by Kay Wible

Meredith Nyberg, a student in Bethel Seminary’s Master of Arts in Theological Studies program, presented the first-place winning paper in a competition at the Midwest Region meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society held in Chicago this spring.

Annually, the society invites students to submit research papers at national meetings; the top two undergraduate and top three graduate student-level papers are chosen to be presented and judged on research, writing, presentation, and discussion. Nyberg’s paper, “Lads in the Spotlight: Narrative Techniques in 1 Samuel,” was awarded first place in the graduate student division.

Nyberg’s discourse evolved from observations she made during an Old Testament course covering the book of Samuel. “I noticed some interesting narrative patterns in the stories of Samuel, Saul, and David,” she says. “Under the gracious and helpful supervision of Peter Vogt, I designed an independent study class to research and write the paper, which suggests that the author clustered the stories around the main characters Samuel, Saul, and David so they aren’t necessarily told in a linear timeframe, but may overlap in various places.”

The title of Nyberg’s paper comes from the Hebrew word na’ar, which is used frequently in the books of Samuel and is commonly translated as “lad” or “servant.” Nyberg notes that the word seems to be used to contrast obedient and disobedient characters in 1 Samuel, and her paper investigates how the use of the term na’ar may reflect the author’s (whose identity has long been debated) subtle interpretations throughout the book’s stories. For example, David, Jonathan, and Mephibosheth seem to be introduced as unnamed lads before they are identified by name.

Nyberg was humbled by the recognition she received. “I hope people further appreciate the richness and beauty of the narratives of 1 Samuel as a result of my paper,” she says. “What a privilege it is to serve by helping [to] mine the depths of God’s Word!”