Is Joab a Reader-Response Critic?

Abstract

Throughout the David story, Joab is a complex and intriguing character. He frequently disregards or undermines the king’s authority, yet it is possible to argue that his actions are crucial for David’s hold on power to continue. A noticeable pattern of ‘interpretative license’ emerges when Joab’s conduct is analyzed through the numerous vicissitudes in the course of the narrative. Such interpretative license is acutely seen in 2 Samuel 11, where Joab receives David’s letter outlining the manner in which Uriah is to be killed, yet proceeds to implement his own version of the king’s plan. This act of ‘reader-response criticism’, as it is rather playfully appropriated in this study, is consistent with a number of Joab’s other (mis)deeds in the narrative. While his interpretative license arguably benefits his employer, in the end it would appear as though this kind of hermeneutical creativity has lethal consequences for Joab once Solomon enters the scene.