Samuel, Book

Saul’s failure to see and be seen when the Bible first introduces him signals his dismal prospects for a successful reign. Afraid of his soldiers, Saul listens to the wrong voices instead of YHWH.

The story of Michal, King Saul’s daughter and David’s first wife—the only woman in the Bible described as being in love with a man—is framed by two window scenes. In the first, she is the spunky, loving bride who helps David escape his pursuers through her back window. In the second, embittered and depleted in spirit, she watches the triumphant David through the window with contempt. What happened in between?

In verses 2–31, YHWH is a mythic warrior, with smoke coming from his nostrils, riding a cherub and wielding weapons of lightning and thunder against the enemy. In contrast, in verses 32–51, YHWH strengthens and equips the psalmist to fight his own battles. The combined psalm celebrates YHWH’s complex involvement in human affairs.

The ark of Shiloh is captured by the Philistines, but they soon send it back to Israel after they are struck by plague. The ark continues to wreak havoc along the way until it finds its final resting place in Jerusalem.

Bathsheba first appears as the object of David’s lust, then as the mother of Solomon, who pleads with the king to make her son his heir. And yet, a close look at her actions shows her to be someone with agency, able to manipulate her husband and even her son to ensure Solomon’s safety and rule.

Reading the Succession Narrative as anti-monarchic Greek tragedy.