Posted on Jul 10, 2014
For my Bible scholars, I would like to engage you with a discussion on who had PTSD in the Bible.
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Saul and David as traumatized warrior kings.
Saul committed atrocities, flew into violent rages,
turned against David and other friends, murdered
priests and holy women. We are told, “The spirit
of God left him, and an evil spirit sent by the Lord
tormented him.” (Samuel 16:14). Traditional cultures
have always known of this wound. They
understood that the wound was also spiritual,
moral and holistic in its essence. For example, the
Sioux people called the wound “the spirits leave
him.” The Xhosa of South Africa call it kanene,
which is, according to paratroop veteran Roger
Brooke, a Duquesne University professor of psychology,
“the warrior’s insight into the depth and
burden that follows him — like your shadow that
always follows you and reminds you of what you
have done.”
Saul committed atrocities, flew into violent rages,
turned against David and other friends, murdered
priests and holy women. We are told, “The spirit
of God left him, and an evil spirit sent by the Lord
tormented him.” (Samuel 16:14). Traditional cultures
have always known of this wound. They
understood that the wound was also spiritual,
moral and holistic in its essence. For example, the
Sioux people called the wound “the spirits leave
him.” The Xhosa of South Africa call it kanene,
which is, according to paratroop veteran Roger
Brooke, a Duquesne University professor of psychology,
“the warrior’s insight into the depth and
burden that follows him — like your shadow that
always follows you and reminds you of what you
have done.”
Posted in these groups: 
PTSD
PTSD
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 20
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Jonah, I'd have some issues after being swallowed by a large fish/whale. PTSD is not locked down to just combat personnel.
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CH (CPT) Heather Davis
SPC Smith:
You are absolutely correct you have childhood PTSD, intergenerational PTSD, and PTSD is a complex trauma.
You are absolutely correct you have childhood PTSD, intergenerational PTSD, and PTSD is a complex trauma.
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LCpl Steve Wininger
CH (CPT) Heather Davis SPC Christopher Smith SSgt (Join to see) How do you approach and talk to someone you think may have childhood PTSD, but they may not be open to hear it?
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SPC Christopher Smith
LCpl Steve Wininger I'm no doctor, but for those people, I'd do what I do for friends whom I believe might be suicidal. Being around at the right time, and sharing your issues sometimes build the bridge for connection. Also respect that we all hall differently. Some people want to numb the pain, others want help. All you can do is be a shoulder to lean on (less paying for a habit). When they are ready to get help be there to help them find it.
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LCpl Steve Wininger
I do not think this person is suicidal, nor do they abuse drugs or alcohol. However, it prevents them from having lasting relationships. I believe the trauma caused in this person's past prevents them from letting others get too close. I can definitely see where this person is living behind self made walls to keep from getting hurt. There are other things, but I cannot go into them in an open forum. I just believe this person's past is preventing them from living life outside the wall.
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Yes!! Humans have been dealing with PTSD forever. Suffering is not because the Spirit of God has left you but we suffer because we are not persistently searching and growing our wisdom of and through Him. The more we educate ourselves on His Word and Believe His teachings the easier it can be to handle life situations/struggles. By giving yourself wholeheartedly to His Plan we can rid ourselves of the shame, worry, stress, and sadness. Through Him we can live a life filled with Joy no matter what the circumstances!!
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CH (CPT) Heather Davis _ I will be taking Anger Management Programs at the end of this month as a prophylactic attempt to help with anxiety and stress-related issues. As well, I know Christ has my back and that is where my ultimate power resides.
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SPC Charles Brown
Well said SSgt (Join to see). We all need the Higher Power in our daily lives. No matter what Religious denomination we are all brothers and sisters. Not just in military service, but in Christ's or whomever you choose to honor, as well.
CH (CPT) Heather Davis I have read my Bible many times and I could say that Elijah had PTSD, but I am unsure. So I will stick with that as my final answer.
CH (CPT) Heather Davis I have read my Bible many times and I could say that Elijah had PTSD, but I am unsure. So I will stick with that as my final answer.
