NAME: Peter Vetsmany

COURSE AND SECTION: Phil 302

DATE: 4/14/16
PROMPT (pasted here): 5. Discuss the portrayal of David in I Samuel 16-31.
Include at least two key episodes that display his character. In your interpretation,
discuss why I Samuel might portray David as it does. Mention of literary
devices/patterns/techniques a plus. These include items such as repetition,
wordplay, showing a character through dialogue and actions including reactions to
other characters, telling about a character by the narrator, focalization (through
whose eyes, through whose ears, through whose perspective are events and
characters presented), key episodes as turning points, economy of description
leaving gaps for the reader to fill, etc.
Student Check Sheet for Essay Please type an x in the boxes to the left
of tasks you completed. Then, let me know if there are particular aspects
of your essay you would like me to comment upon by typing in the box
provided. This page should be the first page of your essay file.
X

I bolded the thesis and transitional sentences.

I began with an executive summary.

X
X

I numbered each paragraph.

I properly cited any quotations, ideas, or information taken from
sources including but not limited to Bandstra, commentaries,
dictionaries, e-reserve readings, lecture overheads, as well as
introductions, annotations, and essays in the Jewish Study Bible.
Circle the style you followed: MLA, CMS-Turabian In-text or Notes,
APA with page numbers, or SBL.
I ran the essay through a grammar, style, and spell checker and
made corrections as needed.

When the professor grades this essay, I would especially like comments
on: Strength of examples and strength of their connections to one
another. Word choices for a philosophy paper.

Peter Vetsmany
Professor Anderson
Phil 302
4/14/16
David is a well-known character in the Hebrew Bible but he was not
born with popularity and the Lord choose David to earn his name. In this
paper, I discuss Davids character portrayed in 1 Samuel 16-31. The episodes
I used to demonstrates David character is David defeating the giant Philistine
soldier and when David cut the cloak of Saul. These are the episodes that
demonstrates the courage of David and shows the true faith David has in the
Lord.
1)In 1 Samuel, David is portray as a faithful warrior to the Lord. David
is goes through trials and battles to overcome the odds and gain the trust of
people. This makes Saul, the king Samuel anointed, angry and causes Saul to
desire the death of David. Saul adored David until his popularity declined
thus Saul puts David in life and death situations along with difficult tasks.
However, David shows strength and courage as a commander in the army
and completes strange tasks to capture the popularity votes. In 1 Samuel
16-31, two episodes that demonstrates the character of David is his

courage when faced with the giant Philistine soldier and His
faithfulness to the Lord when he cut the cloak of Saul. David
demonstrates a true warrior when he is introduce. First, I begin with
David rising to the giant Philistine soldier.
2)Every soldier has courage to go into battle but David had
both courage and faith in the Lord. David became a popular when he
stepped up to the giant Philistine soldier and said, David replied to the
Philistine, You come against me with swords and spear and javelin; but I
come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the ranks of
Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the Lord will deliver you into my
hands. I will kill you and cut off your head; and I will give the carcasses of the
Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. All the
earth shall know that there is a God in Israel. And this whole assembly shall
know that the Lord can give victory without sword or spear. For the battle is
the Lords, and He will deliver you into our hands. (1 Samuel 17:45-47 NJPS)
The episode demonstrates the faith that David has in the Lord therefore
David has the power to complete the task that the Lord gives him. Davids
courage is also demonstrate in his dialogue in which he says, I will kill you
and cut off your head. It is a strong statement but is the duty that the Lord
gave David to complete. The power of the Lord is in David as Bandstra
states, Samuel anointed David, and immediately the spirit of YHWH came
upon him. In the Hebrew Bible, the spirit of God is the power that God
bestows on select individuals that enables them to perform their God given

task. As if the spirit could not simultaneously be on two people at once.

(Bandstra 250) Bandstra interpretation is the power of the Lord is not in Saul
and is in David. Therefore David is protected in battles and guided by the
Lord in situations he may not have answers too. I will continue to discuss
the growth of popularity in David and the faith he has in the Lord.
3)The battles continue and David keeps overcoming the odds.
However, David is not making decisions on his own as he speaks to the Lord
and the Lord guides him. The guidance of the Lord is demonstrated in this
passage, But Davids men said to him, Look, we are afraid here in Judah,
how much more if we go to Keilah against the forces of the Philistines! So
David, consulted the Lord again, and the Lord answered him, March down at
once o Keilah, for I am going to deliver the Philistines into your hands. (1
Samuel 23:3-4 NJPS) The passages demonstrates the faith David has in the
Lord. A reoccurring image in this passage that connects to David and the
giant Philistine soldier is the hands of the faithful to the Lord. When David
speaks with the Lord, the Lord reassures David wins the battle in his hands
and not the enemies. Whenever David speaks to the Lord and ask for
guidance, the Lord delivers like in this passage, David said to the priest
Abiathar son of Ahimelech, Bring the ephod up to me. When Abiathar
brought up the ephod to David, David inquired of the Lord, Shall I pursue
those raiders? Will I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue, for you
shall overtake and you shall rescue. (1 Samuel 30 7-8 NJPS) The passage
demonstrates the strength of Davids and the Lords relationship as David is

