David of Jerusalem

by Louis de Wohl, Elisabeth Abbott (Translator)

Of all the heroic figures of the Old Testament, few are more arresting than David, the shepherd boy who was destined to rule Israel, and none is such an appealing mixture of jubilant joy in the Lord, greatness and human frailty. Now, in the hands of Louis de Wohl, the old and well-loved story of David takes on a new freshness and excitement.

It begins with the momentous day when the boy is anointed by the prophet Samuel continues through his years of service to King Saul, the splendor of his own long reign, the disillusion of age, and finally the hope and recognition of the promise eternal. Here are Jonathan, the princess Michol, Abner, Urias, and Solomon; and here, too, are the joys and sorrows of David's life, especially his overwhelming love for Bathsheba and his betrayal by his favorite son.

Based on the Biblical account and the author's own research into Hebrew history,"David of Jerusalem," rounds out but never does violence to the original story. In depth of understanding and love for the Jewish people, in craftsmanship, in sheer excitement, it is a fitting culmination for Louis de Wohl's extraordinary career.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Romance

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Mr. de Wohl was a Knight Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and his wife (nee Ruth Magdalene Lorch, whom he married in 1953) is a Lady Commander of the same Order. His fifty books include The Living Wood (Lippincott, 1947), Imperial Renegade (id., 1950), The Restless Flame (id., 1951), Throne of the World (id., 1949; published in England as Attila), The Golden Thread (Lippincott, 1952), The Second Conquest (id., 1954), Set All Afire (id., 1953), The Spear (id., 1955), and St. Joan, the Girl Soldier (Farrar, 1957) in the Vision Books series.

Reviews

[Mary Elizabeth]

My grandfather recommended this one. Louis de Wohl’s books are a fun way to read a bit more about the saints lives and I certainly enjoyed learning more about King David. However I enjoyed his other works more than this one—particularly The Spear!

[Jorge Ulises]

Me ha fascinado este libro. Louis de Wohl escribe muy bien y la historia del Rey David es apasionante. Un libro con ritmo, te atrapa la trama y respeta los hechos narrados en la Biblia.

[Moonlight]

Louis de Wohl riesce a far rivivere l'antico re Davide, in una biografia che inizia da quando, pastorello, viene unto dal profeta e nessuno ne comprende il motivo...
Il giovanissimo Davide, famoso per aver sconfitto il gigante Golia, affronterà molte altre imprese in cui risulterà vittorioso e per le quali agirà sempre al fine di soddisfare la volontà del Signore.
Ne risulta il ritratto non di un super eroe, ma di un uomo anche fragile, in balìa delle proprie passioni, - come nella vicenda con Betsabea, moglie di Urìa l'ittita, che Davide manderà a morire in guerra per poterla tenere con sé - ma che cercherà poi sempre di tornare al compito a lui assegnato dal Signore, quel Signore che saprà trarre il bene anche da una storia peccaminosa: il re che succederà a Davide sarà infatti il saggio Salomone, figlio nato da Betsabea.

[Karen]

Although I've read David's story in the Bible several times now, I always had trouble following the various side characters who betrayed him, as well as the progress of the battles he engaged in, especially in his flight from Saul. De Wohl's book brought it all to life and helped me keep the characters straight in my mind with very little "embellishment" of the basic story. Every one of the de Wohl biographies I've read have been superb and this was no exception.

[Shoggothey]

Miałem nadzieję, że po wielu pozytywnych opiniach będę zachwycony, a szczerze się zawiodłem. Pominięcie bardzo wielu wątków i spłycenie tak bardzo niektórych elementów mnie rozczarowało. Autorowi dam jeszcze szansę, ale tym razem bez żadnych oczekiwań.

[Aimee Glez]

David of Jerusalem

[Lourdes]

Termine este libro en un día. Saquen sus propias conclusiones. Si bien no se de estrategias militares, ni tampoco soy experta en personajes bíblicos, esta historia me atrapo desde la primera pagina.

[Marian Bart]

I appreciate this author’s work and did want to imagine David’s story but it just got to be so much about battles… which I should have anticipated… but still.

[Alessandro Basso]

Se anche uno non volesse conoscere questo Dio che parla a Davide ed è il suo sostegno in ogni prima, dopo la lettura di questo libro correrà tra le sue braccia (e senza paura di essere bigotto!)!

[Nina]

Mit diesem Buch kann man auf unterhaltsame Weise die Bibel besser kennen lernen. Dem Autor ist es gelungen aus dem Leben König Davids einen spannenden Roman zu machen. Diese ständigen Kriege und Ermordungen haben mich allerdings gestört. Aber ich glaube, das war früher einfach so. Was für ein Glück, dass ich jetzt lebe und nicht früher!

[Ellie Austin]

**3.5 stars