Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Jonathan D. Safren" <yon_saf AT bezeqint.net>]

 Ken Smith wrote:

 

And yet it’s wrong to deny David’s accomplishments, and there has to be some reason why he inspired the loyalty he did.  Even Yahweh loved David, as the narrative makes clear (though never says explicitly).  That’s the flip side of David’s ambiguous characterization in Samuel.

 

Aye, there;s the rub. Did he inspire loyalty from all, or most, of his countrymen, or only some?

How else do you explain most of his own tribe being won over by Absalom and deserting him? How do you explain the schism of the kingdom, with Sheba ben Bikhri raising the flag od revolt only a short time after David succeeded in putting down his own son's revolt?

I conclude that a lot of his countrymen, even his own tribesmen, were dissatisfied with him

Jonathan D. Safren