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A Theological Reconsideration of Saul's Ignorance of David (1Sam 17: 55-58)

김재구 1

1협성대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

At first glance, the incident of Saul's unrecognition of David in 1Sam. 17: 55-58 seems to break the flow of the storyline because Saul has already well known David. Many scholars have tried to solve this inconsistency, mainly in terms of the causes of the different sources and the changing relationship between Saul and David without presenting any other comparable examples. But they still leave several unsolved questions behind, expecially about the reason the author/redactor did not harmonize this inconsistency and the existence of other similar examples in the Bible. This paper is to venture to answer these questions, using the method of intertextuality. This method reveals there is the prototype of the Saul-David story, that is, the Exodus story. Thus the ‘Exodus Paradigm’ is utilized to compare ‘Saul-David story’ with ‘Pharaoh-Joseph/Moses/Israel story.’As Pharaoh is saved when he recognizes Joseph, so Saul is also relived from his trouble when he recognizes David. But when both Pharaoh(different one) and Saul fail to recognize Joseph and David respectively, they fall into despair and eventually into utter destruction. The unrecognition must be politically intentional severance of relationship to both troubled ones with the fear of the gradual greatness of Israel and David. Saul's unrecognition of David alludes to the future conflict between him and David. Thus, it is not a literary inconsistency but an intentional literary technique to adumbrate what is to come after. Further proofs can be presented by the more elements from the Exodus motif. After this unrecognition, Pharaoh and Saul with fear of the greatness of Israel and David respectively try to eliminate their counterparts by the same three steps. Firstly, as using his personal attempt, Pharaoh let the Israelites undergo hard labor building his store cities, so Saul with his spear attempts to kill David. When their attempts fail, both depend on the foreigners to kill their enemies(Pharaoh-Hebrew midwives and Saul-Philistines). When it fails too, they command their people to kill their enemies. But eventually Moses and David are saved and become the members of the royal family. Likewise, the Exodus Paradigm reveals that the Saul-David story is written in the pattern of the Exodus motif, demonstrating recognition brings life and unrecognition whether by accident or design brings disaster. Thus, Saul's unrecognition of David is intended to function the turning point of the future severance of the relationship between Saul and David.

Citation status

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