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David: The Divided Heart (Jewish Lives) Hardcover – Illustrated, September 16, 2014

by David Wolpe (Author)

197

Part of: Jewish Lives (67 books)

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From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a reexamination of the biblical David, legendary warrior, poet, and king, by one of America’s most respected rabbis

"An excellent study of the most fascinating character in the Old Testament."—Wall Street Journal

"A portrait of David that is vibrant and nuanced, full of the complications that marked his life."—Jewish Week

Of all the figures in the Bible, David arguably stands out as the most perplexing and enigmatic. He was many things: a warrior who subdued Goliath and the Philistines; a king who united a nation; a poet who created beautiful, sensitive verse; a loyal servant of God who proposed the great Temple and founded the Messianic line; a schemer, deceiver, and adulterer who freely indulged his very human appetites.

David Wolpe, whom Newsweek called “the most influential rabbi in America,” takes a fresh look at biblical David in an attempt to find coherence in his seemingly contradictory actions and impulses. The author questions why David holds such an exalted place in history and legend, and then proceeds to unravel his complex character based on information found in the book of Samuel and later literature. What emerges is a fascinating portrait of an exceptional human being who, despite his many flaws, was truly beloved by God.

About Jewish Lives:

Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity. Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences. Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present.

In 2014, the Jewish Book Council named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award, the first series ever to receive this award.

More praise for Jewish Lives:

"Excellent" –New York Times

"Exemplary" –Wall Street Journal

"Distinguished" –New Yorker

"Superb" –The Guardian

Part of series

Jewish Lives
Print length

153 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Yale University Press
Publication date

September 16, 2014
Dimensions

8.57 x 6.22 x 0.78 inches
ISBN-10

0300188781
ISBN-13

978-0300188783
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an excellent study of the most fascinating character in the Old Testament."—Wall Street Journal

"How can a man who murders his lover's husband in order to cover up an adulterous affair be fit to be king? . . . Wolpe gently and gracefully explores the many facets—king, sinner, father, lover, and husband, among others—that together create David's outsized personality . . . In the end, the author observes, contemporary readers identify with David so well because he is full of contradictions, and he is great because of this complexity, not in spite of it."—Publishers Weekly

"Engaging . . . Boring has no place in David’s story, or in this lively and thoughtful appreciation of that story."—Los Angeles Review of Books

"A portrait of David that is vibrant and nuanced, full of the complications that marked his life."—Jewish Week

"A lovely book (whose) power is in its artistry."—Walter Brueggemann, Christian Century

"David Wolpe’s fascination with his namesake brings to life in stunning clarity why King David is the most beloved man in the Bible."—Moment

"An estimable book brimming with insight, and an excellent short reworking of the story of the biblical David in a way that both educates and instructs. This book deserves a space in every Jewish library."—Association of Jewish Libraries

Finalist for the 2014 National Jewish Book Awards sponsored by the Jewish Book Council in the Biography, Autobiography and Memoir category

"A sensitive and utterly unsparing reading of the most attractive and least edifying character in the Hebrew Bible."—Jack Miles

About the Author

David Wolpe is the rabbi of the Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. He is the author of seven books, including the national bestseller Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press; Illustrated edition (September 16, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 153 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0300188781
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300188783
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.57 x 6.22 x 0.78 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,109,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,681 in Royalty Biographies
- #3,080 in Old Testament Bible Study (Books)
- #5,796 in Religious Leader Biographies

Customer Reviews:
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4.5 out of 5

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L. Fisher

Such a good book

Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2020

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This is an intelligent, interesting look at the life of King David. The author respects David's good qualities without fawning over him, and the narrative is based on sound information. The book is a very accessible length (and depth) for a Sunday School lesson series, with the one small caveat, that you will need to compose your own study questions...not a difficult task, unless you want lots of them. My group needs only about five per session, easily done. (We are students but hardly scholars.)

3 people found this helpful

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ztmd

David goes HOLYwood:)

Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2014

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WOW!! LOVE this book for so many reasons. This book is a good combination of head and heart, holy and Hollywood! 'David' is an old captivating story of a king, and David, the author, brings it to life in a way that it captures the past, and relates it to modern life and makes it everlasting, just like King David himself. This book is a good read; it makes you think and makes you feel. A 'beloved' book, indeed!

