I think this has struck me before. Re-reading 1 Samuel, we find that:
- Saul is rebuked by Samuel (1 Samuel 15)
- David has to flee to the Philistines (1 Samuel 21)
- The Ziphites betray David to Saul, then David spares Saul's life (1 Samuel 23-24)
- Samuel dies (1 Samuel 25:1)
- David accepts Abigail's gift, and marries her after God kills her fool of a husband (1 Samuel 25:2ff)
- The Ziphites betray David to Saul, then David spares Saul's life (1 Samuel 26)
- The Ziphites betray David to Saul, then David spares Saul's life (1 Samuel 23-24)
- David lives among the Philistine (1 Samuel 27)
- David has to flee to the Philistines (1 Samuel 21)
- Saul is rebuked by Samuel (1 Samuel 28)
Now: I know …: Chiasms are a little like white elephants, and if you're not careful you start to see them everywhere.
But, it does seem that chapter 25 is a key chapter, making those two events (the death of Samuel, and the death of Nabal) key events in the episode that is David's flight from Saul. They may offer a clue as to the purpose of the lengthy record we have of that period of David's life. The question is: What clue? Comments please!
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I like the chiasm. I guess
I like the chiasm. I guess Nabal is a Saul-type figure (moody). So we see the conclusion to the story in the middle of the story. Nabal dead, David gets his wife. Saul ends up dead, David gets his daughter. And God's control is emphasised (Nabal suddenly dying) in contrast to David's activism in the surrounding passages - God is in control of the fate of his hero-king. Probably lots more that could be said, but is that on the right lines?
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