01_Dubovský_321_346 28/10/14 10:32 Pagina 328 328 PETER DUBOVSKÝ 9,27 or Judg 1,27 (LXX). The location of the second revolt is clear. Menahem came to Samaria and killed Shallum in Samaria 16 (2 Kgs 15,14). The third conspiracy also took place in Samaria, in particular, in the keep of the royal palace (2 Kgs 15,25) 17. By means of these additions the MT emphasized how the con- spiracies and revolts spread around the kingdom. The first coup d’état took place in public, in a place undisclosed to the reader or in Ieblaam (in an unidentified location); the second in the capital; and the third was orchestrated in the safest place of the kingdom ― the keep of the royal palace in Samaria. In sum, conspiracies, intrigues, and murders penetrated the whole kingdom; not even the most protected place of the kingdom ― the keep of the royal palace ― was safe enough to protect the king against conspirators 18. A similar effect of increasing instability penetrating the whole kingdom can be observed by analyzing the details concerning the usurper’s origin. We know the name of Shallum’s father (see below), but no further information about his origin is given. Mena- hem came from the former royal capital Tirzah, and Pekah was Pekahiah’s third man, i.e. the officer of the king’s entourage. Thus, an interesting literary dynamic can be observed: from the unknown background of the first usurper, the reader is introduced to a usurper who represented the local aristocracy of Tirzah, and finally the reader discovers the traitor even among the king’s entourage. The narration time, i.e. the length of the narrative dedicated to single coups d’état, shows that the instability of the Northern King- 16 The MT emphasizes the location “Samaria”, mentioning it twice: “he came to Samaria”, “he struck Shallum, son of Jabesh, in Samaria” (2 Kgs 15,14). This emphasis on Samaria is omitted in Greek manuscripts. 17 It has been suggested to read the expression hyEr>a;h'-ta,w> bGOr>a;-ta, not as two personal names but as the allusion to two protective deities. In this case the intrigues penetrated not only the royal palace, but also the most pro- tected place of the palace; see J.M. GELLER, “New translation for 2 Kings 15:25”, VT 26 (1976) 374-377. For a short review of other possibilities see COGAN – TADMOR, II Kings, 173. 18 Even though the Greek manuscripts offer slightly different readings, they still preserved a similar dynamic. The Codex Vaticanus states that the first coup d’état took place in a location undisclosed to the reader, the second took place in Samaria, and the third in front of the royal palace (4 Regn 15,10.14.25). The Antiochian version also preserves similar dynamics, though more similar to that of the MT: the first coup d’état took place in Ieblaam, the second in Samaria, and the third in the royal palace (4 Regn 15,10.14.25).