{"id":59633,"date":"2019-07-17T16:31:58","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T13:31:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=59633"},"modified":"2023-02-07T18:34:49","modified_gmt":"2023-02-07T16:34:49","slug":"play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/play\/","title":{"rendered":"Play"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In our chapter, David with his wives Ahinoam and Abigail and soldiers, settles in Hebron, where the men of Judah anoint him their king (2:1-4). But Abner, Saul\u2019s army commander, has taken Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul and made him king over all Israel (verses 8-9). Abner and the soldiers of Ish-bosheth marched out, meeting Joab son of Zeruiah and the soldiers of David. They confronted one another at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat on one side of the pool, and the other group on the other side of the pool. Abner said to Joab, \u201cLet the young men come forward and play (vi-sahaqu<\/em>) before us.\u201d \u201cYes, let them,\u201d Joab answered. They came forward and were counted off, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth and twelve of David\u2019s soldiers. Each one grasped his opponent\u2019s head [and thrust] his sword into his opponent\u2019s side and they fell together. And that place was called Helqat Ha-Tzurim <\/em>(\u201cThe Field of Flint Swords\u201d) (verses 12-16). Because all twenty-four young swordsmen died, so that neither side could claim symbolic victory without an engagement of all the two armies, a fierce battle ensued that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were routed by David\u2019s soldiers (verse 17).<\/span><\/p>\n

We have here a dramatic and tragic example of what came to be known as \u201cswordplay\u201d. It is curious that Scripture refers here to this kind of fatal fighting as \u201cplay\u201d (the basis meaning of the root S-H-Q). In many languages, including Hebrew, the word for \u201cplay\u201d is used to refer to the \u201cplaying of children\u201d, \u201cplaying a role\u201d in a \u201cplay\u201d \u2013 all activities that generally have less fatal results.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the basis of what Abner says to Joab in our chapter, \u201cLet the young men come forward and play before us\u201d (verse 14), the Midrash (Genesis Rabbah 53:11) comments that \u201cplay\u201d refers to the spilling of blood. An apparently later Midrashic work (Seder Eliyahu Rabbah, Chapter 13) launches into an extensive diatribe against \u201cplay\u201d, which it includes among other bad behaviors such as \u201cidle talk\u201d (sihah<\/em>) and \u201cflippancy\u201d (tiflut<\/em>). For as Rabbi Akiva says (Avot 3:17): \u201cPlayfulness (sehoq<\/em>) and levity (qalut rosh<\/em>) lead a man to sexual transgression (\u2018ervah<\/em>)\u201d. The Midrash goes on to depict God as sitting on His Throne of Glory, one third of the day He reads Scripture and recites Mishnah, one third of the day He imposes judgement and one third of the day He sustains the entire world. Thus, God has little time for \u201cplay\u201d (but compare Psalms 104:26 and Talmud Bavli Avodah Zarah 3b).<\/span><\/p>\n

These aggadot<\/em> clearly take a dim view of \u201cplay\u201d. However, the Aggadah itself is said to have \u201ca playful countenance\u201d (panim sohaqot la-aggadah<\/em> — Pesiqta\u2019 de-Rav Kahana\u2019, Ba-Hodesh Ha-Shelishi 25). So, let us rejoice in the \u201cplayfulness\u201d of the Aggadah, while avoiding the more destructive and even dangerous possible consequences of \u201cplay\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Image: \u201cIsrael and Judah at War,\u201d The Morgan Crusader Bible of Louis IX (Maciejowski Bible) – Upper register, Folio 36 verso<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":59637,"id":59637,"title":"2sam2-joab-abner fighting","filename":"2sam2-joab-abner-fighting.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam2-joab-abner-fighting.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/play\/2sam2-joab-abner-fighting\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"2sam2-joab-abner-fighting","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":59633,"date":"2019-07-17 13:31:46","modified":"2022-12-12 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