Verses: 27
Is It Read At Synagogue?: No.
Famous Quotes/Phrases: Three times, David utters what is now a very familiar phrase in his memorial of Saul and Jonathan: “How the mighty have fallen.”
Basic Plot: David, having defeated the Amalekites, returns to Ziklag, where he is encountered by a man carrying Saul’s clothes and armor. The man tells David that the Israelites had been defeated and that Saul and Jonathan are dead. When David asks how this man knows of these deaths, he claims that he actually killed Saul himself. The two men mourn, weeping and fasting.
David then directs his anger at the messenger, calling on one of his attendants to kill the messenger for “killing God’s anointed.” David then recites what the text calls “The Song of the Bow,” memorializing and praising Saul and Jonathan, reserving extra sentiments for Jonathan, whose love was “wonderful to me, more than the love of women.”
What’s Strange: Although we should be used to thinking of David as a political strategist by now, it’s still curious to see him eulogizing Saul without hesitation. But Harry M. Buck claims that even David acknowledges that Saul hadn’t been a total failure as a king. He writes in People of the Lord: The History, Scriptures and Faith of Ancient Israel, “David’s song testifies … to the probable success Saul had in bringing a modicum of prosperity to the people of Israel.” While the First book of Samuel focuses very little on Saul’s domestic accomplishments, one could argue that, unlike at the end of the book of Judges, the Israelites no longer simply “did as they pleased” while Saul is the king.
What’s Spectacular: After spending the last one-third of the previous book on the run from Saul, it might appear that David can finally breathe easily knowing that his rival is not only vanquished, but that he also can’t credibly be blamed for Saul’s death. Still, he is careful to not proverbially “spike the football”, knowing that even though Saul is dead, there are still many Israelites who had been loyal to him. By ordering the death of the messenger who claims to have killed Saul, David defends the legacy of someone anointed by God — a designation that he himself possesses. He must ensure that he is seen as the logical and appropriate successor to the throne.
In other words, David is and always will be a warrior. His rise to prominence is through his exploits on the battlefield, whether he’s killing Goliath or slaying tens of thousands of enemies. And arguably, it’s very rare to see him not thinking like a soldier, whether he is actually in times of war or peace. Maybe it’s tempting to picture David in more serene images, such as playing a stringed instrument to calm Saul’s nerves. But I sense that David’s mind is never far from a fight, be it physical or otherwise. We’ll see how this mentality both helps him and hurts him throughout the rest of his life.
Shabbat Shalom, and soon, L’shanah Tovah U’Metukah!