“..I was strange to my brothers, and alien to the sons of my mother… They talk about me, those who sit in the gate, and they make melodies about me for those who imbibe strong drink...” (Psalm 69)

The above verses, as well as others and our tradition tells us a ‘problematic’ / questionable roots of King David.  In this post we will go through the verses in the Bible (only!), that might indicate where does it all start.

– The last verses of the Book of Ruth traces David’s genealogy on Ruth’s name, and while doing so, the author returns and traces it on Judah’s name (Judah – Jacob’s son. See below):

Ruth 4: David’s family tree – Judah..Boaz..David

“And Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he was intimate with her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son…And the women neighbors gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they called his name Obed-he is the father of Jesse (Yisahy), the father of David.  And these are the generations of Perez (Judah’s son): Perez begot Hezron. And Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab. And Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmah. And Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed. And Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.

Bereshit (Genesis) 19 – Ruth’s origin, Moab: 

G-d destroy the wicked city of Sodom and Gomorrah, while letting Lot (Avraham’s nephew) and his two daughters to escape. Seeing the destruction of the city that they lived at, the daughters thinks the whole world is doomed, and decides to have children from their father (Bereshit 19:31-32):

“And the elder said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on earth to come upon us, as is the custom of all the earth. Come, let us give our father wine to drink, and let us lie with him, and let us bring to life seed from our father.”” …
(Br’ 19:36-38) “And Lot’s two daughters conceived from their father. And the elder bore a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of Moab until this day. And the younger, she too bore a son, and she named him Ben-ami; he is the father of the children of Ammon until this day.”

Bereshit 38 – Boaz’s origion, the birth of Peretz (Judah’s son):

Yehudah (Judah), Yakov’s (Jacob’s) son has three sons. This chapter brings their story:
Yehudah’s elder son married a woman, but died without leaving any children. That being the case and by the Biblical law his brother was to marry his brother’s widow.  Then the second son also died without having children.  When Yehudah saw the death of his two elder sons, he was afraid to marry his youngest son also to this woman, whom he was afraid was the reason for his children’s death.

The widow, Tamar, after waiting and realizing that being the reason she is prevented from her right to marry the third son, pretend herself to be a harlot, and waits for the opportunity to sleep with her father-in-law, Yehudah.

Three months later, her pregnancy is visible, so Yehudah, not knowing Tammar conceived from him, sentences Tamar to death. She then secretly reveals to him that it is from him, and that she hasn’t been treated properly by Yehudah himself, denied from having children.

Br’ 38:26:  “Then Judah recognized [them], and he said, “She is right, [it is] from me, because I did not give her to my son Shelah.””

Br’ 38:27-29  “And it came about at the time she was giving birth, that behold, there were twins in her womb..and she said, “With what strength you have strengthened yourself!” And he (Judah) named him Perez“