‘Look,the King is Weeping and Mourning!’: Expressions of Mourning in the David Narratives and their Interpretive Contribution

Abstract

This article discusses the mourning narratives of David in 2 Samuel. A comparison between the expressions of mourning David displays after various deaths is followed by a discussion of their meaning. This article proposes that the presence or absence of certain gestures has a certain bearing on the plots: the full array of mourning rites suggests that David is exculpating himself from responsibility for the death in question, whereas a partial display may reflect an attempt to mitigate the negative consequence of innocent bloodshed (2 Sam. 4), or the manifestation of his attitude toward the murdered and murderers (2 Sam. 13 and 19). Even a complete lack of mourning rites is significant for the readers and the characters alike (2 Sam. 11). Through a discussion of these narratives, this article illuminates the connection between the content and design of each story; and the contribution of a comparative analysis to the understanding of the individual narrative and the whole collection.