The Blind and the Lame: An Exegetical Study of the Meaning Behind 2 Samuel 5:8b A thesis submitted to the faculty of the Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts (Biblical Studies) By Aaron C. Hess Cincinnati, Ohio April 2021 Abstract The end of 2 Samuel’s Jerusalem conquest posits a challenge for modern Scripture scholars. 2 Sam 5:8b contains a puzzling reference to the blind and the lame being banned from a house. It seems that this line was added into the narrative due to similarity in vocabulary utilized in the pericope, referencing an idea or a mindset that the author or the author’s culture had at large at the time of writing. This thesis attempts to answer the question as to the identity of the blind and the lame referenced, as well as what “house” they are not allowed to enter. After engaging in the scholarship surrounding this passage, I hope to show that this addition into the Samuel narrative continues a theme of disability and role reversal by the author. The blind and the lame correspond to the families of David and Saul. The kings of Israel and their descendants are found unworthy of the kingship through their unfaithfulness and are thus removed from the role in the Deuteronomistic narrative. This thesis by Aaron C. Hess fulfills the thesis requirement for the master’s degree in Biblical Studies and is approved by: Advisor: Dr. Matthew Genung, S.S.D. Readers: Rev. Timothy Schehr, Ph.D. Rev. Ryan Ruiz, S.L.D. iii Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..1 Status Quaestionis…………………………………………………………………1 Aims……………………………………………………………………………….2 Objectives ………………………………………………………………………3 Limits of the Research ………………….……………………………………….4 Chapter One: Analysis of the Pericope …………………………………………………5 Position in the Overarching Narrative …………………………………………..5 The Structure of the Pericope …………………………………………………...9 Vocabulary Utilized……………………………………………………………...12 The Identity of the Blind and Lame in vv. 6 and 8a……………………………..15 The Issues Surrounding V. 8b ………………………………………………….20 Chapter Two: Sanctions Against Temple Worship..……...……………………………..24 Scriptural References Supporting the Temple Reading………………………….24 The Identity of Those Banned from the Temple…………………………………27 Issues……………………………………………………………………………..32 Chapter Three: The Royal and Dynastic Reversal of Fortunes …………………………35 The integrity of the Narrative ………………………………………………….36 House as the Royal Dwelling…………………………………………………….38 Mephibosheth, the Lame Heir of Saul …………………………………………43 Disability Reversals Throughout the Narrative ………………………………..46 Davidic Family’s Weakness …………………………………………………...48 Blindness as the End of David’s Heirs …………………………………………50 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………….55 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………..57 iv Introduction Status Quaestionis 2 Samuel 5:6-8 provides an interesting challenge for Scripture readers today. Occurring right after David was crowned king of the unified 12 Tribes of Israel, the conquest of Jerusalem was a vital moment in his ascent to power. The city becomes a symbol both of David’s reign and, with the building of the first Temple by his son Solomon, of the Jewish faith. 1 Chronicles 11 presents the same conquest narrative, though the focus of the Chronicler appears to be on the ascendance of Joab. In 2 Samuel 5:6-10, however, we are presented not with Joab’s rise but with a challenging dialogue about the blind and the lame: 6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” 7 Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. 8 And David said on that day, “Whoever would smite the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” (Italics added) 9 And David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the city of David. And David built the city round about from the Millo inward. 10 And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.1 It is uncertain why 2 Samuel’s author focuses on the blind and the lame. It can be assumed that he does not emphasize the role of Joab because Joab has already introduced in Chapters Two and Three. Thus, unlike the narrative in Chronicles, Joab’s prominence in David’s kingdom does not need to be provided further explanation. The author decides instead to draw something out by mentioning the blind and the lame. “This puzzling phrase, together with its even more enigmatic occurrence in verse 8 is a 1 All biblical citations in this paper are taken from the Revised Standard Version- Catholic Edition. (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2005), unless otherwise noted. 