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Israelite kingship begins with a debate about freedom (1 Samuel 8). A historical study and a literary analysis reveal that 1 S 8–1 K 12, which narrates the first three reigns (Saul, David, Solomon), was composed at several historical periods. At the time of Josiah, a text is written to support his political program. It is after the exile in Babylon that freedom becomes a goal and a criterion of appreciation of the Jewish society. These elements are used to start a discussion with political philosophers in order to institute freedom. What emerges is a critique of the political which does not have the structural means to preserve freedom. This is why the post-exilic biblical writers developed the law in the sense of the torah which instructs people and makes them responsible for the principles structuring society – in this case, freedom.