David
Introduction
In our quest to discover the biblical chronology, we have
traveled this far:
† Our
anchor point is 1 Kings 6:1. This
is our true anchor: for Solomon necessarily connects with the Egyptian
chronology in the Bubastite Portal gate at Karnak, five years after his
death; and here, in 1 Kings 6:1, four
years after his coronation, his ascension to the throne, he connects with
Moses. All chronologies are dependent on
this anchor point; whether they subscribe to 440 years before, 480 years before,
or some other date for Moses and the Exodus.
† Accession dating is a mathematical improbability. We previously employed other views, but are
now convinced that all dating systems from 1406 through 4 BC are based on
simple counting numbers.
† Dating must proceed from a neutral point of view (NPOV). As much evidence as possible must be
considered. The only reason a broader
evidence base has not been sought is that we have reached the limits of our
mental and research capabilities, and can only hope that others will see our
plight, and help us expand our evidentiary boundaries. Thus, we have attempted to place Septuagint,
Vulgate, and Masoretic witnesses to the Hebrew prototype face-up and
side-by-side, without bias.
† We have formed opinions along the way; yet, our opinions are not
such that we are willing to hide or ignore evidence. We fully realize that your opinions may be
quite different: what has persuaded us may not have persuaded you. Our opinion thus formed is that the
Septuagint is the superior, yet not a flawless witness. We also believe that the Vulgate is a very
good witness, and that the least reliable witness, though still having
considerable value, is the Masoretic.
† The only way we can conceive of approaching such evidence
honestly is to commit to our own opinion; yet leaving all the evidence in plain
view; arguing each point, word by word, and verse by verse. So if we differ, we differ, until God makes
each and both of us wiser. At least we
will have formed our differing opinions on the basis of honest appraisal and
respect, with the door left open for discovery of fresh evidence, and hearing
of more profound arguments.
We begin
with the life of David.
Scripture
1 Samuel 27:7 KJV, “And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a
full year and four months.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
1 S 27:7 a
|
days
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
|
1 S 27:7 b
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
KJV is a defective
translation here. The Septuagint (LXX),
which is the oldest witness, does not have any support for one year. Vulgate (V) is also silent. Only the Masoretic promises any voice; yet, M
reads, “And the number of days which David lived in the land of the Philistines
was days[1] of four months.”
The standard idiom for four full months is four months of days. This expression is very similar to the standard
idiom, which is what we believe is meant.
Thus David was among the Philistines for four 29.5-day synodic months, or for 118 days in
all. We have good reason to believe from
all three of our base witnesses that this 118-day period is explicit, and very
accurate for reasons that we do not understand.[2]
1 Samuel 29:3 KJV, “Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews
here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David,
the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or
these years[3], and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this
day?”
We recall that the basic meaning of the
Hebrew word, shanah, has to do with repetition, a second time, a change, a
turning. Thus we have several
possibilities that have nothing to do with the turning or repetition of
years. Achish may be referring to the
turning of days, weeks, or months. More
likely, he is making a play on words in reference to David’s previous visit,
during which David feigned madness and escaped.
So this “shanah” carries a double entendre: 1. David returns for the
second time. 2. David is changed from
madness to sanity. So we retranslate:
“Then
the princes of the Philistines objected, “Why are these Hebrews here?” So Achish interceded with the princes of the
Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who
has been with me these days, who has come a second time as a changed man, and I
have found no fault in him from the time he came to me, until today?”
2 Samuel 2:10 KJV, “Ishbosheth Saul’s son was forty years old when he began to reign
over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
2 S 2:10 a
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
|
2 S 2:10 b
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2 Samuel 2:10 is one of
those many chronological passages over which there is no dispute.
2 Samuel 2:11 KJV, “And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah
was seven years and six months.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
2 S 2:11 a
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
|
2 S 2:11 b
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
Again, without dispute.
