The antimonarchic editorial voice of I Kings presented a darker side of this
passionate nature, epitomized by his passion for married women, which peri-
odically led him morally astray. When he was smitten by Abigail, he
intimidated her husband until the latter suffered a fatal stroke, at which point
David married her. More infamous was his illicit affair with Bath Sheba, a
married women whom David seduced and impregnated while her husband,
Uriah the Hittite, was fighting at the front. When Uriah returned from the
front, David hoped that husband and wife would copulate, thus covering up
the illicit affair and pregnancy. When Uriah refused to lie with Bath Sheba –
either because he was suspicious or because the dictates of holy war inhibited
embattled husbands from cohabiting with their wives – David sent Uriah
back to the front with a bellerephonic letter in hand to be delivered to Uriah’s
commanding officer. In accordance with the instructions of the letter, Uriah
was sent to the heaviest fighting, where he died in combat. At this point,
David and Bath Sheba married. Soon after, he was censured by Nathan the
prophet, and the child born to Bath Sheba died within a few days.
Similarly, the antimonarchic editor contrasted the unity that David
imposed on the monarchy with the dysfunction of a royal family that was torn
to shreds by conflict and vengeance. The rape of David’s daughter Tamar by
her stepbrother Amnon, described in I Kings, set in motion a series of aveng-
ing acts that left several of David’s sons dead. The conflicts within the royal
family led to two revolts by David’s sons against him. Twice David was forced
to flee. More significant perhaps was the fact that his rebellious sons found
support among disgruntled constituencies from within what had been the
leadership of the tribal confederation. This dissent would remain muted for
another generation, but resurface after the death of Solomon.
The narratives regarding David and Solomon, whose successive reigns
comprised the period of the United Monarchy, are an amalgam of pro- and
anti-monarchic editorial voices. In tandem, David and Solomon represent
both the strengths and ideals of Israelite heroism, and the principal short-
comings and failures of Israelite kingship. Both were younger sons who
overcame their elder sibling’s pride of place, Solomon through direct
confrontation with Adoniah. David’s military successes and prowess, more
reminiscent of Esau than of Jacob, were balanced by his accomplishments as a
poet-minstrel whose music soothed even the mania of King Saul. Solomon’s
diplomacy and wisdom were held by later generations in as high esteem as
David’s military conquests. By the same token, David’s familial squabbles
and Solomon’s accommodating attitude toward foreign influence anticipated
the two weaknesses of the Hasmoneans.
As a king, Solomon built on the successes of his father. He extended the
regional influence of the United Monarchy by marrying the daughters of the
king of Egypt and of every other important leader in the region. Among
other things, this stabilized all four borders, particularly the southern border
with Egypt.
The world of the Hebrew Bible 13