Reading for June 8th

Read 2 Samuel 22.1-7
In 22.1-51: A psalm of praise.
This psalm, which is the same as Psalm 18 was written long after David's time but is inserted here as appropriate to David's sentiments.
In verse 2-3:  the image of the Lord as a protective rock is common in the Bible.
In verse 5-6: perdition is a reference tot he underworld, the abode of the dead, known in the Bible as Sheol.
In verse 7: The mention of the temple is an indication that this psalm was written after David since the Temple was built by Solomon.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 7th

Read 2 Samuel 21.15-22
In verse 16: Three hundred shekels was almost eight pounds.
In verse 19: Some of the information in this verse has been secondarily added to the story in 1 Sam 17.
Comments or Questions.

Reading for June 6th

Read 2 Samuel 21.1-14
In 21.1-14: The execution of Saul's heirs.
In verses 1-2: The Gibeonites has a special treaty with Israel (Josh 9).
This story assumes that the violation of that treaty brought divine wrath.
The Bible nowhere recounts Saul's attempted extermination of the Gibeonites.
In verse 3: the Lord's heritage is both the land and the people of Israel.
In verse 4: This is a matter for blood vengeance, but as resident aliens in Israel the Gibeonites do not have that right.
In verses 5-9: It was typical for the founder of a new dynasty to annihilate the potential claimants from the previous dynasty.
David does this here.
Saul's alleged offense provides a religious legitimization for this political act.
Only Meib-baal is spared (v. 7), probably because he was crippled and could not therefore be king, though this may also reflect David's affection for Jonathan.
This story originally came before 9.1, in which David asks if anyone is left in the house of Saul.
The even took place early in David's reign over Israel.
Sons (v. 6) may also include grandsons.
Mephibosheth or Merphibaal in v. 8 is the proper reading.
This was not Jonathan's son, Merib-baal who was spared.
The barley harvest was in April-May.
In verse 10: Rizpah was Saul's concubine.
In verses 11-14: As a result of Rizpah's action, David tries to honor the memory of Saul and Jonathan.
According to 1 Sam 31.12, their bones were burned.
This is either a contradiction, or David gathered only their ashes.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 5th

Read 2 Samuel 20.14-26
In verse 14: Abel is at the northern extreme of Israel.
In verse 15: Ancient Israelite cities were surrounded by thick walls that had to be broken through with battering rams.
In verse 16: This wise woman is both intelligent and eloquent.
She may have been a city official.
In verse 18-19: The woman says that Abel is one of Israel's original cities and should not be destroyed.
In verse 21: The woman does not know about Sheba, indicating that this revolt did not reach to all Israel but included only part of Benjamin and the hill country of Ephraim.
In verses 23-26: This cabinet list is very similar tot he one in 8.16-18.
It probably came to this location by attachment to 21.1-14.
The forced labor was conscripted from northern tribes by David and Solomon.
Its leader, Adoram or Adoniram, was later stoned when the Israelites rebelled against the Davidic dynasty (1 Kings 12.18)
Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 4th

Read 2 Samuel 20.4-13
In verse 7: The Cherethites and Pelethites were royal bodyguard.
They were closely related to if not identical with the Philistines.
In verses 8-10: Joab's assassination of Amasa is similar to his murder of the Abner (3.26-39).
His motive is not explained but presumably had to do with the fact that Amasa had taken Joab's place as army commander.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 3rd

Read 2 Samuel 20.1-3
In 201.26: Sheba's revolt.
In verse 1: Everyone to your tents is an idiom for military mobilization.
Sheba is calling for the army of Israel to withdraw from David.
In verse 2: All the people of Israel refers only to the northern tribes, as the rest of the verse shows.
The phrase probably exaggerates the extent of the northern disaffection with David (see v. 21).
In verse 3: David no longer had sexual relations with the ten concubines he had left behind because Absalom had slept with them (16.20-21).
Comments or Questions

Reading for June 2nd

Read 2 Samuel 19.41-43
In verse 41: Because David's invitation (vv. 11-12) the army (people) of Judah welcomes David back before the army of Israel.
In verse 42: The army of Judah denies that it has received any special favors or bribes from David.
In verse 43: The ten shares are the ten northern tribes.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 1st

Read 2 Samuel 19.31-40
Barzillai had helped to provide for David in exile (17.27).
David now invites him to come live in his palace in Jerusalem.
Barzillai replies that he is too old to enjoy it but arranges for the king to take his son Chimham instead.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 31st

Read 2 Samuel 19.24-30
In verse 24: Taken care of his feet may mean trimmed his toenails, since the writer cities it as evidence that Merib-baal (Mephibosheth) had been mourning David's exile.
In verse 26-30: Ziba had accused Merib-baal of plotting to take the throne (16.1-4).
Merib-baal here defends himself, saying that Ziba refused to help to flee with David, and he could not leave his own accord because he is crippled.
David's decision (v. 29) indicates that he does not know which of them is telling truth.
Comments and Questions..

