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Essay on A Historical, Literary, and Theological Analysis of 1 Samuel 25
While it is rather tenuous to speak of general consensus with respect to virtually every question of interest to biblical studies, several broad areas of agreement seem to have been reached over the past several decades concerning the narrative of David's encounters with Nabal and Abigail recorded in 1 Samuel 25. First, students of the passage usually consider it a relatively self contained, unified account representing a tradition predating the Deuteronomistic History (= DtrH).1 Second, a number of scholars emphasize the highly inter textual character of the passage, especially in relation to the Ancestral Narratives (= AN).2 Third, it has become commonplace to interpret 1 Samuel 25 primarily in terms of the apologetic purposes of the so-called Narrative of David's Rise.
This article will briefly examine these three perspectives on 1 Samuel 25, will suggest an alternative understanding of the account, and will explore implications of this understanding for the question of the relationship between Genesis and the NDR. First, we will argue that the text displays an intricate, almost baroque structure that seems more consistent with literary artifice than oral tradition and calls into question the value of the account as a historical source.
Second, we will show that the intertextual character of 1 Samuel 25 seems to be almost satirical, and certainly ironic, in nature. With respect to the intriguing question of the direction of dependence, the intertextual intricacies embodied in I Samuel 25, and in particular the resulting ironic portrayal of David, suggest that much of the account has been composed utilizing elements of the written patriarchal tradition. Third, we will suggest that the redactor responsible for including 1 Samuel 25 in the NDR was not apparently motivated by an interest in exonerating David. Finally, we will reevaluate the customary early dating for 1 Samuel 25......
