Misplaced Pages

#208791

74-733: Bathsheba was the daughter of one of Eliam according to 2 Samuel 11 :3 and of Ammiel in 1 Chronicles 3 :5. An Eliam is mentioned in 2 Samuel 23 :34 as the son of Ahithophel the Gilohite . Bathsheba was Uriah the Hittite's wife. David's initial interactions with Bathsheba are described in 2 Samuel 11 . While walking on the roof of his palace, David sees a beautiful woman bathing. He inquires about her, discovering her identity as Uriah's wife. Still desiring her, David later has sex with Bathsheba, impregnating her. ( David E. Garland and Diana R. Garland regard David's actions as an example of rape in

148-482: A different document. In the narrative, three of the thirty visit David when he is located at the cave of Adullam . While there, David expresses a heartfelt desire for water from a well near Bethlehem , which the narrative states was occupied by Philistines. The three of the thirty therefore forcefully break past the Philistines, and draw water from the well, which they take back to David. David refuses to drink

222-497: A distinct literary genre. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica , "Midrash was initially a philological method of interpreting the literal meaning of biblical texts. In time it developed into a sophisticated interpretive system that reconciled apparent biblical contradictions, established the scriptural basis of new laws, and enriched biblical content with new meaning. Midrashic creativity reached its peak in

296-638: A few cases where an individual is named, and is then followed by a description that is unclear as to whether it refers to them, or whether it refers to an additional unnamed person: For the remaining names of the list, there are some significant textual issues, the most minor of which being that the Books of Samuel lists Paarai the Arbite but the Book of Chronicles lists Naarai son of Exbai instead. The list in Samuel

370-470: A fixed, canonical text, considered to be the authoritative and revealed word of God by the midrashist and his audience, and in which this canonical text is explicitly cited or clearly alluded to". Lieve M. Teugels, who would limit midrash to rabbinic literature, offered a definition of midrash as "rabbinic interpretation of Scripture that bears the lemmatic form", a definition that, unlike Porton's, has not been adopted by others. While some scholars agree with

444-496: A foreshadowing of the technical sense that the rabbis later gave to the word. Since the early Middle Ages the function of much of midrashic interpretation has been distinguished from that of peshat , straight or direct interpretation aiming at the original literal meaning of a scriptural text. A definition of "midrash" repeatedly quoted by other scholars is that given by Gary G. Porton in 1981: "a type of literature, oral or written, which stands in direct relationship to

518-815: A group of 37 men in the Hebrew Bible who fought with King David and are identified in 2 Samuel 23:8–38 , part of the "supplementary information" added to the Second Book of Samuel in its final four chapters. The International Standard Version calls them "David's special forces". A similar list is given in 1 Chronicles 11:10–47 but with several variations and sixteen more names. The text divides them into "the Three", of which there are three, and "the Thirty", of which there are more than thirty. The text explicitly states that there are 37 individuals in all, but it

592-477: A handful of lines in the Biblical narrative may become a long philosophical discussion Jacob Neusner distinguishes three midrash processes: Numerous Jewish midrashim previously preserved in manuscript form have been published in print, including those denominated as smaller or minor midrashim. Bernard H. Mehlman and Seth M. Limmer deprecate this usage claiming that the term "minor" seems judgmental and "small"

666-560: A manner which helped to refute claims that they were only human interpretations—the argument being that, by presenting the various collections of different schools of thought, each of which relied upon close study of the text, the growing difference between early biblical law and its later rabbinic interpretation could be reconciled. Midrashim that seek to explain the non-legal portions of the Hebrew Bible are sometimes referred to as aggadah or Haggadah . Aggadic discussions of

740-513: A means of rewriting it in a way that both makes it more acceptable to later ethical standards and conforms more to later notions of plausibility. James L. Kugel , in The Bible as It Was (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1997), examines a number of early Jewish and Christian texts that comment on, expand, or re-interpret passages from the first five books of the Tanakh between

