Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Saul : David :: Laban : Jacob

In 1 Samuel 18:17-30, King Saul offers first one daughter, then another, as wife to David in order to ensnare him in dangerous combat against the Philistines and, Saul hopes, death on the battlefield. This echoes Laban, who in Genesis 30 uses marriage to his two daughters to ensnare Jacob in indentured servitude and hopes to exploit the latter's labor for the rest of life.

If Saul plays the part of Laban, then David is Jacob, who was renamed Israel by the Lord (Genesis 32) and fathered the sons whose progeny would become the twelve tribes of Israel. This, in turn, suggests that, as king, David will become a new father to a finally united twelve tribes of Israel.

No comments: