{"id":58579,"date":"2019-07-01T11:55:02","date_gmt":"2019-07-01T08:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=58579"},"modified":"2023-01-23T17:12:23","modified_gmt":"2023-01-23T15:12:23","slug":"am-i-short-of-fools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/am-i-short-of-fools\/","title":{"rendered":"Am I Short Of Fools?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[697,834],"acf":{"old_id":"58579","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34243,"related_cahpter":"253","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"In which we learn that David is pragmatic, audacious, and inventive","content":"

In this brief chapter, we gain additional insight into David\u2019s character. He is pragmatic, audacious, and inventive.<\/span><\/p>\n

His pragmatism is on display as he avoided Saul\u2019s posse by seeking refuge with Ahimelech amongst the priests of Nob (2), and he was audacious when he brazenly misrepresented himself to the priest as being on a royal mission (3). He obtained food for his troops\u2014the \u201cshowbread\u201d (7)\u2014and even secured arms, at least for himself (10). It is, indeed, curious that Goliath\u2019s sword was in the possession of Ahimelech. The last we heard of it\u2014and even that, indirectly\u2014was that David had decapitated Goliath, brought his head to Jerusalem, \u201cand his vessels he placed in his tent\u201d (17:54). Assuming the sword was included among the vessels, it is unclear how it got to Nob, although the fact that it was wrapped up with the ephod, a priestly garment, would indicate that it was kept as a holy treasure, as a memento of the miracle in which it had played a role.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fleeting reference to the unnoticed presence at Nob of Doeg the Edomite, Saul\u2019s head herdsman, serves the literary function of a foreshadowing, whose details are provided in the next chapter (2:9 ff.).<\/span><\/p>\n

David\u2019s inventiveness came to the fore when he took on the appearance and behavior of a fool in order to relieve any suspicions that the Philistines of Gath may have entertained about him. Since he was bound to be recognized (if they had post offices, his photo would no doubt have graced every one of them, emblazoned with the legend: \u201cWanted Dead or Alive\u201d), and, indeed, he was: the Philistines could even recite the words to the song that the Israelite women had composed about him, (12), his only recourse was not to deny his identity but to disguise his true self by acting crazy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fact that Achish, king of Gath, muttered \u201cAm I short of fools that you have brought this one to act crazy before me?\u201d (16) may indicate that the presence of fools in Gath was SOP and that David had chosen his role well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Image: The Golden Psalter of St. Gallen (Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 22): David feins lunacy before Achish king of Gath. Psalm 33 (34), late 9<\/span>th<\/span> C., West Francia \/ wikimedia<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":58580,"id":58580,"title":"isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large","filename":"isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/am-i-short-of-fools\/isam21-david-achishgolden_psalter-075-large\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"isam21-david-achishgolden_psalter-075-large","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":58579,"date":"2019-07-01 08:54:46","modified":"2020-10-30 13:25:53","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1061,"height":868,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large-300x245.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":245,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large-768x628.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":628,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large-1024x838.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":838,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large.jpg","1536x1536-width":1061,"1536x1536-height":868,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large.jpg","2048x2048-width":1061,"2048x2048-height":868,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large.jpg","post_full_size-width":1061,"post_full_size-height":868,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large-513x420.jpg","home_baner-width":513,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Am I Short Of Fools?","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"In which we learn that David is pragmatic, audacious, and inventive","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":58580,"id":58580,"title":"isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large","filename":"isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/am-i-short-of-fools\/isam21-david-achishgolden_psalter-075-large\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"isam21-david-achishgolden_psalter-075-large","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":58579,"date":"2019-07-01 08:54:46","modified":"2020-10-30 13:25:53","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1061,"height":868,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large-300x245.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":245,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large-768x628.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":628,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large-1024x838.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":838,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large.jpg","1536x1536-width":1061,"1536x1536-height":868,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large.jpg","2048x2048-width":1061,"2048x2048-height":868,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large.jpg","post_full_size-width":1061,"post_full_size-height":868,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam21-david-achishGolden_Psalter-075-large-513x420.jpg","home_baner-width":513,"home_baner-height":420}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false,"send_noty":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58579"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58579"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":112052,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58579\/revisions\/112052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}