I’m honored to have been invited to present at an online conference, “How did Benjaminite and Judean memories shape the stories of David and Saul? Contested Narratives of David and Saul,” hosted by Dr. JiSeong James Kwon of the Nehemiah Institute and Yonsei University’s Institute of Christianity and Korean Culture (ICKC), January 27–29, 2026.
My paper is entitled: ‘His Words Fell to the Ground’: Saul’s Unreliable Speech in First Samuel, the Social Contract, and Leadership Polemics in the Persian Period.
Abstract: This paper examines the portraits of leaders in First Samuel against the backdrop of tribal relations in the Babylonian and Persian periods. From the beginning of his public life until his death (and even in the afterlife), the Ephraimite prophet Samuel, who eventually anoints Benjaminite Saul and Judahite David in turn, is known as a leader of whom “none of his words fell to the ground” (1 Sam 3:19). By contrast, Saul’s characterization is someone who pronounces a great many words that do not come to pass, and he improperly nullifies the true speech of other characters. This lack of faith between Saul and the people culminates in his loss of legitimacy and the breakdown of the social contract—implicit, and written in the Torah (1 Sam 22:2, 7–8). By contrast: the character David does lie, deceive, and pronounce words that do not come to pass—but every instance is portrayed as fidelity to the social contract. These characterizations constitute a polemic against “unreliable” Benjaminite leadership in a period of contested leadership in Yehud. This is analyzed through the lens of political economy and social contract theory, including the notions of implicit and explicit agreements, law and legislation.
Details are linked below. Attendance at the conference is free, but you must register in advance.
think hard, think well 