War and Epic

Warring in tales of the early heroes is characterized by a specific bardic ideology, by certain roles played by women, and by the interesting juxtaposition of themes of eroticism and death. War is sport to these ‘‘men of valor,’’ as Gideon, David, and his men are called (Judg. 6: 12; 1 Sam. 14: 52, 16: 18; 2 Sam. 17: 10, 23: 20, 24: 9). Combat is a contest in which heroes use special, sometimes unusual, weapons and skill. (See Beniah (2 Sam. 23: 20-1; 1 Chron. 11: 23); Elhanan (2 Sam. 21: 19); David and Goliath (1 Sam. 17); Ehud (Judg. 3: 12-30); Shamgar (Judg. 3: 31); and Samson (Judg. 14: 6, 15: 15).) Abner, the general of Saul, proposes to Joab, David’s general, that the lads on each side ‘‘rise up and make sport before us’’ (2 Sam. 2: 12-16). They do so, but the contest between warriors ends in the death of all of them. Opponents frequently engage in taunting behavior before or during battle (e. g. Goliath and David) and nevertheless respect the skill of their enemies. A certain code applies whereby men of comparable experience and skill are expected to confront one another in battle. Hence Goliath’s resentment of the young man David in the cameo scene in 1 Sam. 17: 41-9 and Abner’s hesitation to kill Joab’s younger brother, Asahel, who insists upon pursuing him in battle. Waving him away, Abner calls, ‘‘Turn aside from following me. What purpose would it serve for me to strike you to the ground? How could I face your brother Joab?’’ (2 Sam. 2: 22). Respect for the enemy is also evident in the conversation between Gideon and the captured Midianite kings (Judg. 8: 20). They comment on the noble demeanor of Israelites they have killed in battle and ask that Gideon be the one to kill them, for his son, an inexperienced warrior, is not up to the task.

Much of the fighting in Judges and 2 Samuel is between Israelites and non-Israelite enemies, but battle frequently erupts among Israelites over the distribution of booty, leadership rights, or perceived insults. The civil war between the forces of Saul and David is one of the lengthiest of these accounts, but also in this category are Gideon’s vengeance in Judg. 8, Abimelech’s rebellion in Judg. 9, Jephthah’s confrontation with the men of Ephraim in Judg. 12, and the civil war in Judg. 20-1.