Posts
1. NRS 1 Kings 8:19 nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.'
aceäYOh; ‘^n>Bi-~ai yKiÛ tyIB"+h; hn<ßb.ti al{ï hT'êa; qr:ä WTT 1 Kings 8:19
`ymi(v.li tyIB:ßh; hn<ïb.yI-aWh) ^yc,êl'x]me
NRS 2 Samuel 7:5 Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in?
rm:åa' hKoß dwIëD"-la, yDIäb.[;-la, ‘T'r>m;a'(w> %lEÜ WTT 2 Samuel 7:5
`yTi(b.vil. tyIb:ß yLiî-hnbt
NRS 2 Samuel 7:12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
^yt,êboa]-ta, ‘T'b.k;v'(w> ^ym,ªy" Waål.m.yI ŸyKiä WTT 2 Samuel 7:12
ytiÞnOykih]w: ^y[,_Memi aceÞyE rv<ïa] ^yr<êx]a; ‘^[]r>z:-ta,( ytiÛmoyqih]w:
`AT*k.l;m.m;-ta,
NRS 2 Samuel 7:13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
aSeîKi-ta, yTi²n>n:kow> ymi_v.li tyIB:ß-hnby awh
`~l'(A[-d[; ATßk.l;m.m;
Comments: I'll look at this according to color.a. Pinkish-purple: I Kings 8:19 and II Samuel 7:12 express "go out from your body" with different words. Moreover, while II Samuel 7:12 uses the term "zera" (seed), I Kings 8:19 has "ben" (son). Even though I Kings 8:19 and II Samuel 7:12 use different words, I still think that I Kings 8:19 is alluding to II Samuel 7:12, for both contain a phrase that means the same thing. I'd like to reiterate a point I made from my last post on this topic: I Kings 8 alludes to II Samuel but not rigidly. I Kings 8 draws from II Samuel in vocabulary and ideas, but his allusion is loose, not always word-for-word.
Is there significance in I Kings 8:19's use of the word "ben" in place of "zera"? Possibly so. P. Kyle McCarter argues that there's a voice in II Samuel 7 that relates "zera" to David's dynastic seed in general, not so much a specific individual. I'd have to see again how he addresses the part about the seed coming out of David, since some could argue that only Solomon did so directly, but perhaps such could be said about descendants as well, as far as the Hebrew Bible is concerned. Finding the answer to this may be one of my projects this week. Back to McCarter: while the oracle originally applied to David's offspring in general, McCarter contends, the Deuteronomist added II Samuel 7:13 and related the "zera" specifically to Solomon, claiming he will build the temple. I want to see sometime why this is important within the Deuteronomist's worldview, but one thing I'll say is that I Kings 8:19 may use "ben" because that could relate specifically to Solomon, whereas "zera" could have a more general application. There are exceptions to this rule, for I have read that "ben" can mean "descendant," as in "Jesus son of David." But "ben" often means the man's immediate son.
b. Blue: "build a house for my name" in I Kings 8:19 and II Samuel 7:13 is mostly the same. The difference is that I Kings 8:19 has a definite article before the "house," but this shows that I Kings 8 is emphasizing "house," unlike II Samuel 7:13, which focuses more on the Davidic dynasty. I Kings 8 is saying (my paraphrase), "David wanted to build a house, but the house (referring back to 'a house') will be built by Solomon."
2. NRS 1 Kings 8:23 He said, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart,
~yhiêl{a/ ^AmåK'-!yae ‘laer"f.yI yheÛl{a/ hw"ùhy> rm;ªaYOw: WTT 1 Kings 8:23
ds,x,êh;w>) ‘tyrIB.h; rmEÜvo tx;T'_mi #rah-l[w
`~B'(li-lk'B. ^yn<ßp'l. ~ykiîl.hoh; ^yd<§b'[]l;
NRS 2 Samuel 7:22 Therefore you are great, O LORD God; for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
^AmªK' !yaeä-yKi( hwI+hy> yn"ådoa] T'l.d:ÞG" !KEï-l[; WTT 2 Samuel 7:22
`WnynE)z>a'B. Wn[.m;Þv'-rv,a] lkoïB. ^t,êl'Wz* ‘~yhil{a/ !yaeÛw
Comments: The light blue expressions diverge, but they both have "there is no one like you," which Moshe Weinfeld identifies as Deuteronomic, on the basis of passages in Deuteronomy. I wonder if I Kings 8:23's use of "in the heaven above or on the earth beneath" is significant, for I Kings 8 discusses the issue of God's dwelling, something II Samuel 7 doesn't touch as much on. The priest says he dwells in a temple, whereas the Deuteronomist says God hears from heaven, and yet even heaven and the highest heavens cannot contain him.