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ST. FRANCIS THE VETERANLike most youths, he wanted to experience the great adventures of his times. He lived a flamboyant adolescent life and feuded with his parents and their wishes. Turning 20, he became a soldier, went to war, then spent a terrible year as a prisoner.Ransomed and home, like so many returnees he continued his wild and restless lifestyle but without fulfillment. Not fitting back into society, he again did as so many others — he re-enlisted. During this second combat tour, he had a spiritual breakdown and vision that sent him home. The veteran rejected his old worldly ways. He donned pauper’s robes and became a penitent. He devoted himself to aiding the poor, disadvantaged, diseased and most needy and to rebuilding abandoned holy sites. He confronted authority figures to live up to their professed ideals and composed prayers praising Creation. Wearing rags, confronting authority, refusing to
conform, rejecting the worldly, serving the neediest —
St. Francis of Assisi sounds like so many disenfranchised veterans of any age. Did St. Francis have what today would be labeled PTSD? Can we understand the holistic and sacred nature of war wounding such that, through our health care and ministry, we might guide its sufferers to vision and service such as is modeled by the soldier who became a saint? — Edward Tick
conform, rejecting the worldly, serving the neediest —
St. Francis of Assisi sounds like so many disenfranchised veterans of any age. Did St. Francis have what today would be labeled PTSD? Can we understand the holistic and sacred nature of war wounding such that, through our health care and ministry, we might guide its sufferers to vision and service such as is modeled by the soldier who became a saint? — Edward Tick
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SPC Charles Brown
After reading this lesson CH (CPT) Heather Davis I would have to say yes he did have to deal with PTSD. Can Spiritual and holistic treatments help others, again yes. There is still more that we can do though. I leave the ideas up to others, but I have my own and they seem to help. God bless
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CH (CPT) Heather Davis You continue to amaze me with your ability to engage those of us in dialog & thought. In some form or fashion, PTSD has been around for all of time.
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In Bereshit Noah is described before the flood as "without fault" after his experience during the flood he plants a vineyard, gets drunk, and is never heard from again. In some rabbinic interpretations that is because Noah's time on the Ark drove him into alchoholism.
I'd also argue that Yael suffered from PTSD, she nailed a tent peg through Sisera's head. That's about as up close and brutal as it gets. I also subscribe to the belief that the Song of Devorah in Judges 5 eludes to Yael's rape and that Judges 4 is a dueteronomical redaction.
There are plenty of others, basically anyone who made it into the bible by name as a protagonist.
I'd also argue that Yael suffered from PTSD, she nailed a tent peg through Sisera's head. That's about as up close and brutal as it gets. I also subscribe to the belief that the Song of Devorah in Judges 5 eludes to Yael's rape and that Judges 4 is a dueteronomical redaction.
There are plenty of others, basically anyone who made it into the bible by name as a protagonist.
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PTSD has had a lot of names over the years:
From "Irritable Heart" to "Shellshock": How Post-Traumatic Stress Became a Disease
When people have suffered a violent or horrifying experience, the trauma can follow them around for years — and we call that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). From soldiers to accident victims to rape survivors, tons of people have found themselves haunted by their terrible experiences.
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From what I can tell, most everyone in the bible has a reason to have PTS if you compare it to today's standards. Moses must've had some bad dreams after ordering the slaughter of most of the Jewish people when he came down from the mountain.
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SPC Nathan Freeman
He didn't order the killing of MOST of them but definitely thousands of them. All combat in those days was up close and personal, hence Numbers 31:19
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One of the most important archaeological finds of modern times was at Ras Shamra on the North Syrian coast (the site of ancient Ugarit). Thousands of tablets were recovered, and among the Canaanite psalms recovered was the expression that had been translated at 2 Samuel 1:21 as “fields of offerings”.
By a slight revision of the text, “fields of offerings” became “upsurgings of the deep” and all was clear. David was saying let nature itself mourn over the death of the mighty Saul. There would be no dew or rain on the mountain where he died. Not even moisture from the hidden springs of the earth, no “upsurgings of the deep”. The Bible was again right after all.
Expressions and Titles Authenticate Scripture
Another criticism leveled against David was that he didn’t write the Psalms. Up until only a generation ago, it was claimed that they were written in the times of the Maccabees, some 800 years later. Now it is recognized that the Psalms of David do indeed date to his time. Expressions used by David have been found in the Caanite writings from Ras Shamra. These expressions had gone out of use by the times of the Maccabees, but were very much in use during David’s day. The discoveries at Ras Shamra have caused scholars to reassess the date of David’s Psalms and to recognize their genuineness.