814-554: A parable describing a rich man who took away the lamb of his poor neighbor, he incited the king's righteous anger, and Nathan then analogized the case directly to David's actions regarding Bathsheba. Nathan declared that God would punish the house of David for Uriah's murder and the taking of his wife. In turn, he would let someone close to David seize all David's wives, and having him lie with them in broad daylight for everyone to see. David at once confessed his sins, expressing sincere repentance. Shortly after Bathsheba's first child by David

SECTION 10

#1732781069209

888-568: A personal prayer book, that overtook the psalter as the most popular devotional book for laypeople. This was especially the case in France. In art the subject is one of the most commonly shown in the Power of Women topos . As an opportunity to feature a large female nude as the focus of a history painting , the subject was popular from the Renaissance onwards. Sometimes Bathsheba's maids or

962-589: A special group within The Thirty, or whether it refers to another group of three individuals. The narrative, which recounts a single exploit, ends with "such were the exploits of the three mighty men", and textual scholars believe that the narrative may be an extract from a larger group of tales concerning these three. The flowing narrative differs in style from the more abrupt introductions to individual members of The Three and The Thirty that surround it, and textual scholars believe that it may originally have been from

1036-523: A text. This is not limited to the traditional thirteen textual tools attributed to the Tanna Rabbi Ishmael , which are used in the interpretation of halakha (Jewish law). The presence of words or letters which are seen to be apparently superfluous, and the chronology of events, parallel narratives or what are seen as other textual "anomalies" are often used as a springboard for interpretation of segments of Biblical text. In many cases,

1110-409: Is a victim of 'power rape ' ". Andrew J. Schmutzer stated that "David's 'taking' Bathsheba makes him responsible for her coming to him." Antony F. Campbell states "The 'violation of Bathsheba' may be the least unsatisfactory terminology, especially given the ambivalence of the text's storytelling." According to Michael D. Coogan, the faulting of David is made clear in the text from the very beginning: "It

1184-456: Is based on pre-set assumptions about the sacred and divine nature of the text, and the belief in the legitimacy that accords with rabbinic interpretation. Although this material treats the biblical texts as the authoritative word of God, it is clear that not all of the Hebrew Bible was fixed in its wording at this time, as some verses that are cited differ from the Masoretic , and accord with

1258-613: Is derived from the root of the verb darash ( דָּרַשׁ ), which means "resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require", forms of which appear frequently in the Bible. The word midrash occurs twice in the Hebrew Bible: 2 Chronicles 13:22 "in the midrash of the prophet Iddo ", and 24:27 "in the midrash of the book of the kings". Both the King James Version (KJV) and English Standard Version (ESV) translate

1332-477: Is described as having stood his ground when the Philistines attacked a "field of ripe lentils" despite the rest of his associates dispersing and as having defeated the attackers. The Thirty are not heavily described by the text, merely listed. There are several differences between the ancient manuscripts of the list, whether they are of the Masoretic text or the Septuagint . Textual scholars generally consider

1406-514: Is distinctly associated with the Israelites (who the text consistently treats as a distinct group from the Hebrews), and his being Saul's son is considered by some textual scholars as more ethnological than necessarily literal. It is more likely that this was Jonathan the son of Shemea, David’s brother mentioned in 1 Chronicles 20:7 as having defeated a Philistine giant. As the list

1480-474: Is expansive Jewish Biblical exegesis using a rabbinic mode of interpretation prominent in the Talmud . The word itself means "textual interpretation", "study", or " exegesis ", derived from the root verb darash ( דָּרַשׁ‎ ), which means "resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require". Midrash and rabbinic readings "discern value in texts, words, and letters, as potential revelatory spaces", writes

1554-509: Is generally presented in pairs, where each member of a pair comes from a similar location to the other member, but this pattern is broken by Shammah (from Arad), Elika (from Arad), and Helez (from Beth-Palet), who make a trio; in Chronicles, however, Elika isn't even listed. The final name(s) on the list itself is/are given by the masoretic text as Jonathan son of Shammah from Arad , but the septuagint has Jonathan, [and] Shammah from Arad ;