3. NRS 1 Kings 8:24 the covenant that you kept for your servant my father David as you declared to him; you promised with your mouth and have this day fulfilled with your hand.
taeî ybiêa' dwIåD" ‘^D>b.[;l. T'r>m;ªv' rv<åa] WTT 1 Kings 8:24
`hZ<)h; ~AYðK; t'aLeÞmi ^ïd>y"b.W ^ypi²B. rBEïd:T.w: Al= T'r>B:ßDI-rv,a]
NRS 2 Samuel 7:12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
^yt,êboa]-ta, ‘T'b.k;v'(w> ^ym,ªy" Waål.m.yI ŸyKiä WTT 2 Samuel 7:12
ytiÞnOykih]w: ^y[,_Memi aceÞyE rv<ïa] ^yr<êx]a; ‘^[]r>z:-ta,( ytiÛmoyqih]w:
`AT*k.l;m.m;-ta,
NRS 2 Samuel 7:16 Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.
^yn<+p'l. ~l'ÞA[-d[; ^±T.k.l;m.m;(W ^ôt.yBe !m;’a.n
`~l'(A[-d[; !Akßn" hy<ïh.yI ^êa]s.Ki(
Comments: There may not be allusion here, since "mile" is used in two totally different ways: one to refer to God's fulfillment of his promise, and the other to indicate David's death. But I just thought of something: Maybe II Samuel 7:12 does refer to Solomon specifically, since he's the one who rises immediately after David's death. Yet, II Samuel 7 does relate to David's seed in general, since David's everlasting dynasty applies to Davidids who come after Solomon. But Solomon is the first of the dynasty, something John van Seters points out in his attempt to see this chapter as a whole, composed by the same hand.This has been an issue that I have wrestled with in thinking about this paper: Which scholar's source criticism of II Samuel 7 will I adopt? I tend to prefer McCarter's division rather than van Seter's attempt to see the whole thing as Deuteronomic, and a big reason is that I see the Deuteronomist of I Kings 8 subordinating elements of II Samuel 7 to his own worldview, sometimes forcibly. Would he need to do this, if he were the sole author of II Samuel 7? But I can see him doing so with the parts of II Samuel 7 that he did not write.
At the same time, I cannot refute all of van Seters' attempts to see unity in II Samuel 7 where other scholars see disunity, meaning different sources.
4. NRS 1 Kings 8:25 Therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant my father David that which you promised him, saying, 'There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children look to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.'
‘^D>b.[;l. rmov.û laeªr"f.yI yheäl{a/ Ÿhw"åhy> hT'ú[;w> WTT 1 Kings 8:25
‘vyai ^ïl. trE’K'yI-al{ rmoêale ‘AL T'r>B:ÜDI rv,’a] •tae ‘ybia' dwIÜd"
^yn<Üb' Wr’m.v.yI-~ai qr:û lae_r"f.yI aSeäKi-l[; bveÞyO yn:ëp'L.mi
`yn")p'l. T'k.l;Þh' rv<ïa]K; yn:ëp'l. tk,l,äl' ‘~K'r>D:-ta,
NRS 2 Samuel 7:27 For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house'; therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.
ht'yliøG" laeªr"f.yI yheäl{a/ tAaøb'c. hw"“hy> •hT'a;-yKi( WTT 2 Samuel 7:27
‘^D>b.[; ac'Ûm' !Keª-l[; %L"+-hn
`taZO*h; hL'ÞpiT.h;-ta, ^yl,êae lLeäP;t.hil. ABêli-ta,
NRS 2 Samuel 7:28 And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant;
~yhiêl{a/h'( ‘aWh-hT'a; hwI©hy> yn"ådoa] ŸhT'ä[;w> WTT 2 Samuel 7:28
`taZO*h; hb'ÞAJh;-ta, ^êD>b.[;-la,( ‘rBed:T.w: tm,_a/ Wyæh.yI ^yr<Þb'd>W
NRS 2 Samuel 7:29 now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you; for you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever."
