The Hebrew Bible preeminently hails King David in narratives of kingship. Israel's first king, Saul, is interpreted as a weak king whose failings contrast with David's success.

In Reconciling Violence and Kingship, Michelson argues that a literary reading of Judges to 1 Samuel reveals a deep rooted and intentional ambivalence towards kingship, due to its intimate connection with socially permissible violence. Michelson expertly constructs a picture of the difficult emergence of the concept of Kingship in ancient Israel, culminating in its establishment as a sacred institution with the anointing of Saul. Michelson uses a literary method to examine the use of civil and institutionalized violence in the biblical narratives of Abimelech, the Levite and the concubine,...