2 Samuel 5:4 KJV, “David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned
forty years.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
2 S 5:4 a
|
30
|
30
|
30
|
30
|
30
|
|
2 S 5:4 b
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
2 Samuel 5:5 KJV, “In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in
Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
2 S 5:5 a
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
|
2 S 5:5 b
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
|
2 S 5:5 c
|
33
|
33
|
33
|
33
|
33
|
2 Samuel 11:1 KJV, “And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when
kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and
all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But
David tarried still at Jerusalem.”
There is very little
chronological information in this verse.
Thiele attempts to prove that this means springtime, which seems
uncertain and unnecessary.[4] It is strange
that the rare use of the Hebrew word, “shub,” is used in this context, rather
than the more common “shanah,” which follows it: especially since both words
carry the idea of turning or repetition.
This idiomatic construct seems to make clear that this turning is of the
year and not some other repetition. We
do not dispute the idea that Nisan 1 is in view. What seems strange to us is that anyone would
even consider Tishri 1 as a candidate.[5]
This, of course, requires
time, at least nine months to a year: to commit adultery with Bathsheba, to
murder Uriah, to be rebuked by the prophet, and to suffer the death of the baby,
the first of four such punitive deaths assigned to David. This event also follows a considerable, yet
unspecified period of strife with an Ammonite-Syrian alliance. Tamar’s rape follows all of this. David’s sin extends permission to Amnon to
abuse his sister. David does not act by
punishing Amnon, so the wound festers.[6]
2 Samuel 13:23 KJV, “And it came to pass after two full years,[7] that
Absalom had sheepshearers in Baalhazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom
invited all the king's sons.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
2 S 13:23 a
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2 Samuel 13:38 KJV, “So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
2 S 13:38 a
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
Even so, Absalom also goes
unpunished, so the bitterness festers.
Still God has promised all of this as the punishment for adultery with
Bathsheba, and the murder of Uriah. Specifically:
a. war would never depart from David’s house until the empire was destroyed; b.
four of David’s sons would die for Uriah’s death; c. David’s wives would commit
adultery with Absalom in open public view, to avenge David’s secret adultery
with Bathsheba. David’s sin is the root
cause, but parental failure with Amnon and Absalom are the instruments. Even David’s absolution does not stop the
wrath and vengeance of God from working out its inexorable completion. Even the Davidic Covenant appears to be
destroyed because of these sins, but God has a better plan in resurrection.
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
2 S 14:28 a
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
David’s means of coping with
his parental responsibility to Absalom, is to refuse to see him, rather than dealing
with him. Nor did David take
responsibility or even see Absalom’s behavior as reflecting his own
behavior. David’s heart rending
confessions[9] show great remorse, yet show no depth of
understanding of how he has caused all this strife, and that he has no one to
blame but himself. By the time David
commands his sinful census,[10] he is beginning to understand how destructive his
actions are to other people.
2 Samuel 15:7 KJV, “And it
came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto
the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the Lord, in Hebron.”[11]
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
2 S 15:7 a
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
4
|
We now conclude that all of
these readings, except V, are defective, even though they are in
agreement. We reach this conclusion
because all of the combinations of constructions involving 40 appear to be
either absurd or physically impossible.
The time spanned from Tamar being raped until Absalom’s revolt was at least 11 years. The span of David’s exile also took time; and
after the death of Absalom, David was unable to return to Jerusalem
immediately.
2 Samuel 21:1 KJV, “Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after
year; and David enquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew
the Gibeonites.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
2 S 21:1 a
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
2 Samuel 24:13 KJV,
“So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him,
Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three
months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three
days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to
him that sent me.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
2 S 24:13 a
|
7
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
7
|
|
2 S 24:13 b
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
|
2 S 24:13 c
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
We have already concluded, with the help of
1 Chronicles 21:12 that the M reading of 7 is defective. M cannot be inerrant in both places, since
they differ: so the claim that M best represents the inerrant Autographa is
lost. There is only one place where the
inerrant Autographa may be found, and that is in Revelation 5, in the hands of
the King.
