eines andem oder cine Hand.lung trennt.' (Genesis XLII, and cmp. pp. 209.46.5). DIUVE1t'scomment on 1 Sam 4,7 (Notes 46) is less rigid: 'Though the speakers are the same ..., the remark is of a different character: and in such cases the repetition of wy•m,w is a genuine Hebrew idiom ...'.

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inner direct speech (or interior quotation) have the same function as indirect speech.66 Inner direct speech can be used: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

when the speaker mentions a message or an item of news to be communicated: 14,32.32; 17,16; 19,12f.14; 20,16. when he refers to a command or instruction: 13,5.28; 14,7; 18,12. when he refers in conditional sense to what another person may have said or may say: 15,26; 16,10.10; 17,9. when he tells another character what to say: 15,10.34. when he tells another character what not to say or think: 13,32.33. when the manifestation of the other person's mind or intention is what matters, and not the actual fact of speaking the words CMR 'thought, intended'): 14,15f.17; 16,3; 19,27. when the speaker quotes his own words in the past: 15,8. when the speakers rhetorically apostrophize themselves: 19,11. when a common saying or proverb is quoted: 20,18.

=

The many functions performed by this usage shows that it is an important part of a Hebrew narrator's stock of technique. One can also recall here the two texts where direct speech (not interior quotation) is used to convey the speaker's motivation for action: 17,29 (ky :,mrw ... ), and 18,18 (ky :,mr ... ). Direct speech at 19,l0f. expresses what might be called a 'collective soliloquy', and this taken with the king's cries at 19,1.5 can be seen as coming close to monologue.67 The expressive value of these usages can only be seen in their contexts; in general it can be said that they add vividness to the conversation, making for a tone of spontaneous utterance rather than carefully formed literary discourse, and drawing closer to the reader the other personage(s) whose words are quoted.

d. Number of speakers and of exchanges Most of the conversations are dialogues involving only two persons at the one time. Where a third person appears, this is usually after the conclusion of the exchanges between the other two. Thus Am.non and Jonadab speak at 13,4-5; Jonadab then disappears from the scene when Am.non speaks with the king at 13,6. The Tekoite woman speaks with the king from 14,4 to 14,20, but when Joab enters the conversation the Tekoite woman disappears (14,21£.). There are, however, two scenes, both involving Abishai (16,7-12; 19,2024), where three speakers interact to a certain extent. In the former scene 66 On indirect speech see Loss, RivBibl 18 (1970) 19.5-202;LAPOINTE, Dulogues 136£.. Lapointc'ssuggestion (p. 51 n. 138) that the ~, of 2 Sam 13,32a signals indirect speech is hardly likely, since the panllcl cxpresaion in v. 33 is in direct speech. 67 On monologue see BliTSIOTIS, ZAW 73 (1961) 30-70.

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we have: Shimei to the king (vv. 7f.); Abishai to the king (v. 9); the king to the sons of Zeruiah (v. 10); the king to Abishai and all his servants (vv. 11f.). And in ch. 19 we have: Shimei to the king (vv. 20£.); Abishai to the king (v. 22); David to the sons of Zeruiah (v. 23); David to Shimei (v. 24). It is true that these are not three-sided conversations in the full sense, but one can see here a type of scene that goes beyond the limitation to two actors that is characteristic of traditional oral narrative style. 68 Apart from those two more complicated scenes, the normal order of exchanges follows the three-item pattern: speaker A / speaker B / speaker A. Thus at 13,4f.; 15,2-3(4); 15,19-22; 16,16-19; 17,6-14; 18,2-4; 18,31£.; 19, 34-39; 19,42-44. But the narrator is by no means tied to this form; he can use shorter two-item dialogues (speaker A/ speaker B) - thus 13,11-13; 13, 15f.; 14,21£.; 14,31£.; 15,7-9; 15,14f.; 16,20f. (most of these are in 'command/ execution' patterns or variants thereof). Four-item dialogues (two utterances from each speaker) are had at 13,24-26; 18,10-14; 18,26f.; 19,26-31; and a six-item exchange (three utterances from each speaker) occurs at 16,2-4. There are still more complex forms at 14,4-20 (eight utterances of the Tekoite woman and seven of the king, with the initiative in conversation belonging now to the one, now to the other), at 18,19-23 (a six-item exchange, with the insertion of a command for a third party), and at 20,16-21 (a six-item exchange followed by another utterance from the first speaker). Such a variety of forms amply illustrates the narrator's fluent mastery of the dialogue scene. e. Structural elements in the speeches

i) hnh and whnh: tlJ Quite a number of the speeches open with the attention• calling hnh (thus 13,35; 14,32; 16,3.4.11; 18,10; 20,21), or hnh n" (thus 13,24; 14,21); while messages are introduced by hnh at 18,26 and 19,2.9. Within the body of a speech hnh occurs more rarely - only at 15,15.36; 17,9; and (with suffix) 15,26. It can be added that hnh does not occur in narrative at all here, unlike whnh which occurs more often in narrative (9x) than in direct speech (5x). 70 Of the latter five texts, only 18,11 is at the start of a speech; in the other four texts whnh occurs within speeches, drawing atten• 68 Ounc:, Zeitschrift fiJr deutsches AJtertum ,1/N.F. 39 (1909), speaks of 'das Gesetz der scenischen Zweiheit', meaning that folk-literature ('Sage') does not easily tolerate the simultaneous presence of three personages each with his own character and his own action. 2 Sam 13-20, however, is not simple folk-literature (with v. RAD,ThB 8, 17'£.}, and should not be forced within 'laws' derived from oral narrative ( contrast ScHuLz, Brzahlkunst 20-22 who attempts to e]iminatc 19,22-23 as a later addition modelled on 16,7-12). For another three-sided scene see 1 Kgs 3,16-28. • Sec in general VETTER, TIIAT I ,o+,o7 (with bibliog.); one can add KONIG, Stilistik 229; LABusCHAGNE in Syntax and Meaning 1-14. 70 MACDONALD, BiOr 32 (197') 172 notes that hnh is ovcrwbclmingly a spoken idiom: of the 227 occurrences in the historical books, 224 arc in spoken language. In contrast, of the 214 occurrencesof whnh in the historical books, 79 arc spoken while occur in prose narrative.

u,

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tion to the present situation of the speaker (14,7; 19,21) or to a new proposal (19,38), or marking a ~nmming-up (16,8: with suffix). ii) l'h and r''w: These attention-callers, more emphatic than (w)hnh both because of their verbal form and because of their greater rarity, occur in four texts here. 71 The singular r:,h opens Absalom's statement at 1.5,3; the plural r:, w is used twice by Absalom at the start of his commands to his servants at 13,28 and 14,30, and once by David at 1.5,28 (not the start, but more the turning-point of the speech). Only the forceful Absalom, then, uses the emphatic opening r:,h / r:,w, and perhaps this can be seen as an example of the use of a particular linguistic form to characterize a particular personage. n iii) cth and wcth: 73 The most frequent function of wcth is to mark a division or turning-point within speeches. Most often wcth is followed by a volitive form (13,13.20.33; 14,32; 17,16; 19,8), or by a sentence with volitive force (18,3: a nominal sentence which functions as a polite request; 19,11: a question which urges on to action). 74 At 15,34 and 19,10 the wcth is purely temporal (in the former text opposed to m:,z, and in the latter contrasted with the king's past actions), while at 14,15 wcth marks a shift in the discourse to another point which is not in logical consequence or in temporal succession to what preceded. It can be added that wcth does not occur in narrative here, nor does the simple cth. Apart from the probably incorrect 18,3, cth occurs at 17,9; 19,8; 20,6 where it has a strongly temporal sense of stress on the present moment, and at 16,11 (w:,p fey cth) where there is a logical nuance of diroax as well as a temporal sense. iv) Other discourse dividers: It is enough to mention the use of :,o 'or', 'on the other hand' at 18,13 and Hushai's hsnyt 'secondly' at 16,19. Both uses appear to be rather uncommon in the Bible. 75

f.

Vocatives

The thirteen vocatives in King David's outburst of grief for Absalom (19,1.5) go far towards making this scene one of the most memorable pieces of narrative in the story, and suggest that the use of vocatives in the rest of the material should be examined briefly. i) Terms used in vocative: A divine name (yhwh) occurs at 15,31; the name of a people (yJr:,l) at 20,1; personal names at 19,1..5 (Ab71

Sec DltlvER, Deuteronomy 14; GUNTHER,THAT I 218£.; VETTER,ibid., 505.

n Cmp. David's mh ly wlkm bny ir(w)yh (16,10; 19,23); Joab's hywm ytr ebdle (14, 22) with ytrty hywm (19,7); and the use of substantivizcd mh by Ahimaaz (18,22.23.29). 73 Sec JENNI, ThZ 28 (1972)5-12. 74 This confirms for the present material the statement of LANDE, Formelhafte W endungen 48 that the use of weth before a command or request is the most frequent of all. 75 LANDE, Formelhafte Wendungen 53 notes that the use of hJnyt at 16,19 is the only example of an ordinal number used to continue discourse in this way. ZoRELL 869 however refers to Mal 2,13 also. CASPARI 582 notes the frequent use of Janitam in the Amarna letters (references in KNu»TzoN,Die El-Amarna Tafeln II 1514). On '8 see above n. 66 on p. 62.

