Development of an Icon

The most extensive royal accounts in the Hebrew Bible are those of kings David (the "Succession Narrative," usually identified as 2 Sam 9-20 and 1 Kgs 1-2) and Solomon (the "Solomon Story," 1 Kgs 3-11). Yet, even though Solomon immediately follows David in the Deuteronomistic History, little has been done to correlate these accounts. But what if these passages were meant to be read together? Utilizing the "Double Redaction" theory, Herbst proposes that an exilic "Deuteronomist" inserted the Succ