1 Kings 2:11 KJV, “And the days that David
reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and
thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
1 K 2:11 a
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
|
1 K 2:11 b
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
|
1 K 2:11 c
|
33
|
33
|
33
|
33
|
33
|
These statistics are repeated in several
places.[12] Most of them include an
additional period of six months. The
exact nature and importance of this six months is not clear. It could have been an interval in Hebron
preceding David’s coronation, where he is running things, yet not officially
king. It might have been any number of
things. It seems strange to us that 7 +
33 = 40; yet, six additional months interferes with the tally. We believe that the figures here represent a simple
rounding down of more particular evidence; still, we are at a loss for its
meaning. That being said, there is no
evidence that either the 7-6 passages or the 7 passages are in error. If chronologies are to be made precise within
a year, then what it the significance of counting four and six month intervals?
1 Chronicles 3:1 KJV, “Now these were the
sons of David, which were born unto him in Hebron; the firstborn Amnon, of
Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess:”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
1 C 3:1 a
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
|
1 C 3:1 b
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
1 Chronicles 3:2 KJV, “The third, Absalom
the son of Maachah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur: the fourth, Adonijah
the son of Haggith:”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
1 C 3:2 a
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
|
1 C 3:2 b
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
1 Chronicles 3:3 KJV, “The fifth,
Shephatiah of Abital: the sixth, Ithream by Eglah his wife.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
1 C 3:3 a
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
|
1 C 3:3 b
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
What concerns us here is that this is the
listing if the six sons who were born to David in Hebron, when David was
between the ages of 30 and 37. Absalom
is the third son of this set. This gives
us additional information about the problematic year 40 specified in 2 Samuel
15:7. If 40 is David’s age, Absalom is
at most ten years old, far too young to avenge his sister’s rape and mount a rebellion
against David. On the other hand, any
event associated with Absalom’s life places the vengeance and rebellion after
David’s death. Because neither of these
options is physically possible, we are left with the conclusion that V, which
stands by itself, must be the correct reading.
1 Chronicles 3:4 KJV, “These six were born
unto him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months: and in
Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
1 C 3:4 a
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
|
1 C 3:4 b
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
|
1 C 3:4 c
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
|
1 C 3:4 d
|
33
|
33
|
33
|
33
|
33
|
1 Chronicles 13:14 KJV, “And the ark of God
remained with the family of Obededom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the house of Obededom, and all that he had.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
1 C 13:14 a
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
1 Chronicles 20:1 KJV, “And it came to
pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle,
Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of
Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab
smote Rabbah, and destroyed it.”
1 Chronicles 21:12 KJV, “Either three years’
famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword
of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore
advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
1 C 21:12 a
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
|
1 C 21:12 b
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
|
1 C 21:12 c
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
1 Chronicles 23:24 KJV, “These were the
sons of Levi after the house of their fathers; even the chief of the fathers,
as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that did the work for
the service of the house of the Lord, from the
age of twenty years and upward.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
1 C 23:24 a
|
20
|
20
|
20
|
20
|
20
|
1 Chronicles 23:27 KJV, “For by the last
words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above:”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
1 C 23:27 a
|
20
|
20
|
20
|
20
|
20
|
1 Chronicles 26:31 KJV, “Among the
Hebronites was Jerijah the chief, even among the Hebronites, according to the
generations of his fathers. In the fortieth year of the reign of David they
were sought for, and there were found among them mighty men of valour at Jazer
of Gilead.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
1 C 26:31 a
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
1 Chronicles 27:23 KJV, “But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and
under: because the Lord had said he would increase
Israel like to the stars of the heavens.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
1 C 27:23 a
|
20
|
20
|
20
|
20
|
20
|
1 Chronicles 29:27 KJV, “And the time that
he reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years reigned he in Hebron, and
thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.”
|
Passage
|
M
|
E
|
G
|
B
|
V
|
|
1 C 29:27 a
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
40
|
|
1 C 29:27 b
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
|
1 C 29:27 c
|
33
|
33
|
33
|
33
|
33
|
The
Start
Finding a starting place for
the life of David begins with the Bubastite Portal gate at Karnak. The date is 925: it is five years after
Solomon’s death. So allowing for all the
various calendar variation, we conclude that Solomon died in 930. Since Solomon reigned for forty years, we
suppose that he was coronated and ascended to the throne in 970. The date 970 also marks the death of
David. David is also said to have
reigned for forty years, which puts us at 1010.