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salom: ,x) and 19,26 (Meribbaal); the patronymic bn pwyh at 16,10 and 19,23; the titles hmllt (14,4; 1,,34), 'dny hmllt (14,9.19.22; 16,4; 19,27), and bn hmlk (13,4); the relationship terms bny (13,25; 18,22; and 8x in 19,1.,), '!Jwty (13,11.20), and '!Jy (13,12; 20,9); and the double designation 'yJ hdmym w'yJ hbltl (16,7). In all, then, the vocative occurs 33x. C.Omparedwith the Joseph-story the frequency of use of vocatives in 2 Sam 13-20 is quite high, for in Gen 37.39-50 there arc only eight occurrences.76 The courtly setting of much of 2 Sam 13-20 may explain the difference to some extent, but further investigation of the use of vocatives in Hebrew narrative would be necessary before a more definite statement could be made. It can be suggested at least that the vocatives of 2 Sam 13-20 help to give the dialogue there a greater liveliness and appellative force, while the dialogues in the Joseph-story arc more deliberate and repetitive. ii) Position of the vocatives: Vocatives occur in a variety of positions within the discourses: at the very start (19,1.,.27); at the very end (13,11; 14,4; 1,,31; 16,4; 19,1.,.26; 20,1.9); at the end of the first sentence though not of the discourse (14,22; 16,7.10; 18,22; 19,23); within the first of several sentences (13,4.12.25; 14,9.19; 1, 134); within a non-first sentence (13,20). A distinct preference for the end-position (of sentence or of discourse) can be noted; the initial vocatives appear to have stronger stylistic force and mark a particularly agitated state of mind of the speaker. Again here, further study might show whether this can be seen u a generalstylistic feature of Hebrew. g.

Questions

Frequency: An extensive use of interrogative forms is a general characteristic of Hebrew, Tl and the present text is no exception with its fiftyeight direct questions and one indirect ( 17,5: with mh ). 71 The following comparison with the Joseph-story and with 1 Kgs 1-2 will show some points of interest from the quantitative aspect: 79 i)

76 The titles 'dny (Gen 42,10) and by 'dny (43,20; 44,18); the relationship terms bny (43,29; 48,19) and 0 by (48,18); and the double PN 'Jacob, Jacob' at 46,2. Tl Thus JoOoN161aN. Th. E. PRATT,The Meaning of the Interrogative in the Old Testament (Diss. Baylor, 1972) - known to me from the summary in ZAW 8, (1973) 242 has calculated that interrogative sentences constitute 9% of the O.T. corpus. 71 The most frequent type is the lmh question: with lmh alone at 13,26; 14,31.32; 15,19; 16,9; 19,11.12..30; 20,19: with wlmh at 14,13; 19,13.36.37: with lmh r at 16,17; 19,26: with lmh 1.h at 18,22: and with wlmh 1.h at 19,43. Then come questions with interrogative he at 13,20; 14,19; 15,27; 17,6; 18,32; 20,9.17: and the disjunctives h ... 0 m ... at 19,4.3; and h ... 0 m ... 0 m ... at 19,.36. Questions with hlw0 occur at 13,4.28; 15)5; 16,19; 19,14.22.23. The particle mh occun in direct questions at 14.,; 16,2.10.20; 19,23.29: lemh at 19,3,: my at 1,,4; 19,1: wmy at 16,10: lmy at 16,19: mdwe at 13,4; 16,10; 19,42: and wmdwe at 18,11; 19,44. There are five questions without interrogative particle 0,,20; 16,17; 18,29; 19,23.44): and see also the difficult 14,14b. Finally there arc four location questions (13,13 r,nh; 1,,2 °y mzh; 16,3 w!tyh; 17,20 °yh). 79 1 Kgs 1-2 with its ca. 160 lines in BHS is approximately one-third the length of the other two texts: see above n. 64 on p.129.

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Gen 37.3911. 2 Sam 13-20 1 Kgs 1-2

Dir.QQ 41 58 12

Indir. QQ

lmh

mdwc

h

'

6 17 1

1

13 9 1

1 2

5 4

hlw' 5 7 3

Compared with the Joseph-story, 2 Sam 1.3-20 is noteworthy for its much higher proportion of lmh questions, and for the less frequent use of indirect questions. 80 Two other points of contrast can be noted: the Gen text has three wonderment questions with (w)'yk 'how!' and no questions without an interrogative particle, while the 2 Sam text has no questions with 'yk but has five without an interrogative particle. 1 Kgs 1-2, on the other hand, contrasts with both of the other texts in the reversed proportion of frequency in the use of lmh / mdwc, and h / hlw'. One could suggest that 2 Sam 1.3-20 uses a higher proportion of rhetorical lmh questions and questions without an interrogative particle (where the tone of voice and dialogue context must be relied on to signal the question) because of the more lively and rhetorically impetuous tone of the dialogues there; while in the Joseph-story the tone is calmer and more deliberate, even more didactic, in spite of the dramatic tension that is certainly present there too. One could compare the comment made above on the use of vocatives in the two texts. In 2 Sam 13-20 we are closer to realistic dialogue, though of course a certain measure of stylization is inevitable in any literary dialogue.11 P r e d o m i n a n c e o f r h e t o r i c a I q u e s ti on s : Interrogative forms can have a variety of functions. Some genuinely seek information of which the questioner is ignorant (normal questions); others have the function of positive or negative statements (rhetorical questions); others again intend more to acknowledgeand encourage the addressee than to carry a specific message (phatic questions). 12 It is not always easy in practice to assign the questions of a text to these three neat categories, for a question can appear to have an informatio11-see)dngand a rhetorical function at the same time, but with this reserve the following survey of the question-typesof 2 Sam 13-20 can be set out: lmh questions: Most of these are rhetorical. None appears to express a sheer disinterested desire for an explanation, but there are a few which, while expressing reproof or opposition on the speaker's part, intend at the same time to elicit a genuine answer (see 14,31; 16,17; 19,26). ii)

80

The indirect questions in the Joseph-story occur at 37,20; 37,32 (a double indirect question: h ... •m lw' ...); 43,6 (rare use of h in indirect question); 43,22. 11 See BouLTON, Anatomy of Prose 6: 'Dramatic prose usually has to resemble ordinary conversation sufficiently closely for us to accept it as an imitation of life, yet it must also have that improvement upon real life that is found in all art! See also LAPOINTE, Dialogues 246f.. 12 On the phatic functions of language see TUKNEll, Stylistics 209-213; and LEECH, Semantics48f. 62-68.

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mdwc questions: These normally express surprise or concern and so seek information. 13 Here 13,4 is a normal information-question; 18,11 and 19,42. 44 also seek information, although in the former two texts especially the context suggests a nuance of reproof; the mdwc of 16,10 seems to have a strong sense of reproof (cmp. the reproving lmh in 16,9), 14 and so is better taken as having a predominantly rhetorical function. interrogative hi: The disjunctive questions at 19,36.43 are rhetorical. The difficult hrPh 0 th (t,,27) may have more of a phatic function, 15 while the other six occurrences are normal information-seeking questions. 16 other question-types: Of the hlw0 texts, that of 13,4 has more of a phatic function, while the other six are rhetorical; ,, mh (or kmh) marks genuine questions at 14,,; 16,2.20, but rhetorical ones elsewhere; my questions arc rhetorical all through (even at 16,19 where Hushai answers his own question immediately); the location questions are genuine at 1,,2; 16,3; 17,20, but rhetorical at 13,13. And of the questions without an interrogative particle, only 18,29 genuinely seeks information. In brief, then, of the ,s direct questions some 20 seek information, 2 13

JEPSEN in Ps.Rost 106f. states that mdw• questions express surprise or concern (Teilnahmc) and therefore seek information. Thia is clear in many instances but one hesitates to follow Jcpscn's further suggestion that thcac same nuances dominate all the mdw' texts (except possibly Job 3,llf .: art. cit., 111 n. 2), even those where we arc inclined to hear a tone of reproof; these latter texts would in fact be 'surprised questions for information' (p. 107), and he gives u examples (among others) 2 Sam 16,10; 18,11; 19,42.44. One suspects that rigid theory is coming into conflict with intractable facts here, and a form-critical observation tends to confirm that suspicion: when WESTERMANN, Grundformtn 102 discussca the role of the accusing question in the word of judgement on individuals, he cites as two of his examples 1 Sam 2,29 (with lmh) and 2 Sam 12,9a (with mdwc). Jepsen, on the other hand, is obliged to interpret 2 Sam 12,7ff. as referring to God's puzzlement at what David has done after all the benefits he has received from God (art. cit., 111). So in spite of the approving reference to Jcpscn's study by ScHOTTlOPP (THAT I 68') and JENNI(ibid., 93,), his position on mdw• must be regarded u ovcr-systematic. 14 It is hard to agree with JoOON,MUSJB 10 (192') 16 who takes mdul of 16,10 as a request for information ('pour quellc raison ...'); similarly JEPSENin Ps.Rost 106f. (eee preceding note). BoE.cKE.a,Rtdtformtn 30£. and 67 n. 3 has no difficulty in acceptina a reproachful or accusatory nuance in mdwc at Ex 1,18; 2 Sam 16,10; 1 Kgs 1,6; Jcr 26,9a; ScHMIDT, Exodus 44 (on Ex 1,18) agrees with Boecker against Jepsen. 15 HoFTIJZE.ll,VT 21 (1971) 606-609 holds that the MT h4rd'th 'all4 in the sense of 'listen attentively' is philologically possible; so too MAUCHLINE274. Cmp. also NEB ('Can you make good use of your eyes?') and TOB ('Vois-tu?'). 16 One could argue that 2 Sam 13,20 too is a rhetorical question, but it accms preferable to take it as a genuine impulsive question. Absalom divines the answer immediately without having to be told, and so he continues speaking in the light of this affirmative answer. The narrator docs not wish to delay here. ,., On hlw' sec VAN SELMSin Fourth World Congrtss of ]twish Studits I (1967) 137140. The particular courtly use of hlw' that van Selmahu identified docs not occur in 2 Sam 13-20.

