II Shmuel 4: Right to Execute?

Sometimes you read a chapter of Tanach and it immediately clicks that the chapter reminds you of a similar story you just read in Tanach. For example, the two stories of David sneaking up to Shaul in I Samuel, once cutting his robe and once stealing his spear. It is rare, however, to have someone in the actual text notice the similarities between the stories. In chapter 4, two guards of Ish Boshet kill him in his sleep (וַיָּבֹאוּ הֵנָּה עַד־תּוֹךְ הַבַּיִת לֹקְחֵי חִטִּים וַיַּכֻּהוּ אֶל־הַחֹמֶשׁ) (II Samuel 4:6). The two then cut off Ish Boshet’s head and bring it to David hoping for a reward for vanquishing David’s enemy (וַיִּכְרְתוּ אֶת־רֹאשׁ אִישׁ־בֹּשֶׁת וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת־רֹאשׁוֹ וַיֵּלְכוּ דֶּרֶךְ הָעֲרָבָה כׇּל־הַלָּיְלָה) (II Samuel 4:7). This story sounds very similar to the one in chapter 1, when the Amalek convert comes to David with Shaul’s crown to tell him he died (וָאֶקַּח הַנֵּזֶר אֲשֶׁר עַל־רֹאשׁוֹ וְאֶצְעָדָה אֲשֶׁר עַל־זְרֹעוֹ וָאָבִיאֵם הֵנָּה אֶל־אֲדֹנִי) (II Samuel 1:10). David himself sees the similarities. “The man who told me in Ziklag that Saul was dead thought he was bringing good news. But instead of rewarding him for the news, I seized and killed him. How much more, then, when wicked men have killed a blameless man in bed in his own house! I will certainly avenge his blood on you, and I will rid the earth of you” (כִּי הַמַּגִּיד לִי לֵאמֹר הִנֵּה־מֵת שָׁאוּל וְהוּא הָיָה כִמְבַשֵּׂר בְּעֵינָיו וָאֹחֲזָה בוֹ וָאֶהְרְגֵהוּ בְּצִקְלָג... אַף כִּי אֲנָשִׁים רְשָׁעִים הָרְגוּ אֶת־אִישׁ־צַדִּיק בְּבֵיתוֹ עַל־מִשְׁכָּבוֹ וְעַתָּה הֲלוֹא אֲבַקֵּשׁ אֶת־דָּמוֹ מִיֶּדְכֶם וּבִעַרְתִּי אֶתְכֶם מִן־הָאָרֶץ) (verses 10-11).David did not need to be up on his 929 to remember a story that just happened. But it brings up an interesting question: was David right to kill the Amalek convert and was he right to kill the two king’s guards? One could argue that the guards’ case is straightforward. They actually killed the king in his sleep. David never called for Ish Boshet’s death. He never even attacked Ish Boshet’s forces. Ish Boshet never pursued David like Shaul did.The Amalekite case is different. His account of the story seems to conflict with the Navi’s account in I Samuel 31. Shaul is felled by arrows and he requests that his arms bearer kill him so that the Philistines would not torture him (וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל לְנֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו שְׁלֹף חַרְבְּךָ וְדׇקְרֵנִי בָהּ פֶּן־יָבֹאוּ הָעֲרֵלִים הָאֵלֶּה וְדִקְּרֻנִי וְהִתְעַלְּלוּ־בִי) (I Samuel 31:4). When the arms bearer hesitates, Shaul kills himself (וַיִּקַּח שָׁאוּל אֶת־הַחֶרֶב וַיִּפֹּל עָלֶיהָ) (I Samuel 31:4).But in the Amalekite’s retelling, Shaul was still alive when he approached him on the field (וָאֶעֱמֹד עָלָיו וַאֲמֹתְתֵהוּ כִּי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי לֹא יִחְיֶה אַחֲרֵי נִפְלוֹ) (II Samuel 1:10). Perhaps the Amalekite embellished the story hoping that the added fact that he killed Shaul would gain favor with David. David does not investigate the matter, but instead takes the Amalekite at his word and kills him (פִּיךָ עָנָה בְךָ לֵאמֹר אָנֹכִי מֹתַתִּי אֶת־מְשִׁיחַ ה׳) (II Samuel 1:16). Just like Ish Boshet’s guards, the Amalekite disregards everything that David did up until that point. David never tries to kill Shaul. David may have been right to kill these individuals for regicide, but he may have been guilty himself of not making his plans known to all.