always protected and guided as long as he follows the words of the Lords and
completes the task. I will discuss the true character of David next
when he confronts Saul.
4)David continues to win battles and gain the trust of men who
fight alongside him. Nevertheless, his men attempt to deceive him and
repeat the words of the Lord to David in completing his task. David
renounces their words to recall the words of the Lord as demonstrated in this
episode, Davids men said to him, This is the day of which the Lord said to
you, I will deliver your enemy into your hands; you can do with him as you
please. David went and stealthily cut off the corner of Sauls cloak. But
afterward David reproached himself for cutting off the corner of Sauls cloak.
He said to his men, The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my lord
the Lords anointedthat I should raise my hand against him; for he is the
Lords anointed. David rebuked his men and did not permit them to attack
Saul. (1 Samuel 24:5-8 NJPS) This episode demonstrates the true character
of David as he shows full faith in the Lord and the duties of the Lord. David
does not question himself or the Lord only follows what the Lord tells him.
The episode also has the repetitive image of the hands to demonstrate the
important in completing the task in which the Lord gives. The episode is the
turning point to the rise of David and the fall of Saul. Bandstra says, Saul
was angered by the popularity of David. From then on he tried actively to
eliminate David in one way or another. He tried to spear him in the palace,
but David was too quick. He made him commander of the army, hoping he

would die in battle, but Davids popularity only grew as he won battle after
battle. (Bandstra 251) Davids popularity grew as he demonstrated
leadership and gained the trust in people. He also showed his faith in the
Lord thus restores faith in people. I will discuss how Davids popularity
restores faith in people.
5)A theme in 1 Samuel is the popularity votes that is earned by
leadership. Therefore, the people have an impactful duty like messengers.
Throughout 1 Samuel, messengers are used by both Saul and David to
complete task whether it is in battle or to show power. Messengers complete
task, which the person in power might not wish to do. Saul demonstrates his
power in this passage, That night Saul sent messengers to Davids home to
keep watch on him and to kill him in the morning. But Davids wife Michal
told him, Unless you run for your life tonight, you will be killed tomorrow.
Michal let David down from the window and he escaped and fled. (1 Samuel
19:11-12 NJPS) Michal, who is blood related to Saul, tells David to flee and
the messenger never completes the task given by Saul. This passage
demonstrates that other characters are important to the main characters like
Saul and David. Even though many of them are not mentioned by name they
have an important role of building the character. In this passage, Davids
messengers show their value, David sent messengers to propose marriage
to Abigail, to take her as his wife. When Davids servants came to Abigail at
Carmel and told her that David had sent them to her to make her his wife,
she immediately bowed low with her face to the ground and said, Your

handmaid is ready to be your maidservant, to wash the feet of my lords

servant. Then Abigail rose quickly and mounted an ass, and with five of her
maids in attendance she followed Davids messengers, and she became his
wife. (1 Samuel 25:39-42 NJPS) The passage demonstrates that popularity is
a theme in 1 Samuel and the important duties minor characters have to the
main ones. It interesting that Abigail would believe the words the
messengers like it is the words from David. Thus, the soldiers and
messengers believe the words of David like they are the word of the
Lord.
6)David is portray as a faithful warrior to the Lord and gains
popularity through it. In 1 Samuel 16-31, the episodes of David defeating
the giant Philistine soldier and David cutting the cloak of Saul demonstrates
his faith to the words and guidance of the Lord. In many passages, Davids
words shows his courage and his actions with his hands are the duties from
the Lord. Along with Saul and David, minor characters like soldiers and
messengers help show who Saul and David truly are.

Work Cited
Bandstra, Barry L. Samuel: The Rise of Kingship Reading the Old
Testament: An Introduction
to the Hebrew Bible. 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2004. 250-251.
Print.
Bar-Efrat, Shimon. 1 Samuel The Jewish Study Bible. Tanakh Translation.
Eds. Adele Berlin and
Marc Zvi Brettler. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. 581-601.
Print.