Author: Administrador

I was at a piano recital of my nephew and nieces last year. We went out to dinner to celebrate their performances at the recital. My seven-year old nephew jumped out of his seat at dinner and declared that his oldest sister got a note wrong. My brother quickly corrected him and told him that … Continue reading “1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 Commentary by Garrett Galvin”

Whether these “last words” of David were spoken by the king himself or composed by a later supporter of the monarchy (as most scholars believe), their purpose is clear: they promise divine legitimacy for David’s rule for the line that descends from him and for the monarchy as an institution. They have clear political purposes. … Continue reading “2 Samuel 23:1-7 Commentary by Ted A. Smith”

The narrator of 2 Samuel 23:1-7 tells us that these verses contain “the last words of David.” What is interesting, according to Professor Ralph Klein, is that this passage is the first of many “last words of David” in the Old Testament.  Klein counts ten “last words” of David; the second and third of which … Continue reading “2 Samuel 23:1-7 Commentary by Karla Suomala”

When I was growing up in the church, the last Sunday of the church year was known as the Last Sunday after Trinity. The focus was on Judgment Day, often depicted in very vivid and fearful colors. The switch to Christ the King Sunday put a quite different emphasis on the ending of the church … Continue reading “2 Samuel 23:1-7 Commentary by Ralph W. Klein”

The long, violent conflict between David and Absalom has finally run its course. Absalom is dead. David’s kingdom is again secure. And David pours forth his grief: “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (33). This is not the long, … Continue reading “2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 Commentary by Ted A. Smith”

The tension of this text begins with the enigmatic order of David to his commanders: “‘Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom’” (5a). It’s not the sort of order one expects from a king about to send soldiers into the heart of conflict and perhaps that is why “all the people heard” … Continue reading “2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 Commentary by Robert Hoch”

The story of the conflict between David and his son Absalom takes up 6 chapters (2 Samuel 13-18) and is full of intrigue and moral failings by both David and Absalom. It all started when David’s son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar. David would not punish Amnon because he was his firstborn, leading Absalom to … Continue reading “2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 Commentary by Ralph W. Klein”

On one level it is obvious: this is a story about David’s sin. God knows it. Nathan knows it. David comes to know it. And, Nathan promises, all Israel will see God’s judgment of it. They do see that judgment, and so do we, if we read the rest of 2 Samuel. How could we … Continue reading “2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a Commentary by Ted A. Smith”

To make sense of the lectionary text, we have to back up to the beginning of Chapter 11: the story of David and Bathsheba. First and foremost, this is a story about power—desire, too, I suppose—but ultimately power. 2 Samuel 11 begins with David staying in Jerusalem. The Ammonite threat persists, but David is now … Continue reading “2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-15 Commentary by Amy Erickson”

Judgment rings out loud and clear in God’s displeasure, in Nathan’s sermon, in David’s confession, and perhaps also in our own reactions to the text. Not least among these reactions might be very real objections to the notion that an innocent child should be the one to bear the burden of God’s wrath in place … Continue reading “2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a Commentary by Robert Hoch”