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Claudia R. Dillaire

Powerful, yet problematic

Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2014

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Rabbi David J. Wolpe has undertaken a monumental task in David: A Divided Heart. The book of Samuel, from which the author draws much of his biography, was painted with the broad strokes of ancient writers, the “spin doctors” of their day, trying to colour a problematic life in the best light possible. The rabbi’s beautifully nuanced writing, peppered with insightful quotes from the Tanach, enrich this book tremendously; it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, evocative and powerful. But rather than solving any of the riddles of David’s enigmatic life, the esteemed author has succeeded in adding more questions to the debate.
The vignettes of David’s life portrayed in the book are rife with inconsistencies and leave one puzzled about this shepherd turned king. To illustrate:
Lover and Husband – In order to escape her father Saul’s murderous intents, Michal turns to magic to spirit away her husband. She uses a household idol, generally no more than six inches in height, and places it in David’s bed. This stretches the boundaries of anyone’s reality. Apparently the only sin David did not commit was idol worship, yet his wife has household idols? And how would that idol replace a full-grown man? Perhaps this was added to the David saga to explain his “charmed” existence.
Fugitive – On the eve of Saul’s final battle, Saul turns to the Witch of En-gedi for guidance. Though sorcery is forbidden, Saul also turns to “magical” means against David. What are we to make of this? David, though anointed by God, is not divine, he is a mere human being, and can be defeated by traditional methods. The story seems out of place and out of character, even for the melancholic Saul, as if it too were added by a later writer to bolster David’s image and add credence to David’s ascension to the throne.
Fugitive – When it becomes apparent David will succeed Saul as king, Jonathan pledges his allegiance to David and declares he shall serve him as viceroy. David remains silent and that very silence speaks volumes. Rabbi Wolpe posits several reasons for this, but does not include the possibility David already has in motion the demise of his friend. Those who threaten David’s rise to the throne seem to meet untimely ends, whether through extraordinarily-timed heart attacks, as with Abigail’s husband, or in battle, as with Jonathan, Saul, and Uriah.
The Sinner – This is one of David’s defining moments. A king, walking the parapets of his palace rather than joining his troops, spies a lovely woman bathing on a rooftop. The story goes on to tell Bathsheba is the wife of David’s friend and captain, Uriah the Hittite. David does not seem to know this woman, yet he does know he must have her. How could he not know the wife of his friend? And, with the palace that close to his friend’s home, had he not seen her in the past? Even in a hot desert environment, bathing was not an activity performed on rooftops in the ancient world, but sleeping was. So, had David seen his captain and his wife previously, on the roof of their home? David summons her to the palace and what transpires nearly topples David’s empire. Much has been speculated as to his motives, and her devotion, yet the story remains timeless in the annals of great passionate affairs.
Father – David’s children certainly have learned much from their tainted father. Amnon desires his half-sister Tamar and devises a ruse to have her. Knowing others in the household may question his motives, Amnon asks his father to send Tamar to attend his sickbed, though he is not really ill. David, always inattentive to his children, delivers his daughter into the hands of her rapist. That the ancient writers did not sanitize or edit this out of the Tanach lends truth to the story; what is most disturbing is that David does nothing to right this injustice and punish his son. What does this say about David’s character and his role as father, not only to his own family, but to his nation?
Death of a King – At the end of David’s life, his successor is still unclear. When Adonijah, David’s older son claims the throne as his, Bathsheba comes to him and reminds David of his promise to her; Nathan, the prophet, bolsters Bathsheba’s story and claim of a promise. Whether real or imaginary, it is not inconceivable to believe this promise may have been how David lured Bathsheba when he first summoned her, the arc of this love story coming to fruition. David would not have been the first ruler to have lied for his own lust, so how hard is it to imagine him whispering to the frightened Bathsheba: “Lie with me and I shall make you a mother of kings!”
But, all of this is mere speculation, though with few ancient sources to call upon, much of our knowledge of ancient rulers is still speculation. We may never fully know the life of David, with only the Biblical tale as fact to guide. Rabbi Wolpe has done a masterful job lighting some of the dark corners and hidden passions of this intriguing king, hero of Israel. Yet, masterful as it is, it still leaves us with an unsettled feeling. Whether saint or sinner, king or shepherd, David: The Divided Heart is a book to read, and more than once.