tAyðh.li ^êD>b.[; tyBeä-ta, ‘%rEb'W ‘laeAh hT'ª[;w> WTT 2 Samuel 7:29
%r:ïboy> ^êt.k'är>BimiW T'r>B;êDI ‘hwIhy> yn"Üdoa] hT'úa;-yKi( ^yn<+p'l. ~l'ÞA[l.
p `~l'(A[l. ^ßD>b.[;-tyBe(
Comments: There are common words between I Kings 8:25 and the II Samuel verses: "your servant," "speak," "God of Israel." And the content of the promise is roughly the same in the two passages: God will build David a house, a dynasty. I Kings 8:25 adds a condition of obedience to the promise, however, and I'm surprised that II Samuel 7:27-29 does not, considering that most scholars consider David's prayer here Deuteronomic (though, actually, I may want to check that again, since they may see the parts about the Exodus in David's prayer as the Deuteronomic parts, whereas other parts of the prayer could have been pre-Deuteronomic). But that's why there are scholars who believe in two Deuteronomists: a pre-exilic one, and an exilic one. But my professor believes in one Deuteronomist, the exilic/post-exilic one.Another point: I Kings 8:25 has an expression that occurs elsewhere in I Kings. Here are the three passages the expression occurs in, and I'll color it in maroon:
NRS 1 Kings 2:4 Then the LORD will establish his word that he spoke concerning me: 'If your heirs take heed to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you a successor on the throne of Israel.'
éyl;[' rB<åDI rv,’a] Arªb'D>-ta, hw"÷hy> ~yqi’y" •![;m;l. WTT 1 Kings 2:4
tm,êa/B, ‘yn:p'l. tk,l,Ûl' ~K'ªr>D:-ta, ^yn<÷b' Wr’m.v.yI-~ai èrmoale
l[;Þme vyaiê ‘^l. trEÛK'yI-al{) rmo§ale ~v'_p.n:-lk'b.W ~b'Þb'l.-lk'B.
`lae(r"f.yI aSeîKi
NRS 1 Kings 8:25 Therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant my father David that which you promised him, saying, 'There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children look to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.'
‘^D>b.[;l. rmov.û laeªr"f.yI yheäl{a/ Ÿhw"åhy> hT'ú[;w> WTT 1 Kings 8:25
‘vyai ^ïl. trE’K'yI-al{ rmoêale ‘AL T'r>B:ÜDI rv,’a] •tae ‘ybia' dwIÜd"
^yn<Üb' Wr’m.v.yI-~ai qr:û lae_r"f.yI aSeäKi-l[; bveÞyO yn:ëp'L.mi
`yn")p'l. T'k.l;Þh' rv<ïa]K; yn:ëp'l. tk,l,äl' ‘~K'r>D:-ta,
NRS 1 Kings 9:5 then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised your father David, saying, 'There shall not fail you a successor on the throne of Israel.'
~l'_[ol. laeÞr"f.yI-l[; ^±T.k.l;m.m;( aSeóKi-ta, ytiømoqi’h]w: WTT 1 Kings 9:5
vyaiê ‘^l. trEÛK'yI-al{) rmoêale ‘^ybi’a' dwIÜD"-l[; yTir>B;ªDI rv<åa]K;
`lae(r"f.yI aSeîKi l[;Þme
I guess my problem is that these three texts claim to quote God's oracle on David's everlasting dynasty, yet the quoted passage is not in II Samuel 7. Was it a paraphrase? I have problems with that, since "lemor" often accompanies a quote. Do these I Kings passages suppose that God gave David these words on another occasion? I want to hold in my paper that I Kings 8 interacts with II Samuel 7, but this somewhat throws a money-wrench in that.One thing I do see is that I Kings 8:25 has additional words in its quote, so there was some liberalism. I think that its use of "before me" fits well in the context of I Kings 8, which emphasizes the temple being before God, as God hears from heaven. (I may want to look at "liphne adonai" in I Kings 8).
I'm tired of writing this right now, so I'll stop here. Tomorrow, I'll look at another passage, and maybe tackle some of the questions I raise here.