Because David is thirty years old at this juncture, we fix his birth at
1040, with a high degree of certainty.
The texts involved in reaching this point are sound in any language.
Summary
† Birth........................................................................... 1040
† Life as a shepherd
† Divine calling, 1 Samuel 16:1:13
† Defeat of Goliath, 1 Samuel 17
† Friendship with Jonathan, 1
Samuel 18:1-4
† Growing popularity, 1 Samuel
18:5-7
† Saul’s envy and growing madness,
1 Samuel 18:8-12
† Removal from court by promotion,
1 Samuel 18:13-16
† Manipulation through marriage, 1
Samuel 18:17-30
† Assassination plot, 1 Samuel 19
† Life as a fugitive, 1 Samuel 20
† Help from Ahimelech, 1 Samuel
21:1-9
† First approach to Achish, 1
Samuel 21:10-15
† Hiding at Adullam and Mizpeh, 1
Samuel 22
† Defense of Keilah, 1 Samuel
23:1-5
† Saul lays siege to Keilah, 1
Samuel 23:6-12
† Return to the wilderness, 1
Samuel 23:13-29
† Hiding at Engedi, 1 Samuel 24
† Samuel dies, 1 Samuel 25:1
† Nabal and Abigail, 1 Samuel
25:2-44
† Ziphite betrayal, 1 Samuel 26
† Four month sojourn with Achish,
1 Samuel 27
............................................................................. late 1011
............................................................................. late 1011
† Saul demonized, 1 Samuel 28
† Philistine army at Jezreel, 1
Samuel 29
† Defense of Ziklag, 1 Samuel 30; 1
Chronicles 12:1-22
† Saul slain, Israel defeated, 1
Samuel 31
† Saul avenged and mourned, 2
Samuel 1
† Seven years at Hebron, 2 Samuel
2:1-7, 11; 1 Chronicles 11:1-3
.......................................................................... 1010-1003
.......................................................................... 1010-1003
† Two years, Ishbosheth reigns, 2 Samuel 2:8-10, 12
.......................................................................... 1010-1008
.......................................................................... 1010-1008
† War with Ishbosheth, 2 Samuel 2:13-32
† Sons born in Hebron, 2 Samuel
3:1-5; 1 Chronicles 3:1-4
† Absalom born, 1 Chronicles 3:2....................... 1010-1003
† Abner murdered, 2 Samuel 3:6-39
† Ishbosheth murdered, 2 Samuel 4............................... 1008
† War with the Jebusites, 2 Samuel
5:1-8; 1 Chronicles 11:4-6
† Jerusalem, 2 Samuel 5:9-12; 1
Chronicles 11:7-9
............................................................................ 1003-970
............................................................................ 1003-970
† Sons born in Jerusalem, 2 Samuel
5:13-16; 1 Chronicles 3:5-9
† War with the Philistines, 2
Samuel 5:17-25; 1 Chronicles 14
† Return of the Ark, 2 Samuel 6; 1
Chronicles 13; 15; 16
................................................................ soon after 1003[14]
................................................................ soon after 1003[14]
† Temple and Covenant, 2 Samuel 7;
1 Chronicles 17
† Ongoing war, 2 Samuel 8; 1
Chronicles 18
† Mephibosheth honored, 2 Samuel 9
† Ambassadors to Ammon disgraced,
2 Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 19
† Bathsheba and Uriah, 2 Samuel 11; 1 Chronicles 20
............................................................................. circa 997
............................................................................. circa 997
† Nathan’s rebuke, 2 Samuel 12:1-13
† The baby dies (1), 2 Samuel
12:14-23................. circa 996
† Solomon born, 2 Samuel 12:24-25
† Ammonites defeated, 2 Samuel
12:26-31
† Absalom reaches maturity at 14............................ 996-989
† Tamar raped, 2 Samuel 13:1-20........................... circa 990
† Two years pass, 2 Samuel 13:23
† Amnon murdered (2), 2 Samuel
13:21-39........... circa 988
† Three years pass, 2 Samuel 13:38
† Absalom returns, 2 Samuel 14............................. circa 985
† Two years pass, 2 Samuel 14:28
