Avraham Faust and Zev I. Farber, "The Bible’s First Kings: Uncovering the Story of Saul, David, and Solomon" (Cambridge UP, 2025)

Saul, David, and Solomon are among the most influential—and most contested—figures in the Hebrew Bible. The biblical narratives portray them as rulers of an expanding Israelite polity that eventually divided into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Yet how much of these accounts reflects historical reality? Did the United Monarchy truly exist, and what can archaeology tell us about Israel’s earliest kings?