Contradictions
2 Samuel
Old Testament · questions that cite 2 Samuel.
Showing 1–24 of 30
These marks echo where critical scholarship tends to land on each question — not GEBible’s own ruling.
Seen as a contradiction
Genuinely disputed
Seen as reconciled
Leans toward reconciliation
Scholarly consensus: Leans toward reconciliation
The tension: Job 15:14, Isaiah 64:6, and Romans 3:10 deny anyone is righteous — all our righteousness is as filthy rags, there is none righteous, no, not one.
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Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
The tension: Exodus 30 and Numbers 1, 3, and 26 have YHWH explicitly commanding Moses to take multiple censuses of Israel — the Sinai census, the Levite census, the firstbo…
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Genuinely disputed among scholars
Scholarly consensus: Genuinely disputed among scholars
The tension: Dozens of texts describe YHWH as merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abundant in loyalty — Exodus 34:6, Deut 4:31, the Psalms, the prophets, the New Testament l…
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Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
The tension: Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, Titus 1:2, and Hebrews 6:18 declare flatly that God cannot lie.
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Leans toward a genuine contradiction
Scholarly consensus: Leans toward a genuine contradiction
The tension: 1 Samuel 7:1-2 says the ark stayed at Abinadab's house in Kiriath-jearim for twenty years.
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Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
The tension: 1 Samuel 17 credits David with killing Goliath of Gath.
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Genuinely disputed among scholars
Scholarly consensus: Genuinely disputed among scholars
The tension: 1 Samuel 18:27 says David killed 200 Philistines and brought back their foreskins to Saul as the bride-price for Michal.
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Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
The tension: 1 Samuel 22:20, 23:6, and 30:7 consistently identify Abiathar as the son of Ahimelech.
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Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
The tension: 1 Samuel 15:7-8 says Saul utterly destroyed all the Amalekites with the edge of the sword.
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Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
The tension: 1 Samuel 31:4-6 and 1 Chronicles 10:4 say Saul committed suicide by falling on his sword.
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Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
The tension: 1 Chronicles 10:6 says "Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together." 2 Samuel 2:1-7 then has Ishbosheth — Saul's son — made king of Israel…
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Leans toward a genuine contradiction
Scholarly consensus: Leans toward a genuine contradiction
The tension: 2 Samuel 3:3 names David's second son born in Hebron as Chileab, son of Abigail.
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Leans toward a genuine contradiction
Scholarly consensus: Leans toward a genuine contradiction
The tension: 2 Samuel 3:2-5 lists David's six sons born in Hebron as Amnon, Chileab, Absalom, Adonijah, Shephatiah, and Ithream.
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Genuinely disputed among scholars
Scholarly consensus: Genuinely disputed among scholars
The tension: 2 Samuel 12 narrates the birth of Solomon as the immediate replacement child after the death of Bathsheba's first son, implying Solomon is her second son.
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Leans toward a genuine contradiction
Scholarly consensus: Leans toward a genuine contradiction
The tension: 2 Samuel 6:6 locates Uzzah's death at "Nachon's threshingfloor." 1 Chronicles 13:9 locates the same event at "the threshingfloor of Chidon." Both texts describ…
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Leans toward reconciliation
Scholarly consensus: Leans toward reconciliation
The tension: 2 Samuel 8:4 says David captured from Hadadezer a thousand chariots and seven hundred horsemen.
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Leans toward a genuine contradiction
Scholarly consensus: Leans toward a genuine contradiction
The tension: 2 Samuel 10:18 reports David killed 700 men in chariots and 40,000 horsemen of the Arameans/Syrians.
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Leans toward reconciliation
Scholarly consensus: Leans toward reconciliation
The tension: 2 Samuel 15:7 reports Absalom's rebellion begins "after forty years." 2 Samuel 5:4 states David reigned only forty years total.
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Leans toward reconciliation
Scholarly consensus: Leans toward reconciliation
The tension: 2 Samuel 17:25 identifies Amasa's father as Ithra "an Israelite." 1 Chronicles 2:17 identifies him as Jether "the Ishmaelite." The discrepancy is both in the f…
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Leans toward a genuine contradiction
Scholarly consensus: Leans toward a genuine contradiction
The tension: 2 Samuel 14:27 says three sons were born to Absalom.
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Leans toward reconciliation
Scholarly consensus: Leans toward reconciliation
The tension: 2 Samuel 6:23 states Michal had no child to the day of her death.
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Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
The tension: 2 Samuel 21:19 says Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim killed Goliath the Gittite — the same Goliath whom 1 Samuel 17 credits David with killing.
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Genuinely disputed among scholars
Scholarly consensus: Genuinely disputed among scholars
The tension: 2 Samuel 22:21-25 has David claiming the LORD rewarded him according to his righteousness and the cleanness of his hands.
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Genuinely disputed among scholars
Scholarly consensus: Genuinely disputed among scholars
The tension: 2 Samuel 23:1-7 explicitly introduces a poetic oracle as "the last words of David," a Spirit-inspired psalm of righteous kingship.
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