House of David: Season 1, Episode 3 - The Anointing (2025)

The episode opens with Saul experiencing a disturbing nightmare. He sees a candle in his room dripping with blood while hearing Samuel's voice calling him to let go. The vision shifts to show a younger version of his wife, and then flashes to a battlefield engulfed in flames where Jonathan is struck by an arrow and killed. Within the nightmare, Saul's crown falls to the ground and when he reaches to pick it up, Samuel's staff prevents him from doing so. Saul, still half-lost in the dream state, throws a spear and kills a young servant in his household. The family fabricates a cover story to explain the servant's death to outsiders and prevent word of Saul's madness from spreading, though they recognize they are in serious trouble.

Saul's mental state continues to deteriorate as an evil spirit oppresses him, causing him to wrestle with guilt over Samuel's words and the knowledge that the prophet's curse holds power over him. Queen Ahinoam becomes deeply concerned about her husband's condition and insists that he seek help to undo Samuel's curse. Despite Saul's protests that he has turned his back on all prior associations with other forms of religion, he locates a medium in Endor who can assist them. Saul, Ahinoam, and Abner travel to Endor hooded and cloaked. The medium initially feigns ignorance and acts like a simple vendor, but when Ahinoam and Abner reveal their identities, she hesitates because Saul himself had outlawed spiritists and mediums earlier in his reign. Eventually the three of them engage in an occult ceremony together in an attempt to undo Samuel's curse on Saul.

Meanwhile, King Saul has ordered that Samuel be tracked. Abner finds Doeg, an eccentric Edomite who experiments with animals and possesses inside information about Saul's condition. Abner instructs Doeg to track Samuel and discover who he is meeting with, explicitly telling him not to kill anyone. However, Doeg points out that it would make more sense to persuade Samuel to lift the curse on Saul rather than simply track him, revealing his knowledge of the king's affliction.

Samuel, having heard from God, travels to Bethlehem to visit Jesse's children with his assistant Silas. As they travel, Silas asks Samuel who they are going to anoint, but Samuel does not yet know. When Samuel arrives in Bethlehem, he goes to the elders of Judah seeking Jesse, but learns that Jesse is not allowed to be with them because he has an illegitimate son. Samuel is viewed by the people with both respect and fear as he conducts his sacred mission.

Jesse presents his sons to Samuel one by one for examination. Samuel looks at each of Jesse's older sons, but none of them are chosen. When Samuel asks if there are any other sons, Jesse's family initially dismisses the youngest, noting that David is out in the field tending the sheep. David's own father writes him off, and his brothers dismiss him as well. Only David's little sister notices his absence and asks where he is. Samuel insists that someone fetch David, saying he will not proceed until the youngest son is brought before him.

David arrives from the field and is brought before Samuel. When David enters, Samuel receives him with honor. Samuel examines David's heart and is amazed by what he finds. Samuel explains to those present that the Lord looks at the heart, not at outer appearance. As David kneels before him, Samuel anoints David with oil. Samuel then delivers a shocking pronouncement to those gathered: the Lord has rejected the house of Saul and has claimed David as his royal son and the future King of Israel. Before leaving, Samuel blesses David, who receives the Lord God's Holy Spirit. Jesse and his other sons agree among themselves that no one can know of David's anointing, understanding the dangerous implications of this secret.

Following the anointing, Joab delivers an order to bring David to the palace. Additionally, after the Tribe of Dan's elder alleges that Prince Eshbaal has defiled his daughter, Queen Ahinoam banishes her son to the city of refuge of Endor, following the Law of Moses. Doeg, continuing his surveillance on Samuel's behalf, observes Samuel's activities and the people he meets with, though his mission to track the prophet differs from the biblical narrative where he would later spy on David.

In the end, Samuel reaches Bethlehem, finds David among Jesse's sons, and anoints him with oil as the one chosen for Israel's future. At the same time, Saul is left deeper in fear and confusion, while David's life quietly changes from shepherd boy to the man marked for kingship.

Samuel's final path is the clearest and most direct. He arrives in Bethlehem under threat, with danger already circling him, and he asks Jesse to gather his sons. One by one, the older sons are brought before him, but none is chosen. Then David is called in from the fields. He is the youngest, the overlooked one, and when Samuel meets him, the moment is unmistakable: David is the one God has selected. Samuel pours oil over David's head, marking him as the future king, and the episode closes this part of the story with David no longer just a shepherd, but a boy set apart for a greater destiny.

David's ending is quiet but decisive. He is still in the fields and still living the life of a shepherd when Samuel sees him, but the anointing changes everything around him. He is singled out from his brothers, and the story treats that moment as the beginning of a new identity. David does not become king yet, but the ending makes clear that his future has been set in motion.

Saul's ending is one of unraveling. The court is already struggling with the consequences of his madness, and the episode leaves him trapped in that broken state rather than restored. His power remains in place for the moment, but his mind and household are unstable, and the fact that Samuel has now anointed another man underscores that Saul's reign is ending in substance even if not yet in title.

Here is the ending in a more expanded, scene-by-scene narrative form:

Samuel comes to Bethlehem with a purpose he cannot speak openly. The elders of the town are afraid when they see him, and the mood is tense before he even reaches Jesse's house. He asks for Jesse and has Jesse's sons brought to him one by one. The older sons stand before Samuel in a formal procession, but each time Samuel looks at them, the chosen one is not there. The episode lingers on the disappointment of those moments, because each son appears strong enough on the outside, yet none is the one God wants.

