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The Prophets

    Eli 
  • Curse: Through the wickedness of his sons, Eli lost favor with God and it was prophesied that all men in his family will be ruined. The priests of Nob, most were his relatives, were killed by Saul and his youngest son Abiathar, David's high priest, was exiled by Solomon for supporting a rival to the throne.
  • Death by Falling Over: After hearing of his sons' death, he fell from his chair and broke his neck. To be fair, he was already very old.
  • Heroic BSoD: Caused him to fall out of his chair and break his neck. Also caused his newly-widowed pregnant daughter-in-law to go into labor prematurely.

    Samuel 
The Lord called Samuel: and he answered, "Here am I".

  • Cradle To Grave Character: The Books of Samuel begin with Hannah praying to bear a son, a prayer that is answered as the prophet Samuel is conceived and born to her. The first book then follows Samuel's tutelage under Eli, his reign as a Judge, and his relationship with the first kings of Israel. As David starts to step up as a hero, Samuel dies of old age, only to reappear from beyond the grave thanks to the intercession of a medium.
  • Decoy Protagonist: He has 2 books named after him but he dies before the end of the first book and is replaced by David.
  • Last of His Kind: The last of The Judges.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: The people respect his choices and words, even when he comes on strong. There is little opposition to him, although Saul pushes the boundaries once he becomes the king. Most of what Samuel calls Saul out on are examples of ignoring God's Word, and Saul wanting to ignore that for his own gain.
  • Used to Be a Sweet Kid: As seen below, he was a Waif Prophet and loyal servant of Eli. Unlike other examples, he does not become evil, but quite formidable, decapitating the King of the Amalekites who Saul spared and terrifying the latter even from beyond the grave.
  • Waif Prophet: started as one, when he was a child. It was the promise his mother made with God in exchange for his existence that he would spend his life in God's servitude.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: He rebukes Saul for only partially obey the divine command to utterly wipe out the Amalekites (which included their finest animals, which Saul spared).

    Nathan 

House of Saul

    Saul 
"For rejecting The Lord's command, He has rejected you as king!"

  • Better to Die than Be Killed: He fell on his own sword, because he did not want his enemies to abuse and mock him.
  • Beauty Is Bad: He is described as being a beautiful king, although that was when he was young and heroic and he could have fallen into I Was Quite a Looker.
  • Broken Ace: Saul (particularly in his prime) was tall, strong, handsome, and a great warrior. He was also plagued with jealousy, paranoia, and some sort of demonic spirit that affected his mood and sleep - and would probably be categorized as a mental illness nowadays.
  • Driven to Suicide: At the end of 1st Samuel, when he was badly wounded in the battle with the Philistines, he tells his armor-bearer to slay him so that his enemies wouldn't make sport of him, but since his armor-bearer refused, Saul falls upon his own sword and dies, and so also does his armor-bearer. An Amalekite who goes around Robbing the Dead comes to King David with the personal effects of King Saul and tells the story of him having to slay Saul when he was badly wounded in battle, hoping to get a reward for the cool loot he had taken. However, the only reward the Amalekite gets is to be killed by King David himself, since according to David the Amalekite testified by his own mouth that he had killed "the Lord's anointed".
  • Fallen Hero: He was good at first, but let his ego get the worst of him.
  • Go Mad from the Revelation: He didn't take kindly to the fact that God was going to replace him.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Was mortally jealous of David.
  • Heel Realization: After being spared by David he seems to realize he is acting cruelly and selfishly and even admits that David is more righteous than he. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to last and he ultimately becomes a...
  • Hypocrite: Had all magic users purged but went to a witch to summon the spirit of Samuel for advice on his what would turn out to be his final battle.
  • Ignored Epiphany: Admitted that he had treated David evilly and that David had been good to him, but he went right back to trying to kill him.
  • Large and in Charge: He was noticeably taller than all the other people around.
  • Mercy Kill: According to a young soldier David spoke to he initially survived his wounds on the battlefield suffering great pain until begging the soldier to finish him off. He did so, which David kills him for.
  • Offered the Crown: They don't call him King Saul for nothing.
  • Old Soldier- Died fighting at 72.
  • Punished for Sympathy: He was rebuked by Samuel for sparing Agag and the best of his animals and thus, God rejects him as King of Israel.
  • Refusal of the Call: Was actually scared to be king. He hid when Samuel tried to present him to the people.
  • Ungrateful Bastard: David shows him nothing but kindness and understanding and spares his life several times. How does he repay David for this? By continually trying to kill him of course!
  • Uriah Gambit: Ur-Example, he used it on David before David named it.

