OUR OLD Testament study this week moves to a new phase of David’s life as he is declared king of Judah. The rest of the tribes, however, elect to follow Saul’s son, Ish-Bosheth (called Eshbaal, or “man of Ba’al”, in 1 Chronicles 8:33), who decided that Saul’s headquarters at Gibeah was just a little too close to the territory of Judah, David’s tribe.
We discuss the “Songs of Ascents”, a title applied to Psalms 120-134, the civil war that erupted between the tribe of Judah and the rest of Israel after the death of Saul, and David’s responses to news of the deaths of Saul, Abner, and Ish-Bosheth/Eshbaal.
We also mention the fascinating work of David Rohl, who makes a good case for identifying certain historic figures named in the Amarna Letters, royal correspondence to Pharaoh Akhenaten, with men in the Bible: Labayu (Saul), Mutbaal (Ish-Bosheth/Eshbaal), Ayab (Joab), Šuwardata (Achish, king of Gath), and Dadua (David).
For a concise summary of David Rohl’s New Chronology, click here, here, and here.
To access the archive of Old Testament studies beginning with Genesis 1, click here. For our New Testament studies beginning with Matthew 1, click here.