SECTION 20

#1732781069209

1628-501: Is inappropriate for midrashim some of which are lengthy. They propose instead the term "medieval midrashim", since the period of their production extended from the twilight of the rabbinic age to the dawn of the Age of Enlightenment . Generally speaking, rabbinic midrashim either focus on religious law and practice ( halakha ) or interpret biblical narrative in relation to non-legal ethics or theology, creating homilies and parables based on

1702-463: Is praised for her share in the successful effort to secure the succession to Solomon. Thus the verse in Eccl. iv. 9, "Two are better than one," is applied to David and Bath-sheba; while "the threefold cord" which shall not be quickly broken (ib. verse 12) is applied to the activity of Nathan the prophet, who joined in the effort (Eccl. R. iv. 9). In Matthew 1:6 , "the wife of Uriah" is mentioned as one of

1776-438: Is proceeded with ...David put him in command of his bodyguard. Asahel, brother of Joab. Among the thirty were..... , an Asahel the brother of Joab is sometimes considered to be part of the list, having become misplaced rather than the start of a lost passage. The text also contains a narrative passage about "three of The Thirty". It is unclear from the text whether this refers to The Three, hence implying that The Three were

1850-449: Is such that the midrash is a simple lesson to the uninitiated, and a direct allusion, or analogy, to a mystical teaching for those educated in this area. A wealth of literature and artwork has been created in the 20th and 21st centuries by people aspiring to create "contemporary midrash". Forms include poetry, prose, Bibliodrama (the acting out of Bible stories), murals, masks, and music, among others. The Institute for Contemporary Midrash

1924-529: Is unclear whether this refers to The Thirty, which may or may not contain The Three, or the combined total of both groups. The text refers to The Three and The Thirty as though they were both important entities, and not just an arbitrary list of three or 30-plus significant men. The Three are named Ishbaal the Tahkemonite ("thou will make me wise"), Eleazar ("God has helped") son of Dodo ("his beloved")

1998-621: The Bible story as incompatible with the principle of infallibility ( Ismah ) of the prophets. A hadith quoted in Tafsir al-Kabir and Majma' al-Bayan expresses that Ali ibn Abi Talib said: "Whoever says that David, has married Uriah 's wife as the legends are narrate, I will punish him twice: one for qazf (falsely accusing someone of adultery) and the other for desecrating the prophethood (defamation of prophet David)". Another hadith narrated from Shia scholars states that Ali Al-Ridha , during

2072-672: The Written Torah and Oral Torah (spoken law and sermons), as well as non-legalistic rabbinic literature ( aggadah ) and occasionally Jewish religious laws ( halakha ), which usually form a running commentary on specific passages in the Hebrew Scripture ( Tanakh ). The word Midrash , especially if capitalized, can refer to a specific compilation of these rabbinic writings composed between 400 and 1200 CE . According to Gary Porton and Jacob Neusner , midrash has three technical meanings: The Hebrew word midrash

2146-533: The ancestors of Jesus . In medieval typology , Bathsheba is recognized as the antetype foreshadowing the role of Ecclesia , the church personified , as David was the antetype for Jesus. As a queen and mother, she was also associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven . Bathsheba's son, King Solomon, rises to greet her, bows down in veneration, and furnishes her a seat at his right hand. This demonstrates her exalted status and share in

2220-623: The "messengers" sent by David are shown, and often a distant David watching from his roof. The messengers are sometimes confused with David himself, but most artists follow the Bible in keeping David at a distance in this episode. Paintings with articles include: Bathsheba has been portrayed by: Eliam David's Mighty Warriors (also known as David's Mighty Men or the Gibborim ; Hebrew : הַגִּבֹּרִ֛ים , romanized :  hagGībōrīm , lit.   'the Mighty';) are

2294-511: The Ahohite ("brother of rest"), and Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. The Book of Chronicles also mentions the Three. According to one reading, the first of these three is named as Jashobeam instead. However, the Septuagint version of the same passage presents a name that scholars regard as clearly being a transliteration from Isbosheth — the euphemism employed in some parts of