    Jonathan 
"Your love was greater than that of a woman's!"

  • Ambiguously Gay: Due to his closeness to David, it has been speculated that he might be attracted to David. In the book, it is not explained if they are just friends or if at least one of them is attracted to the other.
  • Conflicting Loyalty: Was caught between his father's insane paranoia of his best friend David and his loyalty to his friend
  • Dropped a Bridge on Him: Despite being a very important character in the First Book of Samuel as well as David's best friend, he is abruptly killed off in battle alongside his brothers and father with very little fanfare.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With David. See above quote from 2 Samuel. Could be that the text was referring to the close bond of friendship between the two, but still...
  • Nice Guy: Unlike his father, Jonathan was a good man who didn't have a bad bone in his body.
  • Tragic Hero: Doomed simply Because Destiny Says So.

    Abner 

  • Don't Make Me Destroy You: Abner loses a battle against David's forces (led by Joab) and is forced into retreat. Joab's brother Asahel (specifically mentioned as being a fast runner) gives chase and tries to run him down. Abner warns him to back off. Asahel doesn't. Abner skewers him. Drama and revenge ensue.
  • The Man Behind the Man: Implied he becomes this, counseling Saul's son Ishbaal.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Abner offers his services to David after Ishbaal accused Abner of sleeping with one of Saul's concubines.
  • Hypocrite - Goes on a rant to Ishbal about his accusations of treachery then makes a treasonous correspondence with David.
  • I Am X, Son of Y/Shaped Like Itself: He is introduced as "Abner, the son of Ner." Rather humorously, his name can be roughly translated as "my father (is) Ner."
  • The Starscream: Sleeps with one of Saul's concubines, showing he had ambitions for the crown.

House of David (also includes wives, children, and nephews)

    David 
And David danced before the Lord with all his might.

