Brooks takes on one of literature's richest and most enigmatic figures: a man who shimmers between history and legend. Peeling away the myth to bring David to life in Second Iron Age Israel, Brooks traces the arc of his journey from obscurity to fame, from shepherd to soldier, from hero to traitor, from beloved king to murderous despot and into his remorseful and diminished dotage.The Secret Chord provides new context for some of the best-known episodes...

Of all the characters in the Hebrew Bible, few rank higher in our collective consciousness than David, the first king of Israel. David is truly beloved by all, Jews and Christians alike. We revel in the tale of David defeating Goliath, we hear David's voice in the Psalms he is said to have written, and we see in David all the things we want our forefathers to be, as the ancestor of the messiah. And yet for all the glory we attribute to David's legend,...

As the Biblical David lies on his death-bed he looks back on his own, crowded life and tells all.

King David sings his psalms. A world away, King Henry plots. And courtier Thomas Wyatt sees them both, his beloved falcon Lukkes on his arm. David wants Bathsheba. Henry too must have what he wants. He wants Ann, a divorce, a son. He looks up at his tapestry of David and sees a mighty predecessor who defended his faith and took what he liked. But he leaves it to others to count the costs. Among those counting is the poet Wyatt, who sees a different...

" Leap Over a Wall is Eugene H. Peterson's vibrant, insightful, and heartfelt exploration of one of the Bible's most controversial figures: King David. Peterson beautifully elucidates the Old Testament's rich depictions of David's failures and victories, recapturing their excitement and immediacy to reveal David himself as a crucially human example of how we relate to God. A vision brought to life by one of the world's most respected and influential...