Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for House of David Episodes 1-3.
Despite being an age-old story, the new Prime Video biblical epic House of David is full of surprises. Created by Jon Erwin and based on the classic Old Testament tale, the series masterfully adapts the story of King David (Michael Iskander), starting from his humble beginnings as a shepherd. With an exciting three-episode premiere, the series starts with a bang, and it’s only just the beginning of David’s many adventures. There’s a lot to dig into with these episodes — “A Shepherd and a King,” “Deep Calls to Deep,” and “The Anointing” — so let’s dive right in.
Episode 1 Pushes David and Saul Toward Their Respective Destinies

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Set in the Kingdom of Israel (which is really Greece) in 1000 B.C., House of David opens with a scene from the famous battle between David and Goliath (Martyn Ford). As David charges the giant, spears are hurtled at him, and when one grazes him, he’s knocked to the ground. But instead of picking up where that leaves us, the narrative hops back one year to Bethlehem (Tribe of Judah), where David watches over his father Jesse’s (Louis Ferreira) sheep, playing music on the lyre as he does. Unfortunately, he’s not the only one watching as a lion, nicknamed “the old king,” has returned. David — already an outcast within his father’s home due to his late mother, Nitzevet (Siir Tilif) — is blamed for the loss of a few lambs. When the lion returns later, it attacks Avva (Rada Rae), David’s niece, but David and Jesse manage to protect her. When the lion leaves, David goes after the beast, ignoring his father’s protests. He tracks the lion to its cave and bravely enters. “Fear is the enemy,” he says. “Fear is a thief.” Wandering in the dark, he recites words from the Book of Joshua (“be strong and courageous”) before encountering the old king. David battles the lion, and eventually wins, taking its claws as proof of its defeat.
But while David is slowly becoming a warrior, rising toward his ultimate destiny, Israel’s greatest warrior wages a different sort of war. One for his sanity and the kingdom. In Havilah, the Battle of the Amalekites wages, as King Saul (Ali Suliman) of the Tribe of Benjamin and his men, including his son Jonathan (Ethan Kai), are victorious over the vicious Amalekites, a cannibalistic people who have plagued Israel for years. Although the prophet Samuel (Stephen Lang) had told Saul on God’s behalf not to take spoils from the Amalekites and to kill their wicked King Agag (Jeremy Xido), the king instead chains him up to humiliate him. But after the battle, Jonathan is taken away from the carnage by reports that a nearby border village, Baal Hatzor, was attacked by the Philistines. Upon investigation, he discovers a young boy named Reuben (Teym Joseph), who witnessed the attack. It turns out, a giant was also present. Jonathan recalls words from the days of Noah in the Book of Genesis, “there were giants on the earth in those days, and also after.”
Upon returning to the Gilgal Encampment, Jonathan reunites with his mother, Queen Ahinoam (Ayelet Zurer), sisters Mychal (Indy Lewis) and Mirab (Yali Topol Margalith), and estranged brother Eshbaal (Sam Otto), whom he is disappointed in for not coming to battle. More than that, he blames Eshbaal for being a bad influence on their father, keeping many of the cursed idols, weaponry, and objects of the Amalekites. Later, Jonathan reunites with his father, expressing his fears about the giants. “Giants have not roamed these lands since the days of Joshua,” Saul tells Jonathan. But things turn sour when Jonathan questions Saul’s actions with Agag, evoking Samuel’s commands against him. Saul notes that he’s appeasing the leaders of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and would rather do so than appease the seer. Unfortunately, Samuel soon arrives and discovers Saul’s disobedience. Heartbroken, he meets with Saul privately to tell him that although he once loved him like a son, he will be severely punished. “Because you have rejected the word of the Lord your God,” he says, “the Lord rejects you as king.” Samuel tells Saul that the Lord’s Spirit is removed from him and that he will be tormented instead. Then, Samuel kills Agag, leaving to find the next king of Israel.
David Has a Desire for Adventure in Episode 2