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have a phatic function, and the rest (ca. .36) are at least predominantly rhetorical in function. iii) Functions of rhetorical questions: E. Jenni has listed some of the expressive and affective nuances of rhetorical questions, e.g. emphatic affirmation; irony and mockery; expression of lament or of helpless-ness; appeal to the hearer's responsibility.81 An attempt is made here to classify the effects of the rhetorical questions in 2 Sam 1.3-20, with the proviso however that any classification can only be approximate, since the full range of nuances can only be appreciated in a contextual analysis.• A first classification of the rhetorical questions is based on their implied equivalents. In most cases here the rhetorical questions amount to strong negative statements: thus for all the lmh questions (which mean 'you have no reason to ...' / 'there is no reason to ...'); for mh at 19,29 and kmh at 19,.3.5; for "nh at 1.3,1.3,for mdwc at 16,10, for h at 19,.36.4.3,for my at 16,10, and the questions without interrogative indicator at 1.5,20 and 16,17; the mh formula at 16,10 and 19,2.3 is a strong negative volition or refusal. Other rhetorical questions are equivalent to a strong affirmative statement: thus all the hlw" texts, and the questions without indicator at 19,2.3.44; to these can be added the strong positive volition expressed by the my questions at 1.5,4 and 19,1; the my question of 16,19 implies a particular answer (not just an affirmation or denial), but only one answer is possible and this is given explicitly by the following rhetorical question in hlw". Rhetorical questions can also be examined for their expressive and affective force. Some express more the personal attitude of the speaker; others more directly express the speaker's attitude towards the hearer or a third person; and in both classes various affective nuances are conveyed. Thus the speaker's personal attitude is foremost in the self-depreciatory questions of Meribbaal (19,29: mh) and of Barzillai (19,.3.5: kmh; 19,.36..37: wlmh); in Absalom's reference to the meaninglessness of his return from exile only to be exiled from the court (14,.32: lmh); in the expressions of the speaker's desire or wish (1.5,4 and 19,1: my); in Barzillai's emphatic protestation of his incapacity for court life (19 ,.36: h ... .,m ... .,m ... ); in the Judeans' indignant defence of their conduct (19,4.3: h ... "m ... ); in David's expression of his certainty that he is king again (19,2.3: hlw"); in Tamar's hypothetical expression of helpless despair (1.3,1.3:"nh). The remaining rhetorical questions express more the speaker's attitude or reaction to the hearer: David takes his distance from the suggestion of Abishai (16,10 and 19,2.3: mh ly wlkm), or refuses to grant a request (1.3,26: 81 19

Sec TIIAT I 126.

The texts discussed in this section are: mh at 16,10; 19,23.29: kmh at 19,35: lmh at 13,26; 14,13.32; 15,19; 16,9; 18,22; 19,11.12.13.30.36.37.43;20,19; my at 1',4; 16,10.19; 19,1: mdwe at 16,10: h at 19,36.43: hlw' at 13,28; 1.5,3.5;16,19; 19,14.22.23: 'nh at 13,13: no indicator at 15,20; 16,17; 19,23.44.

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lmh; 19,23: no indicator); the pointlessness of the hearer's action is stressed (1.5,19; 18,22: lmh); strong repugnance to a third party's action (16,9: lmh); frequently reproof or rebuke in various tones - contemptuous (19,30: lmh; 16,17: no indicator), respectful (14,13: wlmh), reproof for the unreasonableness of the other's conduct (19,11.12; 20,19: lmh; 19,13.43: wlmh), horrified reproof (16,10: mdwc); a contrast is strongly emphasized (16,10: my, and the God/man contrast underlines this; 1.5,20: no indicator 90); the reason for the speaker's action vis-a-vis the hearer is strongly expressed (19,44: no indicator); the speaker defends himself against an accusation by answering a question he himself asks (16,19: lmy ... hlw' ...); he emphatically states the location of an object of discourse (1.5,3.5: hlw"); 91 he expresses his desire bluntly (19,22: h ... lw' ...); he encourages the hearer reassuringly (13,28 and 19,14: hlw') to take some course of action. The foregoing sketch is not proposed as a rigid and clearly defined classification of all the nuances of expression and emotion in the rhetorical questions of 2 Sam 13-20; another reader may very well have a different interpretation of some of the texts, or may wish to add other nuances to those mentioned. What matters here is to note the wide range of nuances involved in any case, and the fact that various interrogative markers can be used for the same nuance at times. The narrator of 2 Sam 13-20 is by no means bound to a few fixed forms of speech; he uses a variety of linguistic means to achieve a still larger variety of effects. The context is decisive in the interpretation of each instance, for one cannot read off the effect from the interrogative marker alone. iv) Q u e s t i o n - c h a i n s : Series of questions in immediate sequence intensify the rhetorical effect of the speeches in which they occur, and are frequent enough in 2 Sam 13-20 to deserve note as a stylistic feature. The instances are: 13,4 mdwc ... hlw' ... ; 16,10 mh ... wmy ...; 16,17 no indicator ... lmh ... ; 16,19 lmy ... hlw' ... ; 19,23 mh ... no indicator ... ky hlw' ... ; 19,36 h ... 'm ... 'm ... wlmh; 19,43 wlmh zh ... h ... "m ...; 9l 19,44 wmdwc ... no indicator .... All the questions listed are rhetorical, except for the genuinelyinterrogative mdwc at 13,4; the wmdwc at 19,44; the lmh at 16,17; and the phatic hlul at 13,4. It will be noted that some of the more dramatic scenes have an especial liking for question-series: 16,10 and 19,23 are both in David-Shimei90 A contrast such as is found at 15,20 (tmwl ... whywm ...) is often expressed by a question without an interrogative indicator: sec JoOON161a; MBYE1.lll,2a/lil,86. 91 The use of a rhetorical hlw' question to state emphatically where a thing is (15,35) occurs in other texts too: sec JoOoN 161c. One can note the parallel at 15,36 where the emphatic form hnh Jm is used. 9l HELD, Bretz Israel 9 (1969)75 n. 38 notes that the triple rhetorical question of the type lmh/mdwe ... h ... 'm ... (with Ugaritic antecedents) is found in the Bible at Isa 50,2 (mdwe) and 2 Sam 19,43 and Mic 4,9 (both lmb). JoOoN 143g finds that the addition of zh to lmh docs not in general involve a notable modification of the meaning; however the two occurrences of lmh zh here (18,22; 19,43) tend rather to support the views of GKC 136c. 1501 and WILLIAMS, Syntax 118 who sec zh as adding vividness and emphasis.

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Abishai scenes and occupy the same position (David's reply to Abishai); 16,17. 19 are in the first encounter between Absalom (v. 17) and Hushai (v. 19); 19,43.44 are in the clash between the Israelites and Judeans; 19,36 is in the highly rhetorical speech of Barzillai, while 13,4 is in the opening dialogue of the story which sets in motion the whole chain of events. v) Q u e s ti o n s a n d n a r r a t i v e t e c h n i q u e : Questions both genuine and rhetorical add to the dramatic force of the story by presenting the interaction of the personages in a more striking way. A question involves the hearer more actively than an affirmation; one can listen passively to affirmations but not to questions. The person addressed is summoned to take up a position, either by giving a genuine answer or by having the expressive and emotional force of the speaker's words impressed more vividly upon him. Thus the dramatic quality of the narrative is heightened when the already dramatic dialogue form is supplemented by frequent questions. A note here on the Tekoite woman's speech (ch. 14) whose wordiness has often been remarked by commentators: 93 she uses only one rhetorical question (14,13), in contrast, say, to Barzillai's frequent rhetorical questions (19,3.5.36.37; and the triple disjunctive question-series at 19,36). One can ask whether the scarcity of rhetorical questions in ch. 14 may not be due to the fact that there is no real dramatic interplay of characters there, since the woman is merely acting a part. " This observation leads on to the effect that questions have on the narrator-reader level, since the narrator manipulates not only his personages but also his readers by the linguistic choices he makes. In this instance, by using a considerable number of questions, he continually stimulates the reader's interest. Genuine questions are all minor nuclei of narrative tension; the reader wonders what the answer will be and is urged to anticipate the answer eventually given by the personage in the story. Rhetorical questions too Etimulate the reader's emotional response more than mere affirmations would do. When, for example, Barzillai asks rhetorically lemh ymy Iny ~yy ky ''=lb... (19,3.5), and then states bn Imnym Inh -:inkyhywm (v. 36), it is surely the former expression that strikes the reader more forcibly. Yet, as is normal in a story in contrast to an argumentative literary work, the narrator remains in the background. He does not put his questions directly to the reader; they all occur in dialogue between the personages, none in the narrator's own comments. h. Emotion reflected in language In many cases the context alone is enough to indicate to the reader that a speaker is in a heightened emotional state, but at times various linguistic 93 Sec e.g. ScHuLz II 166.169; contrast however ALONSO ScHOKEL,Bibi 57 (1976) 199. The woman's (relatively) many words are not idle chatter however, for she gives proof of her practical wisdom by skilfully weaving a web of words around the unsuspecting king. M Cmp. p.122 above on the scarcity of the infin. absol. construction in ch.14.

