The Poor Man’s Ewe: One Parable or Two?

The book of Shmuel II presents the story of David and Batsheva three times. First we have a description of the incident itself, then the parable that Natan the Prophet tells David about the poor man’s ewe, and then the explanation of the parable that Natan presents to David. However, upon closer examination, we notice that the three accounts of the same event differ from each other, and the parable specifically presents some obvious discrepancies with the actual event. Through a close reading of the parable we notice key details that lead us to a secondary interpretation of the parable, allowing us to view the story, and the character of David, through a different lens.