The Kings of Israel

David and Shaul Against the Philistines

In this episode, we witness David stuck in exile among the Plishtim at the very time the Plishtim are preparing to attack King Shaul and the Jewish people en masse.  Yet David is not just in a difficult position with regard the the Philistine King Achish, his host, but also is forced to battle the implacable Amalakites at the same time as the Phishti armies are massing.  Shaul feels the Divine presence leaving him, for the Almighty is silent towards him and his enemies the Plishtim gain courage.  He makes the desperate decision to consult the Witch of Endor, who summons the spirit of the Prophet Shmuel, who in turn delivers a stinging rebuke to King.
contact us at: thekingsofisrael@icloud.com and support us on Patreon: The Kings of Israel Pod

Shaul vs. David: Act Three

In this episode, King Shaul's pursuit of David continues throughout the mountains and wilderness of Israel.  Yet in their dramatic confrontations, the greatness of both Kings of Israel comes to the fore, as their relationship approaches is dramatic culmination.
contact us at: kingsofisrael@icloud.com
 

Shaul vs David: Act Two

In this episode, we witness the power of an evil tongue and a jealous heart of Shaul’s advisor Doeg, as David flees from Shaul first to the town of Nov, the city of the Cohanim, and then into the realm of the dreaded Plishtim (the Philistines) themselves, relying on Divine help to protect him from King Shaul. 

Shaul vs. David: Act One

In this episode of the Kings of Israel, we see the Divine presence departing from King Shaul and causing him great pain while his envy and anger at David’s rising star increases, to the point of murder. And we see within his own family the power of his deep friendship with Shaul’s son Yonatan and the love of Shaul’s daughter Michal for her husband David. The drama deepens. 

The Rise of David

In this episode we are introduced to one of the central figures of the Kings of Israel and indeed the progenitor of King Shlomo and all the Kings of Judah and from whose line as Moshe Rabbeinu prophesizes and as the Almighty promised David, rulership shall never depart.  We see David picked as an unlikely and unexpected choice among his many brothers.  And most dramatically, we see him in battle -- in one of the greatest wartime dramas of all time -- against the Philistine giant Golyat, who in a twist of Divine irony comes from a parallel line of Moabites as David himself through Ruth. The showdown between David and Golyat sets the stage for David's rapid rise in King Shaul's entourage, and the ultimate showdown between those two first Kings of Israel.  Write us at thekingsofisrael@icloud.com.  
 

Shaul's Amalekite Conundrum

In this episode we are introduced to one of the central figures of the Kings of Israel and indeed the progenitor of King Shlomo and all the Kings of Judah and from whose line as Moshe Rabbeinu prophesizes and as the Almighty promised David, rulership shall never depart.  We see David picked as an unlikely and unexpected choice among his many brothers.  And most dramatically, we see him in battle -- in one of the greatest wartime dramas of all time -- against the Philistine giant Golyat, who in a twist of Divine irony comes from a parallel line of Moabites as David himself through Ruth. The showdown between David and Golyat sets the stage for David's rapid rise in King Shaul's entourage, and the ultimate showdown between those two first Kings of Israel.  Write us at ⁠thekingsofisrael@icloud.com⁠ and support us at thekingsofisraelpod.

The War Against the Philistines

This episode begins with the first King of Israel, King Shaul, in an existential fight against the coast-dwelling and sea-going Philistines (Plishtim). In engaging in this desperate and apparently hopeless battle, Shaul grapples with the proper way to relate to prophesy, in this case the prophesy of Shmuel. He also grapples with the proper way to respond to the people's will, the demos in Greek, a forerunner of the tension between leadership and the popular will. Write us at thekingsofisrael@icloud.com and support us at thekingsofisraelpod.

The Rise of King Saul (Shaul)

In this first episode, we are introduced to the great prophet Shmuel (Samuel), who has led the tribes of Israel with great success. Yet now, he is faced with the request by the people to effectively replace him: to appoint a king over them. This creates a spiritual crisis and ultimately leads to the appointment of the great figure of Shaul (Saul) as the first king over Israel. We also meet Shaul's brave son Yonatan (Jonathan), who is to play a key role in the events that follow. In flushing out this story, we rely on the Talmudic insights into the events in question as well as the earlier and later sources from Jewish tradition on this history. This is the key episode that sets the stage for the epic rivalry between Shaul and David that follows. Write us at thekingsofisrael@icloud.com and support us on Patreon at thekingsofisraelpod

The Kings of Israel Trailer

After spending 22 years in the holy city of Jerusalem learning ancient Hebrew and Aramaic texts, David Page, a graduate of Harvard University, the University of Chicago, and the Humboldt Universitaet Berlin, brings you the history of the Kings of Israel as you've never experienced it: Through the lens of the Talmud and the early and late Jewish sources. The result is that the history comes alive, presenting the glory and pathos of the first Jewish kingdoms of Israel and Judah in a way that is historical, spiritually engaging, and entertaining. Write to us at kingsofisrael@icloud and support us at kingsofisraelpod.