House of David is Amazon’s attempt to create a biblical epic television series, but what Amazon has actually done is create its own Game of Thrones. Unfortunately, the Bible knowledge of the script pales in comparison to its entertainment ambitions. Episode 4 featured some horrendous applications of the Mosaic law, which the writers of the Script clearly did not read beforehand.
Enter Eshbaal
In House of David, King Saul has a second son named Eshbaal. Eshbaal is a one-dimensional character. He’s a villain and the best way to describe him would be a cross between would be a hedonistic version of Prince Charming from Shrek. This is a character who merely exists to indulge pleasure, to the disgust of those around him, including Saul and Jonathan. This character is pathetic with no qualities that make him a compelling villain because he lacks both martial prowess and intelligence.
Episode 4 focuses mainly on Eshbaal. In an attempt to comfort the king, Eshbaal suggests they go to a tavern to meet women, to Saul’s revulsion. Eshbaal also invents the concept of bread and circuses. Saul rebuffs his attempt to lead this initiative.
The thrust of the plot is that Eshbaal fornicates with the daughter of a nobleman of Dan. Eshbaal hardly mounts a defense against these charges but also refuses to marry her according to the law of Moses.
The tribal leader from Dan invokes the Law of Moses as though it were a trial by combat.
“If a man finds a girl who is a virgin, who is not engaged, and seizes her and lies with her and they are discovered, then the man who lay with her shall give to the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall become his wife because he has violated her; he cannot divorce her all his days..
Deuteronomy 22:28-29
The law does not say what is to happen if a man refuses to comply, to which the nobleman demands Eshbaal be stoned to death. This is creative license because the Law is not exhaustive, but it works. What doesn’t work is every other way the show takes liberty with the Law. Saul’s queen goes full girl boss to fill the leadership vacuum created by Saul’s insanity. She insists that under the Law, both Eshbaal and the nobleman’s daughter would be stoned, which is incorrect. Additionally, this seems to take inspiration from the textual variant in the New Testament.
The next day the queen decides to exile Eshbaal to a refugee city until he decides to pay his debt. This too ignores what the cities of refuge were for. These cities were for manslayers to flee to (Numbers 35). They were not for any other crime, and the elders of the city would determine if manslaughter or murder was committed. A queen could not sentence a man to live in the refugee city permanently, as the manslayer only had to live there until the high priest died. This scene was done “invoking” the Law of Moses, a concept the writers failed to comprehend.
Upon his escort to Endor, Eshbaal is rescued by people who slay his guard. Eshbaal is clearly being crafted as a “love to hate” character, like King Geoffrey Baratheon. Eshbaal is not a boy king, but they are clearly setting up a grand demise.
The Illiterate Poet
David is summoned to Gibeah to serve as King Saul’s bard, creating intrigue in the House of Jesse. This is the B plot of the episode. Despite insisting he is a poet, this David cannot read, and it looks like Saul’s daughter is going to teach him. How romantic. This plot consisted of some of the worst anachronisms in the show, including David having a panic attack and the cheesy flirtatious dialogue. This climaxes when David sings a Song of Moses to Saul’s delight. And while this is compelling, I can’t help but think they are working on a soundtrack to sell.
Other
Perhaps the minor detail that bothered me the most is that Saul’s other daughter has lip fillers because everyone had those 3000 years ago. Abner is called “Lord Commander” as a title, as though it is Game of Thrones. Is it a real title? Sure, but it comes across as derivative in this time period.
Conclusion
The fact that House of David feels derivative actually gives me pause that the writers might know what they’re doing when it comes to entertainment. They at least know how to copy other people’s work, style, and tropes. But they do not know the Bible.
One Response
Eshbaal is Ishbaal, aka Ishbosheth, who acts as King for a bit after Saul’s death in 2nd Samuel. This show is modern Judean propaganda to make him look even worse than the ancient Judean propaganda in 1st and 2nd Samuel. Because the point of the show is to aggrandize David as the greatest man ever and uae him as Zionist propaganda. The point attempting to be made is that the tribe of Judah are godmen, superior to all the other tribes, especially Benajamin, and therefore who cares if the Palestinians have a bit of Israelite dna from the other tribes, they should still be wiped out because those of tribe of Judah extraction are literal gods in the flesh. That’s the goal of the show.