" Polzin's] book... will profoundly affect biblical scholarship for at least a generation." --Frank Kermode

" A] suggestive and rich book, written in a clear and witty style." --Marc Z. Brettler, The Journal of Religion

"Literary commentary at its best." --Adele Berlin

..". brilliant... Polzin's] splendid work deserves consideration by all serious students of 2 Samuel." --The Catholic Biblical Quarterly

The figure of David is the focus of Polzin's provocative new reading of 2 Samuel. Polzin makes a strong case for a complex yet coherent picture of the monarchy within Israelite theology as he demonstrates the literary artfulness and ideological sophistication of the Deuteronomic History.