David leads the way in the act of self-dedication, offering a “treasure of his own” (v. 3). The word is segullah, better known in its use to describe the people of Israel as God’s “own possession” (Exod. 19:5). A segullah was a treasure of special importance to an ancient eastern monarch because it was a kind of personal security against times of political hardship or disaster. David’s gift, therefore, is more than simply a gesture of great generosity. (It certainly is that. The figures involved
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