Column: As It Is Written . . .
David's Lament
by Patrick Henry Reardon
Second Samuel 1 includes a poem called "The Song of the Bow," an elegy in which David laments the deaths of Saul and Jonathan at the Battle of Mount Gilboa. To appreciate the significance of this insertion, it suffices to contrast it with the editorial note the Chronicler inserts in place of it at exactly the same place in the story of Saul:
So Saul died for his infidelity, his offense against the Lord, because he did not observe the word of the Lord; and also he sought guidance from a necromancer, whereas he did not inquire of the Lord. Therefore He put him to death and handed the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse (1 Chronicles 10:13–14).
The contrast between the evaluation of the Chronicler and that of David, conveying two very different views of what happened on Mount Gilboa, could hardly be more extreme. Whereas for the Chronicler, it was the proper retribution for the king's unfaithful career, for David, Saul's downfall was a lamentable tragedy.
Disparate Perspectives
Moreover, the sympathetic assessment David makes of Saul in this poem also stands in some contrast to the perspective of the author of Samuel. The reader of this chapter, having surveyed everything recorded of Saul's life up to this point, may be forgiven a faint sense of bewilderment when he comes to this solemn elegy of David. Is this, he may wonder,the same Saul?
We should assume, surely, that the author of Samuel was aware of this difference in perspective. It is one of the notable features of the Book of Samuel that the author includes material from disparate sources he makes little or no effort to reconcile. We recall, for instance, that 1 Samuel contains more than one story of how David came to be in the court of Saul (1 Samuel 16:14—17:58). The author of Samuel also takes into account very differing viewpoints respecting to the monarchy itself (cf. 1 Samuel 8 and 12).
It is no surprise, then, that the author of Samuel includes David's elegy, even if it fits uncomfortably with his own account of Saul. From the perspective of literary achievement, this insertion dramatically elevates his whole narrative.
From the perspective of history, David's elegy for Saul is arguably even more important, inasmuch as it addresses a true crisis in the life of the Chosen People. The hosts of Israel yet lay slain on the slopes of Gilboa. The defeat of Saul has cut Israel in half, not only politically, but also geographically; the Philistines occupy a wide swath of the territory—from the Mediterranean eastward to the Jordan—between the nation's two parts, forcing the northerners to move their capital to the far side of the river (2 Samuel 2:8). Israel's very existence is
in doubt.
Orator & Statesman
In this very dark hour, Israel's new king, sizing up the crisis, recognizes his responsibility to heal and reconcile the nation, in the defense of which Saul and his forces have perished. David knows his duty. Much as Pericles, centuries later, bewailed the fallen warriors of Athens, David hearkens to what may be called a "rhetorical imperative." Reaching deeply into his soul, David mixes personal sadness with his God-given eloquence, in order to ennoble—perhaps, even, to consecrate—Israel's recent tragedy.
Patrick Henry Reardon is pastor emeritus of All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church in Chicago, Illinois, and the author of numerous books, including, most recently, Out of Step with God: Orthodox Christian Reflections on the Book of Numbers (Ancient Faith Publishing, 2019).
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