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..