But the subterfuges of the heroes of Genesis are nothing next to David’s.

The Bible’s authors certainly knew their Bible. At times of drama, they artfully deploy linguistic and thematic motifs from other biblical books to illuminate the textual unity of the Tanakh and give us keys for how to read its stories.

Today’s chapter is a stunning example. Its heart is the moment when Saul recognizes David, holding a shred of Saul’s cloak in his hand. David shows Saul that he could easily have killed him a moment earlier in the cave and that Saul’s suspicions of David’s hostility are therefore baseless. Saul admits the truth and breaks down in grief and contrition.

In recounting this encounter, the author unleashes a blizzard of references to stories in Genesis.

First, after David’s speech protesting his innocence, Saul answers in amazement, “Is that your voice, my son David?” (v.16) echoing Isaac’s “the voice is the voice of Jacob,” when his younger son comes to him disguised in Esau’s clothes. Then in the same verse, Saul “lifts up his voice and weeps,” the exact words used to describe Esau’s weeping in the same Genesis story when he realizes that Jacob has taken his blessing.

Second, Saul then says to David, “you are more righteous than me.” (v.17) These are almost the precise words that Judah uses in Genesis 38 when confronted by his daughter-law Tamar. She had also disguised herself; at that moment Judah recognizes that his suspicions of her were false.

Third, Saul admits “you did me good, but I did you evil,” (v.17) reminding one of Joseph’s words to his brothers, “while you thought to do me evil, God thought to do good.” (Gen. 50:20) Here is yet another story of self-revelation after Joseph has disguised himself from his brothers.     

Fourth, David holds out the piece of Saul’s cloak up as evidence of his guiltlessness, as Potiphar’s wife holds up Joseph’s cloak. To her husband this is testimony to his guilt, but to readers it is evidence of his hasty flight and innocence.

What are we to make of this excess of intertextuality? The Genesis stories show people who dress up, dissimulate, hide and sometimes morally compromise themselves in pursuit of a larger kind of justice, truthfulness or integrity. They raise hard questions about the elusive nature of authenticity and the limits of deception to pursue justifiable ends. Their denouement involves simultaneously the recognition of someone who has been disguised and the acknowledgement of that person’s basic honesty despite the accommodations they have made with a tricky reality.

In his flight from Saul’s murderous rage, David has lied to Ahimelech that he is on a mission from the King, pretended to be a madman, and arguably through another deception, been indirectly responsible for the massacre of the priests of Nob. The subterfuges of the heroes of Genesis are nothing next to David’s. By placing David in their company, the author suggests that despite all, the integrity of the future king, expressed in his unmistakable voice, still remains.  

Yedidya Sinclair is a Jerusalem-based rabbi and economist, and is Senior Rabbinic Scholar at Hazon.

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