21:1–24:25 Review · Epilogues:Like the book of Judges, the two books of Samuel end with nonchronological epilogues arranged in a chiastic A-B-C-Cʹ-Bʹ-Aʹpattern. There are two incidents describing God’s wrath against Israel (chaps. 21, 24) and several short accounts of the victories of David and his men (21:15–22; 23:8–39). Between these two clusters of heroic achievements are two poems written by David praising the Lord for his deliverance (22:1–23:7). Although their overall purpose remains opaque, the function of the two middle sections, David’s song and last words, is transparent, as is that of the final chapter, which prepares for Solomon’s building of the temple in 1 Kings 5–6.

21:1-14 · Because of the possible reference to this chapter in 2 Samuel 16:7–8, it is likely that the Gibeonit…