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Chronicles 11:4-9 and II Samuel 5: 6-10
A Composite Translation
Note: The following takes two texts from separate books of
the Bible which record the same event: David's conquest of
Jerusalem. Since the composition of these passages may be
two centuries apart, some scholars might rightly consider
this a foolish approach. Our purpose is to tell the story
once with the available information. In all likelihood, the
later version of the story (I Chronicles) was based on older
texts, including II Samuel. As mentioned in the main text
of this class, the course of events is determined by how you
translate the word tsinnor: (1) throat or (2) water tunnel.
Here's the story, including alternate readings. See what you
think:
(Now) King David and all his men (alt: all Israel) went up
to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus, where the Jebusites in the land
dwelt). The inhabitants of Jebus said, "You will not
enter here (for the lame and the blind had incited them, saying,
'David shall not come in here!'"). But David conquered
the Fortress of Zion (i.e., the City of David). For David
had said on that day,
(1) "Whoever smites the Jebusites first and strikes
at the throat,
(2) "Whoever smites the Jebusites first and strikes
through the water tunnel, he will be chief and captain."
The very soul of David despised the lame and the blind, and
that is why they say the lame and the blind may not enter
the Temple. It was Joab ben-Zeruiah who went up first and
he became chief. So David settled in the Fortress and called
it the City of David, and he built round about, form the Millo,
and toward (where the) Temple (would be). Joab restored the
remainder of the city. David grew greater (and stronger),
for the Lord of Hosts was with him.
The context of the composite text strongly implies that
David had a grudge against the lame and the blind. But a number
of complex factors come into play. Translation choice (1)
suggests that David was exhorting his troops to make a 'clean
kill,' leaving no wounded enemy soldiers. It was also common
practice in the ancient Near East and the Aegean to exclude
those with significant disabilities (such as amputations)
from participation in temple precinct activities. The composite
translation approach does not support translation choice (2)
as strongly as (1), but it does not exclude it, either. In
addition, there was a water tunnel that did allow underground
access to the city from outside the city walls. But right
now, debate is still raging among archaeologists who say the
tunnel had not yet been built in David's time and those who
argue the tunnel had actually been around as much as 800 years
before David. A word to the wise: if someone tells you he
knows what happened in David's conquest of Jerusalem, take
his explanation with just a tiny grain of salt.
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