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Episode 2, “Deep Calls to Deep,” begins with a flashback to David’s youth. Here, young David (Raphael Korniets) and his mother, who is a seer herself, sing the Lord’s praises during the sunrise. Afterward, she tries to teach him to hear from God the way she does, listening with more than her ears. Tragically, we learn that the lion from before nearly killed David as a child, and that Nitzevet stepped in to save him. Before she dies, Nitzevet tells her son that God told her what he would become. Afterward, Jesse tells David to leave and tend the sheep, because he cannot see him and grieve. Years later, David returns home, and though Jesse punishes him for defying him, Avva is comforted that her fears are no more. That night, a wedding is held, and the princesses, Mychal and Mirab, arrive to bless the union. Mirab has no desire to be there, but Mychal wants to dance, and eventually, she’s enraptured by David’s music. The two get to talking until Joab (Aury Alby), David’s cousin and an official in Saul’s army, interrupts. Joab has eyes for Mychal, and he can tell that David does as well.
The next day, David’s brothers, Eliab (Davood Ghadami), Abinadab (Naby Dakhli), and Nethanel (Aziz Dyab) watch as David impressively uses his sling. Wanting to go into battle with them, he tries to wager with Eliab. If he can hit two pots with one stone, Eliab will have to talk with Joab about letting him in. “David, you are a poet and a shepherd, you are not a man of blood,” Eliab says, noting that he won’t defy their father, who has forbidden David to enlist. But seeing David’s desire to fight alongside his older brothers, Eliab takes him to Baal Hatzor — the village Eliab visited with Jonathan earlier — to see the carnage that war breeds. However, they are not alone. Soon, Philistine soldiers show up, and Eliab and David are separated. David soon encounters King Achish (Alexander Uloom), the Philistine lord, who taunts him with the Hebrew legend of the Sons of Anak, giants born from the mixture of human women and fallen angels. David narrowly escapes Achish’s arrow and finds Eliab. The two fight their way out (well, mostly Eliab), but upon leaving the village, Achish shoots Eliab from afar, wounding him severely. Though Eliab urges his brother to leave him behind, David tells him that he’s stronger than he thinks, carrying him home.
Back at the Fortress of Gibeah, the Capitol of Israel, Saul returns to his right mind. He tells his wife, Ahinoam, and cousin, Abner (Oded Fehr), that Samuel intends to anoint another king in his stead. Saul tells Abner to have Samuel followed, and Ahinoam discreetly adds that he should slay the entire house of the one whom Samuel anoints. Still troubled by previous events, Jonathan — who is also grieving his young love (Thalia Sykioti) — struggles to reconcile the man his father is now with the one he was. Saul berates Jonathan’s love of Samuel (and his trust in God), noting that one day he will be king. That night, Saul wanders the halls like a madman, waving a sword around and nearly killing Jonathan before Abner can stop him. Ahinoam is distraught at what her husband has become. Meanwhile, Achish, who hates Saul because he killed his family years earlier, fails to convince the five Philistine armies to join his cause.

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“The Anointing” Further Examines King Saul’s Madness

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“The Anointing” begins with Saul experiencing a horrible vision. He sees blood, his throne burning, and his son, Jonathan, dead in battle. Samuel appears in his dream, telling Saul to let go of what is no longer his: his crown. Saul claims that Israel is still his kingdom, and he throws his spear at Samuel. The problem is, in reality, he kills his young servant Josiah (Luzian Gupta) with a spear instead, much to the horror of his entire family. It’s clear that Saul’s madness is getting worse, as he is plagued by the evil that’s upon him. Meanwhile, Abner hires Doeg the Edomite (Ashraf Barhom) to track Samuel down, and Ahnioam does damage control with Josiah’s mother. Though Saul grieves over his actions, Ahnioam blames Samuel and begins to seek out other means, through Abner, to heal her husband. This takes her to Besai (Eden Saban), a priestess of Baal who claims she can help cure the king by redirecting his curse. The priestess performs a ritual that ends with her seeing the vision of a lion. Evidently, the ritual works, as Saul is seemingly in his right mind again. At least right enough that he can sit and reclaim his throne.
Elsewhere, Achish seeks out the giants who helped attack Baal Hatzor in the Valley of Giants, which is decorated with human skulls and bones that form a pyramid. Upon finding a massive door in the side of the mountain, Achish enters knowing he may not return. Here, he meets Orpah (Sian Webber), and asks for an alliance between Gath and the giants, offering vengeance against Israel in return. She agrees, and introduces the Philistine lord to her sons, namely Goliath. Elsewhere, Doeg is hot on Samuel’s trail as the prophet and his apprentice, Silas (Nimo Hochenberg), travel to Bethlehem. However, Samuel makes Silas promise not to follow him to the village, as it could mean death for him if anyone found out that a new King of Israel was anointed. But after Samuel ventures into Bethlehem, Silas is left alone when Doeg arrives, and the Edomite wastes no time torturing the prophet’s ally for information of his whereabouts.
In Bethlehem, David returns with Eliab and prays viciously for him. When he goes back to check on his brother, Jesse is able to remove the arrow and cauterize the wound, but blames David for all of this. When David apologizes, Jesse says, “I do not need apologies, only obedience.” David plays the lyre to try and sooth his brother’s pain. Later, he goes back to watch over the sheep, singing to them. Unbeknownst to him, Samuel has arrived at his father’s house, there under the pretense of “making a sacrifice” with them. Samuel asked that all of Jesse’s sons be brought together, and all but David were. So, when Samuel goes to see which one is right for anointing, he is left confused. Eventually, the seer discovers that David is missing, and Avva is sent to collect him. David arrives as Samuel introduces himself. When he lays hold of David, the prophet sees a vision of a lion. “I came expecting a great warrior, and yet, God does not see what man sees,” Samuel tells David. “When this day is through, you will be something entirely new.” With that, Samuel anoints David with oil and reveals that, because the young shepherd’s heart seeks after God, he has been chosen as the next King of Israel.
New episodes of House of David drop every Thursday on Prime Video.

House of David

The three-episode premiere of House of David ushers viewers into a new, thrilling biblical epic.

Release Date

February 27, 2025

Network

Prime Video

Cast

Pros & Cons

David is portrayed as a complex character, and Michael Iskander does a phenomenal job.
The downfall of Saul is both tragic and well-done, highlighting his own pride while maintaining the spiritual horrors he faces.
There are thoughtful and engaging battle sequences throughout.
The lore behind the biblical giants is quite engaging.

Some of the side characters, like Mychal, Joab, and Eshbaal, ought to be expanded on more.