David, Saul, and God: Rediscovering an Ancient Story
"In an era of numerous deconstructions and reconstructions of the Hebrew Bible's David, Paul Borgman has produced a detailed and thoughtful close reading of the accounts found in Samuel and the opening of Kings...While engaging fully with recent literary scholarship on Saul and David, Borgman sets out in a fruitful direction of his own, examining the larger sweep of the narrative and fully incorporating such oft-misunderstood sections as the 'appendix' of II Sam. 2124. In helping us to see David in both his unabated complexity and his ability to grow morally, Borgman makes new sense of texts which are often viewed as ambiguous or contradictory. His reading illuminates Saul, David, and above all, the God of the Bible." --Everett Fox, Allen M. Glick Professor of Judaic and Biblical Studies, Clark University, and author ofThe Five Books of Moses: A New English Translation with Commentaryand Notes"In a literary reading of the books of Samuel, Borgman makes special use of both small and large patterns of repetition to develop his view of David. He sets it over against other depictions of David, especially those presenting a dark, questionable David. His book is an excellent introduction to the complexity of the biblical portrait of David and to the contemporary study of biblical narrative." --Peter D. Miscall, author of1 SamuelandReading Isaiah"Borgman undertakes an important study of the narratives in which he lays out, in an astute way, the artistic patterns that shape the narrative in quite intentional ways. While Borgman of course cannot offer any 'final interpretation,' his scholarship opens new ways of seeing and reading, and is a welcome contribution to a growing literature." --Walter Brueggemann, Professor Emeritus, Columbia Theological Seminary, and author ofFirst and Second Samuel"[Borgman] offers a new way of understanding ambiguous or seemingly contradictorytexts which is a welcome contribution to this field of study."--Journal for the Study of the Old Testament"Clearly organized and beautifully written, this book is unpretentious but learned, giving ample evidence (in lengthy endnotes) of Borgman's dialogue with other critics." --Choice"I foundDavid, Saul, and Goda fascinating book that will transform the way I teach this extraordinary material. Thanks to Borgman, I will see it, and its narrative sophistication, in refreshingly new ways."--Peter S. Hawkins,Review of Biblical Literature