The Rhetoric of Convention: The Foundational Saul Narratives (1 Samuel 9–11) Reconsidered

Abstract

Biblical scholars have applied new methodologies to the royal narratives in the Deuteronomistic History (Joshua-Kings) as viable resources for recovering authentic historical information regarding the monarchic cultures of ancient Israel and their impact on the development of Israelite religion. The present study considers anew the narratives regarding Israel's first king, Saul son of Kish. A recurring motif in these narratives is the appeal to socio-religious convention, which is suggestive of a rhetorical strategy among the authors that sought to situate the Saulide royal lineage in familiar traditions that the institution of kingship was perceived as disrupting.

The Levites in the Hebrew Bible

“…The Samuel narratives cannot be taken as historically transparent. They probably arose among a group dedicated to the memory of a legendary figure known as Samuel and took shape during the early days of the monarchic period alongside the formation of traditions regarding Saul and David (Leuchter, ). Nevertheless, they embed traditions that reflect, in broad terms, the memories of the priestly situation in late premonarchic Israel.…”