Dr. Trumbull's opinion has already been cited that there are certainly
"gleams of romantic love from out of the clouds of degraded human
passions in the ancient East," in the stories of Shechem and Dinah,
Samson and the damsel of Timnah, David and Abigail, Adonijah and
Abishag. But I fail to find even "gleams" of romantic love in these
stories. Shechem said he loved Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah,
but he humbled her and dealt with her "as with an harlot," as her
brothers said after they had slain him for his conduct toward her.
Concerning Samson and the Timnah girl we are simply told that he saw
her and told his father, "Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well"
(literally, "she is right in my eyes"). And this is evidence of
romantic love! As for Abigail, after her husband has refused to feed
David's shepherds, and David has made up his mind therefore to slay
him and his offspring, she takes provisions and meets David and
induces him not to commit that crime; she does this not from love for
her husband, for when David has received her presents he says to her,
"See, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person."
Ten days later, Abigail's husband died, and when David heard of it he
"sent and spake concerning Abigail, to take her to him to
wife.... And she rose and bowed herself with her face to the
earth, and said, Behold, thine handmaid is a servant to wash
the feet of the servants of my lord. And Abigail, hasted,
and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers
that followed her; and she went after the messengers of
David, and became his wife."
And as if to emphasize how utterly unsentimental and un-Christian a
transaction this was, the next sentence tells us that "David also took
Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they became both of them his wives."