Beginning where he left off in his volume on 1 Samuel, Campbell unpacks the wealth of insight inherent in 2 Samuel by paying close attention to the literary structure of the book. Following a comprehensive introduction, the commentary carefully analyzes the major sections of 2 Samuel and each passage within them. In the process, Campbell reveals the diversity of views that existed in Israel’s traditions and highlights the primacy of theology over history in Israel’s thinking.
This volume in the FOTL commentary series shows an imaginative and well-informed push beyond form criticism into newer, more dynamic methods of interpretation. Antony Campbell is a master of this narrative material and is able to exhibit the deep artistic character of the text, making for a most welcome and fresh read. His commentary is informed on critical data but lingers with that data only in order to see the artistic force of the text itself.
—Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary