The House of David by Mahri Leonard-Fleckman

Author:Mahri Leonard-Fleckman [Mahri Leonard-Fleckman]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781506410197
Publisher: Fortress Press (NBN)

Primary Phase Component 1: The Men of David

After this, David inquired of Yahweh, “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” Yahweh answered, “Go up.” David said, “To which one shall I go up?” And Yahweh said, “To Hebron.” So David went up there, along with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelite. David also brought up his men who were with him, each with his household, and they settled in the towns of Hebron. (2 Sam. 2:1–3)

Before the notion of a “war” between two houses, 2 Sam. 2:1–3 connects to the David material in 1 Samuel[19] and provides the necessary information for how David comes to reside in Hebron, thus anticipating Israel’s anointing of David at Hebron in 5:1–3. In terms of its relationship to 1 Samuel, David’s move to Hebron exhibits awareness of earlier David material that describes the seeds of the political body identified with David. The antecedents for this group trace back to 1 Samuel 22 and the formation of a group of David followers that includes David’s kin and his “men.” This early group associated with the leadership of David then provides a necessary backdrop to the characterization of the House of David in 2 Sam. 3:1.

In the beginning of chapter 2, David asks or inquires (šʾl) of Yahweh whether he should “go up” (ʿlh) to any of the “towns of Judah” (v. 1). The phrase “towns of Judah” depicts Judah as a geographical region of disconnected populations.[20] In response, Yahweh commands him to go up to Hebron. The language of “going up” and settling in vv. 1–3 indicates the selection of a settled base of operation, which strengthens the notion that Yahweh has given Hebron specifically to David, particularly if Hebron is remembered as an important southern base for David’s political house. The importance of Hebron is further represented by Absalom’s coup from this location in 2 Samuel 15.

David’s move to Hebron in 2:1 may also join the story of David’s rise over Israel to the fall of Saul and his house, in conjunction with David’s successful inquiries of Yahweh.[21] In the books of Samuel, oracular inquiries of Yahweh are usually made in the context of battles against the Philistines, in which Saul (1 Sam. 14:37; 28:6) or David (1 Sam. 23:2, 4; 30:8; 2 Sam. 5:19, 23) inquires of Yahweh. David’s inquiry of Yahweh in 2 Sam. 2:1 is unique, the only such oracular inquiry combined with a geographical move without the expectation of initiation into battle. Here the oracle is connected to David’s southern base, the base where (eventually) Israel comes to anoint David king over Israel.[22]

David then “goes up” (ʿlh) to Hebron with his wives, “his men,” and each man’s household (bayit), and they settle in the “towns of Hebron” (vv. 2–3), a phrase that describes the town Hebron as a political center with a dependent region. David’s “men” are not “Judah,” for they are categorically separated from the “men of Judah” who arrive to anoint David as king over the “House of Judah” in v.

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