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</tr> | </tr> | ||
<tr><th>Gidon's Battle and Shaul's Battle at Michmas</th> | <tr><th>Gidon's Battle and Shaul's Battle at Michmas</th> | ||
− | <td></td> | + | <td> |
+ | <ul> | ||
+ | <li><b>The Nation Hides</b> – In both stories, the Israelites hide from the enemy in various caves and other inaccessible places.</li> | ||
+ | <li><b> The Army Arrives and Leaves</b> – Gidon blows a shofar and summons an army. Once they arrive, the fearful are dismissed to Gilad, and following a winnowing process, only three hundred elite soldiers are left, and the rest are sent back home. Shaul also blows a shofar, calling the army to him. He chooses his army, dismissing the rest, but the fearful escape to Gilad, leaving only six hundred soldiers.</li> | ||
+ | <li><b>The Enemy</b> – Both the Midianites and the Pelishtim are described as having huge armies.</li> | ||
+ | <li><b>Battle Tactics</b> – Gidon and Shaul make use of confusion in the enemy's ranks, causing the enemy to turn on itself. The enemy is then chased by reinforcements summoned from Mount Efraim.</li> | ||
+ | <li><b>Bread During Pursuit</b> – Following a lengthy pursuit, with his army tired, Gidon attempts to secure bread for his people, but is refused. While pursuing the Pelishtim, Shaul prohibits his army from eating bread, causing them to become tired.</li> | ||
+ | </ul> | ||
+ | </td> | ||
</tr> | </tr> | ||
<tr><th>Avimelekh and Shaul</th> | <tr><th>Avimelekh and Shaul</th> | ||
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<td> | <td> | ||
<ul> | <ul> | ||
− | <li>The Prophet's Speech | + | <li>The Prophet's Speech – Before Gidon's appointment, an unnamed prophet speaks to the Israelites, mentioning how Hashem took them out of Egypt and saved them from their enemies. Before Shaul's crowning, Shemuel speaks to the nation using almost identical language.</li> |
</ul> | </ul> | ||
</td> | </td> | ||
</tr> | </tr> | ||
<tr><th>Gidon's Battle and Shaul's Battle at Michmas</th> | <tr><th>Gidon's Battle and Shaul's Battle at Michmas</th> | ||
− | <td></td> | + | <td> |
+ | <ul> | ||
+ | <li><b>Sending to the Tents</b> – Both Gidon and Shaul select their elite soldiers, sending the rest back to their tents ("שִׁלַּח אִישׁ לְאֹהָלָיו").</li> | ||
+ | <li><b>Size of Enemy Army</b> – Both the Midianites and the Pelishhtim are described as being as many as the sand ("כַּחוֹל שֶׁעַל שְׂפַת הַיָּם לָרֹב").</li> | ||
+ | <li><b>Enemy Turning on Itself</b> – During the battle, both the Midianite and the Pelishtim camps are described as killing each other with the phrase "חֶרֶב אִישׁ בְּרֵעֵהוּ".</li> | ||
+ | </ul> | ||
+ | </td> | ||
</tr> | </tr> | ||
<tr><th>Avimelekh and Shaul</th> | <tr><th>Avimelekh and Shaul</th> | ||
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</table> | </table> | ||
− | |||
<h2>Analysis</h2> | <h2>Analysis</h2> | ||
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<li><b>Distinctive phrases</b> – </li> | <li><b>Distinctive phrases</b> – </li> | ||
<ul> | <ul> | ||
+ | <li><b>Gidon's Battle and Shaul's Battle at Michmas</b> – The phrases "sent back to their tents" ("שִׁלַּח אִישׁ לְאֹהָלָיו") and "man's sword in his fellow" ("חֶרֶב אִישׁ בְּרֵעֵהוּ") appear only in these stories.<fn>Similar (but not identical) phrases appear elsewhere: see Yehoshua 22:6-7 and Divrei HaYamim II 7:10 for other "sending to tents", and see Yechezkel 38:21 and Chagai 2:22 for "sword in one's brother".</fn> The phrase "as many as sand on the sea shore" ("כַּחוֹל אֲשֶׁר עַל / שֶׁעַל שְׂפַת הַיָּם לָרֹב"), while not unique, is also found only rarely.<fn>See Yehoshua 11:4 for another army described as such, and Bereshit 22:17 and Melakhim I 5:9 for other usages.</fn></li> | ||
<li><b>Avimelekh and Shaul</b> – The term "bad spirit" ("רוּחַ רָעָה"), the phrase "standing" ("וַיַּעֲמֹד") on "top of a mountain" ("בְּרֹאשׁ הַר" / "עַל רֹאשׁ הָהָר"), and the request "שְׁלֹף חַרְבְּךָ" appear only in these stories. The term arms-bearer ("נֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו") and the verb stab (דקר) are also found only rarely in Tanakh.<fn>Only two other characters, Yonatan and Yoav, have arms-bearers, and the verb דקר is found in only eight other places in Tanakh.</fn></li> | <li><b>Avimelekh and Shaul</b> – The term "bad spirit" ("רוּחַ רָעָה"), the phrase "standing" ("וַיַּעֲמֹד") on "top of a mountain" ("בְּרֹאשׁ הַר" / "עַל רֹאשׁ הָהָר"), and the request "שְׁלֹף חַרְבְּךָ" appear only in these stories. The term arms-bearer ("נֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו") and the verb stab (דקר) are also found only rarely in Tanakh.<fn>Only two other characters, Yonatan and Yoav, have arms-bearers, and the verb דקר is found in only eight other places in Tanakh.</fn></li> | ||
</ul> | </ul> |
Version as of 07:22, 30 October 2016
Gidon and Shaul
Introduction
Content Parallels
Gidon and the Early Stages of Shaul's Career |
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Gidon's Battle and Shaul's Battle at Michmas |
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Avimelekh and Shaul |
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Literary Allusions
Gidon and the Early Stages of Shaul's Career |
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Gidon's Battle and Shaul's Battle at Michmas |
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Avimelekh and Shaul |
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Analysis
- Degree of similarity –
- Distinctive phrases –
- Gidon's Battle and Shaul's Battle at Michmas – The phrases "sent back to their tents" ("שִׁלַּח אִישׁ לְאֹהָלָיו") and "man's sword in his fellow" ("חֶרֶב אִישׁ בְּרֵעֵהוּ") appear only in these stories.1 The phrase "as many as sand on the sea shore" ("כַּחוֹל אֲשֶׁר עַל / שֶׁעַל שְׂפַת הַיָּם לָרֹב"), while not unique, is also found only rarely.2
- Avimelekh and Shaul – The term "bad spirit" ("רוּחַ רָעָה"), the phrase "standing" ("וַיַּעֲמֹד") on "top of a mountain" ("בְּרֹאשׁ הַר" / "עַל רֹאשׁ הָהָר"), and the request "שְׁלֹף חַרְבְּךָ" appear only in these stories. The term arms-bearer ("נֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו") and the verb stab (דקר) are also found only rarely in Tanakh.3