The leprous men had a chose to make, whether to die or live. In the short dialogue among the four men, (v.3-4) the word die is used five times. The writer uses this technique to emphasis the hopelessness of the situation. In their current state—sitting outside the city gates—death is imminent and the same is happen if they entered the city. Their only hope is to defect to the enemy camp, the Arameans. There is a great chance that the enemy will kill them. Yet, it is still better than the other options. In their current situation, there disease may be to their advantage, for the enemy just might spare their lives since they are of no value to anyone. In contrast to the king’s captain, the leprous men still held out hope that they will survive the famine, as demonstrated by their words, “If they spare our lives, we shall live, (v. 4)” and by their action, “So they arose at twilight go” (v. 5). However, their hope does not appear to be grounded in their faith in Yahweh. Nowhere in the text do the men mention the Lord.
The scene changes again. The leprous men are now at the camp of the Arameans. The four leprous men arrived at the camp and discovered it empty (v.5). The Arameans had abandoned their camp because, “the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the sound…of a great army” (v.6). There are several other instances where God utilized similar tactics to confound the enemy in order to give the nation of Israel victory over them. God caused the enemy to hear an army in 2 Samuel 5:24, “When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then be on the alert; for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” In 2 Kings 3:22-23, God used water to confuse the enemy....
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...re of choice meal was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord (v. 16b)
In the meantime, the king’s captain, who doubted the words of Elisha, was trampled to death by the people. The king had assigned him to “have charge of the gate” (v. 17a). The good news that there was food must have spread quickly. Possibly, there was someone shouting the good news throughout the city, which would have caused a mass of people to rush toward the city gate in order to be among the first to receive food.
To narrative concludes with the repeating of the prophecy. The prediction in verse one is repeated twice in this conclusion (v.16b and v.18). It also details and repeats the means by which the pronouncement against the doubting captain was fulfilled, “the people trampled him to death in the gate” (v.17b and 20b).
Synthesis
formulated by Martin Noth in 1943. It refers to those historical writings (also known as former prophets), the books consist of Joshua, the judges, Samuel, and kings (Collins 2004:183). The book of king relates the history of Hebrew united and divided monarchies in their covenant failure. The narrative focuses on the figures primarily responsible for covenant keeping in Israel, the kings and prophets. The prophetic voice has a prominent place in the history of kingship because those divinely appointed
with King David, this covenant also resembles the Abrahamic covenant. After the people had settled into their land God talks to King David, through the prophet Nathan. God tells David he will have a child who will establish a kingdom forever (2 Sam 7:13) and the kingdom, as well as the house, will be forever and his child will not lose the throne (2 Sam 7:16). These promises are like the ones made to Abraham, both are promised nat... ... middle of paper ... ...jah. In order to bring a king and
The Bible takes a unique turn in the book of 1 Samuel, Israel requests the appointment of an earthly king. The prophet Samuel warned them against trading their Divine King for an earthy one. In Matthew 7:13 Jesus told us, “..For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction..,” cautioning believers not to long to be like everyone else. First Samuel 8:5; 19-20 records Israel’s request for a king developed out their desire to be like the nations around them, thus placing them on
novel says “…there is another burst of laughter” (101). In the novel, it states, “All of you know what I stand for! What I believe! I believe, I believe in the truth of the book of Genesis (beginning to chant) Exodus, Leviticus, number, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First Samuel, Second Samuel, First Kings, Second Kings” (101). Then Drummond interrupts ‘Your Honor, this completes the testimony. The witness is excused!” (101). The Brady is talking again “(pounding the air with his fists) Isaiah
Literary Analysis of 1 Kings 19:1 – 21 Characters The story in 1 Kings 19:1-21 is the conclusion of Elijah’s ministry. Because of this, the author introduced the characters in previous chapters. In order to gain an understanding of the characters in the context of the narrative, prior chapters must be consulted. The main characters of the story are Elijah and Yahweh, surrounded by other lesser characters in this specific narrative. The first two characters mentioned in the story are Ahab and Jezebel