Reading for May 30th

Read 2 Samuel 19.16-23
Shimei and those with him were from the tribe of Benjamin, Saul's tribe.
Shimei had ridiculed David when he fled Jerusalem (16.5-13).
Now that David is victorious, he asks forgiveness.
He and the Benjaminites are the first Israelites or the house of Joseph (v. 20) to welcome David back.
Abishai still wants to kill Shimei (16.9) but David refuses.
It may have been customary for the new king to pardon criminals on the day of his coronation (see 1 Sam 11.13).
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 29th

Read 2 Samuel 19.8b-15
In 19.11-43: David returns to Jerusalem.
In verse 11: David contacts the leaders or elders of Judah to encourage them to welcome him back as king.
In verse 13: David appoints Amasa as his army commander in place of Joab.
Amasa was David's nephew (17.25) and had been Absalom's commander.
This provides a motive for Joab's murder of Amasa (20.10).
In verse 14: Amasa, in turn, persuades the people (army) of Judah to return to David.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 28th

Read 2 Samuel 18.33-19.8a
In 19.6: Love and hate can be political terms for loyalty and disloyalty.
Joab's point is that David show love to those who are disloyal to him (Absalom) and all the troops that came before the king.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 27th

Read 2 Samuel 18.19-32
In verse 19: Ahimaaz wants to deliver the good news of the victory to David.
In verse 20: Because the king's son (was) dead may be the narrator's words rather than Joab's.
In verse 21: A Cushite was an Ethiopian.
In verse 29: Ahimaaz does not know that Absalom is dead..
In verse 32: The Cushite thinks that Absalom's death is also good news.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 26th

Read 2 Samuel 18.1-18
In 18.1-1910: The defeat and death of Absalom.
In verses 1-8:By following Hushai's advice to delay in Jerusalem, Absalom gave David the opportunity to regroup his forces and to choose a battle site.
David and his men used the rugged forest of Ephraim to counter the large numbers of Absalom's army.
In verse 9: The mule was the royal mount for King David and his sons.
Thus, Absalom's unseating from the mule symbolizes his loss of the kingdom.
his predicament, being caught by the head, reminds on of his glorious hair (14.26) and suggests that his pride was his downfall.
In verse 14: Spears may also be translated "sticks."
Apparently, Joab stabbed or struck Absalom with them in order to dislodge him from the tree and finish him off (v. 15).
In verse 17: Burial under a heap of stones was a sign of a cursed person (Josh 7.26).
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 25th

Read 2 Samuel 17.15-29
In verses 15-16: Hishai sends word to David through the priests and their sons.
He has bought David some time but urges him to cross the Jordan quickly and escape.
In verses 18-19: The well was a simple pit; its opening could be covered with a blanket and grain spread over it for perfect camouflage.
In verse 23: Ahithopel committed suicide perhaps because he knew that the end of Absalom's reign was imminent.
In verse 24: Mahanaim was a site east of the Jordan that was easily defensible.
In verse 25: Amasa was David's nephew, the son of his sister Zerulah.
She is called the daughter of Nahash here rather than the daughter of Jesse.
This maybe a scribal error (Nahash occurs in v. 27), or Abigail may have been David's half sister.
In verse 27: This Nahash is the Ammonite king with with whom David had a treaty (10.1-2).
His son, Shobi, loyal to the treaty, now helps David in exile.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 24th

Read 2 Samuel 17.5-14
In verses 5-14: Hushai advises that Absalom wait and then attack David with the full force of all Israel (v. 11).
Of course, Hushai is trying t give David time to recuperate and reorganize.
He also plays on Absalom's ego, saying that all the people will follow him, and he can lead them into battle (v. 12).
Even though Ahithopel's advice is obviously better than Hushai's, the Lord had ordained that Absalom would be persuaded to follow Hushai.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 23rd

