Problems With the Old Testament
Update: 2008-05-14
Not much time lately to update this page, unfortunately. Hopefully sometime this summer.
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As I find them, I’ll put interesting problems with the Old Testament on this page. There’s also a companion page for New Testament criticisms. Unless otherwise noted, all Old Testament references are taken from the Jewish version of the OT scriptures, rather than from the Christian versions which seem to be more heavily editorialized and edited.
As this body of work grows, I’ll try and add some kind of organization.
Problems with the story of David and Goliath
Most of the story of David and Goliath comes from 1st Samuel. Interestingly, it appears as though there are two versions of the David story that have been merged together in Samuel.
In chapter 16, verses 14-23, we learn that King Saul is being harassed by a “distressing” spirit from god. To sooth his troubled mind, he looks for a man who can play the harp well. To which one of his servants says:
Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him.
Saul sends messengers to Jesse and asks him to send his son to court. Saul comes to cherish David greatly, and makes him his weapon bearer (armor bearer in the Christian OT). Saul asks Jesse to let David stay at court with him, since he “has found favor in [his] sight.”
In chapter 17, we hear a different story of how David met Saul. Goliath and the Philistines are menacing the Israelites, and the Israelites are looking for someone to face Goliath. As if they never existed, Chapter 17 introduces David and Jesse all over again (this was already done in Chapter 16).
David is tending his sheep and comes down to visit his brothers at the battle encampment. He asks what the reward is for the man who kills Goliath. Saul hears of David bragging about his prowess, and Saul sends for him. Saul tells David that he is just a youth, and cannot fight Goliath, who has been a warrior since he was young. David argues that he is actually a great warrior, slaying bears and lions that tried to eat his sheep.
David goes on to kill Goliath, cuts off his head, and brings it back with him. Saul sees this episode and asks the head of the army (Abner) who’s son David is. Abner does not know, so Saul says “inquire whose son this young man is.” Abner brings David to Saul, and Saul asks him “Whose son are you, young man?” David answers that he is the son of Jesse the Bethlehemite.
Chapter 18, verses 1-4, then chronicle how Saul would not let him go home to his father’s house afterwards, as if the harp playing had never happened.
To further complicate things, we have two other chapters that are in conflict with each other and with this story. In 2 Samuel 21:19, the OT states that it was not David that killed Goliath, but rather a man named Elhanan. However, in 1 Choronicles 20:5, it says that Elhanan didn’t kill Goliath, but rather killed Goliath’s brother Lahmi. (Note that in the Christian OT, 2 Samuel 21:19 usually has the words “brother of” inserted before the word Goliath, even though those words don’t exist in the original.)
So, to summarize, here are the major conflicts:
- In the first story, David is introduced to Saul as a great harp player, and as a “mighty man of valor, a man of war….” In the second story, however, Saul calls David a youth, without skill in battle.
- In the first story, Saul is told that David is the son of Jesse the Bethlehemite. Once Saul “falls in love” with David, he sends a messenger to Jesse and asks if David can stay at court. In the second story, Saul acts as if he doesn’t know who David is (he calls him merely “a youth”), and tries to find out who his father is despite the first stating that he clearly knew who David and his father were.
- In the first story, Saul “falls in love” with David and asks him to stay at court. Yet, in the second story he is tending sheep and only comes down to the battle out of curiosity. Someone was apparently playing hooky, or wasn’t actually at court.
- In the first story, David is made Saul’s weapon-bearer and his chief musician. You would think that David would be important enough to know what the reward was for killing Goliath without having to ask a random soldier on the front lines.
- In the first story, Saul falls in love with David after meeting him as a harp player, and wouldn’t let him leave court. In the second story, Saul meets David the day of the battle and won’t let him leave from that point.
- In 1 Samuel, David kills Goliath. In 2 Samuel, Elhanan kills Goliath. In 1 Chronicles, Elhanan kills Goliath’s brother.
Re-read the chapters in 1 Samuel after reading this and see if it doesn’t sound like two stories put together.
