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Document Details :

Title: Layers of Ambiguity in 2 Samuel 11,1
Author(s): BODNER, Keith
Journal: Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses
Volume: 80    Issue: 1   Date: April 2004   
Pages: 102-111
DOI: 10.2143/ETL.80.1.504558

Abstract :
There are a number of intriguing questions that confront the reader in 2 Sam 11,1. In the first instance, there is a text-critical problem at the outset of the verse pertaining to íéëìîä and íéëàìîä: do “kings” or “messengers” go forth at the turn of the year? Moreover, David’s motivation for remaining in Jerusalem during the siege of Rabbah is shrouded with ambiguity: why does the king not accompany his troops into battle? In the present article, it is suggested that such questions function as an apt introduction to the portentous events of 2 Sam 11 within the wider David narrative.

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