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.

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.

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

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.