Sa mu el 260 battles . The opening formulation for the narrative of the battle in the time of Eli ( 4 : 1 ) , in the preferable reading preserved by the Septuagint see McCarter 1980 b : 103 ) , is very similar to that of the Philistines’ ( war against Saul in 28 : 1 . This similarity is meant to encourage the reader to note the analogy between the two narratives . Both stress Israel’s overthrow in battle at the hands of the Philistines, Eli’s two sons being killed in the first battle and Eli himself collapsing and dying on hearing the news . Similarly, three of Saul’s sons fall in the latter battle and Saul meets his death shortly afterwards . In both narratives, a single messenger brings the terrible news from the battlefield, and these messengers are described in similar terms . The deliberate anal - o g y bet ween the two b a tt l e e p i s o d e s w a s designed by the second author to establish the evaluation that a firm law connects the leader’s con duct with his fate and that of...
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