Pride and kingship: a literary reading of 1 and 2 Samuel considering the role of the poetry in shaping the characterisation of the kings
type: CreativeWork
description: The narrative of 1–2 Samuel describes the emergence of monarchy within the Israelite nation. However, it is well recognised that Samuel is not simply a political history but also a sophisticated literary work. It characterises its leading protagonists, namely Saul and David, with a complexity that hinders easy categorisation of one as the hero and the other as the villain. David is presented with serious flaws. Nevertheless, the prophet Samuel declares that Saul’s successor will be better than him (1 Sam 15:28). Literary scholars, with a synchronic approach to the text, have suggested a variety of ways of reconciling this apparent tension in the narrative. Against that backdrop, this thesis considers the role that the four main poems of 1–2 Samuel might play in providing a framework for the narrative, whereby both the superiority of David over Saul and the complexity of David’s characterisation are recognised as being integral to the narrator’s message. Chapter 2 of the thesis provides a survey of different literary readings of Samuel, before arguing that the four poems provide a macrostructure for the narrative with a clear hermeneutic function. This poetic macrostructure underpins the methodology of the thesis. Chapter 3 consists of a close reading of Hannah’s Prayer (1 Sam 2:1-10) arguing that it identifies humility as an essential characteristic of the king whom Yahweh will exalt. Chapter 4 then provides a reading of Samuel that is attentive to the presence of motifs and vocabulary introduced by Hannah’s Prayer. This chapter contends that, when viewed through the hermeneutic lens of Hannah’s Prayer, Saul begins with evidence of humility but ultimately proves to be proud, while David is characterised consistently by humility. Chapter 5 examines David’s Lament over the deaths of Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam 1:19-27), arguing that it confirms both David’s presentation as a humble man and Saul’s as a monarch who failed to fulfil the portrait of ideal kingship presented …
abstract: The narrative of 1–2 Samuel describes the emergence of monarchy within the Israelite nation. However, it is well recognised that Samuel is not simply a political history but also a sophisticated literary work. It characterises its leading protagonists, namely Saul and David, with a complexity that hinders easy categorisation of one as the hero and the other as the villain. David is presented with serious flaws. Nevertheless, the prophet Samuel declares that Saul’s successor will be better than him (1 Sam 15:28). Literary scholars, with a synchronic approach to the text, have suggested a variety of ways of reconciling this apparent tension in the narrative. Against that backdrop, this thesis considers the role that the four main poems of 1–2 Samuel might play in providing a framework for the narrative, whereby both the superiority of David over Saul and the complexity of David’s characterisation are recognised as being integral to the narrator’s message. Chapter 2 of the thesis provides a survey of different literary readings of Samuel, before arguing that the four poems provide a macrostructure for the narrative with a clear hermeneutic function. This poetic macrostructure underpins the methodology of the thesis. Chapter 3 consists of a close reading of Hannah’s Prayer (1 Sam 2:1-10) arguing that it identifies humility as an essential characteristic of the king whom Yahweh will exalt. Chapter 4 then provides a reading of Samuel that is attentive to the presence of motifs and vocabulary introduced by Hannah’s Prayer. This chapter contends that, when viewed through the hermeneutic lens of Hannah’s Prayer, Saul begins with evidence of humility but ultimately proves to be proud, while David is characterised consistently by humility. Chapter 5 examines David’s Lament over the deaths of Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam 1:19-27), arguing that it confirms both David’s presentation as a humble man and Saul’s as a monarch who failed to fulfil the portrait of ideal kingship presented …
author: Thompson, Benjamin
language: eng
date published: 2021-7
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:55:51Z
provider: Queen's University Belfast
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Queen's University Belfast