Tuesday, August 25, 2009

I Kings 8's Allusion to II Samuel 7

Here, I want to look at the Hebrew for parts of I Kings 8:1-30 and compare it to II Samuel 7. In Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel, Michael Fishbane argues that we can see one passage is interpreting another on the basis of their common vocabulary. I want to see if that is the case with these two passages. The English will be from the New Revised Standard Version.

1. NRS 1 Kings 8:13 I have built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever."


^ßT.b.vil. !Akïm' %l"+ lbuÞz> tyBeî ytiynI±b' hnOðB' WTT 1 Kings 8:13

`~ymi(l'A[


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-hn aWhï WTT 2 Samuel 7:13

`~l'(A[-d[; ATßk.l;m.m;

Comments: Here, there is similarity in vocabulary, but there's something interesting to note: I Kings 8:13 appears to interpret II Samuel 7:13, but both have different views on whether God will dwell in a house. I Kings 8:13 says that he does, whereas II Samuel 7:13 is the main Deuteronomic addition to II Samuel 7, meaning it thinks the house is for God's name, not for God himself. Mordecai Cogan asserts that the Deuteronomist made his emendations to II Samuel 7 and I Kings 8 before a priest made further emendations, and, in my opinion, that is consistent with the data here. A priest who believes that the temple is for God's dwelling is interpreting a Deuteronomic passage that states the house is only for God's name. Mostly, we'll see the Deuteronomist of I Kings 8 interpreting II Samuel 7, but here we have something different: a priest of I Kings 8 is interpreting the Deuteronomist!

2. NRS 1 Kings 8:16 'Since the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any of the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.'


élaer"f.yI-ta, yMiä[;-ta, ytiaceøAh rv,’a] ~AY©h;-!mi WTT 1 Kings 8:16

tyIB;ê tAnæb.li laeêr"f.yI yjeäb.vi ‘lKomi ry[iªb. yTir>x:åb'-al{) è~yIr:c.Mimi

`lae(r"f.yI yMiî[;-l[; tAyàh.li( dwIëd"B. rx:åb.a,w" ~v'_ ymiÞv. tAyðh.li


NRS 2 Samuel 7:6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle.


ynEÜB.-ta, ytiúl{[]h; ~AYmil.û tyIb;êB. ‘yTib.v;’y" al{Ü yKiä WTT 2 Samuel 7:6

lh,aoßB. %Leêh;t.mi ‘hy ~yIr:êc.Mimi ‘laer"f.yI

`!K")v.mib.W


NRS 2 Samuel 7:7 Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"


èlaer"f.yI ynEåB.-lk'B. éyTik.L;h;t.hi-rv<)a] lkoïB. WTT 2 Samuel 7:7

tA[±r>li ytiyWI©ci rv<åa] laeêr"f.yI yjeäb.vi ‘dx;a;-ta, yTir>B;ªDI rb"åd"h]

`~yzI)r"a] tyBeî yliÞ ~t,îynIb.-al{) hM'l'² rmo=ale laeÞr"f.yI-ta, yMiî[;-ta,


NRS 2 Samuel 7:8 Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel;


rm;a' hKoÜ dwI©d"l. yDIäb.[;l. rm;úato-hKo) hT'[;w>û WTT 2 Samuel 7:8

tAyæh.li( !aCo+h; rx:ßa;me hw<ëN"h;-!mi ‘^yTi’x.q;l. ynIÜa] tAaêb'c. hw"åhy>

`lae(r"f.yI-l[; yMiÞ[;-l[; dygIën"

Comments: Let's look at this according to color:

a. Pinkish-purple: there are differences in vocabulary. Both have "from the day," but they use different words for "I brought up." Moreover, I Kings 8:16 has "my people Israel," whereas II Samuel has "sons of Israel." Both express "from Egypt" in the same way. I Kings 8:16 doesn't use II Samuel 7:6's "yashavti," probably because I Kings 8:16 is Deuteromistic and wants to establish that David didn't intend to build a house for God to live in; rather, David's intention at the outset was to build a house for God's name.

b. Red: both use the same words for building a house. Also, it's interesting how awkward I Kings 8:16 is. II Samuel 7:7 has "Why did you not build for me a house?", but the Deuteromistic author of I Kings 8:16 wants to clarify that the house is for God's name, not for God. Consequently, it has "to build a house to be my name there."

c. Blue: both have the same expression "tribes of Israel." But the use of the expression is different. In II Samuel 7:7, the "shivte Yisrael" are the tribal leaders whom God has appointed to rule Israel. In I Kings 8:16, it refers more to a place: did God choose from the tribes of Israel a city? I think I Kings 8:16 is trying to focus on the important of Jerusalem, since the Deuteromistic History views it as the place God chooses to place his name.

d. Light green: there's mostly similarity. "To be over my people Israel" is mostly the same in I Kings 8:16 and II Samuel 7:8, except for the extra "al" in front of "Yisrael." Moreover, II Samuel 7:8 has the word "nagid," which is absent from I Kings 8:16. I wonder if this is significant. The Deuteronomist is big on the monarchy, seeing that as the institution that will enforce centralization and prevent the sort of chaos we see in the Book of Judges. Consequently, maybe he prefers to see David as a king, not a mere "nagid." Yet, Moshe Weinfeld identifies places in Dtr that identify the king as a "nagid" (p. 355; I Kings 14:7; 16:2), so I don't know.

3. NRS 1 Kings 8:17 My father David had it in mind to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.


~veîl. tyIB;ê tAnæb.li ybi_a' dwIåD" bb;Þl.-~[i yhi§y>w: WTT 1 Kings 8:17

`lae(r"f.yI yheîl{a/ hw"ßhy>


NRS 2 Samuel 7:2 the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent."


ykiînOa' an"ë haeär> aybiêN"h; !t"ån"-la, ‘%l,M,’h; rm,aYOÝw: WTT 2 Samuel 7:2

`h['(yrIy>h; %AtïB. bveÞyO ~yhiêl{a/h'( ‘!Ara]w:) ~yzI+r"a] tybeäB. bveÞAy


NRS 2 Samuel 7:3 Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with you."


%lEå ^ßb.b'l.Bi( rv<ïa] lKo± %l,M,êh;-la, ‘!t'n" rm,aYOÝw: WTT 2 Samuel 7:3

s `%M")[i hw"ßhy> yKiî hfe_[]

Comments: Both use the same word for "heart," only with different prepositions. I think that, in many cases, I Kings 8 is drawing from the vocabulary of II Samuel 7, only he's not rigidly adhering to how II Samuel 7 expresses things. This isn't that surprising, for I Kings 8 is retelling II Samuel 7. Rather than having II Samuel 7:6's "in your heart," I Kings 8:17 has "with the heart of David," for, in the latter, Solomon is talking about David, whereas, in the former, Nathan is talking to David. That raises an interesting question: Why does Nathan get deleted in I Kings 8? I think the Deuteronomist is trying to cut to the chase and emphasize what he sees as important: David wanted to build a house for God's name, and God told him his son would do so. In some ways, Nathan is an impediment to this simple message, for Nathan talks about God building David a house, an everlasting dynasty. I Kings 8 (at least the Dtr parts) has that concept, but the emphasis in I Kings 8 is David's son building the house for God's name.

I'll stop here and resume tomorrow.

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