Bathsheba - Misplaced Pages Continue

2368-457: The Bible for the name Ishbaal . Hence, the first member of The Three was possibly Ishbaal, Saul 's son and heir; the text had become corrupted either deliberately (e.g. due to an editor who sought to downplay Ishbaal's heroism) or accidentally. According to other translations following the Masoretic text more closely, Jashobeam is the head of "thirty" or "chief officers" but not even part of

2442-518: The Hebrew Bible .) While the army was on campaign, David summoned Uriah in the hope that Uriah would have sex with Bathsheba, and in turn be convinced that the child she would eventually bear belonged to him. However, Uriah was unwilling to disregard rules applying to warriors on campaign, preferring to remain with the palace troops rather than sleep in his own bed. After repeated efforts to convince Uriah to sleep with his wife failed, David gave an order to his general Joab that Uriah should be placed on

2516-455: The Hebrew scholar Wilda Gafney . "They reimagine dominant narratival readings while crafting new ones to stand alongside—not replace—former readings. Midrash also asks questions of the text; sometimes it provides answers, sometimes it leaves the reader to answer the questions". Vanessa Lovelace defines midrash as "a Jewish mode of interpretation that not only engages the words of the text, behind

2590-479: The Septuagint more reliable than the Masoretic text regarding this list, particularly since the Masoretic text of Chronicles matches the Septuagint version of the Books of Samuel more closely than the Masoretic version. In addition, there are a few places where it is uncertain whether one person is referred to or if it is two people. The individuals that are clearly identified are: In addition to these, there are

2664-448: The Septuagint, or Samaritan Torah instead. With the growing canonization of the contents of the Hebrew Bible , both in terms of the books that it contained, and the version of the text in them, and an acceptance that new texts could not be added, there came a need to produce material that would clearly differentiate between that text, and rabbinic interpretation of it. By collecting and compiling these thoughts they could be presented in

2738-561: The Three. Ishbaal is described as being the leader and is said to have killed 800 men in a single encounter. Ishbaal is also described as a Tahkemonite, which is probably a corruption of Hacmonite , the latter being how he is described by the Book of Chronicles. Eleazar is described as standing his ground against the Philistines at Pas Dammim when the rest of the Hebrews ran away and as successfully defeated them. Similarly, Shammah

2812-519: The books of Samuel and Kings, part of that court history of David , written by someone who stood very near the events and who did not idealize David. The material contained in it is of higher historical value than that in the later strata of these books. Budde later connected it with the Jahwist document of the Hexateuch. The only interpolations that concern the story of Bathsheba are some verses in

2886-491: The brother of Joab . According to the text, he killed 300 men with a spear, and so became famous among The Thirty, though not as famous and respected as The Three. The text states that despite the fame and respect he was not included among The Three, suggesting that being a part of The Three is not just a group of famous people, but something which an individual could in some way gain membership, with criteria that involved more than fame and honour. According to most manuscripts of

2960-583: The discussions with the scholars of other religions about prophets' infallibility, asked one of them, "What do you say about David?" he said "David was praying, when a beautiful bird appeared in front of him, and David left his prayer and went after the bird. While David was walking on the roof of his palace, he saw Bathsheba having a bath... so David placed her husband in the front lines of the battlefield, in order to get killed, so that he could marry Bathsheba." Ali Al-Ridha got upset and said: " Inna Lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un , you assign sluggishness in prayer to

3034-426: The early part of the twelfth chapter, that heighten the moral tone of Nathan's rebuke of David. According to Karl Budde the interpolated portion is 12: 7, 8, and 10–12; according to Friedrich Schwally and H. P. Smith, the whole of 12: 1–15a is an interpolation, and 12:. 15b should be joined directly to 11: 27. This does not directly affect the narrative concerning Bathsheba herself. 1 Chronicles omits all reference to

Bathsheba - Misplaced Pages Continue

3108-408: The evil tempter of humanity brought about the sinful relation of David and Bathsheba. The Midrash portrays the influence of Satan bringing about the sinful relation of David and Bathsheba as follows: Bath-sheba was making her bathing on the roof of her house behind a screen of wickerwork, when Satan came in the disguise of a bird; David, shooting at it, struck the screen, splitting it; thus Bathsheba