† Absalom restored, 2 Samuel 14:33...................... circa 983
† Four years pass, 2 Samuel 15:7
† Absalom revolts, 2 Samuel 15............................. circa 979
† David exiled, continued, 2
Samuel 16
† Ahithophel undermined, 2 Samuel 17
† Absalom slain (3), 2 Samuel 18
† David returns, 2 Samuel 19
† Sheba revolts, 2 Samuel 20
† Three year famine, 2 Samuel
21:1-14; 1 Chronicles 21:
............................................................................. circa 976
............................................................................. circa 976
† War with the Philistines, 2
Samuel 21:15-22
† David’s Todah, 2 Samuel 22
† David’s last words, 2 Samuel 23
† David’s sinful census, 2 Samuel
24; 1 Chronicles 21
† Temple mount selected, 1
Chronicles 21:18-22:19
† Levites and priests set in
divisions, ; 1 Chronicles 23; 24; 25; 26; 27
† Solomon’s Coronation, 1 Kings 1;
1 Chronicles 29..... 970
† David’s death, 1 Kings 2:11; 1
Chronicles 29:26-30... 970
† Adonijah slain (4), 1 Kings 2:24-25
Gleaning
1 Chronicles begins with
Adam and ends with David at the pinnacle of the Kingdom. 2 Chronicles begins with Solomon at the
pinnacle of the Kingdom and ends with the Babylonian Captivity and the Persians
in charge. 1 Chronicles could be titled
“Paradise Gained.” 2 Chronicles is
“Paradise Lost.”
What are the root causes of
such disaster. We need not look beyond
Jeroboam and Rehoboam, especially Rehoboam.
Rehoboam was: cruel, abusive of women, and idolatrous. His people were oppressed by excessive taxes
and harsh labor. Where did Rehoboam get
the idea that these were principles of good leadership?
He got them from
Solomon. If Solomon used whips, Rehoboam
would use scorpions. If Solomon had many
wives, Rehoboam would try to keep up. If
Solomon worshipped idols, Rehoboam would multiply them. Taxes would increase as would forced labor:
the yoke would grow from heavy to back breaking. Where did Solomon get the idea that these
were principles of good leadership?
Solomon’s parents were David
and Bathsheba. David’s sin was not
beyond confession, absolution, forgiveness, and restoration. Yet, as inexorably as night follows day,
David burned his own empire down on his own head. There is no such thing as a little sin of
adultery and murder: both lead inevitably to idolatry.
This is not the trivial
error of a child breaking a window in his fathers house. Windows are easily repaired. We want sin to be devoid of punishment. Yet David’s sin cost the lives of four sons,
the rape of a daughter, not to mention Uriah.
By the end of Chronicles in chapter 36, countless human victims had been
slaughtered, while countless others had been crushed by famine, poverty, and
other suffering. Even Zedekiah watched his
sons being killed, before he was blinded, and carried to Babylon. It seems to me that this was a great deal of
punishment for sin.
It is very popular to deny
that there is anything juridical in the Crucifixion of Jesus. It’s just a harmless little window repair,
isn’t it? Have we never read?
“All we
like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us
all.” — Isaiah 53:6[15]
If that is not the epitome
of juridical punishment, I don’t know what is.
Isaiah does not say that Jesus, the Christ of God takes up our iniquity willingly, even though it is true that He did. Isaiah emphasizes that the Father laid our iniquity on Him. Sin requires more than repair; it requires
punishment. Jesus, the Christ of God suffered the ultimate fullness of
our punishment for sin.
Sin is a horrible and
horrifying act, leading only to dire eternal consequences. David committed just one little adultery and
one little murder, and it multiplied until it brought down an entire
empire. Yet we in our society commit two
to three thousand legal murders every day and think nothing of it. Moreover, adultery is the culture-wide
expected practice: fornication is as nothing.
