Description
Book SynopsisThis work argues that 2 Sam 8:15-20:26 is a literary unit designed to show how David and his house failed to establish "justice and righteousness" during David's reign over all Israel.
Trade Review"The first manifestation of this study was as a 2000 doctoral dissertation at the University of Cambridge focusing on the characterization of Joab in the passage. Scholars are falling away from the hypothesis that this part of 2 Samuel and 1 Kings 1-2 together form a defense of Solomonic succession, he explains, but no paradigm has risen to replace it. In that vacuum, he focuses on Samuel alone, and its expression of values as a contribution to exploring the overall ethics of the Old Testament. His topics include justice and righteousness as ancient Near Eastern ethical ideal and hermeneutical constructs, redefining the court history according to the passage, reading it as the beginnings and corruption of justice and righteousness, the perversion of justice and righteousness in the Absalom affair, and the death of justice and righteousness with David's return and Sheba's secession." -Eithne O'Leyne, BOOK NEWS, Inc.
Indeed, [the author's] evaluation of David's reign through the lens of "justice and righteousness" and his close reading of these chapters of 2 Samuel are the real strengths and benefits of his book. -- Hebrew Studies, Volume LII
Table of ContentsnullnullChapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Critical Methodology Chapter 3: Justice and Righteousness as Ancient Near Eastern Ethical Ideal and Hermeneutical Construct Chapter 4: Redefining the Court History as a Literary Unit according to 2 Samuel 8:15b-20:26 Chapter 5: Reading 2 Samuel 8:15b-10:19 as the Beginnings of Justice and Righteousness: David's Acts of Kindness and the Ammonite-Aramean War Chapter 6: Reading 2 Samuel 11-12 as the Corruption of Justice and Righteousness: The Uriah Affair and the Fall of Rabbah Chapter 7: Reading 2 Samuel 13:1-19:9[8] as the Perversion of Justice and Righteousness: The Absalom Affair Chapter 8: Reading 2 Samuel 19:10[9]-20:26 as the Death of Justice and Righteousness: David's Return and Sheba's Secession Chapter 9: Conclusion