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signals help to convey this impression. The functions of rhetorical questions in this regard have already been noted, and the massive concentration of vocatives at 19,1.5 is another obvious example. Some further indicators will be noted here. Several of the more emotional speeches tend to use ky repeatedly: see 13,32f.; 16,10; 18,3; 19,7; 19,27-29. At 14,6f. the accumulation of waw-sentences conveys the speaker's breathless agitation. The broken rhythm of 16,10 and the nervously short sentences of 20,16 convey well the doubts and apprehensions of those contexts. An insistence on pronouns and pronoun-suffixes can mark the speaker's strong desire to impress his words on the hearer (see 16,18f.; 19,6-8; 19,13). On the syntactical level, it can be noted that some of the more emotional speeches use a very varied syntax with many volitive forms: see 13,20; 14,32; 19,6f.; 19,35-38. At times awkwardness in syntax seems to betray emotion: see 14,6b; 18,29b; and also the elliptical construction of 14,16b (lhsmyd). The use of inner direct speech to express the speaker's mind helps to convey the emotional force of 14,15-17 and of 14,32. Finally, rhetorical exaggerations such as are found in Hushai's decisive speech at 17,11-13, and also at 18,3.12 and 19,7 mark a heightened involvement of the speaker in his words.

i. Courtly style The use of polite forms of address or courtly language (henceforth CL) has often been studied systematically,95 so all that will be done here is to note a few selected points that have emerged from the analytical reading. It is interesting to examine who uses CL and to whom. The only cases where CL is used in words spoken to Absalom are 15,2 (by an anonymous man) and 16,16-19; 17,llb (in Hushai's insincere words). The non-use of CL in the rest of 17,1-14 is striking. Is the narrator hinting that Absalom did not deserve to be addressed as a king should be? In words addressed to Joab CL is used by the wise woman of Abel-beth-maacah(20,17), but not by the outspoken soldier (18,10-14) nor by Ahimaaz (18,19-23). In words addressed to David CL is used by his son Absalom (13,24; 15,8) and by his nephews Joab (14,22) and Abishai (16,9) - so close relationship does not exempt from the use of CL -, but David is not addressed in CL by Jonathan and Ahimaaz (17,21b), nor by the Judeans (19,15), nor most significantly of all by Joab at 19,6-8 (contrast Joab's use of CL at 14,22). The latter texts seem to suggest that there was a tendency to avoid CL in military contexts. The variety just noted in the use and non-use of CL is shown in even sharper relief by a number of texts where CL and non-CL forms occur in parallelism or in striking juxtaposition: 14,7 (cl Jp!Jtk) and 14,9 (cly); 14,16 95

Sec e.g. K6NIG, Stilistilt 71£.232-2.58; LANDE,Formelh11fteWendungen 32.68-76; Servant Motif 6-80; CoATS, ]BL 89 (1970) 14-26.

UNDHAGEN,

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("t ~mtw ... ~ty); 14,19 (hw~ fwny whw~ sm bpy Jp!Jtk); and the chiastic variation of CL and non-CL at 19,20 (y/JJb / tzkr; ly j ebdk). 96

4.

a.

Techniques of organization

On the level of the story as a whole

The admirable coherence of the narrative in 2 Sam 13-20 has often been praised and analysed in studies of the text; '11so there is no need to describe in detail here how the single pericopes combine into an artistic whole. The analytical reading of the text has made it clear that pericopes are linked not only by narrative tension ('how will the situation be resolved?'), but also by the reaction of the reader whose sympathies and antipathies, aroused by the personages and their actions, carry him on to the restful end of the account. The story is bound together, however, not merely by a skilful articulation of its sub-units, but also by foreshadowing and retrospection. 98 The cases of foreshadowing, it is true, are more easily recognized as such on a second reading; it is then, for instance, that the reader can better appreciate how the description of Absalom's noble appearance (14,25-27) coming at a moment when tension exists between the king and his son foreshadows their future contest for the throne, or how the emphasis on Absalom's hair in that description foreshadows the manner of his end (18,9££.), or how the placing of David's encounter with Hushai (15,32££.) immediately after the mention of Ahithophel (15,31) foreshadows the duel of words between these two counsellors (17,lff.), or how the dishonourable placing of Absalom's name after the mention of his troops ( 17,26: 'Israel and Absalom') foreshadows his dishonourable end. But even on a first reading some at least of these texts strike the reader's attention and make him wonder what light future events will throw on these surprising features. Reminiscences of and allusions to earlier events are powerful means of unifying the story. A few instances can be noted here. The dispute between the 'brothers' Israel and Judah (19,42-20,2) recalls the fatal hatred between the brothers Absalom and Amnon. The events concerning David recall those concerning Absalom: both were forced to leave Jerusalem; both eventually returned to the city; in both cases the return did not bring matters back to the initial state of things but took place in a changed and worsened situation (coldness between Absalom and David at the end of ch. 14; hostility between 96

For examples of juxtaposition of CL and non-CL forms in other texts sec KOHLE1t,

ZAW 40 (1922) 44.

'T1See for instance RosT, Thron/olge 117-123; v. RAD,ThB 8, 164-171.174£.;WHYBJtAY, Succ.Narr. 2.5-34. These studies, of course, treat of the coherence of 2 Sam 13-20 within the wider horizon of the Succession Narrative as a whole. 98 See also p. 107 above on flashbacks and anticipations.

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the two main groups in David's kingdom at the end of ch. 19). The king's real mourning for Absalom ('BL: 19,2f.) recalls the Tekoite woman's feigned mourning ('BL: 14,2). Joab's discussion with the wise woman of Abel-bethmaacah in ch. 20 recalls the events (and in several points the very vocabulary) of the scene with the Tekoite woman in ch. 14. 99 The series of meeting scenes during David's return (19,17-41) reminds the reader in many ways of the earlier meeting scenes during the flight (1.5,13-16,14). Other examples could be given, but these are enough to show the skilfully interwoven texture of the narrative on the level of content. A detailed analysis of the passages mentioned would show how the language too often contributes to the foreshadowing and retrospection. b.

On the level of the single pericopes

i) Inc I us ions , key - words , refrains, vocab u I a r y interw e a v i n g : The story is unified not only by the more general means just discussedbut also by a number of language features which operate for the most part on the level of the single pericopes. The first of these is inclusion or language-framingof sub-units within the story. This often takes the form of the recurrence of the same proper names or titles at the beginning and end of narrative units (e.g. 13,1.22; 14,28.33; 1.5,1.6; 1.5,7.12). More striking instances of inclusion can be seen at 13,32-33; 14,25-27; 16,7b-8; 17,8-10; 19,12-13; 20,1-22; 20,16-22. 100 Other noteworthy examples include the occurrence of YDc:of Joab at 14,1 and 22; the double Y$' at the start and near the end of the account of David's flight from Jerusalem (15,16f.; 16,7); the inclusion of the first Shimei-sceneby the mention of cursing and stoning (16,5f. and 13); the occurrencesof the thematic verb SWB at the start and at the end of the section dealing with David's return and restoration as unopposed king once more (19,9bf3-16: 5x; and 20,22). 101 One can also mention a number of material inclusions: 102 13,3 and 35 (the first mention of Jonadab stresses his wisdom, and the last mention shows how his insight into events is justified); 16,2 and 14 (references to weariness: 'lP and c:ypym); 19,27 and 28 (the first part of Meribbaal's speech is framed by cbdy rmny and wyrgl bcbdk). Recurrent key-words play an important part in unifying the single peri99Sec "sh !Jltmh(14,1; 20,16); kill/destroy (MWT bi£ + SMD bi£ at 14,7; MWT hi£ + BLc at 20,19); SI;IT (14,11; 20,1.520); dbr "mtw (14,1.5)and dbr "mtk (20,17); n/Jlt "lbym (14,16) and n/Jlt ybwb (20,19). 100 On these see RmoUT, Comp. T ecbniques 36-47 where he also discusses 2 Sam 12, 13b-14; 1 Kgs 1,24-27; 2,26; 2,42-43. 101 Sec also 13,28 and 29a; 1.5,2b and 4; 1.5,34; 18,1 and 4; 19,8; 19,2.5 and 31; 20,16 and 17 (double SMc in each). 102 By material inclusion is meant the framing of a unit by two items similar in meaning though not in verbal form.

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copes. 103 One can recall the insistence on terms of relationship ('brother' and 'sister') and the verb SKB in the opening Tamar-scene(13,1-22); the recurrent use of MWT in 13,28££.and all through ch. 14; the ironic stress on SLM in 15,7-12; the recurrences of cBR at 15,13££.,at 17,1.5££.,and at 19,17-41; the insistence on QLL in the first Shimei-scene(16,.5-13),and on Y\~ / efh in the Hushai and Ahithophel scenes (16,20-17,1.5); the repetition of MHR in the Jonathan and Ahimaaz scene of 17,15££.; the striking recurrences in the passage telling how the news of Absalom's death was brought to David (18,19££.: RW$, BSR, Jlwm, ywm, bny); the insistence on SWB at the start of David's return (19,12-16), and on RDP in the Sheba-pericope. This last example introduces another unifying feature, namely, the repetition of phrases to give something of a refrain-effect. One can note here the recurrence of 'and he refused to listen to her' (13,14 and 16); the repetition of 'all the princes are dead' (13,32f.); the recurrence of 'and Absalom fled' (13,34.37.38), and of 'seeing the face of the king' (14,24.28.32); then the repeated SYM lb phrase at 18,3; and above all, the occurrences of RDP r,!Jry lbe bn blery (20,7.10.13; and cf. also v. 6). Less evident but of considerable interest for the story are the recurrent allusions to the 'death of one man': see 13,32.33; 17,2-3; (19,23); 20,21. Many other instances of word-recurrence can be noted within various pericopes, and one effect of this is to give an interwoven feel to the language of the pericope. Though the narrator does not eschew variation, he has no inhibitions about repeating the same words and phrases. Often this adds to the force of a passage; the natural density of Hebrew prose narrative is increased and the story impresses itself still more forcibly on the reader. It may well be that traditional oral techniques of story-telling arc reflected in this interweaving. Studies in the oral delivery of epic material have shown that the narrators used many formulaic expressions as aids to memory within the diversity of each recitation; 104 though 2 Sam 13-20 docs not have a noticeable amount of stereotyped formulaic language, the prominent occurrence there of language interweaving may be a literary successor to the earlier formulaic technique of oral narration. In conclusion, it can be noted that interweaving on the level of language has some correspondence on the level of content, as has been seen above during the discussion of reminiscences and allusions, and that both harmonize neatly with the essentially interwoven pattern of 'departure/return' that dominates so much of the material. C o n c e n t r i c a n d c h i a s t i c p a t t er n s : ic15 Artistic shape can be given to the onward flow of language by its articulation into regular patii)