BSP 1:2 (Spring 1972) p. 53
Archaeology has also given us evidence that 2 Samuel comes from the time of David. Archaeology often throws light on words used, seemingly casually, in Scripture. In 2 Samuel 8:16 the Bible records the title given to one of David’s officers - “Jehoshaphat the Recorder”. The Hebrew word for recorder is mazkir. Its root meaning gives the idea of a man who calls or knows someone, or reminds about something, or reports an event. The exact equivalent of this word has been found in Egypt. There it is used in reference to an Egyptian official who is described as “the one who repeats, calls, announces”. In other words, he was the Pharaoh’s herald. He took charge of the palace ceremonies, and acted as a liaison officer between the king and other officials or the people. He was a sort of public relations officer and as such was the king’s official spokesman.
. Vol. 1: Bible and Spade (1972) Volume 1. 1972 (2) (52–53). Ephrata, PA: Associates for Biblical Research.
By a slight revision of the text, “fields of offerings” became “upsurgings of the deep” and all was clear. David was saying let nature itself mourn over the death of the mighty Saul. There would be no dew or rain on the mountain where he died. Not even moisture from the hidden springs of the earth, no “upsurgings of the deep”. The Bible was again right after all.
Expressions and Titles Authenticate Scripture
Another criticism leveled against David was that he didn’t write the Psalms. Up until only a generation ago, it was claimed that they were written in the times of the Maccabees, some 800 years later. Now it is recognized that the Psalms of David do indeed date to his time. Expressions used by David have been found in the Caanite writings from Ras Shamra. These expressions had gone out of use by the times of the Maccabees, but were very much in use during David’s day. The discoveries at Ras Shamra have caused scholars to reassess the date of David’s Psalms and to recognize their genuineness.
BSP 1:2 (Spring 1972) p. 53
Archaeology has also given us evidence that 2 Samuel comes from the time of David. Archaeology often throws light on words used, seemingly casually, in Scripture. In 2 Samuel 8:16 the Bible records the title given to one of David’s officers - “Jehoshaphat the Recorder”. The Hebrew word for recorder is mazkir. Its root meaning gives the idea of a man who calls or knows someone, or reminds about something, or reports an event. The exact equivalent of this word has been found in Egypt. There it is used in reference to an Egyptian official who is described as “the one who repeats, calls, announces”. In other words, he was the Pharaoh’s herald. He took charge of the palace ceremonies, and acted as a liaison officer between the king and other officials or the people. He was a sort of public relations officer and as such was the king’s official spokesman.
. Vol. 1: Bible and Spade (1972) Volume 1. 1972 (2) (52–53). Ephrata, PA: Associates for Biblical Research.
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CH (CPT) Heather Davis
17David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, 18and ordered that the men of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):
19“Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights.
How the mighty have fallen!
20“Tell it not in Gath,
proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.
21“O mountains of Gilboa,
may you have neither dew nor rain,
nor fields that yield offerings [of grain].
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.
22From the blood of the slain,
from the flesh of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.
23“Saul and Jonathan—
in life they were loved and gracious,
and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.
24“O daughters of Israel,
weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.
25“How the mighty have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
26I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;
you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,
more wonderful than that of women.
27“How the mighty have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!”
Having the unambiguous tokens of Saul’s death—the royal crown and armlet (cf. v. 10)—in his possession, David was overwhelmed by the reality of the royal family’s destruction. Yet as in the case of the author of Lamentations, David’s agony works catalytically. His pain creates one of the most sensitive and moving expressions of mourning ever penned or uttered. Gordon praises the passage as “one of the finest specimens of Hebrew poetry in the Old Testament.”172 David’s words not only express his personal grief, but that of all Israel as well.
1:17–18 David’s “lament” (Hb., qīnâ), entitled “Bow” (v. 2; cf. also v. 22),173 was for both “Saul and his son Jonathan” (v. 17). Though its meter deviates from the unbalanced three-plus-two meter traditionally associated with Hebrew dirge poetry,174 its content places it directly in this category.