  • 20 Bear Asses: Although he only needed to bring back 100. Unless the other hundred were for Jonathon.
  • An Aesop: David is an example of a man of God on what not to do. After committing adultery and having Uriah killed, then taking Bathsheba as his wife, God actually cuts him off until he repents. David is still devoted to God, but when God let his first born die after fasting, David stops fasting and continues with his lifenote . It's not until the end of his life that he realizes he lost God's favor, and David is forgiven.
  • Ambiguously Bi: The story about him falling for Bathsheba is definitive proof that he liked women, but his relationship with Jonathan has been seen to have homoerotic undertones.
  • Antagonist in Mourning:
    • David's the protagonist, but when his opponent Saul dies he still goes further than most in mourning a man bent on killing him.
    • He wept hard for Absalom too. It's understandable though, as he was his son.
  • Anti-Hero: He always does what is right. But when he decides not to...
  • The Atoner:
  • Awesome Moment of Crowning: An Amalekite claimed to have killed Saul and handed David Saul's crown, implying that he owes being king to the Amalekites. David instead kills him for murdering the king.
  • Badass Bookworm: He was a harp virtuoso and psalmist who also knew how to beat up men and beasts much bigger and stronger than himself.
  • Badass Boast: Tells one to Goliath before killing him:
    You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.
  • Badass Israeli: The original. The "Star of David" is the frame of his shield. As a teenage shepherd, he had to regularly kill wild beasts that would try to prey on his flock. Then he collected 200 Philistines Foreskins, killed Goliath and became a badass king. He's also a Warrior Poet, a portion of Book of Psalms was written by him, which contains his repentance after inventing the Uriah Gambit as well as a Prayer of Malice against the nations going after him.
  • Balanced Harem: Had one of these. (It's good the be the king!) It's still not enough to stop his cheating heart, though.
  • Big, Screwed-Up Family: His family! Amnon rapes his half-sister, Absalom kills Amnon and then plots sedition against his father, Adonijah plots to take over the kingdom when David was near death and no successor was officially named, and most of David's other sons just go along with the whole thing like it's no big deal.
  • Break the Cutie: In his last days, he is described as "no longer feeling warmth". A stark contrast to the happy well-adjusted shepherd boy he once was.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle: Killed Goliath with a single stone, then cut his head off with his own sword.
  • Downfall by Sex: His greatest mistake started with this. He saw a woman named Bathsheba bathing when he was looking out on his city one night, they slept together, and he had her husband killed to hide the fact that it got her pregnant in the Trope Namer for the Uriah Gambit. A number of family problems would ensue after this, culminating in his son Absalom's rebellion and Adonijah attempting to proclaim himself king close to David's death.
  • The Dreaded: To the Philistines. It's bad enough that he killed their champion and slaughtered tens of thousands of them. Then he decided to go for their junk all to prove his love for Michal.
  • Feeling Their Age: At one point, he becomes too old and too frail to fight in combat.
  • Founder of the Kingdom: Fits the mold better than Saul, who was more of a warlord. Also, it is his dynasty that rules in Israel for several generations.
  • Heroic BSoD:
    • What he suffers when told that Jonathan and Saul kicked it. Self-inflicted Clothing Damage included.
    • He gets another one after the death of Absalom followed by a What the Hell, Hero? speech from one of his generals for mourning his enemy and hating the men who fought for him.
  • Humble Hero: He admits his wrongdoings and he recognizes his human frailty.
  • Intimate Healing: When David was old, he could not get warm, so they got a young girl named Abishag to care for him, which included snuggling up beside him. Oddly, their relationship was not sexual.
  • Kid Hero: Given Saul's description of him as a youth, he was probably still in his teens when introduced and when he kills Goliath.
  • Kick the Dog:
    • See Uriah Gambit.
    • Not punishing Amnon for raping his half-sister Tamar. Some texts say he didn't because he was the firstborn.
  • Manly Tears: He was a formidable warrior who cried quite a lot.
  • Multiple-Choice Past: The book can't quite decide whether he was part of Saul's court before the fight with Goliath or just happened to be visiting his relatives at the time. It seems to alternate. He has two different first meetings with Saul described.
  • Murder the Hypotenuse: The hypotenuse being poor Uriah.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Very narrowly averted; The only thing that stopped David from wiping out Nabal's house when he insulted him was quick thinking on Abigail's part. David snaps out of it and thanks God that he was prevented from having such blood guilt on his hands.
  • My Greatest Failure: The whole Bathsheba incident.
  • Noble Fugitive: Sort of. He was just a shepherd boy, but was anointed as the king of Israel by the prophet Samuel. Unfortunately, Saul was still the king, and was not very excited about this. David eventually ends up on the run from Saul.
  • Obfuscating Insanity: Did this while in exile before he was crowned king when the King of Gath (Goliath's hometown) recognized him as an anti-Philistine guerrilla warrior.
  • Outdoor Bath Peeping: Infamously saw Bathsheba bathing on the roof.
  • Offered the Crown: Again, he's King David.
  • Outliving One's Offspring: His two sons Amnon and Absalom were killed in his lifetime long before his own death.
  • The Paragon Always Rebels: Subverted. When he was on the run from King Saul, he pretended to serve the Philistines but was really attacking Israel's Enemies.
  • Parents as People: Though David loved his children as a father should, he was a flawed parent in spite of it. The Bible mentions that he was very angry when he had heard what Amnon had done to Tamar, but did not punish him for it, either because Amnon was his eldest son or because it would be hypocritical of him to do so since the incident shortly happened after his affair with Bathsheba came to light. He refused to see Absalom for a while after he murders Amnon, but was also mentioned to have yearned for his third son all the while in a state of depression. Even after Absalom rebels against him, he refused to have him killed and was devastated when he heard that Joab had him executed anyway despite his orders.
  • Pintsized Powerhouse: David was the runt of his family.
  • Polyamory: Michal and Bathsheba were just the start; he had eight total plus concubines.
  • The Purge: Killed all the men in Saul's family (except Jonathan's son) eligible for succession and forced Saul's daughter Michal to marry him again to force an alliance with the former royal family. His last wishes (textually, if not chronologically) were for Solomon were to kill Joab and Shimei, steward of the house of Saul.
  • Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: 1 Samuel, 17:46. "This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you...!".
  • Pretty Boy: "And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance."
  • A Protagonist Shall Lead Them: The central narrative of the Books of Samuel is David’s ascent from being an overlooked shepherd boy in his father Jesse’s home to Israel’s greatest king.
  • Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: His "Mighty Men" were mercenaries and outlaws who joined him during his years as a fugitive.
  • Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: David had the men who killed Ishbal (Saul's heir apparent) executed. He also killed an Amalekite who had attempted to curry favour with him by falsely claiming to have killed Saul, declaring that he deserved to die for slaying the Lord's anointed.
  • Rightful King Returns: Part of the conditions for the Jewish Messiah is being of his bloodline. Given David is estimated to have lived 3000 years ago, had something like 18 wives and concubines, and one of his sons had somewhere around 1000, that's a good chunk of the population, or no-one at all.
  • The Runt at the End: King David was significantly smaller and less important-looking than his brothers.
  • She Is Not My Girlfriend: David had a young girl as a ward in his old age who everyone thought was a concubine. One of his sons even asked to marry her, perhaps to subtly lay a claim to the throne. David always denied any claims of her being more than his nurse of sorts.
  • Suffer the Slings: Goliath found out the hard way just how deadly they can be.
  • Trope Namer: With Goliath.
  • Tragic Hero: His sins cause God to decree that he will never know peace as long as he reigns (that will go to Solomon).
  • The Unfavorite: Surprisingly, David was this among his brothers, as he was not even invited to the sacrifice that Samuel had invited Jesse and his sons to attend and, the Lord finding none among the sons present to anoint, Samuel asks if there still is another son.
  • Upbringing Makes the Hero: Spent his childhood working as a shepherd for his father. Similarly to Moses, David also got The Call from God.
  • Warrior Poet: Kicks ass, writes poems, dances with his people. He's even got a nickname, "The Sweet Psalmist of Israel", his works can be found in Book of Psalms.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: After the above incident with Uriah, Nathan explicitly call him on this. He repents, but it's too late, at least for his first child with Bathsheba.
  • What You Are in the Dark: Had an opportunity, at one point during his younger years, to take advantage of Saul being in a compromising position (i.e. in a cave literally with his pants down note ) and kill him to take the throne. Wouldn't do it, and gave his reason essentially as, "He's still the man God chose as king, so until God decides that shouldn't be the case anymore, I'm not touching him.
  • Young Conqueror: Became king of Judah at 23.
  • Youngest Child Wins: Youngest of eight, and that's just the brothers. He became king of Israel.