Read 2 Samuel 16.15-17.4
In 16.15-17.29: Overcoming Ahithophel.
In 16.16-19: Hushai's words are duplicitous.
When he says, Long live the king (v. 16), he means David.
Similarly when, he affirms his loyalty to the one whom the Lord and this people have chosen, he also means David.
In both cases, Absalom takes these statements as a reference to himself.
In verses 20-22: By sleeping with David's concubines, Absalom makes his claim to the throne emphatic.
His deeds fulfills Nathan's oracle (12.12).
In verse 23: The counsel that Ahithophel gave was very highly prized.
His motive for joining Absalom is not certain, but it is possible that he was Bathsheba's grandfather (compare 11.3 and 23.34) and may have held a grudge against David for his treatment of Bathsheba and Uriah.
In 17.1-4: Ahithophel's advice is to attack while David's forces are weak from fleeing.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 22nd

Read 2 Samuel 16.1-14
In verses 3-4: Your master's son is Merib-baal.
His grandfather was Saul, and Ziba claims that he is hoping to take ovver his grandfather's place as king.
But Ziba may be lying (19.24-30).
David rewards Ziba by giving him Saul's property.
There is some question about whether David has the legal right to do this.
 In verse 5: Shimei belonged not only to Saul's tribe (Benjamin) but also to his family or clan.
In verses 6-8: Shimei accused David of murdering members of Saul's family and usurping the throne.
He may have in mind the deaths of Abner and Ishbaal or those of Saul's sons and grandsons in 21.1-14.
In verse 9: Abishai was Joab's brother.
Both are recognized in 2 Samuel as violent men.
He calls Shimei a dead dog, a term of reproach.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 21st

Read 2 Samuel 15.13-37
In 15.13- 16.14 David flees Jerusalem.
In verse 16: Concubines were female slaves used for sexual purposes.
In verse 17: The last house refers to the last house on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
In verse 18: The Cherethites and Pelethites were related to or identical with Philistines who served as the royal bodyguard.
Gittites were Philistines from Gath.
All of these groups had followed David from the days with the Philistines.
In verse 23: The Wadi Kidron is the valley between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives.
David is head east towards the Jordan.
In verse 24: Abiathar and Zadok were David's two priests.
In verses 31-34: David was disheartened to learn that his wise adviser, Ahhithophel (see 16.15-23) had joined Absalom.
As he walked up the mount of Olives (v. 30), he prayed for help against Ahithophel.
His prayer was answered at the summit when he met Hushai, who would help him defeat Ahithophel's advice.
In verse 37: David's friend may have been a title for an intimate adviser or "best man."
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 20th

Read 2 Samuel 15.1-12
In 15.1-12: The revolt begins.
In verse 1: The chariot and horses and fifty men to run ahead were trappings of kingship (1 Kings 1.5).
The fifty men were probably royal bodyguard.
In verse 5: Absalom would not allow anyone to bow or do obeisance to him but fashioned himself as a "man of the people."
In verse 6: Stole the hearts is translated "deceived" in Gen 31.20 and its appropriate here also.
In verses 7-10: Hebron was the capital of Judah, where David had been made king of both Judah and Israel and had rule Judah for seven years.
Absalom was mirroring his father's rise by declaring himself king in Hebron.
His revolt, however, was not limited to Judah but spread throughout all the tribes of Israel (v. 10).
In verse 8: Geshurwas the Aramean city-state where Absalom fled after killing Amnon (13.37-39.
In verse 12: On the great wisdom of David's counselor, Ahithophel, see 16.15-23.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 19th

Read 2 Samuel 14.12-33
In verse 14: Amnon is dead and cannot be brought back to life again, but David can accept Absalom who is still alive.
In verse 15-17: these verses are out of place; the woman continues to plead for her son, but David has already rendered his decision.
They probably originally went after v. 7.
The man who would cut both for me and my son off is the blood avenger, a member of the clan appointed to avenge the death of the murdered son.
The heritage of God refers not only to the land of Israel but to its people.
In verse 21-24: David allows Absalom to return but refuses to see him personally.
In verse 26: Tow hundred shekels would be over five pounds, an extraordinary amount of hair.
In verse 27: Absalom named his daughter after his sister., Tamar (ch 13).
In verses 28-33: This episode shows Absalom's rash nature and suggests that Joab may have held a grudge against him.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 18th