3182-415: The front lines in battle, where he would be in much greater danger. Additionally, David had Uriah himself carry this message back to the army. Uriah was ultimately killed during the siege of Rabbah, and Bathsheba mourned him. Then, David made her his wife, taking her into his house where she gave birth to his child. David's actions displeased God, who sent the prophet Nathan to reprove the king. In relating

3256-495: The granddaughter of Ahitophel , as do passages in the Talmud . The argument is that she is called the daughter of Eliam in 2 Sam. 11:3, and 2 Sam 23:34 mentions an Eliam, the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, one of David's " thirty ". The assumption is then that these two Eliams are the same person. However, in 1 Chronicles the names are very different: Bathsheba is called Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel in 1 Chronicles 3:5. And in

3330-452: The importance of these texts for finding insights into the rabbinic culture that created them. Midrash is increasingly seen as a literary and cultural construction, responsive to literary means of analysis. Frank Kermode has written that midrash is an imaginative way of "updating, enhancing, augmenting, explaining, and justifying the sacred text". Because the Tanakh came to be seen as unintelligible or even offensive, midrash could be used as

3404-404: The king (who was consorting with Abishag in his old age and had been presumed impotent). During this meeting, the king engaged in 13 acts of intercourse with Bath-sheba before affirming his decision that her son Solomon should succeed him. The significance of that exact number of coituses and the meaning of their multi-coital encounter has been discussed in modern Biblical scholarship. Bath-sheba

3478-569: The limitation of the term "midrash" to rabbinic writings, others apply it also to certain Qumran writings, to parts of the New Testament , and of the Hebrew Bible (in particular the superscriptions of the Psalms, Deuteronomy, and Chronicles), and even modern compositions are called midrashim. Midrash is now viewed more as method than genre, although the rabbinic midrashim do constitute

3552-595: The list of David's thirty in 1 Chronicles 11:36 we have Ahijah the Pelonite. Some have also questioned whether Ahithophel would have been old enough to have a granddaughter. Bathsheba was the granddaughter of Ahithophel, David's famous counselor. The Aggadah states that Ahithophel was misled by his knowledge of astrology into believing himself destined to become king of Israel. He therefore induced Absalom to commit an unpardonable crime ( 2 Sam. 16:21 ), which sooner or later would have brought with it, according to Jewish law,

3626-478: The masoretic text, Abishai became the commander of The Three, but according to the Syriac Peshitta , and a few masoretic text manuscripts, Abishai instead became the commander of The Thirty. The text explicitly states that Abishai became the commander of The Three despite not being among them, but it is unclear whether this is directly because he was their commander (as with the masoretic text), or whether he

3700-415: The most common depiction, in both medieval and later art, was Bathsheba at her Bath , the formal name for the subject in art showing Bathsheba bathing, watched by King David. This could be shown with various degrees of nudity, depending on the pose and the placing of clothes or towels. One of the most common placements in the 15th century, perhaps surprisingly, was in miniatures illustrating a book of hours ,

3774-563: The non-legal parts of Scripture are characterized by a much greater freedom of exposition than the halakhic midrashim (midrashim on Jewish law). Aggadic expositors availed themselves of various techniques, including sayings of prominent rabbis. These aggadic explanations could be philosophical or mystical disquisitions concerning angels , demons , paradise , hell , the messiah , Satan , feasts and fasts, parables , legends, satirical assaults on those who practice idolatry , etc. Some of these midrashim entail mystical teachings. The presentation

SECTION 50

#1732781069209

3848-432: The penalty of death; the motive for this advice being to remove Absalom, and thus to make a way for himself to the throne. His astrological information had been, however, misunderstood by him; for in reality it only predicted that his granddaughter, Bathsheba, the daughter of his son Eliam, would become queen. Bath-sheba, the granddaughter of Ahithophel, David's famous counselor was much younger than David. The influence of

3922-413: The prophet of God, and then accuse him of unchastity, and then charge him with the murder of an innocent man!" He asked "so what is the story of Uriah?" and Ali Al-Ridha said "At that time, women whose husbands passed away or got killed in the war would never get married again (and this was the source of many evils). David was the first person to break this tradition. So after Uriah was incidentally killed in