Then David is brought in from the fields. He has not been standing among the others. He comes in from the work of tending sheep, still carrying the plainness of that life, and Samuel sees him at once. The scene treats this as the true turning point of the episode: the youngest son, the least expected one, is the one God has selected. Samuel anoints him with oil, and the act is not ceremonial only; it marks David as the future king of Israel. David's fate at the end of the episode is no longer uncertain. He is no longer just Jesse's son or a shepherd in the background. He has been chosen.

While this is happening, Saul's side of the story remains dark and unsettled. The court has been dealing with his madness, and the episode leaves him in that condition rather than resolving it. He is not healed, and he is not secure. Instead, the contrast between Saul's deterioration and David's anointing makes the ending feel like a transfer of destiny: Saul is still the king by title, but David is the one now marked for the throne.

Samuel's own fate at the end of the episode is that he survives long enough to complete the anointing, but he remains a prophet acting under danger and pressure. He has been on the run from a hostile pursuer, and the episode makes clear that obeying God puts him in real danger. Still, he carries out the task he came to do, and once David is anointed, his mission in that moment is complete.

As for the main characters participating in the ending, their fates are these:

David: anointed by Samuel and marked as Israel's future king.

Samuel: completes the anointing of David while still under threat, and leaves Bethlehem having fulfilled God's command.

Saul: remains king in name but is left deeper in madness, fear, and instability, with his replacement now publicly and spiritually designated.

Jesse's other sons: none of them are chosen; they are passed over one after another.

The episode ends by holding these two realities together: Saul is still falling apart, and David has just been set apart.

There is no evidence in the available episode reviews and recaps that House of David season 1, episode 3, "The Anointing," has a post-credit scene.

The episode coverage focuses on Saul's worsening instability, David's anointing, and the fallout from that revelation, but none of the sources mention any scene after the credits. If a post-credit scene existed and were notable, it would likely be mentioned in these recap/review sources, especially because they discuss the episode's major ending beats and emotional payoff.

In episode 3, Saul, in a disturbed state influenced by nightmares, accidentally impales his young servant Yoshia with a spear. This incident occurs after Saul dreams of Samuel and the fate of Jonathan, leading to a moment of violent confusion where Saul mistakes Yoshia for an assassin. Ahinoam then covers up Saul's involvement by telling Yoshia's mother that her son died protecting Saul from an assassin.

Saul's nightmares in episode 3 depict a candle dripping blood and the voice of Samuel calling him to let go. He sees a vision of his wife Ahinoam with baby Jonathan, who declares Jonathan will never be king. The dream shifts to a battlefield where Jonathan is fatally wounded. These nightmares foreshadow the tragic events to come, including Jonathan's death and Saul's loss of kingship, and they deeply unsettle Saul, influencing his actions in the episode.

Queen Ahinoam meets with Yoshia's mother and, to protect Saul's reputation, fabricates a story that Yoshia died heroically by diving in front of Saul to save him from an assassin. She also offers the grieving mother her personal bedside Scriptures to comfort her, showing Ahinoam's role in managing the fallout from the incident.

Samuel appears both in Saul's nightmares and in reality as he travels with his assistant Silas, uncertain about who to anoint next. In Saul's dream, Samuel takes the crown from Saul, symbolizing the loss of his kingship, and calls him to let go. Samuel's presence underscores the divine judgment on Saul and the impending rise of David.

While episode 3 focuses more on Saul's turmoil, the broader season context shows David being secretly anointed by Samuel and receiving the Holy Spirit. David is brought to the palace by Joab's order, plays the lyre to comfort Saul, and builds relationships with characters like Princess Michal, who teaches him to read and write. These developments set the stage for David's rise amid the political and spiritual struggles depicted in the series.

Yes -- mostly family-friendly for older kids and teens, but not ideal for very young or very sensitive children because Episode 3 includes unsettling supernatural imagery, tension, and some biblical-era violence. It is likely best for families comfortable with a TV-14 style tone rather than a gentle children's viewing experience.

Potentially objectionable or upsetting elements in "The Anointing" include:

• Disturbing dream/nightmare imagery, including blood-related visual symbolism and a frightening, tense mood.
• Family conflict and emotional distress, with Saul's instability and outbursts creating a heavy, anxious atmosphere.
• Threats of violence and danger, as characters fear for their safety and important decisions carry serious consequences.
• Biblical/supernatural elements, including prophecy, visions, and ominous spiritual undertones that may unsettle younger viewers.
• Serious, intense tone, with the episode leaning into fear, grief, and moral conflict rather than light or playful storytelling.
• Possible coarse language elsewhere in the series, though the main episode discussions emphasize the show's serious content more than explicit profanity.

If you want, I can also give you a very short parent-style age recommendation for this episode only.

In House of David, Season 1, Episode 3, "The Anointing," the dog does not die. The available episode recaps describe Saul's nightmare, David's anointing, and the fallout from Samuel's revelation, but they do not mention any dog being killed in this episode.

The closest animal-related violent imagery in the available coverage is a separate description of Doeg holding "bloody entrails of a gutted animal," which is not a dog.