20 people found this helpful

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Neil P. Reid

Superb And Scholarly Treatise

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2018

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A superb treatise written by Rabbi Wolpe. The research and writing style makes this work a joy to read and consider. The story of David and his very complicated relationships with Saul and others is a must read for those who love the scriptures. Strong recommend for this book.

One person found this helpful

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Kathryn

Scholarly and ready to read

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2021

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This is a well written, interesting book about King David. It is scholarly and at the same time ready to read. I gained new insights to David and his time.

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Miriam C. Jacobs

I know it is evidence of poor editing - his editors do not know what they ...

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2016

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Wolpe's biography is an enlightening read, but the writing collapses in many places, more and more as the book progresses. I know it is evidence of poor editing - his editors do not know what they should know about written English. However, it undermines the confidence I feel in the work. If Wolpe makes mistakes I can easily recognize, what mistakes has he made that I'm not aware of? How can I really trust what he says? It's also highly disturbing to me that this book is part of a Yale series on great Jewish lives. This fact means Yale editors - Yale! - did not review the proof, possibly not even the manuscript, before they published the book. It says they don't really care, but just want to get the book out there, add something - anything - to the series, which is worse than slop - it's bad ethics.

5 people found this helpful

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generallysatisfied customer

Challenging Analysis of King David's life and Reign

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2017

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This biography of David should be read together with Halberstam's The Beginning of Politics. Wolof in a recent article criticizes Halberstam's analysis, but I find the two books complement each other. Very worth reading, both of them!

2 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

They are so often useless rehashing of popular but highly disputed conventional wisdom

Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2014

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I am a history buff but usually get very turned off by most history written on Biblical subjects. They are so often useless rehashing of popular but highly disputed conventional wisdom. Wolpe's treatise is a rare exception. He writes with respect for the historical and religious perspectives but takes an approach very similar to Abarbanel (highly respected medieval Biblical commentator) which allows him to bring in relevant psychological analysis without negating the clear religious intentions contained in the books of Samuel and Kings. Wolpe also makes his work highly readable. You feel the complex character of David and really appreciate - despite all of his foibles - how extraordinary a king he was compared to all others of his times. No kings in those days allowed "religious fanatics" to embarrass them in public by bringing attention to their wrong doings. David does and is haunted by his own actions. Yet he is not incapacitated by them as was Saul. Quality reading.

20 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Joseph Myren

AWESOME

Reviewed in Canada on October 19, 2023

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AWESOME

jessica

good value for money

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2020

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This book David the Divided heart was an amazing book .
I really enjoyed every word of this book
All of it was fascinating and though I usally skip some pages in a book I did not skip anything in this book .
I give it a five star five out of five
and would recomend it highly to people interested in characters of the bible .
and history in general

sailor46

Revealing, insightful, pragmatic

Reviewed in Canada on November 29, 2014

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Coming from a fundamentalist background, this book was so refreshing to read. So much of what I was taught was gentle shepherd boy, who in his adult life did one very bad thing (adultery) but genuinely sought God's forgiveness...and all is well that ends well. The story of David is one of great complexity. To his last instructions to Solomon, the man David remains an enigma. What David Wolpe has so masterfully done break the story apart and delve into the underpinning of the story and look at the potential why's of what happened. Great read. Well done David Wolpe

Truth Quest

Average

Reviewed in Canada on October 16, 2019

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The book is okay, but there is not a lot here that you can't get from a careful reading of the accounts in Samuel and Kings.

The book is, overall, a summary of these accounts with some good points and some questionable assumptions.

Mark Buchanan

Beautifully Written & Rich in Insight

Reviewed in Canada on April 24, 2016

Verified Purchase

A wise and thoughtful summary of the David story. Wolpe displays a familiarity with the vast literature on David, but eschews scholarly fads and speculations in favor of a close reading of the text. Beautifully written and rich in insight, this is a must-read for David fans and scholars alike.

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