David, Jether, and Child Soldiers
David’s enthusiasm for killing ‘this uncircumcised Philistine’ (1 Sam. 17.26, 36) contrasts with Jether’s refusal to kill Zebah and Zalmunah (Judg. 8.20). David’s victory over Goliath lives in cultural memory as a famous victory of youth over experience and weakness over strength. Jether’s reluctanc...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
2011
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Year: 2011, Volume: 36, Issue: 2, Pages: 185-197 |
| Further subjects: | B
Killing
B Child soldiers B Jether B Goliath B David B Warfare |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Electronic
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| Summary: | David’s enthusiasm for killing ‘this uncircumcised Philistine’ (1 Sam. 17.26, 36) contrasts with Jether’s refusal to kill Zebah and Zalmunah (Judg. 8.20). David’s victory over Goliath lives in cultural memory as a famous victory of youth over experience and weakness over strength. Jether’s reluctance to kill is almost entirely forgotten. The widespread celebration of the youthful David’s heroics overlooks aspects of the text that characterize David negatively, implicitly denigrates Jether, and tacitly endorses child soldiering. This article contrasts David and Jether and correlates their narratives with information about child soldiers in ancient Israel and the modern world. |
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| ISSN: | 1476-6728 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0309089211423715 |