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Telushkin call this idea “slanderous.” They completely refute the idea that David was gay, or more accurately bisexual, since he had plenty of wives, arguing that the verses simply describe an extraordinary platonic friendship between two men who loved each other as brothers. Others have tried to read between the lines and say it was more than that. Given the unconditional condemnation of homosexuality throughout Hebrew scriptures, it is difficult to imagine that this particular “abomination” would have been over-looked had it been true. But David sure got away with a lot and came out looking squeaky clean. Did David’s biblical “spin doctors” gloss over this particular “sin” and leave David’s numerous heterosexual dalliances as proof of what a macho guy he really was? It’s a question that goes unsettled.

Did King David even exist?

Until recently, asking this question was akin to asking if Odysseus or King Arthur was real. Heroic characters, celebrated in song and epics, they were undoubtedly based upon somebody, and the facts were embellished over time. Until 1993, there was no historical or archaeological evidence outside the Bible to substantiate the existence of an Israelite king named David. That changed with the discovery of a wall fragment found at Tell Dan on the headwaters of the river Jordan. The Phoenician script carved in stone appears to refer to “the king of Israel” and the “House of David.” Although this single inscription in a piece of wall that was broken and reused has provoked considerable scholarly disagreement, it is still widely accepted as the first mention of a Davidic dynasty outside the Bible.

After Saul’s death, David consolidates power within his own tribe of Judah and the intensity of the palace intrigues and tribal infighting increases. David goes to war with Saul’s surviving son, Ishbaal. At the same time, Ishbaal (also called Ish-bosheth) is caught in a power struggle with one of his generals who has slept with one of Saul’s concubines, an attempt to stake a claim to the throne. The general defects to David, who presses Ishbaal for the return of Michal, his first wife, who has been given to another man. Ishbaal is then assassinated. With this coup, David is accepted as king by the northern tribes of Israel. He further solidifies his power with victories over the Philistines and then selects Jerusalem as the site of his capital. A small and previously obscure Canaanite town, Jerusalem is an excellent strategic and political choice. Occupying high ground at a crossroads with highways running in four directions, Jerusalem is virtually impregnable from assault on three sides and contains a perennial water supply from the Gihon spring. The choice of Jerusalem is politically astute because it was not affiliated with any of the tribes. David then strengthens the significance of the “city of David” by moving the Ark of the Covenant there, making Jerusalem the center of worship of Yahweh.

David celebrates this triumphant moment with a frenzied, ecstatic dance. But his first wife, Michal, now back in his household but clearly no longer in love with David, does not approve of David’s doing the “Full Monty.” She complains that David had “uncovered himself today before the eyes of his servants’ maids as any vulgar fellow might shamelessly uncover himself.” In other words, he had been dancing naked. David, clearly disinterested in his first wife, tells her he will dance all he wants. A poignant loser in every way, Michal is left childless, either because she is barren or because David will no longer sleep with her.

BIBLICAL VOICES

“Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle.” (2 Sam. 11:15 KJV)

PLOT SUMMARY: DAVID AND BATHSHEBA

In his famous and often misquoted 1887 remark, Lord Acton said, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

King David proves no exception. The “Sweet Psalmist” becomes an adulterous murderer whose power makes him believe that he is above the law and eventually is responsible for the death of one of his own sons.

The problems start when David