103 On key-words in generalsec BUBER, W erlee II 1131-1149 and 1150-11,8; for the present material sec RmoUT, Comp.Techniques 89-107. 104 Sec above p. 94 with n. 7. On the memory aids available to the reciters of prose talcs sec CAMPBELL, R.uth 19. 105 On chiastic composition in the Succcssioo Narrative sec RmoUT, Comp.Techniques

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terns on the microcontextual level. There is the A-B-A' arrangement which can apply to sentence-types (13,12; 19,1), to content (14,19-20; 19,12-1,; 19,40-41a), and to verbal expression (13,32f.; 1.5,16-17a;1,,23; 18,20). The A-B-CB'-A' pattem is found at 1.5,19-20(sentence-typesand verbal expression), and at 1.5,30 (verbal expression). The more complex A-B-CC'-B'-A' pattem applies to verbal expression at 13,1.5aand (less obviously) at 19,38-39. Concentric disposition on a wider scale has been noted by Ridout at 13,1-22 (convincingly), at 16,.5-14, and (less impressively) at 19,10-44.106 In general it is the small-scaleverbal realizations of these patterns which attract the reader's attention more and which therefore appear to have greater stylistic value. Chiastic disposition, understood in the strict sense of an A-B-B'-A'pattern, can be noted on the level of verbal expression (17,6; 18,20; 19,1.7.28.39.44), on the level of sentence-types or syntactical elements (14,24; 19,12f.), and on the level of content elements (17,24-29; 19,7; 19,20-24). Some attempts have been made to see the whole of 2 Sam 13-20 (and more besides) as arranged in a concentric or chiastic form, and three of these deserve a brief notice here. In 1942 Lund suggested that 2 Sam 13,1 - 1 Kgs 3,28 is composed of 'a very remarkable array of sections in chiastic order'; 107 closer examination, however, shows that what is remarkable is the great disproportion between some of the allegedly corresponding sections (e.g. between 2 Sam 13,1-19,1, on the one hand, and 1 Kgs 2,13-3,28 on the other), and the generally far-fetched nature of the correspondences adduced. 1°' More recently, Radday has detected an elaborate chiastic structure in 2 Sam. 1°' The material is set out in twenty-three sections, but the neat arrangement is not altogether satisfactory. First, in spite of the detailed diagram the twenty-three sections are not in fact symmetrical.110 Secondly, the sections do not always 47-74. On chiaamua in general see .Am>EllSEN, Sentence 119-140; WELCH, UP 6 (1974) 421436; CEUSKO, UP 7 (197') 73-88, and CBQ 38 (1976) 303-311; DI MAaco,LingBib 36 (Dez. 197') 21-97; 37 (Mai 1976)49-68; DAHOOD, IDB Suppl. 145. 106 See RIDOUT, Comp.Techniques 50-63. On 13,1-22 see above p. 19. He sets out 16,'-14 as follows: A (David comes to Bahurun: v. 5a); B (Shimei curses and atones David: vv. '1>-6); C (speeches: vv. 7-12); B' (Shimei curses and stones David: v.13); A' (David arrives at the resting-place: v. 14). He sets out 19,10-44 as a unit organized in a symmetrical pattern: A (vv. 10-11) - B (vv. 12-15) - C (v. 16: Gilgal) - D (vv. 17-40) • C' (v. 41: Gilgal) • B' (vv. 42-43) - A' (v. 44). However some of the correspondences here arc rather tenuous: can v. 44 be separated from vv. 42-43, and does not v. 44 in any cue re-echo v. 12b rather than vv.10-11? Is there really a symmetrical correspondence between David's proposal to the Judean elders and to Amasa in vv.12-1' and the dispute between Judeans and Israelites in vv. 42-43 where Amasa does not appear? Then the words wgm ~iY 1m yJ,~lhave to be eliminated from v. 41 for the sake of the correspondence (op. dt., 61 n. 2); but such textual surgery makes one suspect that the pattern seen has taken precedence over the text given. 107 See LUND, Chiasmus90-93: citation &om p. 90. lOI One can quite agree with RIDOUT, Comp.Techniques 49 n. 3: 'the parallels he [Lund] adduces are simply not significant'. lOP See LingBib 9-10 (0kt. 1971) 21-31. 110 Symmetry is preaervedfor sections 1 and 3 which correspond to sections 23 and

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correspond to the real divisions of the narrative; for instance, the battle between Absalom's forces and David's finds no place in the schema. Thirdly, the search for symmetrical correspondences results at times in pericopes being named after a merely subordinate dement; for instance, 16,1-4 is entitled simply 'Mephibosheth' (though he does not appear as an actor there), and ch. 20 is entitled 'The Woman of Abd' (with not a word for Sheba). More interestingly, Flanagan finds in the Court History of David (2 Sam 9,1-10,5; 11,1; U,26-31; 13,1-20,22) a remarkable literary balance. 111 The central pivot on which the whole construction hinges is found at the narrator's comment in 16,23: on either side of that verse, corresponding episodes form a rising and falling rhythm within the narrative. 112 While there are many acute observations in Flanagan's analysis, the schema as a whole must be said to suffer from an excess of the spirit of geometry. Without a doubt there are dements of reversal and reminiscence in the story, but this does not justify the imposition of so rigid a pattern on the text. Furthermore, the schema is quite implausible in some points of detail: thus, 'the pivot that controls the entire course of the history' (art. cit., 177) is surdy the Hushai scene and its sequd (17,5-24) and not the narrator's note at 16,23; then again, it is hard to see why 17,15-22 (and not 19,17-41) is said to be the balancing section to the meeting scenes of 15,13-16,14; finally, in some of the other sections one would prefer to speak of phrasal reminiscences rather than of literary balance of scenes (e.g. 13,15-22 and 19,2-9a; 13,1-14 and 19,9-44). The search for chiasmus and other forms of structural geometry appears at times to exert a fatal fascination on students of Biblical texts. A sound antidote is available, however, if one first carries out a detailed analysis of each pericope and of the intrinsic narrative dynamism of the story as a whole (in the case of a narrative text). This will provide a solid foundation on which one can then erect such structural edifices as the text actually permits. In many cases these edifices may turn out to be of more modest proportions than some of the daborate constructions arrived at in more intuitive ways.

21; but things go wrong for sections 2,4.,,6 and 7 which should correspond to sections 22,20,19,18 and 17 but in fact arc shown as corresponding to sections 19,22,16,20 and 18 respectively. 111 Sec ]BL 91 (1972) 172-181. 112 Thus 16,20-22balances 17,1-4; 16,16-19goes with 17.,-13; 16,15 with 17,14; 1.5,1316,14 with 17,1.5-22; 1.5,12 with 17,23; 1.5,2-11 with 17,24-29; 14,28-33 with 18,1-.5; (14,2.5-27and 18,18 arc parenthetical and do not count); 14,1-24goes with 18,9-18; 13,23-29 with 18,19-19,1; 13,1.5-22with 19,2-9a. Beyond this point Flanagan admits that the balance in the narrative becomes less clear, but he suggests that some balance can be seen between 13,1-14 and 19,9-44; between 10,1-.5; 11,1; 12,26-31 and 20,4-.5.8-13,and finally between 9,1-13 and 20,1-3.6-7.14-22. Further details must be seen in the article itself. 10

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Epilope

Epilogue - but not conclusion. For there is no end to literary study of a text, and the reader of the present work will surely feel that much else could, and indeed should, be said about 2 Sam 13-20. But then the analysis and survey given above make no claim to completeness; they are meant simply as a help to enable other readers to approach the text more nearly. Reading aright, as Percy Lubbock has remarked, 'is a forlorn enterprise ... but there are degrees of unsuccess'. 1 And he might have added, had he known the presentday situation of Biblical studies, that various hazards beset the path of the well-intentioned reader. Thanks to the immense labours of several generations of scholars, a vast amount of background knowledge - historical, sociological,traditio-historicalis now available to the reader of the Bible; but one can say so much about the background and pre-history of a text that little or no time may be left to speak of the text itself. Then come the theories of language, literature, and text; complex and urgent problems are involved, but if their solution is set up as an absolute priority, then there is danger that the texts themselves will never be read. The reader must of course have adequate knowledge of background questions (in so far as reasonable probability can be reached here) and must at least be acquainted with theoretical and methodological problems, but all this has an enabling function. What matters is to be able to read the text itself; a reading which in the case of narrative material should go beyond banal paraphrase and yet avoid fanciful allegory. If these pages for all their inadequacy have made some progress along this path, the effort will have been worth while and future readers can carry things further.

1

Craft of Fiction 13.

