Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for House of David Season 1.The end ofHouse of David’s first season was explosive. Not only did David (Michael Iskander) finally slay the giant Goliath (Martyn Ford) after a season of teasing the famous battle of biblical proportions, but the Season 1 finale also foreshadowed coming events that would change the House of Saul forever. While God rejected King Saul (Ali Suliman) back in the first episode, David’s continual rise to royalty has been the main focus of the Prime Video series since. However, there is another who is destined to become king before the young shepherd, and in an unexpected turn,House of Davidended its first season with his coronation.
Eshbaal’s Early Coronation Will Unsettle the House of Saul
Midway through Season 1, we called thatHouse of Davidwas setting up a kingly rivalrybetween David and Saul’s younger son Eshbaal (Sam Otto). Now that Ahinoam (Ayelet Zurer) has had her younger son crowned the King of Israel, believing that Saul is no longer fit to ruledue to the evil spirit still tormenting him, it seems that the Prime Video series has sped up the timetable. However, more than anything,this is going to stir up trouble within the House of Saul first and foremost. For one thing, Saul will not stand this sort of treason. Although he was previously on Eshbaal’s side when Ahinoam ordered their son to be banished from Gibeah duringthe events of “The Song of Moses,“this traitorous turn would likely send the king reeling. We can expect Saul to be even more enraged than before, and even though David is currently in his good graces, the idea that both his son and another Lord’s anointed desire to take his throne will probably turn him more violent than before.
Then there’s the matter of how this will affect Jonathan (Ethan Kai). Ever the servant of the Lord, Jonathan seems to know that David is the one whom Samuel (Stephen Lang) anointed in Bethlehem. Considering this,Jonathan has already come to terms with the notion that he will never be the next King of Israel, so while Eshbaal taking the throne probably won’t upset him in that regard, he will still oppose his brother for David’s sake. OnHouse of David, Jonathan and Eshbaal have never quite seen eye-to-eye. This makes sense given Eshbaal’s continual desire for a more lavish lifestyle while Jonathan has offered his life in service to their father, the kingdom, and God. Their differences are only further enhanced by this new coronation. Eshbaal was willing to exploit his father’s weakness to take power for himself, power that should have rightfully been Jonathan’s, all while his older brother fought for their people.
It’s hard to see Eshbaal as anything more than cowardly, even though he holds himself far more royally now than before. Still, his tactics are questionable and his rule (even if short-lived)will likely cause more harm to his family and his people than if Saul had simply remained king. Will we see a civil war in Season 2? Will Eshbaal give up his power the moment it is challenged? It’s hard to say at this point, but we can assume that there will be more division within the House of Saul now than ever, and it will be interesting to see which sister, Mychal (Indy Lewis) or Mirab (Yali Topol Margalith), falls on which side.
Is Saul and Jonathan’s Shared Vision Foreshadowing Their Fates on ‘House of David’?
There’s more to these visions than meets the eye.
In the Bible, Eshbaal is the Only Crowned King After the Death of His Father
Of course, where this is really going to make things complicated is regarding David’s next steps toward becoming king. Now that he has proven himself a championin the battle against Goliath, David is more valuable to Israel than ever. Based on the Old Testament narrative, we know that, eventually,David and Eshbaal will be in conflict regarding the future of their fractured nation. Saul and Jonathan’s death is ultimately what propels Eshbaal to take the throne, as there is no one else to take it. In fact, Saul had other sons killed at the same time, though they aren’t ever mentioned on the show. Yet, the events surrounding Saul’s death and Eshbaal’s reign happen later in the Bible than where they seem to be occurring on the timeline here. This leads us to wonder, is this truly the official beginning of Eshbaal’s reign as King of Israel, or is this simply a foreshadowing of events to come upon his father’s demise? Hopefully, Season 2 will offer some more answers.
In 2 Samuel, Eshbaal is only king for a few years. During that time, he and David (who was crowned King of Judah after the tribe split from Israel) were certainly enemies, though the latter honors the promise he once made to Jonathan concerning the House of Saul.Though Eshbaal was not anointed by God to be king as he was, David still refused to kill him, having promised Jonathan that he would not raise a hand against his family. How this will end up playing out onHouse of Davidremains to be seen, but there is certainly a lot of potential here. However, considering that the Prime Video series has only covered up until 1 Samuel 17, that means that there are many more stories about David and Saul that the show needs to address before we get to the days of Eshbaal’s true reign.
Thus far,House of Davidhas done an impressive job balancing the present narratives of David, Saul, Jonathan, and Eshbaal while still teasing their respective futures. Be it through distinct visions of their deaths, prophetic utterings by Samuel, or simply well-constructed narrative foreshadowing techniques, there has been considerable (and careful) set-up for the future. Whether you’re a part of the show’s enormous religious audience or you simply loveHouse of Davidas a historical/fantastical period drama, there is a lot to look forward togoing into Season 2, and the sudden crowning of Eshbaalhere in “David and Goliath - Part 2"is an element we could not have predicted, even when comparing the show to the biblical account.
House of Davidis available to stream on Prime Video.
House of David
