affords a parallel” (Gordon, I and II Samuel, 252). Springtime, which marks the end of the rainy season in the Middle East, assures that roads will be in good condition (or at least passable), that there will be plenty of fodder for war horses and pack animals, and that an army on the march will be able to raid the fields for food (cf. AIs, 190, 251). Less likely is the theory that “the spring” (lit., “the [re] turn of the year”) in this case refers to “a particular historical date (one year after