Read 2 Samuel 14.1-11
In 14.1-33: Absalom's return.
In verse 1: The fact that the king's mind was on Absalom does no mean that he was now favorably inclined toward Absalom, as the story makes clear.
In verse 2: Tekoa was a village south of Bethlehem.
Perhaps David took an interest in this case because the woman was from his home territory.
Wise also means skilled.
This woman was a skilled actress.
In verses 8-11: David grants the woman's request and swear by the Lord that her one remaining son will not be harmed.
The woman will urge David to apply this oath to his situation with Absalom.
Since David's ruling is contrary to the customary punishment, the woman accepts any guilt that David may incur (v. 9).
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 17th

Read 2 Samuel 13.12-22
In verse 12: Such a thing may refer to incest or rape or both.
In verse 13: Tamar suggests that David would allow their marriage despite its incestuous nature
In part, at least, she is trying to buy time.
In verse 16: Exodus 22.16 and Deut 22.28-29 require marriage in similar cases.
Tamar may have such laws in mind when she says that in sending her away Amnon is committing a greater wrong than the rape itself.
In verse 17: Having robbed Tamar of her virginity, Amnon takes her identity as well, contemptuously calling her this woman.
In verse 18:The exact nature of the long robe with sleeves is unknown.
The same expression is used for Joseph's garment in Gen 37.3.
In verse 19: Putting ashes on the head and tearing the clothes were signs of grief,
 though Tamar may also have torn the long robe worn by the king's virgin daughters because it was no longer appropriate.
In verse 20: By desolate is meant unmarried.
In verse 22: Neither good nor bad means not at all.
It indicates Absalom's silence and his self-restraint.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 16th

Read 2 Samuel 13.1-11
In 13.1-22: The rape of Tamar.
In verse 1: Tamar was Absolom's full sister but Amon's half-sister.
David was the father of all three, but Tamar's and Absalom's mother was different from Amnon's.
In verse 2: As a virgin daughter of the king, Tamar was probably guarded and therefore it seemed impossible to Amon to do anything to her.
In verse 6: The word for cakes is similar to the Hebrew word for "heart."
This may describe their shape.
It also may suggests Amon's love.
In verse 11: The term my sister reflects the kinship of Amon to Tamar.
It is also common in ancient love poetry and expresses his sexual desire (compare Song 4.9-10; 5.1).
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 15th

Read 2 Samuel 12.16-31
In verse 20: The house of the Lord is the temple in Jerusalem, which had not yet been built.
This appears, therefore, to be anachronism.
In verse 24-25: Solomon means "his replacement."
He was a replacement for the dead child.
But his name Jedidah ("beloved of Yahweh"), which does not occur for Solomon anywhere else, hints that he will replace David (whose name means "beloved") as king.
In verse 26-29: Joab captured the citadel and the water supply of Babbah, the Ammonite capital so that David's conquest of the rest of the city was fairly simple.
In verse 30: Milcorn was the national god of the Ammonites.
A talent was about 75 pounds.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 14th

Read 2 Samuel 12.1-15
In 12.1-31: David's punishment.
In verses 1-6: Nathan brings a legal case before David.
As king he was responsible for ensuring the rights of the poor.
The fourfold restoration mentioned in v. 6 is prescribed in Ex 22.1.
Other textual witnesses have "sevenfold."
In verse 8: There is some textual support for reading "daughter(s)" instead of house in this verse.
The point in any case is that David had many women as wives and concubines.
But like the rich man in Nathan's parable, he stole what belonged to his poor neighbor.
The mention of your master's wives assumes that David took over Saul's harem.
 In verses 11-12: These verses allude to Absalom's revolt, specifically his deed in 16.20-23.
In verse 13-18: David's sin is transferred to his newborn son, who dies because of it.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 13th

Read 2 Samuel 11.14-27
In verse 14: David has confidence enough in Uriah's loyalty to send his death warrant by his own hand knowing that Uriah, even if he could read, would not read it.
In verses 16-21: Joab also uses Uriah's death to cover up his mistake in drawing too close to the city wall.
The story of Abimelech (v. 21) is in Judg 9.
In verse 27: This verse provides a transition to the continuation of the story in the next chapter.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 12th