    Michal 
Now Saul’s daughter Michal was in love with David, and it was reported to Saul, and this pleased him."

  • Lady and Knight: She is a princess who marries the most famous warrior of her day.
  • Rebellious Princess/Queen: She was the beautiful and proud daughter of King Saul and saved David's life from her own father when he tried to have him killed, risking her own in the process.
  • Star-Crossed Lovers: She and David are pretty much the Bible's Romeo & Juliet. Her father tries to kill him multiple times, forcing David into exile, meaning that Michal was separated from him for years. In the meantime she was forced to marry another man. Eventually, despite all attempts to keep them apart they are reunited.
  • Top Wife: Michal was King David's childhood sweetheart and his first wife. Although they were separated by years and David took other wives, he still liked her well enough to demand for her to be returned to him, becoming his Queen ten years later.
  • Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: When David, as king, had the ark of the covenant brought to Jerusalem, she was quite snarky towards him revealing a lack of appreciation for his faith.

    Abigail 
When Abigail caught sight of David, she at once hastened and got down off the ass and fell upon her face before David and bowed to the earth. She then fell at his feet and said: “Upon me myself, O my lord, be the error; and, please, let your slave girl speak in your ears"

  • Guile Heroine: One of David's followers who mediated between the King and her Jerkass first husband rather skillfully and later was one of David's wives
  • Shaming the Mob: After her husband Nabal insulted David, David led a couple of hundred men back to him, intending to wipe out his household. Abigail placates him with gifts of food and a heartfelt speech.
  • Ugly Guy, Hot Wife:
    • Nabal, Abigail's first husband, is certainly ugly... at least in personality, though Abigail's beauty is specifically stated.
    • Averted with her second husband David. He was quite handsome.

