Saul and Jonathan in Chiasms – Part 2 of 3

This post is the third in a series describing a cluster of story trellises, all three depicting the decline of King Saul’s reign in 1 Sam. 13-14. The first trellis in the cluster is named Saul’s Foolishness. The second is named Saul’s Dynasty Will End. The third is Separation.

Separation Story Trellis

The Separation Story Trellis is a bit more complex than the previous two trellises in that it contains two embedded story trellises, each focusing on separation. This is depicted in the following table:

Table 4.1: Separation Story Trellis

The general flow of the story trellis starts with a leader suggesting an attack on the Philistines, followed by two encounters with separation, and concluding with the defeat of the Philistines being limited. The way the trellis is structured implies that separation was the cause of the limitation.

Detailed discussion of the Separation Story Trellis begins by focusing on elements S and V in Table 4.2. The details of the embedded story trellises in T and U are shown in later tables.

Table 4.2: Separation Story Trellis, Elements S & V

The overview for S is Leader suggests going to Philistines. The spec for S₁ is [leader] [says] where [leader] is Saul’s son Jonathan in S₁>1 and Saul himself in S₁>2.

The spec for S₂ is [suggest going] [to Philistines]. It is expressed in S₂>1 as “let us go over to the Philistine garrison,” where Jonathan suggests to his armor bearer an attack on a small garrison. In S₂>2 it is expressed as “Shall I go down after the Philistines?” where Saul is asking God whether to continue the attack on the fleeing Philistines.

The spec for the last element, V, is ‘the Philistines’ [defeat is limited]. In V>1 the concept [defeat is limited] is expressed directly by “the defeat … has not been great.” In V>2 it is expressed more obliquely with “Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines,” indicating Saul’s decision to terminate a battle that they were winning.

Two Sides Story Trellis

The first of the two embedded story trellises is about two sides, in which a pair of divisions are revealed and a sign from the Lord is sought to address one of them. Table 4.3 shows the basic story trellis. Further details for elements S and T are shown in Table 4.4 and details for U in Table 4.5.

Table 4.3: Two Sides Story Trellis

Elements S and T

The overview for element S is Divisions are revealed and addressed. The first division is revealed in S₁ with the spec ‘but he did not’ [tell] [Saul]. The phrase ‘but he did not’ appears in both texts, but with “he” having different referents. In S₁>1 “he” refers to Jonathan and in S₁>2 it refers to God (v. 36). The component [Saul] is expressed as “his father” in S₁>1 and as “him” in S₁>2. In Text 1 the first division is between Jonathan and Saul and is evidenced by Jonathan not telling Saul about his suggestion for going to the Philistines. In Text 2 the division is between God and Saul and is evidenced by God not responding to Saul’s suggestion to go to the Philistines.

The second division is revealed in S₂ with a spec containing two phases: ‘on one side’ and ‘on the other side’. In S₂>1 Jonathan encounters a division in the passes between him and the Philistines which is described as “a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side.” In S₂>2 Saul creates a division by putting “all Israel … on one side, and “I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.”

Table 4.4: Two Sides Story Trellis, Elements S & T

The spec of S₃ is [leader] [suggests a solution] to [follower(s)], where the leader addresses one of the divisions. In S₃>1 [leader] is “Jonathan” and in S₃>2 it is “Saul.” In S₃>1 [follower(s)] is expressed by “the young man who carried his armor.” In S₃>2 it is expressed by “all you leaders of the people.” In S₃>1 Jonathan suggests a solution to the second division—the two rocky crags—by saying “Come, let us go over.” In S₃>2 Saul suggests a solution to the first division—God not answering—by saying, “Come here, … and know and see how this sin has arisen today.” Saul follows this up in v. 40 with “You shall be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.”

The overview for element T is Followers comply with leader. The spec for subelement T₁ is [follower(s)] ‘said to’ [leader]. The component [follower(s)] is expressed as “armor-bearer” in T₁>1 and as “the people” in T₁>2. The component [leader] is expressed as “him,” referring to Jonathan, in T₁>1 and as “Saul” in T₁>2.

The spec for T₂ is [do what you want], where the followers express compliance. In T₂>1 the armor-bearer tells Jonathan, “Do as you wish.” In T₂>2 the people tell Saul something similar, “Do what seems good to you.”

Element U

The details of elements U are shown in Table 4.5 below. Its overview is Leader seeks sign from the Lord. The spec for subelement U₁ is [leader] said, where the [leader] is Jonathan in U₁>1 and Saul in U₁>2.

The spec for U₂ is ‘the Lord’ give, [sign], [two alternatives]. The component sequence ‘the Lord’ give is expressed in U₂>1 as “The Lord has given” and in U₂>2 as “the LORD … Give.” The component [sign] is expressed as “sign” in U₂>2 and as “perfect lot” in U₂>2. The nature of the sign is a choice between [two alternatives] that the leader is presenting to God. In U₂>1 the alternatives are two possible responses from the Philistines. They are expressed as “If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ ” and “if they say, ‘Come up to us.’ ” In U₂>2 the alternatives are “Jonathan and Saul” and “the people.”