1 notorious crux. The most disparate theories have been proposed for how to read the words of the text and how to reconstruct what is said to go on in the conquest of the city.”2 The challenge at hand is that scholars are unsure who is referenced as the blind and the lame in v. 8b, and what the house is from which they are banned. Its placement in the overall narrative of David’s rise to power as well as the integrity of the passage itself leads to a discussion in contemporary scholarship about the purpose behind this pericope. There are multiple theories put forth about the identity of the “blind and lame” and the meaning of “house” in 8b. Two primary readings have gained the most prominence in recent decades. The first, led by the work of Saul Olyan, posits that this passage is about ritualistic exclusion from the Temple.3 The other, led by Anthony Ceresko and Jeremy Schipper, believes that v. 8b points the reader to the end of the reign of Saul’s family. It also may look ahead to the downfall of David’s descendant, Zedekiah, at the end of the historical books.4 Aims My intention for this thesis is to evaluate the different positions that scholars take in approaching this passage, so as to come to a better understanding of the passage’s meaning. After looking at two primary interpretations, I will show that the internal evidence in the passage and the historical books lends credence to the argument put forth by Schipper and Ceresko.5 Thus, the blind and the lame are most likely references to 2 Robert Alter, ed., The David Story: A Translation with Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel (New York: W.W. Norton, 1999), 221. 3 Saul M Olyan, “‘Anyone Blind or Lame Shall Not Enter the House’: On the Interpretation of Second Samuel 5:8b,” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 60, no. 2 (April 1998): 218–227. 4 Anthony R. Ceresko, “The Identity of ‘the Blind and the Lame’ (...Iwwer Upisseah) in 2 Samuel 5:8b,” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 63, no. 1 (January 2001): 23–30; Jeremy Schipper, “Reconsidering the Imagery of Disability in 2 Samuel 5:8b,” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 67, no. 3 (July 2005): 422–434. 5 Ceresko, “The Identity of ‘the Blind and the Lame’ (...Iwwer Upisseah) in 2 Samuel 5”; Schipper, “Reconsidering the Imagery of Disability in 2 Samuel 5:8b.” 2 figures in the lines of Saul and David, while the house in question is best understood as a palace, thus referencing the role of king in Israel and a royal dynasty. Objectives This thesis will approach the question at hand by evaluating different positions currently held on the meaning of v. 8b. By doing so, the focus will be on discovering the author’s purpose for this line. I will attempt this through historical study of some cultural aspects of the time of writing, linguistic discussion of the text and its comparison to other Scripture passages, and narrative exegesis. In Chapter One, I will first lay out where this passage fits in the overall narrative in the historical works before looking at the structure of this specific pericope on its own. I will also explain how the usage of “the blind and the lame” in v. 6 seems to convey traditional battle taunting from the Jebusites. Their recurrence in 8a most likely constitutes a response from David to this taunting. Finally, I will show why v. 8b seems to be an addition of some kind into the writing, one that hints at the author’s purpose for the pericope. Chapter Two will explore the possibility that the house references the Temple and Jewish worship in Jerusalem. This would mean that v. 8b encapsulates a view that some were excluded from Jewish worship in Jerusalem based upon a disability. While this position is commonly held by scholars, there is an intriguing train of thought that has been picked up in the last few decades that I will explore in Chapter Three. There, I will lay out the argument that the meaning of the word “house” closer signifies a palace. It thus has connotations of a royal dynasty and the kingly office of Israel. In this line of thought, the blind and the lame refer to the last heirs in the lines of David and Saul, respectively. I will conclude by showing how the latter position seems to be the most likely held by the author when he utilized this phrase in v. 8b. 3 Limits of the Research This passage from 2 Samuel is filled with quandaries that have been explored and debated by Scripture scholars over the last few decades. My focus is particularly on the meaning of v. 8b, and thus I only intend to engage in the scholarship that pertains to this (ṣinnôr) רֹוּנצ verse.