These sins will not go unpunished.
A weak view of sin and denial of punishment are mutually supportive
follies: neither is true.
My own sins are many. Now, as the end of my life approaches, as
with David, I am just now beginning to realize the true extent of the damage I
have done. There is not a single one of
my sins that is not confessed and absolved; yet, seemingly innocent people are
being punished and suffer all around me.
Of course, only Christ is truly innocent. On the other hand, it is pure mythology to
believe that He was not punished for our sins.
There is a definitely juridical aspect to the Crucifixion: it is not the
only aspect to the Crucifixion; yet, it is most certainly present there.
Conclusion
David’s chronology will be stripped to its bare essentials
and presented horizontally, rather than vertically.
† Birth........................................................................... 1040
† Sojourn with Achish............................................ late
1011
† Hebron.............................................................. 1010-1003
† Jerusalem............................................................. 1003-970
† David’s death............................................................... 970
Yet, we know how much more is involved; especially
the scars left by David’s sin, and ours.
[1]
This is the specific word rendered, “a full year.” Very little in the plural, “days,” suggests a
full year in any language or any idiom.
The expression, “X of days,” is the Hebrew and Septuagint idiom for a
full period. Hence, we may have a week
of days, N weeks of days, a month of days, or N months of days; indicating
respectively, a full week, several full weeks, a full month (necessarily 29.5
days long), or several full months. What
is very improbable for us to understand, as we shall see later, is that a year
of days can possibly mean a full year: for the term, year, only has proximate
meaning in a lunar calendar. Even using
Noah’s standard 30-day months, a year is only 360 days long: not close enough
to establish a reliable idiom; ridiculous with 29.5-day months and 354-day
years. A year of days, or a full year,
would be 365.25 days long, or at least close to that number: we just cannot
fathom how to get from 354 to 365.25 in a single step.
Of course it is possible that the idea, “X of
days,” always means a full period in both Hebrew and Greek, is forcing the
idiom beyond whatever it intends to convey.
By annual correlations with crop cycles, the
ancients could arrive at a close agreement between the lunar calendar, and the
solar calendar, say in a period of 21 years or so.
Perhaps the Egyptians or the Mesopotamians
had developed such finesse at astronomy; yet nothing in Israelite literature
suggests that such knowledge developed before Daniel. Actually, the Egyptian chronology drifts with
the heliacal rising of Sothis.
Calendars continue to drift well into the
modern era (AD), which explains how we ended up with three different church
calendars in common use today.
Only, the recent invention of the atomic
clock permits the recalibration of dating on a daily basis. The intercalary “leap day” and “leap year”
still in use, because of tradition, was still required prior to the invention
of the atomic clock. The intercalation
methods of the ancients were very crude by comparison.
[2] There is no reason whatsoever to believe that
David was among the Philistines for as long as 472 to 501.5 days. The discrepancy concerning the length of the
year arises from the fact that the Israelites used a lunar calendar. Months were alternately 29 and 30 days long. This was complicated by the fact that the new
moon had to be seen and recorded in Jerusalem.
Since clouds played havoc with such a calendar, alternate observation
sites were designated. By careful crosschecking,
the first day of the month could be determined for Jerusalem even when the new
moon was not seen in Jerusalem, and could be verified just as if it had been
seen. Consequently, a year was 354 days
long, 11.25 days short of solar reality.
Thus a thirteenth
intercalary month was inserted every 2.62 years; which is to say, sometimes
every other year, and sometimes every third year, in a very complicated
schedule. A schedule of 21 years where 0
represents a 12-month year and 1 represents a 13-month year might look
something like this: 0 – 1 – 0 – 0 – 1 – 0 – 1 – 0 – 0 – 1 – 0 – 1 – 0 – 0 – 1
– 0 – 1 – 0 – 0 – 1 – 0. Such a device
reconciles the lunar calendar and the solar calendars within approximately six
hours of each other. This understanding
does not help us at all with this passage; yet, it will help us a great deal
later when we need to come to grips with what a year means.
