Not "who is on the Lord's side?" but "whose side is the Lord on?": contesting claims and divine inscrutability in 2 Samuel 16:5-14 - 152

Second Samuel 16:5-14 is an important text for defining the character of both King David and Yahweh, the God of Israel.

In this scene, the points of view of the various speakers battle for control of the narrative, attempting in turn to align their perspective with some aspect of what has been revealed earlier about Yahweh in the larger biblical story.

Shimei, relative of the dead King Saul, paints David as a murderer and under a divine curse.

Shimei presents himself as God's instrument of truth and vengeance.

Abishai, David's nephew, first paints Shimei as a seditionist worthy of death, and then David as a kind of moral weakling who has lost his previous vigor and resolve.