Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/728

 KINGS

648

KINGS

house of Heli is revealed to him, iii. The army of Israel is defeated by the Philistines. Ophni and Phinees are slain and the ark taken; death of HeH, iv. The ark among the Philistines; it is brought back to Bethsames and then taken to Cariathiarim, v-vii, 1. Samuel as judge; he is instrumental in bringing the people back to the Lord and in inflicting a crushing defeat on the Philistines, vii, 2-17.

(2) History of Saul's Government. — The people de- mand a king; Samuel reluctantly yields to their re- quest, viii. Saul, while seeking his father's asses, is privately anointed king by Samuel, ix-x, 16. Samuel convokes the people at Maspha (Mizpah) to elect a king; the lot falls on Saul, but he is not acknowledged by all, X, 17-27. Saul defeats the Ammonite king, Naas, and opposition to him ceases, xi. Samuel's farewell address to the people, xii. War against the Pliilistines; Saul's disobedience for which Samuel an- nounces his rejection, xiii. Jonathan's exploit at Machmas; he is condemned to death for an involun- tary breach of his father's orders, but is pardoned at the people's prayer, xiv, 1-46. Summary of Saul's wars; his family and chief commander, xiv, 47-52. A\'ar against Amalec; second disobedience and final rejection of Saul, xv.

(3) Smd and Darid. — David at Court. — David, the youngest son of Isai (Jesse), is anointed king at Beth- lehem by Samuel, xvi, 1-13. He is called to court to play before Saul and is made his armour-bearer, xvi, 14-23. David and Goliath, xvii. Jonathan's friend- ship for David and Saul's jealousj^; the latter, after attempting to pierce David with his lance, urges him on with treacherous intent to a daring feat against the Philistines by promising him his daughter Michol in marriage, xviii. Jonathan softens his father for a time, but, David having again distinguished him.self in a war against the Philistines, the enmity is renewed, and Saul a second time attempts to kill him, xix, 1-10. Michol helps David to escape; he repairs to Samuel at Ramatha, but, seeing after Jonathan's fruitless effort at mediation that all hope of reconciliation is gone, he flees to Achis, King of Geth, stopping on the way at Nobe, where Achimelech gives him the loaves of proposition and the sword of Goliath. Being recog- nized at Geth he saves himself by feigning madness, xix, 11-xxi.

David as an Outlaw. — He takes refuge in the cave of Odollam (.A.dullam), and becomes the leader of a band of outlaws; he places his parents under the pro- tection of the King of Moab. Saul kills Achimelech and the priests of Nobe, xxii. David dehvers Ceila from the Philistines, but to avoid capture by Saul he retires to the desert of Ziph, where he is visited by Jonathan. He is providentially delivered when sur- rounded by Saul's men, xxiii. He spares Saul's life in a cave of the desert of Engaddi, xxiv. Death of Samuel. Episode of Nabal and Abigail; the latter becomes David's wife after her husband's death, xxv. During a new pursuit, David enters Saul's camp at night and carries off his lance and cup, xxvi. He becomes a vassal of Achis, from whom he receives Siceleg (Ziklag) ; while pretending to raid the territory of Juda, he wars against the tribes of the south, .xxvii. New war with the Philistines; Saul's interview with the witch of Endor, xxviii. David accompanies the army of Achis, but his fidelity being doubted by the Philistine chiefs he is sent back. On his return he finds that Siceleg has been .sacked by the Amalecites during his ab.sence, and Abigail carried off with other prisoners; he pursues the marauders and recovers the prisoners and the booty, xxix-xxx. Battle of Gelboe ; death of Saul and Jonathan, xxxi.

(4) Ilislurij (if the Reign of David. — David at Hebron. — He hears of the death of Saul and Jonatlian; his lament over them, II, i. He is aiioiiitcd King of Juda at Hebron, ii, 1-7. Warbetwccii Daviil ami Isljo.seth, or Esbaal (Ishbaal), the son of Saul, who is recognized

by the other tribes, ii, 8-32. Abner, the commander of Isboseth's forces, having quarrelled with his master, submits to David and is treacherously slain by Joab, iii. Isboseth is assassmated ; David punishes the murderers and is acknowledged by all the tribes, iv-v, 5.

David at Jerusalem. — Jerusalem is taken from the Jebusites and becomes the capital, v, 6-16. War with the Philistines, v, 17-25. The ark is solemnly carried from Cariathiarim to Sion, vi. David thinks of build- ing a temple; his intention, though not accepted, is rewarded with the promise that his throne will last forever, vii. Summary of the various wars waged by David and list of his officers, viii. His kindness to Miphiboseth, or Meribbaal, the son of Jonathan, ix. War with Ammon and Syria, x.

David's Family History. — His adultery with Beth- sabee, the wife of Urias, xi. His repentance when the greatness of his crime is brought home to him by Nathan, xii, 1-23. Birth of Solomon; David is pres- ent at the taking of Rabbath, xii, 24-31. Amnon ravishes Thamar, the sister of Absalom; the latter has him assassinated and flies to Gessur; through the intervention of Joab he is recalled and reconciled with his father, xiii-xiv. Rebellion of Absalom; David flies from Jerusalem; Siba, Miphiboseth's servant, brings him provisions and accuses his master of dis- loyalty; Semei curses David ; Absalom goes in to his father's concubines, xv-xvi. Achitophel counsels im- mediate pursuit, but Absalom follows the advice of Chusai, David's adherent, to delay, and thus gives the fugitive king time to cross the Jordan, xvii. Battle of Mahanaim; Absalom is defeated and slain by Joab against the king's order, xviii. Da\'id's intense grief, from which he is aroused by Joab's remonstrance. At the passage of the Jordan he pardons Semei, re- ceives Miphiboseth back mto his good graces, and invites to court Berzellai, who had supplied provisions to the army, xix, 1-39. Jealousies between Israel and Juda lead to the revolt of Seba; Ama.sa is commis- sioned to raise a levy, but, as the troops are collected too slowly, Joab and Abisai are sent with the body- guard in pursuit of the rebels; Joab treacherously slays Amasa. Summary of officers, xix, 40-xx.

(5) Appendix. — The two sons of Respha, Saul's con- cubine, and the five sons of Merob, Saul's daughter, are put to death by the Gabaonites, xxi, 1-14. Va- rious exploits against the Phili-stines, xxi, 15-22. David's psalm of thanksgiving (Ps. xvii), xxii. His "last words", xxiii, 1-7. Enumeration of David's valiant men, xxiii, 8-39. The numbering of the people and the pestilence following it, xxiv.

Unity and Object. — I-II Books of Kings never formed one work with III-IV, as was believed by the older commentators and is still maintained by some modern writers, although the consecutive num- bering of the books in the Septuagint and the account of David's last days and death at the beginning of III Kings seem to lend colour to such a supposition. The difference of plan and method pursued in the two pairs of books shows that they originally formed two distinct works. The author of III-I\' gives a more or less brief sketch of each reign, and then refers his readers for further information to the source whence he has drawn his data; while the author of I-II fur- nishes such full and minute details, even when they are of little importance, that his work looks more like a series of biographies than a history, and, with the exception of II, i, IS, where he refers to the "Book of the Just ", he never mentions his .sources. Moreover, the writer of III-IV supplies abun<lant chronological data. Besides giving the length of each reign, he usually notes the age of the king at his accession and, after the divi.sion, the year of the reign of the con- temporary ruler of the other kingdom; he also fre- quently (lates particular events. In the first two books, on tlie contrary, chronological data are so scant