The sequence ‘the Lord’ give is expressed by parallel words, but what the leaders want the Lord to give is very different. Saul wants the Lord to give a sign, “a perfect lot” because he wants to know who is guilty. Jonathan wants the Lord to give the Philistines into their hand, so he creates a situation that can be interpreted as a sign.

The spec for U₃ is [A sign is given]. In U₃>1 it is expressed by the Philistines saying, “Come up to us, and we will show you a thing,” and Jonathan interpreting their response as a sign, “the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.”

Table 4.5: Two Sides Story Trellis, Elements U

In addition to the parallels between the two texts of element U, there are parallels within each text. This is quite normal in Hebrew narrative, including the texts described in this blog but I tend to ignore them in the pattern descriptions. I am going to make an exception this time, because the internal parallels make it difficult to identify the boundaries of the elements of the story trellis. In Text 1 “Jonathan said” occurs twice, once in v. 8 and again in v. 12. The text span “they say, ‘Come up to us’ ” occurs in v. 10 and its parallel, “the men of the garrison … said, ‘Come up to us,’ ” occurs in v. 12. There is a third parallel between “then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hand” in v. 10 and “Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel” in v. 12.

Within Text 2 a parallel consists of two requests to cast a lot: “Give a perfect lot” in v. 41 and “Cast the lot” in v. 42. Another parallel consists of the results of casting lots: “Jonathan and Saul were taken” in v. 41 and “Jonathan was taken” in v. 42.

Separated by Honey Story Trellis

The second of the two embedded story trellises is about separation between Saul and Jonathan due to Jonathan eating honey and coming under Saul’s curse. Table 4.6 shows the basic story trellis. Further details for elements S and T are shown in Table 4.7 and details for U in Table 4.8.

Table 4.6: Separated by Honey Story Trellis

Elements S and T

The overview for S is ◐Jonathan and Saul communicate, with the ◐ symbol indicating that there is a contrast in how this is expressed in the texts. The spec for S₁ is Jonathan, Saul, ◐[communicate]. The components Jonathan and [Saul] are expressed in S₁>1 as “Jonathan” and “his father.” In S₁>2 they are expressed as “Jonathan” and “Saul.” The component ◐[ communicate] is expressed inS₁>1 in the negative as “had not heard.” In S₁>2 it is expressed as “said.” The irony is that, whether they succeed or fail to communicate, the outcome of the story trellis is the same.

Subelement S₂ represents the content of communication specified in S₁ with the spec [Saul], [command]. The component [Saul] is expressed by “his father” in S₂>1 and by “me” in S₂>2. The element [command] is expressed in S₂>1 by “charge the people with an oath,” and in S₂>2 by “Tell me what you have done.”

The overview for T is Jonathan eats honey with his staff. Both Text 1 and Text 2 refer to the same event. Text 1 describes the event as it happens, while Text 2 is Jonathan relating the event to his father. The spec of T₁ is [Jonathan] [eats] [honey]. [Jonathan] is expressed by the pronoun “he” in T₁>1 and as “I” in T₁>2. The verb [eats] is expressed by “put his hand to his mouth” in T₁>1 and “tasted” in T₁>2.

The spec for T₂ is ‘tip of the staff that was in’ [Jonathan’s] hand. It is expressed in T₂>1 as the tip of the staff that was in his hand. The expression in T₂>2 is virtually identical, with the only difference being the occurrence of “my” rather than “his.”

Table 4.7: Separated by Honey Story Trellis, Elements S & T

Element U and V

The overview of U is “Saul curses Jonathan.” The spec for U₁ is Saul, say, [oath]. The components Saul and say are expressed in U₁>1 by “Your father” and “saying” and in U₁>2 by “Saul said.” The concept [oath] is expressed in U₂>1 with the single word “oath” and in U₂>2 by wording commonly used to introduce oaths: “God do so to me and more also.”

The spec of U₂ is [curse] [Jonathan], where Jonathan is the recipient of the curse. In U₂>1 [curse] is expressed as “cursed be” without specifying the nature of the curse. In U₂>2 Saul spells out the curse with “you shall surely die.” The component [Jonathan] is expressed in U₂>1 as “the man who eats food this day.” Jonathan becomes the target of the curse when he innocently eats the honey. In U₂>2 Saul specifically names Jonathan as the target of the curse.

Table 4.8: Separated by Honey Story Trellis, Elements U & V

Element V concludes the story trellis with the overview Saul is rebuked. The spec for V₁ is [somebody] said, [saul]. The sequence [somebody] said is expressed in V₁>1 with “Jonathan said” in V₁>2 with “the people said.” The concept [Saul] is rendered by “My father” in V₁>1 and by “Saul” in V₁>2. In Text 1 Jonathan rebukes his father in absentia and in Text 2 the people rebuke Saul to his face.

Element V₂ has a single component: [rebuke], which is express in V₂>1 as “My father has troubled the land,” and in V₂>2 as “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it!”

[1] The text of the NASB has been used for this verse since it follows the Hebrew Masoretic Text, whereas the ESV follows the Greek Septuagint.