3996-632: The royal kingdom. Bathsheba acts as intercessor for her subjects, delivering their petitions to the King: "Pray ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife". Bathsheba (Barsabeh, Bathsabeh) is venerated in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as a saint. Her feast day is 27 November ( 01 Tahsas ). In Islam , David is considered to be a prophet, and some Islamic tradition views

4070-436: The schools of Rabbi Ishmael and Akiba , where two different hermeneutic methods were applied. The first was primarily logically oriented, making inferences based upon similarity of content and analogy. The second rested largely upon textual scrutiny, assuming that words and letters that seem superfluous teach something not openly stated in the text." Many different exegetical methods are employed to derive deeper meaning from

4144-468: The septuagint implies that the passage was understood to refer to a Jonathan significant enough to need no further qualification, thus probably referring to the Jonathan that elsewhere is described as a son of Saul—which Jonathan being a son of Shammah would contradict. According to textual scholars Jonathan is distinctly associated by other parts of the Books of Samuel with the Hebrews , while Saul

4218-531: The story of David's son Amnon 's rape of his sister Tamar , told so soon after the incident of Bathsheba, seems to draw a parallel between the sexual misconduct of father and son. Along with Eve , Bathsheba was almost the only female whose nude depiction could easily and regularly be justified in Christian art , and she is therefore an important figure in the development of the nude in medieval art . Though sometimes shown clothed at other points in her story,

4292-540: The text emphasizes that despite these qualities, Benaiah was not a member of The Three. The text gives a list of Benaiah's "great exploits", suggesting that these are what brought him fame and honor; compared with the feats ascribed by the text to Abishai, and to the members of The Three, Benaiah's feats are somewhat minor (though regarded by scholars as more realistic): Midrash Midrash ( / ˈ m ɪ d r ɑː ʃ / ; Hebrew : מִדְרָשׁ ; pl. מִדְרָשִׁים midrashim or מִדְרָשׁוֹת ‎ midrashot )

4366-532: The text, and beyond the text, but also focuses on each letter, and the words left unsaid by each line". An example of a midrashic interpretation: "And God saw all that He had made, and found it very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day." ( Genesis 1:31)—Midrash: Rabbi Nahman said in Rabbi Samuel's name: "Behold, it was very good" refers to the Good Desire; "AND behold, it

4440-516: The text. In the latter case they are described as aggadic . Midrash halakha is the name given to a group of tannaitic expositions on the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. These midrashim, written in Mishnaic Hebrew , clearly distinguish between the Biblical texts that they discuss, and the rabbinic interpretation of that text. They often go well beyond simple interpretation, and derive or provide support for halakha. This work

4514-472: The third century BCE and the second century CE. Kugel traces how and why biblical interpreters produced new meanings by the use of exegesis on ambiguities, syntactical details, unusual or awkward vocabulary, repetitions, etc. in the text. As an example, Kugel examines the different ways in which the biblical story that God's instructions are not to be found in heaven (Deuteronomy 30:12) has been interpreted. Baruch 3:29-4:1 states that this means that divine wisdom

SECTION 60

#1732781069209

4588-522: The throne instead of David's older surviving sons by other wives, based on promises David made to her. Nathan's prophecy came to pass years later when another of David's sons, the much-loved Absalom , led an insurrection that plunged the kingdom into civil war. To manifest his claim as the new king, Absalom had sex in public with ten of his father's concubines (2 Samuel 16), considered to be a direct, tenfold divine retribution for David's taking of another man's woman in secret. Several scholars see Bathsheba as

4662-476: The time of Absalom's rebellion was in revenge for David's conduct toward Bathsheba. Kenneth E. Bailey interprets the passage from a different perspective: he says that David's Jerusalem was tightly packed and Bathsheba's house may have been as close as twenty feet away from David's rooftop; people in ancient times were exceptionally modest about their bodies, so he suggests that Bathsheba displayed herself deliberately, so that instead of being an innocent victim, it