By adding either 354
or 383.5 to 118, we arrive at a span of 472 to 501.5.
We also understand
from this exercise that an idiom of a year of days, which is to say a full
year, is a meaningless concept. Which
year is full? The 354-day-long
year? Or the 383.5-day-long year? With such a wide variation in the length of
the year it is difficult to see how Hebrew grammar ever thought of a year as
anything more than a crude approximation.
[3]
Here is the problematic word with which we are attempting to cope.
[4]
Thiele, page 186 f
[5]
Exodus 12:2
[6] In
a system where individuals are urged to love God freely, and no conscience is
coerced; where free will is the determining factor in eternal cosmic events;
unpunished sin brings incredible, almost unbearable temptation on others to copy
the sin. He got away with it; so, why
can’t I? God did not strike me dead the
last time; therefore, God does not care.
Look how happy and prosperous the wicked are; consequently, wickedness
must be the best way of life. Unpunished
sin is a great evil, in and of itself.
[7]
The expression used here in M is two years of days, which is either 708 or
737.5 days: 737.5 is 7 days longer than two solar years. The expression is meaningless to us in terms
of explicit time, beyond generalities, because we have no definition for the
meaning of this idiom. LXX has a completely
different word, dieterida emeron (διετηρίδα ἡμερῶν), which means a space of two
years. V has, “post
tempus biennii,” which appears to mean, “after a time of two years” without any
emphasis on the fulness of these years.
The weight of the phrase appears to bear more upon Absalom’s impatience,
rather than on the precision of time: for example, Absalom was counting the
days until he could avenge his sister.
[8]
Again, M has “two years of days”, almost exactly the same expression as in 2 Samuel 13:23; LXX has, “δύο ἔτη ἡμερῶν;” V
has, “duobus annis.” Still we are none
the wiser concerning the exact force of the idiom. Perhaps the weight is that nothing less than
24 months is intended. For our
chronological purposes, we must simply weight these three verses as 2 + 3 + 2
years, and let it go at that. On the
other hand, from a psychological standpoint, each of the two year periods
individually, weighed more heavily on Absalom’s heart, than the three year
period, which was relatively stress free.
The idiom does capture that psychological force, even when simply read as
constructio ad sensum.
[9]
Psalm 51 is only one of David’s confessions.
[10] 2 Samuel 24:1-13; 1
Chronicles 21:1-12 — In Samuel, “The anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel;” in Chronicles, “Satan stood up against
Israel.” We should understand from this
that mysteries beyond human comprehension are being expressed: it is neither
our business nor our duty to figure them out.
God’s punishment is real punishment; that punishment is equally well deserved;
and Christ bears it for us all.
[11] Literally, “after 40 years had ended.”
[12] 2 Samuel 2:11; 2 Samuel 5:4-5; 1 Kings 2:11 (rounded); 1 Chronicles 3:4; 1 Chronicles 29:27
(rounded)
[13]
It becomes apparent that 1 Samuel 16:14-23 is
intended as an introduction providing background information leading up to
David’s appointment in court. The battle
with Goliath is a flashback, for Saul does not even yet know David’s name. David is also said to have returned to the
sheep.
[14]
Dates marked with comments like “soon after” or
“circa” are based on a certain amount of educated conjecture in an attempt to
balance or allow time for the flurry of activity that characterizes David’s
life. Feel free to play with these
numbers to see how far they can be moved before the fabric of David’s life is
ruptured. There is just not a lot of
room (wiggle room) for error here.
[15]
The whole of Isaiah 53 is an overwhelming proof that Christ was punished for
our sins, and that punishment was absolutely necessary. It is difficult to explain the necessity of
such extreme punishment if it is not required by the eternal and infinite
justice of Almighty God. It is not my
place to question such wisdom.
[16] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations,
please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish. No rights are reserved. They are designed and intended for your free
participation. They were freely
received, and are freely given. No other
permission is required for their use.
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