On Patterning in the Book of Samuel: ‘News of Death’ and the Kingship of David

Abstract

Recent scholarship on Samuel has acknowledged a pattern of instances where a central figure receives ‘news of death’. This article proposes a new version of this pattern, which takes into account an additional, pivotal case—the messenger’s report of the death of Uriah—and suggests that the pattern traces the central question of the future of Davidic kingship. David’s reaction to Uriah’s death marks a shift in attitude that calls into question the fate of his royal family, an attitude that is reversed in his response to the death of Bathsheba’s infant son. The events that follow, however, continue to threaten Davidic kingship in ways underscored by the ‘news of death’ scenes relating to the fall of Amnon and Absalom.