Society and the Promise to David : The Reception History of 2 Samuel 7:1-17

In the second book of Samuel, the prophet Nathan tells King David that God will give to him and his descendants a great and everlasting kingdom. In this study Schniedewind looks at how this dynastic Promise has been understood and transmitted from the time of its first appearance at the inception of the Hebrew monarchy until the dawn of Christianity. He shows in detail how, over the centuries, the Promise grew in importance and prestige. One measure of this growing importance was the Promise's ability to coax new readers into fresh interpretations. 0195126807......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Abbreviations......Page 10 1 Reading the Promise to David......Page 14 Society and Interpretation: A Reception Theory Approach......Page 16 The Diachronic Aspect: Inner-Biblical Discourse......Page 18 The Synchronic Aspect of Interpretation: Historical Moments......Page 21 The Social Function of Literature......Page 24 Significance of This Study......Page 25 2 Forging a Common Ideology: Origins of the Promise......Page 28 State Formation and the United Monarchy......Page 29 Archaeological Evidence for the Emergence of a State......Page 30 Stages of State Formation......Page 33 Near Eastern Parallels to State Formation......Page 35 Transition to State Religion......Page 37 Forging a Common Ideology: The Promise to David......Page 39 2 Samuel 7:1–17: A Promise to David......Page 40 Early Royal Liturgies......Page 51 The Promise as Early Political Literature......Page 57 3 Kingdoms in CRISIS: Vindicating the Promise......Page 62 Jerusalem in the Late Eighth Century BCE......Page 63 Social Anthropology of Jerusalem's Urbanization......Page 66 Biblical Texts in the Context of Rapid Social Change......Page 69 Proto-DtrH: A Hezekian Historical Composition......Page 70 Isaiah ben Amoz......Page 72 Amos and the "Fallen Hut of David"......Page 74 Hosea and "David Their King"......Page 76 Psalm 78:67–72: God Rejects Shiloh but Chooses Jerusalem......Page 77 Psalm 2: An Enthronement Liturgy for the Sons of David......Page 80 Vindication and Revitalization of the Davidic Dynasty......Page 81 The Sociopolitical Context of the Late Judaean Monarchy......Page 83 The Rise of Literacy and Social Formation......Page 85 "The People of the Land" ('Am Ha 'aretz): A Rural Judean Politic......Page 88 Rapid Social Change and New Religious Movements......Page 91 Josianic Reformers Recontextualize the Promise (Dtr[sup(1)])......Page 93 2 Samuel 7:13a: "He Shall Build a House for My Name"......Page 94 Citations of the Promise within Dtr[sup(1)]......Page 96 EXCURSUS: 4QKgs for 1 Kings 8:16......Page 100 Allusion to the Promise in Dtr[sup(1)]: The Lamp of David......Page 102 Allusion to the Promise in Dtr[sup(1)]: The "Sure House"......Page 103 Psalm 89:19–37 [MT, 20–38]: Citation and Revision......Page 104 Religion and Interpretation......Page 107 Exile and Crisis......Page 109 The Psychology of Exile and Mass Destruction......Page 111 The Supposed Inviolability of Zion......Page 115 When Prophecy Fails......Page 116 The Exilic Deuteronomic Readers (Dtr[sup(2)])......Page 117 Psalm 89:38–52: Lamenting the Promise......Page 122 "Second" Isaiah......Page 125 Rationalizing the Promise......Page 128 The Colonial Empire and the Satrapy of Yehud......Page 130 Demography and Settlement Patterns......Page 131 The Economy of Persian Yehud......Page 133 Literature of the Restoration Program......Page 135 EXCURSUS: The Dating of Chronicles......Page 136 The Chronicler's Reading of the Promise......Page 139 Zechariah 6:12–13: An Allusion to the Promise......Page 145 MT Jeremiah 33:14–22: Davidic Dynasty and Levitical Priesthood......Page 146 2 Chronicles 6:41–42: YHWH's Physical Presence in the Temple......Page 148 Politics of the Return......Page 149 7 Second Temple Judaisms Read the Promise......Page 151 Alexandrian Diaspora: Acculturation and Identity......Page 152 The Alexandrian Greek Translation of the Promise to David......Page 155 The Promise in the Wisdom of Sirach: Pre-Hasmonean Judaism......Page 163 Psalms of Solomon 17......Page 164 The Qumran Sect......Page 166 Messianisms in the Late Second Temple Period......Page 176 8 The Legacy of the Promise to David......Page 179 Notes......Page 184 Bibliography......Page 217 F......Page 234 R......Page 235 Z......Page 236 Index of Passages......Page 237