Was David a historical figure, a figment of the biblical imagination, or a bit of both? Unlike many celebs of the Hebrew Bible whose existence has no hold in tangible facts such as archeological findings - more proof that some elements of David’s life are grounded in fact keeps showing up. Just recently, scholars published further decodings of the famous Mesha Stele, a basalt stone slab that has provided historians and linguists with the largest source of the Moabite language to date. “Researchers have only now been able to verify with a considerable degree of certainty that the stele contains explicit references to King David, with allusions to the Israelite god as well as the "House of David" and the "Altar of David."
The Kingdom of Moab features in this chapter. David the fugitive, who just a few chapters ago was a VIP in King Saul’s court, now needs to find a place to hide his family from the king’s wrath. He moves his parents to Moab, just east of the Jordan river, beyond Saul’s jurisdiction. Perhaps the fact that David’s father’s house descended from Ruth the Moabite has something to do with this generous alliance. And while his parents are kept safe, the fugitive is hiding in the caves of Judah, surrounded by the men of his tribe and a growing band of misfits, 400 people on the fringe of society, with little left to lose.
What he’s missing is a holy man. And just on cue, a refugee shows up, a messenger with bad news who is the sole survivor of the Massacre of Nob.
וַיִּמָּלֵ֣ט בֵּן־אֶחָ֗ד לַאֲחִימֶ֙לֶךְ֙ בֶּן־אֲחִט֔וּב וּשְׁמ֖וֹ אֶבְיָתָ֑ר וַיִּבְרַ֖ח אַחֲרֵ֥י דָוִֽד׃
But one son of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped—his name was Eviathar—and he fled to David.
David left the Shrine of Nob with Goliath’s sword, fully aware that he also left behind an eye witness - Doeg the Edomite who worked for the king and who told Saul that Ahimelech the Priest assisted the fugitive.
Ahimelech - the noble great grandson of Eli the Priest, is summoned but was not able to convince the paranoid king that he was deceived by David. In a terrible fit of violence, Saul’s soldiers (they first resist the order but then comply) butcher the old priest for treason - then go on to kill 85 priests and the rest of the people of Nob.
Eviatar - his name means’ ‘my father remains’ is the only one to survive and continue the legacy of Eli. When he tells David the terrible update, David acknowledges that the furious fate of the innocent city of priests is his fault, and takes the terrified priest under his wing.
Halbertal and Holme comment on this text, framing it in the context of David’s emerging type of leadership:
“In narrating the incident at the temple of Nob, our author established the fact that David, an exemplary seeker of political power, felt no scruples about sending his fellow Israelites to their unjust deaths, although he retrospectively acknowledged their descendants’ right to some form of compensation. The way David’s motivations and character are shaped by his competitive struggle for sovereign authority is revealed in the early stages of his flight from Saul’s court. David’s unsqueamish act of throwing Ahimelech and the priests of Nob to the wolves will cast a shadow of doubt over other more ambiguous moments in the narrative to come, enabling our author to develop a deeper phenomenology of political motivation, agency, and self-presentation.”
Eviatar is likely a very young man here, likely a boy. Whatever trauma he endured, he’ll carry it for many years, and will himself endure some dramas and disgrace after rising in the ranks to be the king’s High Priest and spiritual advisor.
But for now, the David band assembles, partly myth and partly fact, the opposition to the House of Saul goes strong, and as the violence throughout the land increases, the chase is on.
Below the Bible Belt: 929 chapters, 42 months, daily reflections: Join Rabbi Amichai’s 3+ years interactive online quest to question, queer + re-read between the lines of the entire Hebrew Bible, with daily reflections, weekly videos and monthly learning sessions. January 2022-July 2025
#SamuelI #SamuelI22 #Shmuel #BookofSamuel #Hebrewbible #bibleinterrupted #whowrotethebible? #Tanach #hebrewmyth #929 #hiddenbible #sefaria #labshul #belowthebiblebelt #postpatriarchy #prophecy #Eviatarthepriest #MassacreofNob #Saul #kingsaul #themadnessofkingsaul #Paranoia #themadking #Moab #MeshaStele #biblefactorfiction?