Read 2 Samuel 11.1-13
In 11.1-27: David and Bathsheba.
In verse 1: This story is set a year after the events in the previous chapter.
It is not clear why David remained at Jerusalem, but the story in 21.15-17 may lie in the background.
In verse 2; David had been taking an afternoon nap on the roof of the king's house where it was cool.
from there he was able to look down into the courtyard of surrounding houses where he saw the woman bathing.
Uriah was one of David's best soldiers, according to 23.39.
In verse 4; Bathsheba was purifying herself after her period by bathing according to Lev 15.19-28.
She was at the most fertile time of her cycle when she slept with David.
This also makes it clear that her child must be David's, not Uriah's.
In verse 7: It must have seemed strange to Uriah to be called back from battle for a personal audience with the king only to be asked general questions.
Perhaps this raised his suspicions and caused him to be on his best behavior.
The people are the army.
In verse 8: Wash your feet is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
In Hebrew idiom, the feet often refer to the genitals.
In verse 9: As a pious soldier who is consecrated for war (see 1 Sam 21.5), Uriah refuses to sleep with his wife.
Comments of Questions..

Reading for May 11th

Read 2 Samuel 10.1-19
In 10.1-19: The Ammorite war.
In verse 2; Nahash was Saul's enemy in 1 Sam 10.27b-11.15.
He and David had a treaty.
Hanun's actions here indicate that Israel was the superior partner in the treaty or that David was trying to make Israel the superior partner.
In verse 4: Hanun's treatment of the envoys is symbolic emasculation.
The beard was a symbol of masculinity.
Cutting off of their garments below the waist was a symbolic castration.
In verse 5: Jericho was the closest Israelite city west of the Jordan opposite Ammon.
In verse 6: Beth-rehab and Zobah were Aramean (Syrian) city states.
The word for thousand may refer to to a much smaller military unit.
Maacah and Tob were states in northern Palestine east of the Jordan.
In verse 9: Joab made a tactical mistake that led to having enemies on two opposing sides.
In verse 12: Joab encouraged his men to fight for the cities that Israel claimed east of the Jordan.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 10th

Read 2 Samuel 9.1-13
In 9 .1-13: Jonathan's son.
In verse 1: The story in 21.1-14 originally preceded this one.
It tells of the execution of a group of Saul's sons and grandsons, which provides background to David's question, is there still anyone left of the house of Saul?
David's kindness for Jonathan's sake fulfills the promise of loyalty that he made to Jonathan in several places in 1 Sam.
In verse 3: crippled in his feet: This made him handicapped and made him unable to go to war and therefore unsuitable to be king.
In verse 4: Machir became a loyal supporter of David (17.27).
Lo-debar was a northern Israelite city east of the Jordan.
In verse 6: Mephibosheth's name was originally Merib-baal.
In verse 7; Eating at the king's table was a sign of favor.
It also gave David the chance to keep a close watch on Merib-baal, who was still heir to Saul's kingdom.
In verse 8: Dead dog was a term of self-reproach.
In verses 9-13: While he lived in Jerusalem with David, Merib-baal would receive income from Saul's lands, which Ziba and his family would work.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 9th

Read 2 Samuel 8.1-18
In 8.1-18: David's wars.
In verse 1: The meaning of Methegammah is uncertain.
In verse 2: The Moabites lived on the other side of the of the dead Sea from Israel.
In verse 3: Zobah was an Aramean (Syrian) city-state.
The word restore may also be read as "leave."
Thus, David, rather than Hadadezer, may have been traveling to the Euphrates to erect a monument.
In verse 4: David hamstrung the horses he could not use to keep someone else from using them against him.
Joshua was commanded to do the same thing with the chariot horses he captured (Josh 11.6).
This suggests that the Israelites did not yet use chariots extensively in battle.
In verse 5: Twenty-two thousand may be twenty-two military units, which numbered much less than a thousand.
In verse 9: Hamath was an important city-state north of Syria.
In verse 10: Joram,, the son of King Toi, has an Israelite name.
In verses 13-14: Edom was the southernmost country eats of the Jordan.
In verses 15-17: The exact functions of the recorder and the secretary in David's administration are unknown.
In verse 18: The Cherethites and Pelethites were the royal bodyguard (23.23) and were related to if not identical with the Philistines.
Apparently, in David's day the king and his sons could serve as priests.
Comments or Questions..