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.APPENDIX

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Rare words and phrasesin 2 Sam 13-20 A. &pl'Clliom not found ebewhae

While there arc only two hapax legomena (see 17;2.9 and 18,9 below) as well as a few instances of hapax use of a particular verbal theme or conjugation (see 14;2.0; 17;2.3; 19,4.10; 20,8), the relatively high proportion of hapax phrasal combinations in the text gives proof of an ability to use language in a fresh and creative way. 13;2. 13;2. 13,4 13,13 13;2.8

13,36

14;2. 14,6 14,7

14,13 14,16

$RR lhtlJlwt. See above n. 26 on p. 27. csH l•(-) m'wmh (in euphemistic sense). See n. 28 on p. 27. kkh di. See n. 32 on p. 28. HLK hi£ + IJrph. See n. 51 on p. 31. 'l tyr'w + I:IZQ + HYH lbny IJyl. The phrase HYH lbn(y) IJyl is itself rare enough: a) HYH lbn IJyl: 1 Sam 18,17; 1 Kgs 1,52 (neither with I:IZQ): b) HYH lbny IJyl: 2 Sam 2,7; 13;2.8 (both with I:IZQ). But only 2 Sam 13;2.8 has the phrase 'do not fear' in addition. bky gdwl m'd. While bky gdwl occurs at Jgs 21,2 and 2 Kgs 20,3 ( Isa 38,3), only 2 Sam 13,36 adds m'd. Other intensifications used with BKH include: the infin. absol. construction (1 Sam 1,10; Isa 30,19; Jer 22,10; Mic 1,10; Lam 1,2), and the adverbial accusative (b)qwl gdwl (2 Sam 15;2.3; Ezra 3,12). For unusually strong forms see 1 Sam 30,4 and Ezra 10,1. bgdy 'bl. Nor does LBS occur elsewhere with other phrases having 'ebel. 'yn m;yl byny(-). Elsewhere 'yn m;yl is used absolutely (Jgs 18;2.8; Isa 5;2.9; 42;2.2; Hos 5,14; Mic 5,7; Ps 7,3; 50;2.2; 71,11; Job 5,4), or with myd (Dt 32,39; Isa 43,13; Job 10,7; Dan 8,4.7). Jm wPryt. Cmp. Jm wPr (Isa 14,22), and Pr II Jm (Zeph 1,4). Also JrJ I I Pryt (Isa 14,30; and for IrJ here cmp. KAI Text 222,C;2.4f.). Similar synonymous, though not always alliterative, pairs often occur in curse-passages of Ancient Near Eastern texts: e.g. KAI 22.5,10 (Jmk w'Jrk); Statue of Idrimi 97f. Ju-ma-Ju u zereP'-Ju: see S. SMITH,The Statue of Idrimi); other texts in CAD XXI,94. cm 'lhym. Jgs 20;2.has cm h'lhym. The usual form is cm yhwh: see HULST, THAT II 302-307. nlJlt 'lhym. The form n!Jlt yhwh occurs at 1 Sam 26,19; 2 Sam 20,19; 21,3. To the bibliography in WANKE,THAT II 55-59 add FORSHEY,Root NI:IL (Diss.Harvard: summary HThR 66 [1973] 50.5f.); Mcl..ARTERand C-ooTE, BASOR 212 (Dec. 1973) 18-21; BoLING,Judges 16; FORSHEY in Fs. Wright 51-53.

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1,s

14,20

SBB piel. SBB hi£ occurs with the object pn(-) at Jgs 18,23; 1 Kgs 8,14 ( = 2 Chr 6,3); 21,4; 2 Kgs 20,2 ( = Isa 38,2); Ezek 7,22; 2 Chr 29,6; 3.5,22. But in all those texts the reference is to a person's face, unlike 2 Sam 14,20

14,25

(pny hdbr). lhll m:1d. And II HLL 'praise' is itself rare in prose: in Gen - 2 Kgs it occurs only at Gen 12,1.5; Jgs 16,24; 2 Sam 14,25.

14,29 15,1

15,3 15,4

15,5 15,11 15,14 15,14 16,13 16,23

17,8 17,10 17,23 17,29 18,3 18,8 18,9 18,9 18,12 18,12 18,24 18,24 19,1 19,4 19,6

ewd Inyt. wyhy m:1/Jrykn. This particular form of the transition formula occurs only here at the start of a pericope. The phrase m:,IJrykn occurs at 2 Sam 3,28 to mark a minor sub-division within a pericope, and at 2 Chr 32,23 at the very end of a sub-unit. TWB + NKI:l, The collocation is hapax. ryb wmlp! This hapax pair can be taken as an instance of legal pleonasm (see FuLI.ERTON,AJSL .5.5 [1938] 227: 'a suit or cause'): cmp. 1 Sam 24,12.16. Hence one need not feel obliged on stylistic grounds to differentiate between ryb and mIP! here (contrast LIEDKE, Rechtssatze 90£.). SLI:f yd (as a peaceful gesture). At 2 Sam 18,12 and fourteen other texts the phrase has a hostile sense 'to attempt to kill someone': thus HUMBERT, VT 12 (1962) 388. See also G. R. DRlvER,SVT 1 (19.53)38 with n. 1. Yl)C kl dbr. Only here in this form; 1 Sam 22,15 expresses inculpable ignorance more emphatically. Other phrases with YI)C + obj. dbr(ym): Dt 18,21; Jos 14,6; 1 Sam 14,12; 20,39; 21,3; 22,1.5; Prov 1,23; Qoh 8,.5. ply!h mpny. mpny indicating the source of danger occurs nowhere else immediately after ply!h, NDI:f hi£ (meaning 'bring upon'). The usual sense is 'to expel, scatter'. fie (meaning part of a mountain). The word occurs nowhere else as a geographical term: see TALMON,ThWAT II 466. s:1Lbdbr h:1lhym. Elsewhere one finds s:1Lb:,lhym (Jgs 18,.5; 20,18; 1 Sam 14,37; 22,13.1.5; 1 Chr 14,10.14), and s:1Lbyhwh (Jgs 1,1; 20,23.27; 1 Sam 10,22; 22,10; 23,2.4; 28,6; 30,8; 2 Sam 2,1; .5,19.23; and d. Jos 9,14 and 19,.50). See GERLEMAN, TIIAT II 843. kdb Ikwl bJdh. Without bJdh the image occurs at Hos 13,8 and d. also Prov 17,12. MSS with the strengthening infin. absol.. IfNQ nif. The only other occurrence of the verb is in the Piel form at Nah 2,13. Ipwt. See App. II. NWS with the strengthening infin. absol.. PW$ with subj. ml!Jmh. See n . .52 on p . .59. Jwbk. See n . .59 on p. 61. IfZQ b (in the sense 'to be caught, fixed in'). See n. 60 on p. 61. $WH b:>zn. See n. 70 on p. 62. SQL el kp. See n. 71 on p. 62. YSB byn Iny hJerym. See n. 110 on p. 71.

r

gg hJe,. elyt hler. GNB hitp.

BWS hi£+ obj. pnym. See n. 147 on p. 78.

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APPBNDIX I

19,10 DYN nif. This Biblical hapax hardly has a technical juridical connotation: sec HAMP, ThWAT II 200£.. 19,10 mkp I I mkp. See n. 30 on p.123. 19,20 noun cwn I I verb cwH. See n. 31 on p. 123. 19,36 HYH lmf' 'l. The phrase with cz instead of 'l occurs at 2 Sam 15,33 and Job 7,20 (though VIGANO, Nomi e titoli 52 takes czyin the latter text to be cell 'o Altissimo'). 19,37 GML gmwlh. The form GML gmwl occurs at Ps 137,8 and lQ pHab 12,3. 19,38 qbr 'by w'my. Also hapax is the use of cm with qbr. Elsewhere qbr 'byw (2 Sam 2,32; 17,23), and qbr PN 'byw (Jgs 8,32; 16,31; 2 Sam 21,14). Plural forms occur too. 20,4 ycD + mwcd. ycD qal itself is rare (4 or 5 texts). 20,8 $MD pual. This is also the only text where $MD in any form has the concrete sense of 'bind on'; the three Nif and one Hi£ texts are in transferred senses. 20,10 SPK + obj. mcym. B.

UacotMMMI,

though not uapanl1elecl,aprE1dona

Some of the following words and phrases, though occurring in more than one verse within 2 Sam 13-20, are not found outside that text: thus lfLH hitp (13,2.5.6); btyh (13,5.7.10); the verb LBB (13,6.8) and the noun lbbh (13,6.8.10); NS' yd in the sense 'rebel against' (18,28; 20,21). 13,2 PL' bcyny. Elsewhere Zech 8,6 and Ps 118,23. 13,2 lfLH hitp. Only here and vv. 5.6. 13,3 lfK.M + m'd. Elsewhere only Zech 9,2. 13,5 BW' lrwt (in sense 'visit an invalid'). Besides 13,5f. only at Ps 41,7. See n. 39 on p. 29. 13,5 BRH (verb). See n. 42 on p. 29. 13,5 bryh (noun). Only here and vv. 7.10. 13,6 LBB (verb). Only here and v. 8. 13,6 lbbh (noun). Only here and vv. 8.10. 13,1.5 'HB + 'hbh. See n. 57 on p. 33. 13,15 SN' + Jn'h. See n . .57 on p. 33. 13,25 PR$ (in sense 'urge, press'). Besides 13,2.5.27 only at 1 Sam 28,23 and 2 Kgs .5,23. These could be occurrences of an attenuated sense of I PR$ 'break through' (thus ZoRELL 670) or could be from a II PR$, a secondary form by metathesis of P$R (thus STOBBE,1 Sam 487). The 4Q Sam• reading wypp- at 2 Sam 13,2.5(sec NAB and BHS) could be a popularization to the more usual form. 13,30 Bw:' + Jmwch. In the sense 'news came to', elsewhere only 1 Kgs 2,28; Jer .51,46. 14,20 lbcbwr. Elsewhere only 2 Sam 17,14 and Ex 20,20. 1.5,33 HYH lmf' er. Elsewhere only Job 7,20 (but sec App. I, A at 19,36). At 2 Sam 19,36 the preposition is 'l. 16,14 NPS nif. Elsewhere only Ex 23,12; 31,17. 16,19 hJnyt (an ordinal numberused to continue discourse). See n. 7.5 on p. 133.

