{"id":58918,"date":"2019-07-07T09:38:37","date_gmt":"2019-07-07T06:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=58918"},"modified":"2023-01-29T17:52:21","modified_gmt":"2023-01-29T15:52:21","slug":"male-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/male-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Male Power"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/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":[834,503],"acf":{"old_id":"58918","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":56282,"related_cahpter":"257","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Fragile, zero-sum, and susceptible to shrewd female interventions","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This chapter is about power. Can men share power, or is it zero-sum? How is power transferred from one person to another, and how do followers change their loyalties? Where is God in all of this?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the opening verse of Samuel 25, we switch protagonists from Samuel, who has just died, to David, who is immediately tasked with negotiating with Nabal, a wealthy man with many sheep.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When word of David reaches Nabal, David\u2019s power is immediately questioned: \u201cNabal answered David\u2019s servants, &#8216;Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many slaves nowadays who run away from their masters'&#8221; (v. 10). As a Jew today, it feels strange to see David\u2019s power doubted, as his narrative spans so much of Tanakh and Jews sing his name weekly in <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>shul<\/em> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and at Shabbat tables.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are two turning points of power within this chapter. When Abigail recounts to her husband, Nabal, the prior events of her intervening with gifts to placate David and his troops, as well as her prophecy that the Lord will grant David victory, \u201c[Nabal\u2019s] courage died within him, and he became like a stone. About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died\u201d(vv. 37\u201338). The news of Nabal\u2019s loss of power is delivered to him by a woman. In reaction to Abigail\u2019s projection and betrayal, Nabal dies inside and is killed by God.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This opens the way for the second transfer, for David to acquire Abigail\u2014a stately woman, a prophetess\u2014as his wife. Abigail seems like a pawn in this transfer of power, moved almost immediately from one man\u2019s possession to another. Yet, we can also see her as the orchestrator behind Nabal\u2019s demise and David\u2019s rise.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This chapter has taught me that male power in Samuel I is fragile and zero-sum. We see Abigail and God\u2019s ability to upend power so easily. Here, male fragility seems both sociological and theological. Nonetheless, it is a toxic paradigm still being called into question today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image: Antonio Molinari, David and Abigail, c. 1690 \/ wikimedia<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":58919,"id":58919,"title":"isam25-Antonio Molinari David and Abigail","filename":"isam25-Antonio-Molinari-David-and-Abigail.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam25-Antonio-Molinari-David-and-Abigail.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/male-power\/isam25-antonio-molinari-david-and-abigail\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"isam25-antonio-molinari-david-and-abigail","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":58918,"date":"2019-07-07 06:38:25","modified":"2019-07-07 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