David

David was the biblical king who unites Judah and Israel and establishes Jerusalem as his capital. Before becoming king he is portrayed as a warrior against Goliath and a commander pursued by Saul; his reign includes wars, court intrigue, family rebellion and disputes over succession.

David was born in Bethlehem and died in Jerusalem. David also held the offices or ranks of King of Israel and prophet. David belonged to the Davidic line and operated within United Kingdom of Israel.

Geraldine Brooks’s The Secret Chord retells David’s life through the prophet Nathan, following him from warrior and musician to king while refusing to separate military charisma from betrayal, sexual violence and dynastic conflict. Angela Hunt’s Bathsheba views David from the household his desire destroys, carrying Bathsheba through Uriah’s death, the loss of her child and the long consequences of the king’s actions. Alistair Forrest’s Line in the Sand returns to the formative David-and-Goliath story and the young fighter’s emergence as a national hero. James A. Michener’s The Source places David’s monarchy within a much longer fictional archaeology of Israelite religion and kingship. Simon Sebag Montefiore’s Jerusalem treats the historical and biblical David as a foundational ruler in the city’s political and sacred memory.