I Shmuel 11: Righteous Outrage

The references to the Concubine at Giva story in chapter 11 are impossible to miss. The most obvious one is Shaul’s dismemberment of his ox. “He took a yoke of oxen and cut them into pieces, which he sent by messengers throughout the territory of Israel, with the warning, ‘Thus shall be done to the cattle of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel into battle!’” (וַיִּקַּח צֶמֶד־בָּקָר וַיְנַתְּחֵהוּ וַיְשַׁלַּח בְּכׇל־גְּבוּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּיַד הַמַּלְאָכִים לֵאמֹר אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ יֹצֵא אַחֲרֵי שָׁאוּל וְאַחַר שְׁמוּאֵל כֹּה יֵעָשֶׂה לִבְקָרוֹ) (verse 7). Shaul is furious to hear that a city in Israel is being threatened with mutilation. To muster the people, he send a piece of his own ox to each tribe. The man from Levi did the same thing to his concubine in Judges: “when he came home, he picked up a knife, and took hold of his concubine and cut her up limb by limb into twelve parts. He sent them throughout the territory of Israel” (וַיָּבֹא אֶל־בֵּיתוֹ וַיִּקַּח אֶת־הַמַּאֲכֶלֶת וַיַּחֲזֵק בְּפִילַגְשׁוֹ וַיְנַתְּחֶהָ לַעֲצָמֶיהָ לִשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר נְתָחִים וַיְשַׁלְּחֶהָ בְּכֹל גְּבוּל יִשְׂרָאֵל) (Judges 19:29). The people gather in the same way: “and they came out as one man” (וַיֵּצְאוּ כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד) (verse 7) and “and the community assembled as one man.” (וַתֵּצֵא כׇּל־הָעֵדָה כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד) (Judges 20:1). “As one man” appears several times in Judges 20. The goal of the Navi is to flip the narrative of the Concubine of Giva story. The appointment of Shaul, from Benjamin, as king is one way of symbolically doing so as discussed in chapter 9. The other way is in the retelling of the story of chapter 11 to refresh the narrative. In chapter 11 the people gather as one for a noble cause against an outside enemy. The prophet, Shmuel, and a singular leader, Shaul, are center stage unlike the rabble-rousing man from Levi in Judges. Most importantly, God plays an active role not a passive one as in Judges. Judges was also a story about meting revenge against a fellow tribe. Shaul destroys this revenge narrative in chapter 11 as well. The people come to Shaul with bloodlust for those that rejected his ascension to the throne. Shaul shuts it down immediately. As king from Benjamin, he had the opportunity to exact revenge on those that harmed him, but he chose not to. “But Saul replied, ‘No man shall be put to death this day! For this day the LORD has brought victory to Israel’” (וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל לֹא־יוּמַת אִישׁ בַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה כִּי־הַיּוֹם עָשָׂה ה׳ תְּשׁוּעָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל) (verse 13). The infighting ends today.