The Establishment of David's Kingdom

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  1. The Solidification of David's Kingdom

    Chapter 5 (III)

    Rabbi Amnon Bazak

    Chapter 5 describes the establishment of David's kingdom through an interesting literary structure. This lesson will explore the structure, discuss the significance of the earlier battles against the Philistines, and the riddle of David's earlier children in Jerusalem.

  2. David

    HaTanakh.com Staff

  3. Tanakh and Archaeology

    Part 8 - The Unified Kingdom

    Rabbi Amnon Bazak

    All agree that in Eretz Yisrael during the period of the monarchy (referred to by archaeologists as the Iron Age II), there was a real upheaval, with a new culture growing upon the ruins of the Canaanite cities. The classic view of biblical archaeology connected this phenomenon with David and Shlomo, whose political and economic power is attested to in Tanakh. However, in recent years this evidence has been rejected by some scholars from the “Lox Chronolgy” school of thought.

  4. Tanakh and Archaeology

    Part 9 - The Unified Kingdom (continued)

    Rabbi Amnon Bazak

    Between 2007 and 2012, excavations were undertaken at Khirbet Qeiyafa in the Ela Valley, discovering the ruins of a large fortified city surrounded by an impressive casemate wall. Burned pits of olives discovered on-site and sent for carbon 14-testing led to the dating of the city to the early 10th century B.C.E. – the period of David. In addition, further discoveries have shown that the city was unquestionably an Israelite – not Philistine – habitation.

    The existence of a Judean city of this size attests to the fact that the wave of urbanization characterizing the transition to the Iron Age II did in fact occur at the beginning of the unified kingdom, and that at the time of David's monarchy, fortified cities already existed in Judea.

    These new findings have had a significant impact, and the supporters of the "low chronology" have been hard-pressed to explain them.

    At the same time, the question of why more artifacts from the period of the unified kingdom have not been discovered to date in Jerusalem must be addressed. It is reasonable to assume that this phenomenon is the result of Jerusalem having undergone continuous construction from the Middle Bronze Age up until modern times, such that it is difficult to find artifacts from the Bronze and Iron Ages. It is relatively easy to find artifacts from destroyed layers of cities, and this explains why findings testifying to the destruction of the Second Temple have been discovered. By contrast, no buildings whatsoever have been found from the Persian or early Hellenistic periods, even though no-one questions the existence of the city during these times.

    Throughout Sefer Shmuel, we find many descriptions of wars, including their geographical and strategic aspects, attesting to a high level of proficiency in this material on the part of the author. It is very difficult to propose that an author during a later period could have provided these descriptions of events, field conditions, and roads which were sometimes far removed from the areas where these books are assumed to have been written.

    The fundamental argument of adherents of the "low chronology" is that the narratives about David were created at a later time, with a view to glorifying the founder of the dynasty. This approach utterly ignores the simple fact that there is no character who is criticized so closely and sharply in Tanakh as David. Why would anyone seeking to glorify the royal house of David and Shlomo want to describe all the difficult and complex episodes involving its first two kings? To date, no satisfactory explanation has been offered for this phenomenon.

  5. Nusach Ha-mikra – Accuracy of the Biblical Text

    Part 7 - Textual Amendments

    Rabbi Amnon Bazak

    An examination of several proposals to amend the biblical text shows that while the amendment might make sense on a superficial level, they miss various literary messages in the text. Therefore, the greatest degree of caution must be exercised in this area.

  6. Who Wrote the Book of Shmuel, and Why it makes a Difference

    Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

    תאריך פרסום: תשע"ה | | Hour and 10 minutes

    If one reads Sefer Shmuel, one may be bothered- how can we sing songs of King David when he did things that are problematic? Why was he chosen for a continued dynasty? And if he is supposed to be a model king, why are there so many negative things about King David in Sefer Shmuel? In this shiur, we hope to answer not only the question of who wrote the book, but the question of what the prophetic purpose of the book is. The prophet can put things in perspective: justifying cases where they king looked guilty but was innocent, criticizing the king for his sins, and highlighting that though flawed, David is a good leader. He admits his sins and repents, is generally humble, has a sensible political domestic and foreign approach and works toward aspirations to elevate the people to be God's nation.

     

  7. Introduction to Sefer Tehillim

    Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom | Hour and 10 minutes

    What is Tehillim? What is the purpose of the book? How does one properly study the book of Tehillim? This lecture discusses the various options as to the purpose of the book, and outlines a methodology for the proper study and approach to mizmorei Tehillim through a close examination of chapter 23. 

  8. Lesson 11: Early Years of David

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    When David’s fortunes reached their lowest point and his prospects looked hopeless, he began actively to prepare his future assumption of the leadership of the nation. He had to exert all his abilities, his diplomatic skill and military prowess, to overcome seemingly superhuman obstacles. He knew the time had come to make a human effort in order to fulfill the divine promise of his kingship. 

  9. Archaeology and United Kingdom of David and Shlomo

    Rabbi Amnon Bazak

  10. Archaeology and David

    Rabbi Amnon Bazak