“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own sight” (Judg. 21:25). This quote at the end of Judges sets up an optimistic view of kings for the rest of the Deuteronomistic History. King David is considered perhaps the greatest king over all of Israel, whereas King Hezekiah is praised for never turning away from God and being the greatest king among all the kings of Judah (2 Kgs. 5). However, despite the high need for a praise of kings throughout the Deuteronomistic
II Kings 4:1-7 Analysis Introduction to “Elisha and the Widow’s Oil”: The book of first and second Kings is a continuation of the cyclical cycle that Israel follows throughout the Old Testament. The Israelites are unfaithful in their relationship to God, they are consequently disciplined by God through oppression, consequently they petition God for divine assistance, and God then sends a deliverer. In II Kings 4, the current deliverer for God’s people is a man named Elisha. In this particular scene
a priest and the “personal adviser'; to King Solomon, wrote the text shortly after Solomon’s death. Others believe Samuel himself wrote the text, while some scholars believe the priest, Ahimaaz, was the author. Most do agree that the composition and editing took place in several stages over a considerable period of time. Scholars also believe the text of 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel were originally one manuscript. These scholars believe the book of Samuel was written as a part of a whole sequence
Jericho to survive Joshua's conquest. The true victory of the city belongs to the Lord as the city was attained through obedience to His commands (Coogan 2001). The Fall of Jericho entails a great deal of symbolism. For seven days the Israelite kings and soldiers marched around the city walls. On the seventh day, they encircled it seven times while seven priests carried seven trumpets. The number seven recalls the seven days of creation in Genesis. This implies the creation of a new order and
God is the creator, sustainer, judge, and redeemer. However, the most important characteristic of God is love. Love is an admirable quality. Genesis is an account of God’s magnificent creations. God saw that everything he created was good. The book of Genesis focuses on six persons and their families: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. God blessed man and all of his creations. For a moment, God’s creation was as He intended; paradise. Man sinned and God became unhappy, but he still provided
Introduction Zvi (n.d, P.73) made a publication under the title “Malleability and its Limits: Sennacherib's Campaign against Judah as a Case-Study.” It is notable that the objective of the publication was to use the case study in assessing the subject of malleability and its limits in historical reporting. The author of the aforementioned publication picked the aforementioned case study owing to three reasons. First, the chosen campaign had a stable historical outcome that lasted long. Second, information
1 Kings Introduction In 1 Kings 18-19 we are introduced to one of the most magical men in the Bible, and to one of the greatest miracles. Along with Moses and Jesus, Elijah is among the great miracle workers of the world. Elijah used miracles to bring Israel up out of shambles, if just for a moment. He also showed extreme faith and perseverance in the face of great odds. But the true character of Elijah lies in his name, which literally means, “Yahweh is my God (Anderson 246).” Prelude
and world of the text- in Isaiah 6 and 1 Kings 22. The world behind the text is the era of Ahab's ruling. The king of Aram and Ahab, the king of Israel created a treaty upon their kingdoms. However, in the third year of their treaty, Ahab and his vassal, King Jehosphaphat, realize Ramoth-gilead belonged to the Israelite kingdom. Before seeking battle, King Ahab calls upon his 400 prophets to determine if the kingdom was in favor in battle. However, King Jehosphaphat doubts Ahab's royal court. Hesitant
The title of the short story I’m reviewing is “Popular Mechanics,” by Raymond Carver. Carver selects wording that is interestingly symbolic to the dark foreshadowing he uses to suck us into a dark world of shattered dreams. He opens the narrative with descriptive words such as “dark,” and “dirty.” This is in fact a story that is devoid of light if in fact that absence signifies a maleficence of state. Sadly it is a familiar story about a young couple that has decided to part ways, but not before
the power that claims to be mighty. We see different pictures of Elijah in 1Kings 17-19. In Chapter 17 we see Elijah who is talking as powerful decision maker. In Chapter 18, we see Elijah who is victorious over his rivals, and confront with the King (1kings 18:17-19). In Chapter 19 we see a disheartened Elijah who seems forgotten his late victory over the prophets of Baal. Finally in this text (19:1-4) we see the fallen Elijah, fallen mighty saint who is begging for death and Elijah who was retiring