"Turn Right or Left": Literary Use of Dialect in 2 Samuel 14:19?

Abstract

This article investigates non-standard spelling in two verses in the Succession Narrative, 2 Sam 14:19 and 2 Sam 11:24, and introduces the idea that the author makes literary use of dialect to portray character. Three consecutive words with unusual spelling in 2 Sam 14:19 are tested against linguistic data and identified as a possible depiction of spoken non-standard dialect. Such use of dialect is literary and intentional, as distinct from dialect that occurs in narrative as an unwitting reflection of the writer's own language. Through the use of dialect, the speaking character, the wise woman of Tekoa, can emphasize her own unimportance to protect herself, to avoid being perceived as a threat by the king. By contrast, the possible dialect spoken by Joab's messenger (2 Sam 11:24) carries a different meaning. In that case, the literary use of an awkward hypercorrection of dialect instead illustrates the ineptness of the messenger in conveying Joab's message to the king.