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150

17,12 17,12 17,13 17,13 17,14 17,19

17,23 17,28 17,28 18,4 18,27 18,28 19,23 19,29 19,44 20,18 20,21

#. Elsewhere only Isa 26,19. gm '~d. Elsewhere Ps 14,3 (= .53,4). ;rwr (in the sense 'small stone'). Elsewhere only Am 9,9. The usual sense is 'small bag, pouch'. NS' hi£. Elsewhere Lev 22,16; Sir 4,21. lbcbwr. See 14,20 above. rpwt. Elsewhere Prov 27 ,22. This MT form is kept by ScHUL nms s, ZAW 25 (1905) 357-359; ZoRELL 770. But after Ke>HLER, ZAW 40 (1922) 17-20, both KBL 333.889 and HAL 339 emend to /j'rlp8t. Cf. McKANE,Proverbs 609£.. J:INQ. Elsewhere only in Piel at Nah 2,13. kly yw;r. See n. 29 on p . .5.5. pwl. Elsewhereonly Ezek 4,9. lm'wt wl'lpym. Elsewhere 1 Sam 29,2. mr(w);h. See n.113 on p. 72. NS' yd (in sense 'rebel againse). Elsewhere 20,21. In other senses it is frequent: see n.119 on pp. 72£.. HYH l• l#n. Elsewhere only 1 Sam 29,4. Cmp. 1 Kgs 11,2.5(HYH #n l•). See also Num 22,22.32. 'nJy mwt. Elsewhere only 1 Kgs 2,26 (but in sing.). Cmp. bn mwt at 1 Sam 20,31; 2 Sam 12,.5: bny mwt at 1 Sam 26,16: bny tmwth at Ps 79,11; 102,21 (and see DAHOOD, Pss I 13 for a suggested nJy qbr at Ps 2,12). c1, ydwt. Elsewhere only Dan 1,20. DBR with infin. absol.. Elsewhere only Ex 4,14. Cmp. DBR ... hJkm wdabber (Jer 7,13; 2.5,3; 3.5,14). NS' yd. See 18,28 above. NPL with

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APPENDIX

11

Text-critical notes on 2 Sam 1),1-22; 17,24-19,9

The following notes arc not intended as a complete discussion of the text-critical problems in these pericopes. A selection has been made of those points which seem more relevant for literary study of the text. The footnotes to the analysis have touched on text-critical questions in a number of places too.

"1 1 3 , 1 6 :

Most comm. change the text in accordance with one or other of the Greek witnesses: see THENIUS204; WELLHAUSEN, Text 186f.; DRIVER,Notes 298f.; NAB; HAL 1328. For various other conjectures see KLOSTERMANN 186f.; PETERS, Beitriige 141-14.3; CASPARI56.3; HERTZBERG 26.3 with n. 6. However G. R. DRIVER in Fs. Notscher 48f. reads the MT as 'al 'ada haraea... and renders 'Nay, this great wrong is more grievous than the other ...'; the 'ddot of MT pointing is a corruption of an original 'adat ( 'ada) from the root 'WD 'to be grievous', which may also occur at Prov 17,5 (DRIVER,loc. cit.; DAHOOD, Proverbs .38f.; vANDERWEIDEN,Proverbes .39). On the survival of an original -t in 3rd sing. fem. verb forms see MEYER 64,2b/II, 104. Driver's reading, noted as a worthwhile suggestion by BARR,Comparative Philology .321, is accepted by BRESSAN602 and by NEB (see BROCICINGTON, Hebrew Text 5.3), and will be adopted here too. Though the Greek renderings make excellent sense, one suspects they may represent a lectio facilior that no longer understood the Hebrew. There arc hardly enough indications to justify the supposition that the Vorlage of the Greek was in fact different to the present Hebrew consonantal text here.

=

"- 1 3 , 1 8 me y l y m : Many comm. repoint as mrdlam: thus WELLHAUSEN, Text 187; BUDDE262; DHoRME.368; DRIVER,Notes 300; ScHuLz II 151£.; DELITZSCH, Schreibfehler 40£.; CAIRD1114; DE VAux 194; NAB; HAL 579. The outer garment is distinct from the k-tonet (see Ex 28,4.31 with .39; 29,.5; 39,22 with 27; Lev 8,7) and is nowhere else used of women's garments (DELITZSCH,op. cit., 40£., n. 1), while the MT demands that ,,,ecmm be taken in apposition with ktnt psym. V. 18a, thus corrected, is then taken by many to be a gloss originally belonging to v. 19. The difficulty with this is that mrdlam, even in the hypothesis of a gloss, gives an unsatisfactory sense. This for two reasons. ( 1) mrdlam has been rendered 'in olden days' (DHORME, DE VAUX,NAB), or 'from long ago' (SCHULZ, DELITZSCH, BussAN 602). But 'in olden days' is impossible, for mrdlam (as JENNI,Das Wort eolam 29, and THAT II 231 has shown) is always a 'Grenzbegriff'; it indicates the furthest imaginable terminus a quo, and never designates a period of time. The other suggestion 'from long ago' is not satisfactory either, for it ·implies that the princesses wore the ktnt psym either from long ago until the time of the episode

m-eu

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recounted (but monarchy was still young in Israel: cmp. HERTZBERG 264 n. 1) or from long ago until the time of writing (but if the practice was still current, an explanatory note is quite superfluous). (2) Furthermore, a survey of all the occurrences of meolam will show that the expression was felt as a rather solemn and imposing phrase; in view of the impressive contexts in which it is normally found, it would be surprising to find it used in connection with a banal 'archaeological gloss' (Budde) on princesses' fashions. Not impossible, of course, but unlikely. A more satisfactory solution was proposed by KLOSTERMANN 186 who reads mcollim 'from childhood on'; cmp. already EICHHORN, Einleitung II 528 who rendered mcylym as 'so bald sic aufgehort batten, Kinder zu sein'. The suggestion that the text used a derivate of the root cw L is all the more plausible when one takes into account the age-factor in the notion btwlh (see WENHAM,VT 22 [1972] 326-348; TsEVAT,ThWAT I 874-877). Once the princesses left the age of childhood, entering that of marriageable age (hence bnwt hmlk hbtwlt, v. 18), they wore the characteristic dress called ktnt psym. On various texts where forms of cwL have been confused by the MT with forms of colam or cal or col, see WOLFF,Hosea 246f. 258, and NEB on Hos 11,4 (RUDOLPH, Hosea 210 dissents however); DAHOOD, Pss II 318 and III 342; FENTON,UF 1 (1969) 65f.; SABOTTKA, Zephan;a 80. This solution will be adopted here. A further observation must still be made. In v.17a the word mcly is preceded by t; in v. 18a the letters mc(y)lym are also preceded by t. A case of mechanical dittography cannot be excluded, the final m of mcylym being an inept attempt to camouflage the error. If this is so, then v. 18a originally ended with hbtwlt, and all the foregoing argumentation is unnecessary. -~ 1 3 , 1 9 y d h : The plural ydyh is preferred by DRlvER, Notes 300; BussAN 602; NAB; NEB. However with HERTZBERG 264 the sing. can be kept. For illustrations of mourners with one hand on their head, see ANEP 634.640; BLex Abb . .58 on Sp. 959; and note the Egyptian Story of Two Brothers (ANET 2.5) where the elder brother expresses his grief by laying his hand on his head and smearing himself with dust. _, 1 3 , 2 0 w J m m h : The waw need not indicate that another adjective has been lost from the text before Jmmh (as supposed by BUDDE262; HERTZBERG 264 n. 4; _ NAB). The waw can be read as a strengthening particle, and termed 'epexegetical' (KONIG,Syntax 435), or 'explicative' (GKC 118p. 1.54aN),or 'pleonastic' (WILLIAMS, Syntax 435), or 'emphatic' (POPE, ]AOS 73 [1953] 96; WERNBERG-MOELLER, JSSt 3 [1958] 321), or 'asseverative' (HOFTIJZER, VT 20 [1970] 433 n. 4). This waw may also appear at 2 Sam 14,14 (wkmym) here. '---13, 2 1 b: The Greek addition at the end of v. 21b, retroverted by BHK as wf' cfb 't-rwlJ 'mnwn ky 'hbw ky bkwrw hw', is accepted by almost all comm. (SCHULZ II 153 is an exception; so too is CASPARI.564, but he changes wy!Jr to wy~). The Greek form, attested in part also by 4Q Sam• (see BHS), undoubtedly explains well the fact that David's anger issued in no punitive measures; its omission in MT is plausibly explained by haplography of wl' (*wl' before *c;b, and wf' at the start of v. 22). Furthermore, the Greek vv. 21£. have the love-hate contrast ('HB / SN') already stressed at v. 15. The Greek form, then, could well represent a more original text than the MT. But a doubt remains. The MT form is quite intelligible and cxntld preserve intact a genuine old Hebrew text-type. It is concise, but a narrator

