Dirty Jobs

II Samuel Chapter 4, the Strange and the Spectacular

Verses: 12

Is It Read At Synagogue?: No.

Famous Quotes/Phrases: The phrase David uses when describing God in Verse 9, “אֶת־נַפְשִׁ֖י מִכׇּל־צָרָֽה” (Et Nafshi MiKol Tzarah), which means “who has rescued me from every trouble”, signifies David’s ongoing positioning as a perfect devotee of God — a stance that wins David endless approval from the book’s narrator.

Basic Plot: Reeling from the death of Abner, Ish-boshet and the portion of Israel loyal to him fall into despair. Two of his army commanders flee, just as Mehiboshet, a physically disabled son of Jonathan, had done (there will be more on Mehiboshet in a few chapters).

Two of David’s loyalists, Rechab and Baanah, sneak into Ish-boshet’s home and stab him to death while he is napping. They bring Ish-boshet’s severed head to David, but instead of thanking them for vanquishing another of his enemies, David has them put to death for killing “an innocent man in bed in his own house”.

What’s Strange: It’s curious that when he admonishes Rechab and Baanah, David cites that Ish-boshet is not only murdered in his own house, but when he is in bed. In his book Knowing Kings: Knowledge, Power, and Narcissism in the Hebrew Bible, Stuart Lasine notes that there are at least 12 occasions in which the Hebrew Bible cites a king or his heir apparent in bed — and, in the majority of those 12 occasions, the king is not involved in sexual activity. However, all of the times in which the king is being intimate involve David and his sons. One might deduce from this that some of David’s revulsion at Ish-boshet’s assassination is not so much that it happens, but that it takes place in the man’s bed, thus adding to a fellow king’s humiliation.

What’s Spectacular: David’s rise to the top is now almost complete, as yet another of his obstacles to power are vanquished by someone other than David. The soon-to-be king of all Israel once again appears outraged at the ones doing his dirty work, seizing the appearance of the moral high ground.

I recognize that I might be too critical of David; one could argue that his ruthlessness is necessary given that more cunning opponents wouldn’t hesitate to do to him what his followers do to them. Still, having his so-called “dirty workers” put to death just to win political points with the public feels like a step too far. David has strayed from his earlier ways of fighting the good fight himself, even against the most intimidating of enemies (i.e. Goliath). His strategy of plausible deniability will work for only so long.

Shabbat Shalom & Moadim L’Simcha — wishing you a wonderful conclusion to Sukkot and the fall holidays!