4736-414: The war, David married his wife, but people could hardly accept this anomalous marriage (and subsequently legends were made about this marriage.) Bathsheba's name appears in 1 Chronicles 3:5 spelled "Bath-shua", the form becomes merely a variant reading of "Bath-sheba". The passages in which Bath-sheba is mentioned are 2 Samuel 11:2–12:24 , and 1 Kings 1:2 —both of which are parts of the oldest stratum of

4810-432: The water, instead pouring it out "before Yahweh ", arguing that it was the blood of the men who had risked their lives. Biblical scholars argue that the description of David pouring out the water is a reference to David offering the water to Yahweh as a libation . An additional account, continuing on from the description of The Three, which was interrupted by the narrative concerning David's thirst, describes Abishai ,

4884-407: The way in which Bathsheba became David's wife, and gives only the names of her children in 1 Chronicles 3:5 —Shimea, Shobab, Nathan , and Solomon. The father of Bathsheba was Eliam ("Ammiel" in 1 Chronicles 3:5 ). As this was also the name of a son of Ahithophel, one of David's heroes ( 2 Samuel 23:34 ), perhaps Bathsheba was a granddaughter of Ahithophel and that the latter's desertion of David at

4958-451: The word as "story" in both instances; the Septuagint translates it as βιβλίον (book) in the first, as γραφή (writing) in the second. The meaning of the Hebrew word in these contexts is uncertain: it has been interpreted as referring to "a body of authoritative narratives, or interpretations thereof, concerning historically important figures" and seems to refer to a "book", perhaps even a "book of interpretation", which might make its use

5032-412: Was actually she who seduced David in order to rid herself of Uriah, and move in with King David. David summoned Bathsheba for sex. Lawrence O. Richards states that the biblical text supports the innocence of Bathsheba, that David took the initiative to find out her identity and summon her, and that she was alone at the time and had no way to refuse the requests of a King. David J. Zucker writes that "[s]he

5106-406: Was born, God struck it with a severe illness. David pleaded with God to spare his child, fasting and spending the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground, but after seven days the child died. David accepted this as his punishment, and then went to the house of God to worship him. David and Bathsheba would later have another son, Solomon . In David's old age, Bathsheba secured Solomon's succession to

5180-464: Was commander of The Thirty (as with the Septuagint) and The Three were a subgroup of The Thirty (as possibly implied by the narrative about "three of The Thirty"). Benaiah is singled out by the text for being a particularly great warrior, as famous as The Three, and significantly more respected than any of The Thirty, for which reason he was put in charge of the royal bodyguard . As with Abishai,

5254-407: Was formed to facilitate these reinterpretations of sacred texts. The institute hosted several week-long intensives between 1995 and 2004, and published eight issues of Living Text: The Journal of Contemporary Midrash from 1997 to 2000. According to Carol Bakhos, recent studies that use literary-critical tools to concentrate on the cultural and literary aspects of midrash have led to a rediscovery of

5328-537: Was revealed in her beauty to David (ib. 107a). Bath-sheba was providentially destined from the Creation to become in due time the legitimate wife of David; but this relation was immaturely precipitated, and thus he became Bath-sheba's partner in sin (ib.). According to rabbinic tradition , when Bath-sheba saw the attempted crowning of Adonijah, she teamed up with the prophet Nathan to ensure Solomon's role as David's successor. At that juncture, she gained an audience with

5402-490: Was springtime, the time when kings go forth to war... but David remained in Jerusalem" ( 2 Samuel 11:1 ); if David had been away at war, the incident would not have taken place. The Bathsheba incident leads to a shift in the book's perspective; afterwards David "is largely at the mercy of events rather than directing them". He is no longer able to control his family, and ends up being overthrown by Absalom. And in 2 Samuel 13

5476-573: Was very good" refers to the Evil Desire. Can then the Evil Desire be very good? That would be extraordinary! But without the Evil Desire, however, no man would build a house, take a wife and beget children; and thus said Solomon: "Again, I considered all labour and all excelling in work, that it is a man's rivalry with his neighbour." (Kohelet IV, 4) . The term Midrash is also used of a rabbinic work that interprets Scripture in that manner. Such works contain early interpretations and commentaries on

#208791