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APPENDIX II

is not obliged to spell everything out for his readers. An alert reader of the MT can easily grasp in the course of the narrative what the text-type represented in the Greek states explicitly. Without wishing to decide which text-type is more original, the present work will proceed on the basis of the MT here. 17,28: Verses 27a-29a form one long sentence whose verb hgyiw comes near the end (v. 29a). Many comm. feel that another verb is needed: mby''ym before msleb (v. 28) - thus WELLHAUSEN, Text 201: hby'-'w before mileb - thus BUDDE 281; DHoRME394; SCHtJLZII 210; HERTZBERG 291; NAB: hbrw after ywp(v. 28) - thus NOWACK 220; DRIVER,Notes 327. However the MT sentence, though unusual in its order (subj. - obj. - pred.) and inelegant in its length, still seems possible (thus REHM 106 and BRESSAN650; see also n. 27 on p. 54 above). The verb hgyiw goes with t~kl, so it could not have been placed before the objects. DRIVER,Notes 327 finds ' ... an incongruity in the text, as among the things brought to David Piel those at the beginning are obviously unsuitable.' The argument is not decisive, however, for this could be an instance of zeugma (see in general BOHLMANN· SCHERER, Stilfiguren 53). 1 7 , 2 8 w q l y 2 ° : Seems to be an evident case of dittography: thus with all comm. and versions (except Vg. and TOB). 1 7 , 2 9 w ; ~ n w s p w t b q r : SCHtJLz II 206.210 omits Ipwt because it breaks up the frequent pair f n wbqr, and he suggests that it may have come into the text as an inexact repetition of wspwt of v. 28. This solution does indeed resolve the problems of the hapax Ipwt, but it is probably too drastic. HERTZBERG 291 and DE VAux 215 transpose (wspwt bqr wfn), while NAB has wipwt fn wbqr; all three take Ipwt to mean 'cheese'. The Vg. rendering 'oves et pingues vitulos' (similarly DE HUMMELAUER 396; MAuCHLINE283; NEB) avoids transposition and seems preferable, though the etymology remains uncertain. MAuCHLINE,loc. cit., appeals to an Arabic cognate of Ipwt meaning 'cream' (cl. BDB 1045f.), and takes the phrase 'the cream of the herd' as a metaphor for 'fat cattle'. 1 8 , 2 w y I l !J: Most comm. follow the Lucianic Greek in reading wyils (thus recently BRESSAN 652; DE VAUX21'; HERTZBERG 219; MAuCHLINE284; NAB; also KBL 982). However the MT is kept by SCHtJLZII 213; REHM 107; GosLINGA 315; WfutTHWEIN,Thronfolge 45; TOB. I..EMAIRE, Semitica 23 (1973) 14 notes that SLif byd which normally means 'to send by an intermediary' can have the special nuance of 'to send under the command of' in a military context: he refers to 2 Sam 18,2 and to the Ramat-Negeb ostracon of Arad, lines 2-3 (text and trans., art. cit., 12). SLS piel, in the sense ·to divide into three parts', occurs in the MT only at Dt 19,3 (not a military context), and the Greek there is trimerizein (while Luc. Greek has trisseuein at 2 Sam 18,2). The MT reading, then, is quite defensible. 18, 3 le y ct h: REHM 107 appears to be alone in keeping the MT here (' Unsresgleichen gibt es ja jetzt zehntausend '); all other comm. read ~,h, which seems preferable in the context. 1 8 , 3 m c y r l c z y r : The Greek 'in the city' suggests *bcyr; this is preferred by BUDDE282; DHoRME395; ScHULZ II 212; NEB (BROCKINGTON, Hebrew Text 55). The original reading may indeed have been bcyr but it could have had the sense 'from the city' (on b corresponding to our 'from' see HAL 101); the

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MT mcyr (which as it stands needs the article: DRIVER,Notes 328) could be an attempt to convey this sense by the more usual preposition for 'from'. One can compare the Kt/Qr at 2 Kgs 23,33. Several comm. prefer the Qr lCzw, cczR qal) to the Kt (CZR hi£, which Z.ORELL .586 and KBL 696 refuse to recognize, although MEYER3.5,6/11,26 appears to accept it): thus DHoRME395; DRIVER,Notes 328; DELITZSCH,Schreibfehler .51; GoRDIS, Biblical Text 134. HERTZBERG 291 combines the MT and LXX readings to give ky thyh bey, lczr (Qr) lnw mhcyr. SCHULZII 213f. omits lCzyr altogether as a repetition of *bcyr. LIPINSKI,Poeme royal 37f. takes lczyr as a noun derived from II czR (cognate with Ugar. gzr), and renders 'll vaut done mieux que, de la ville, tu nous sois un champion'. This reading is admitted as plausible by MILLER,UF 2 (1970) 160 with n. 6, 168, though he has some difficulty with the vocalization proposed. There is little real difference in any case between 'as a champion' and 'in order to help' (Qr): see also BERGMANN, THAT II 257. 18, 7 Im 2 °: Most comm. omit this .fm; HERTZBERG 291 is an exception. Though the occurrences of Im (vv. 7a.7b.8a) give an overloaded impression here, one should note the two occurrences of Im in close vicinity at 2 Sam 6,7. The double bywm hhw"" (18,7.8) seems to show that the narrator deliberately accumulates circumstantial phrases here (for another double bywm hhw"" see 19,3, with a third occurrence in 19,4). With some hesitation, then, the MT can be kept here.

✓ 114f-" 120 ;--,125 ; "---'130 ·"148 . "'--;-J SO;\59 n. 53 ; "-63; "114; ...122; "130 ~122 ;'-125 ;· 148 . L140

.

17,9 . 17,10. 17,11-13 .

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INDEXES

17,11.

..

17,12.

.

17,13.

.

17,14. 17,15-22 . 17,1S.. 17,16.. 17,19.. 17,21. . 17,22. . . 17,23.. 17,24-29 17,24. . 17,25. . 17,26... 17,27-29 17,27. 17,28.. 17,29. . 18-19 18,1-5 18,1 . 18,2-4 18,2 . 18,3 .

. . . . . .

. . . .

. . . . . . .

18,4 .. 18,5 . . 18,6-8 . 18,7 .. 18,8 .. 18,9-17. 18,9ft'. . . . 18,9 . 18,1t. 18,12. . 18,14f.. 18,14. . 18,16. 18,17. 18,18. .

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46 ~S7; 'J122; ·-125; "-140, ~>122 ;\,125 ;~127; >1s0 ,, "{~116 n. 7;\..122; "'127}:1S0 >-4Sf. ;"St ; \j98 n. 12; "105 ; '-107; 114;-,116; ·149f. . ·49 t'-'143 ."109 n. 46 . "'126 ~tSQ .. "'42;'-109 n. 46 '\. 127 . 33 n. S8 ; "S2 ; ~64 ~ 83; -107 ; 120f. i 147f~150 . 52-56 ;",144

. >so

~

. ':--,43 n. 2 }I 48 ; 56 . >•141 ;-.-1S3 . -124 . . •.··1S0; ,153 •....1241-131~147£.; -153 . •43 n. 1 . •SS-S8

. ;Jt42 n. 101 . '-44 n. 3 '. 122 ;'--12~'153 48; --116; 122f.; '-i127 ·::----140 ; ', 143 ; ·148 ~53f. . . 71 ;'"142 n. 101 ; •150 . . -3S n. 74; "61f. ; 77 n. 143; 420f. . . -S2; 58-60; ·68 . '>;82; i154 . . .'v126; --148;'154 .. ,60-64 . . 141 . ":---44n. 4 ;· .,108 n. ', 44; -126 ;---ts4 18,22f.. . -69-71 18,22.. . ·-133 n. 72 ;' 138 n. 92 18,23. . . •✓ 128;'--133 n. 72 18,24-27 .. , v71f. 18,24. . . . '72 ;' 80 ;\148 18,2S-27 .. • • "124 , 18,27. . . . . . S 1 ; '68 n. 97 ; 1S0 18,28-19,1 ·72-~5 18,28. . ~2 ;"119; 130; --1s0 . •J116; ·121 ;-.133n. 18,29.. 72; ·140 18,30.. . -74 n. 126 ; 121 18,31. : '68 n. 100 ; 124 18,32. . . . 124 19,1-9 . ~St 19,1-S .. . -49 n. 16 ;·tt2 19,1 . . . • ✓129; -131 ; '-144; 148 19,2-9 . . . '-50 19,2-S .. . . -76f. 19,2f. . "--142 19,2 . . . ,~7f., n. 12 ;- 80 19,3f. . . '112; 154 19,4 .. . •126 ; -147f. 19,S . . . . . . .... :!21 ; -131 19,6-8 .. , "77-80 ; vl40 19,6 . . ·47f., n. 12; ,148 . ·,32 n. S4; ·123 ; 19,7 . \.127 ;-130; ·133 n. 72; '140; ...144 19,8 . . ~s n. 7 ;..142 n . '-401 19,9-20,22 . "(48; ·120 n. 20 19,9-16. . . .. "!~2 . "'64 n. 82; '80; 19,9 . . . . . '---120f. .~144 19,10-44 . 19,10-1S .. . -108 n. 44 . ;-,..57 n. 40 ;---108 n. 19,10f.. 43; •131 19,10.. . .. -116; ..r123; --147; ~149 19,11.. . . ·• -34 n. 68 ~21 19,12-16 .. .. 143 18,19-19,1 18,19-23 . 18,19-21 . 18,19.

Original from

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

181

INDEDS

19,12-1S 19,12-14 19,12f... 19,12. . 19,13. 19,14.. 19,17-41 ~19,17-24 19,19f.. 19,19.. 19,20-24 19,20... 19,22f..

. .. . . . . . . .

19,23.. 19,2S-31 . 19,2S... 19,26. . 19,27-29 19,27f.. 19,28. . 19,29. . 19,30f.. 19,32f.. 19,3S-38 19,3Sf. . 19,36. .

. . . . . .

19,37. . . 19,38f. . . 19,38.. 19,39.40£.. 19,41. . 19,42-20,2 19,42-44 . 19,42. 19,43. 19,44. . 20. 20,tf. 20,1 . 20,3 . 20,4 . 20,6f. 20,8 . 20,9f.

Digitized by

. \'•144 • "\112~ . . '\-.120; 142;'144 . ."-i129"'. . ~123 ;\.140 .. SJ n. 23~54 . ~v89 ;'"124:J143 . >1103 . . J130 . :-V122 . --:----t31I. ;·..1~ . :--.,123; -141 ;' 149 . ~103 n. 29 ~ 132 n. 68 . ·>•133 n. 72 ~ 137; ..,143 "·1S0 . ~106t142 n. 101 . ~16; 117 n. 11; . '-124 . ' .'-98 n. 11 ;'.',. 13S . ,\_140 • 1121 ;· 142 . ·,121 :· 12S ; • 144 . ,:·-113 ;...150 . .. ·•116 n. 7 ,'•J120 . :" 140 ... ~116• ·139 . ~.,102~117 n. 11 ; "124 :'149 , • . ~!49 .. "144 . ~49 :-,.,144 -~-122 .,. 102 f-103 n. 30 ; "--112 ;-141f. ·