David “ordered that the men of Judah be taught this lament” (v. 2), perhaps because of its subject matter, since it paid tribute to Israel’s first royal family and dealt with the larger and ever-relevant issue of loved ones dying in war. David’s decision had the effect of bringing this composition into the canon of literature that defined ancient Israelite society. This piece of oral and written literature played the valuable roles of preserving the memory of a crucial event in Israelite history while reinforcing the office of kingship through its portrayal of the king as the agent through whom prosperity was brought to Israel.
The poem was preserved not only here but also in “the Book of Jashar” (cf. Josh 10:13). This piece of literature, literally entitled “the Scroll of the Righteous,” is no longer extant; it is believed to have been a work that “dealt with the heroic exploits of the Israelites.”175
1:19–20 The mournful tribute to Saul and Jonathan began with a powerful image taken from nature: “The gazelle, O Israel, on your high places has been struck dead” (NIV, “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights”; v. 19). The image of a majestic buck, master of the rugged hills of Israel, lying dead in a place of prominence and seeming protection, vividly reflects the tragic reality of Saul’s death. With the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, it was the case that “the mighty have fallen.”
Adding to the power of David’s poetry is the use of double entendre: the same word translated here as “the gazelle” (Hb. ṣĕbî) also can mean “the glory.” With a single word David praised the Saulide dynasty twice.
Bergen, R. D. (1996). Vol. 7: 1, 2 Samuel. The New American Commentary (289–291). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
19“Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights.
How the mighty have fallen!
20“Tell it not in Gath,
proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.
21“O mountains of Gilboa,
may you have neither dew nor rain,
nor fields that yield offerings [of grain].
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.
22From the blood of the slain,
from the flesh of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.
23“Saul and Jonathan—
in life they were loved and gracious,
and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.
24“O daughters of Israel,
weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.
25“How the mighty have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
26I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;
you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,
more wonderful than that of women.
27“How the mighty have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!”
Having the unambiguous tokens of Saul’s death—the royal crown and armlet (cf. v. 10)—in his possession, David was overwhelmed by the reality of the royal family’s destruction. Yet as in the case of the author of Lamentations, David’s agony works catalytically. His pain creates one of the most sensitive and moving expressions of mourning ever penned or uttered. Gordon praises the passage as “one of the finest specimens of Hebrew poetry in the Old Testament.”172 David’s words not only express his personal grief, but that of all Israel as well.
1:17–18 David’s “lament” (Hb., qīnâ), entitled “Bow” (v. 2; cf. also v. 22),173 was for both “Saul and his son Jonathan” (v. 17). Though its meter deviates from the unbalanced three-plus-two meter traditionally associated with Hebrew dirge poetry,174 its content places it directly in this category.
David “ordered that the men of Judah be taught this lament” (v. 2), perhaps because of its subject matter, since it paid tribute to Israel’s first royal family and dealt with the larger and ever-relevant issue of loved ones dying in war. David’s decision had the effect of bringing this composition into the canon of literature that defined ancient Israelite society. This piece of oral and written literature played the valuable roles of preserving the memory of a crucial event in Israelite history while reinforcing the office of kingship through its portrayal of the king as the agent through whom prosperity was brought to Israel.
The poem was preserved not only here but also in “the Book of Jashar” (cf. Josh 10:13). This piece of literature, literally entitled “the Scroll of the Righteous,” is no longer extant; it is believed to have been a work that “dealt with the heroic exploits of the Israelites.”175
1:19–20 The mournful tribute to Saul and Jonathan began with a powerful image taken from nature: “The gazelle, O Israel, on your high places has been struck dead” (NIV, “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights”; v. 19). The image of a majestic buck, master of the rugged hills of Israel, lying dead in a place of prominence and seeming protection, vividly reflects the tragic reality of Saul’s death. With the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, it was the case that “the mighty have fallen.”
Adding to the power of David’s poetry is the use of double entendre: the same word translated here as “the gazelle” (Hb. ṣĕbî) also can mean “the glory.” With a single word David praised the Saulide dynasty twice.
Bergen, R. D. (1996). Vol. 7: 1, 2 Samuel. The New American Commentary (289–291). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
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