    Absalom 
"If I had only been a judge, then this land would have justice".

  • Alas, Poor Villain: David wept greatly over Absalom's death in spite of his rebellion against him.
  • Antagonistic Offspring: He led a sedition against his father David in his attempt to overthrow him and seize the crown for himself.
  • Asshole Victim: Both perpetrator and victim in this trope.
  • Evil Prince: But only after he incited a rebellion against his father David. Played With in that despite said actions to get the crown, we don't really have an idea of what he would have been like as king as his usurpation of David didn't last long enough to show it.
  • Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Avenged his sister's rape by killing his half-brother, then went off to plot against David's rule.
  • Knight Templar Big Brother: He avenged Tamar by murdering Amnon.
  • Long-Haired Pretty Boy: He was as handsome as his father and had long hair. His long hair makes him trapped in a tree and exposes him to be killed by Joab.
  • Morality Pet: Arguably Tamar, though she disappears from the story before he gets really bad.
  • Parental Favoritism: Amnon may have been David's first and oldest son, but it's actually his third son Absalom who was his favorite child. When Absalom fled after his murder of Amnon, David yearned for him in spite of what he did and was so depressed by his absence that Joab was forced to convince David to bring Absalom back from his exile. David even commanded his men that no harm was to come to his son in spite of his rebellion against him. When Absalom was killed anyway despite his orders, David mourned his son's loss greatly.
  • Pretty Boy: The most beautiful man in Israel.
  • Rape and Revenge: Killed his half-brother, Amnon, who had raped his sister Tamar.
  • Sixth Ranger Traitor: Not him, but one of David's advisers who said he would "serve you as I served your father".
  • Start of Darkness: It's heavily implied that David's failure to administer justice against Amnon for raping Tamar fueled Absalom's ambitions to overthrow his father from the throne, as Absalom's first campaign promise should he be king (seen in his quote above) is to deliver justice to the people of Israel in any of their domestic cases, which is something he feels David denied Tamar thereof.
  • Sympathetic Murderer: Given the circumstances, he manages to be a sympathetic fratricide.
  • Villain with Good Publicity: He got quite a following in trying to usurp his father's role.

    Tamar 
And she lived in her brother Absalom's house, a desolate woman.

    Amnon 
But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her.

  • Asshole Victim: As an incestuous rapist, he clearly deserved what he got.
  • Brother–Sister Incest: He raped his own half-sister Tamar.
  • Flat Character: Apart from the Rape and Revenge story, almost nothing is known about him.
  • Hate Sink: He's a lustful incestuous rapist who defiles his own sister and casts her out hatefully after the deed is done. It's doubtful many readers were sad when he meets his end at his brother's hand shortly afterward.
  • Kick the Dog: As if raping her wasn't enough, he quickly had Tamar forcefully evicted from his house because he "hated her with intense hatred".
  • Never My Fault: After raping Tamar, he blames her for causing him to lust after her.
  • Parental Favoritism: One of the reasons why David refused to punish him was because he was his firstborn son.
  • Playing Sick: In order to get Tamar alone, he pretended that he was sick and that he wanted her specifically to make and bring him some bread.
  • Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: To the point that Absalom decided to commit fratricide to avenge it.
  • Wounded Gazelle Gambit: He pretended to be ill so that he could be alone with Tamar.

    Joab 
  • Ambition Is Evil: Some suggest that Joab actually killed Abner because he saw the older, veteran commander as a threat to his position, and simply used Asahel's death as a moral and legal justification.

    Asahel 
  • Lightning Bruiser: A badass warrior known for his sprinting ability; said to be "swift of foot, like a gazelle in the open field."

