McKenzie shows that the story of humble beginnings is utterly 'shepherd' is a metaphor for 'king,' and David came from a wealthy, upper-class background. This David, however, was no hero but a usurper, adulterer, and murderer-a Middle Eastern despot of a familiar type. McKenzie concludes that David was indeed a real person. Through a close and critical reading of biblical texts, ancient history, and recent archeological discoveries, Steven L. But was David a real person-and if so what kind of person was he? Michaelangelo's magnificent sculpture of him is perhaps the single best known work of art in the world, and the story of the humble shepherd who slew Goliath and became king has assumed a powerful mythological status. At the center of this inspiring narrative stands a hero of flesh and blood-not the cartoon giant-slayer of sermons and Sunday school stories or the immaculate ruler of legend and art but a magnetic, disturbingly familiar man-a man as vibrant and compelling today as he has been for millennia.One of the most important and complex characters in the Bible, King David has been the subject of innumerable portraits, both artistic and literary. Weaving together biblical texts with centuries of interpretation and commentary, Jonathan Kirsch brings King David to life in these pages with extraordinary freshness, intimacy, and vividness of detail. Yet for all his greatness, David was also a man in thrall to his passions-a voracious lover who secured the favors of his beautiful mistress Bathsheba by secretly arranging the death of her innocent husband a merciless warrior who triumphed through cruelty a troubled father who failed to protect his daughter from rape and whose beloved son Absalom rose against him in armed insurrection. In a taut, dramatic narrative, Kirsch brings new depth and psychological complexity to the familiar events of David's life-his slaying of the giant Goliath and his swift challenge to the weak rule of Saul, the first Jewish king his tragic relationship with Saul's son Jonathan, David's cherished friend (and possibly lover) his celebrated reign in Jerusalem, where his dynasty would hold sway for generations. Now, in King David: The Real Life of the Man Who Ruled Israel, bestselling author Jonathan Kirsch reveals this commanding individual in all his glory and fallibility.

A charismatic leader, exalted as 'a man after God's own heart,' he was also capable of deep cunning, deceit, and betrayal. His sexual appetite and prowess were matched only by his violence, both on the battlefield and in the bedroom.

King David by Jonathan Kirsch Book PDF Summaryĭavid, King of the Jews, possessed every flaw and failing a mortal is capable of, yet men and women adored him and God showered him with many more blessings than he did Abraham or Moses.

King David by Steven L. McKenzie