    Bathsheba 
  • Animal Motifs: Nathan compares her to an innocent lamb stolen from its owner by a rich man.
  • Break the Cutie: Loses the child she conceived with David, which is attributed to divine punishment (for him) for sleeping with a woman who was married to someone else. She does go on to have more children, however.
  • Bathing Beauty: Her first appearance has her undressing to take a bath. Given that she becomes pregnant by David shortly afterwards, it was likely not just any bath she was taking. It was most likely a ritual bath to purify her from her last menstrual period, which (assuming she had a regular 28-day cycle) would have coincided with her next ovulation.
  • Innocent Fanservice Girl: She didn't seem to have any expectation of being spied on; she was bathing in her own home. It was David described explicitly as being on the roof, not her. (Although, in that time and place, people did a lot of things on their rooftops, including bathing.)
  • Law of Inverse Fertility: Gets pregnant from just one sexual encounter with David.
  • Naked First Impression: David first saw her when she was taking her clothes off to take a bath.
  • My Secret Pregnancy: When she becomes pregnant by David, her husband Uriah was at war, and not allowed to have sex with her. David persuades Uriah to come home and make love to her, and she conceals from Uriah the fact that she's pregnant. Presumably, she was not showing yet, or at least had a smaller, easier-to-conceal bump.
  • Questionable Consent: Was summoned to the palace... and may have felt that, as one of David's subjects who was married to one of his best and most loyal soldiers, she couldn't say no to the king's advances, or that there would be negative consequences if she did. There is no moral commentary on her sleeping with David, or even on her going along with his plan to pass her pregnancy off as being the result of sex with her husband, which is pretty notable (even progressive) for this time and place.
  • Shotgun Wedding: After David has her husband killed, he marries her... and he only did that because he found out she got pregnant and couldn't pass the baby off as Uriah's. It was passed off as an Honorable Marriage Proposal.
  • World's Most Beautiful Woman: David believes this of her.

Other figures

    Goliath 
"Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?"

  • BFS:
    • David beheaded him with his own sword.
    • Also carried a lance whose shaft is described as being as a "weaver's beam". For a modern comparison, this means that the pole of the spear was about as big around as the barrel of a regulation baseball bat. And the spear's head is estimated to have weighed at least fifteen pounds. In other words, this spear was absurdly large.
  • Combat by Champion: It seems to have been the Philistines' custom to offer this to opponents as a way of quickly deciding a battle. Didn't go so well this time.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle: Delivered by the much smaller David.
  • David Versus Goliath: The Trope Maker.
  • Decapitation Presentation: His fate after the battle.
  • Feet of Clay: It only took one shot from a sling to kill him.
  • Giant Mook: His exact height varies from translation to translation, but he's stated to have stood at least 6'9"—which is considerably tall even by modern standards, and later texts even place his stature as high as 11 feet tall. For comparison, Robert Wadlow, who holds the world record as the tallest recorded human being, stood just under 9 feet.
  • Nephilim: Depending on how you interpret a passage in Genesis, he may or may not be half-angel/half-demon.
  • Undignified Death: A legendary champion who is killed by a youth hitting him in the face with a rock and cutting his head off.

    Nabal 
"Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Servants have been leaving their masters more and more these days."

  • Villainy-Free Villain: The only "villainous" thing Nabal did was refusing to pay into David's protection racket when his henchmen suggestively informed him that nothing had been stolen from him and no one hurt (implicitly, so far) while they were in the neighborhood. For this, he was killed, and David's marauders would also have murdered his entire family if not for Abigail pleading for them.

    Uriah 
  • The Men First: He refused to have sex with his wife while a war was going on, despite royal orders, because he didn't want to accept privileges that his men weren't being allowed.
  • Meaningful Name: "God is my light."
  • Token Minority: He's a Hittite resided in Israel, however, he's not among the gentiles as he followed the Israelite belief.
  • Uriah Gambit: Trope Namer, while not the first victim of this trope, he was the first one died of this gambit.

    Hushai 
  • Fake Defector: David sends him to infiltrate Absalom's court during his insurrection, with the cover story of being a defector, and so whatever he can to sabotage its operations. Hushai does such a masterful job that he suckers Absalom into withholding his attack on the King until his forces are better prepared. This move does far more to get David's forces better ready still and enables Absalom's quick defeat.
  • Sixth Ranger Traitor: Plays the role of The Mole for King David in the story of Absalom's rebellion. The guy even has the balls to lampshade it in front of Absalom.
  • Spymaster: While doing that inside job, Hushai also handles secret intelligence operations behind enemy lines with agents at his disposal.

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