David
This article provides an overview of David's remarkable life, from his beginnings as a shepherd to becoming King.
David King of Israel
Reign c.?1010–970 BCE
Predecessor Ish-bosheth
Successor Solomon
Born c.?1040 BCE
Bethlehem, United Kingdom of Israel
Died c.?970 BCE
Jerusalem, United Kingdom of Israel
Consort 8 wives:
Issue 18+ children
House
House of David
Father Jesse
Mother Nitzevet (Talmud)
Religion Yahwism
David is described in the Hebrew Bible as a king of the United Monarchy of Israel and Judah. In the Books of Samuel, David is a young shepherd and harpist who gains fame by slaying the giant Goliath, a champion of the Philistines in southern Canaan. David becomes a favorite of the first king of united Israel, Saul, and forges a close friendship with Jonathan, a son of Saul. Paranoid that David is seeking to usurp the throne, Saul attempts to kill David, forcing the latter to hide and operate as a fugitive for several years. After Saul and Jonathan are both killed in battle against the Philistines, a 30-year-old David is anointed King over all of Israel and Judah, following which he conquers the city of Jerusalem, establishes it as Israel's capital, and takes the Ark of the Covenant into the city to be the center-point of worship in the Israelite religion.
According to the biblical narrative, David commits adultery with Bathsheba, leading him to arrange the death of her husband, Uriah the Hittite. David's son Absalom later schemes to overthrow him and, during the ensuing rebellion, David flees Jerusalem but returns after Absalom's death to continue his reign over Israel and Judah. He desires to construct a temple to Yahweh to house the Ark, but Yahweh denies David the opportunity to do so. David rules as King of the Israelites until his death at age 70, prior to which he chooses Solomon, a son born to him and Bathsheba, to be his successor instead of Adonijah, his eldest surviving son. He is honored in prophetic literature as an ideal king and the forefather of the future Hebrew Messiah, and many psalms are ascribed to him.
Historians of the Ancient Near East agree that David probably lived around 1000 BCE, but little else is agreed on about him as a historical figure. The Tel Dan stele, a Canaanite-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damascus in the late-9th/early-8th centuries BCE to commemorate his victory over two enemy kings, contains the Hebrew-language phrase Beit David, which most scholars translate as "House of David." The Mesha stele, erected by King Mesha of Moab in the 9th century BCE, may also refer to the "House of David," but this is disputed. Apart from this, all that is known of David comes from biblical literature, the historicity of which is doubtful.
David is richly represented in post-biblical Jewish written and oral tradition and is discussed in the New Testament. The early Christians interpreted the life of Jesus in light of references to the Hebrew Messiah and to David; Jesus is described as being descended from David in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. The biblical character of David has inspired many interpretations in art and literature over the centuries. In the Quran and hadith, David is mentioned as a prophet-king of Allah.
DAVID RAISES THE HEAD OF GOLIATH
In 1 Samuel 17:25, King Saul had said that he would make whoever killed Goliath, a very wealthy man, give his daughter to him and declare his father's family exempt from taxes in Israel.
The First Book of Samuel and the First Book of Chronicles both identify David as the son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, the youngest of eight sons. He also had at least two sisters, Zeruiah, whose sons all went on to serve in David's army, and Abigail, whose son Amasa served in Absalom's army, Absalom being one of David's younger sons. While the Bible does not name his mother, the Talmud identifies her as Nitzevet, a daughter of a man named Adael, and the Book of Ruth claims him as the great-grandson of Ruth.
David is described as cementing his relations with various political and national groups through marriage. In 1 Samuel 17:25, King Saul had said that he would make whoever killed Goliath, a very wealthy man, give his daughter to him and declare his father's family exempt from taxes in Israel. Saul offered David his oldest daughter, Merab, a marriage which David respectfully declined. Saul then gave Merab in marriage to Adriel the Meholathite. Having been told that his younger daughter Michal was in love with David, Saul gave her in marriage to David upon David's payment in Philistine foreskins (ancient Jewish historian Josephus lists the dowry as 100 Philistine heads). Saul became jealous of David and tried to have him killed. David escaped. Then Saul sent Michal to Galim to marry Palti, son of Laish. David then took wives in Hebron, according to 2 Samuel 3; they were Ahinoam the Yizre'elite; Abigail, the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; Maacah, the daughter of Talmay, King of Geshur; Haggith; Abital; and Eglah. Later, David wanted Michal back, and Abner, Ish-bosheth's army commander, delivered her to David, causing her husband (Palti) great grief.
The Book of Chronicles lists his sons with his various wives and concubines. In Hebron, David had six sons: Amnon, by Ahinoam; Daniel, by Abigail; Absalom, by Maachah; Adonijah, by Haggith; Shephatiah, by Abital; and Ithream, by Eglah. By Bathsheba, his sons were Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. David's sons born in Jerusalem to his other wives included Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, and Eliada. Jerimoth, who is not mentioned in any of the genealogies, is mentioned as another of his sons in 2 Chronicles 11:18. His daughter Tamar, by Maachah, is raped by her half-brother Amnon. David fails to bring Amnon to justice for his violation of Tamar because he is his firstborn, and he loves him, and so, Absalom (her full brother) murders Amnon to avenge Tamar. Although Absalom did avenge his sister's defilement, ironically, he showed himself not to be very much different from Amnon; as Amnon had sought the advice of Jonadab in order to rape Tamar, Absalom had sought the advice of Ahitophel, who advised Absalom to have incestuous relations with his father's concubines in order to show all Israel how detestable he was to his father [2 Samuel 16:20]. Despite the great sins they had committed, David showed grief at the deaths of his sons, weeping twice for Amnon [2 Samuel 13:31–26] and weeping seven times for Absalom.
Narrative
Samuel anoints David
War comes between Israel and the Philistines, and the giant Goliath challenges the Israelites to send out a champion to face him in single combat. David, sent by his father to bring provisions to his brothers serving in Saul's army, declares that he can defeat Goliath. Refusing the King's offer of the royal armor, he kills Goliath with his sling. Saul requests the name of the young hero's father.
Saul sets David over his army. All Israel loves David, but his popularity causes Saul to fear him ("What else can he wish but the kingdom?"). Saul plots his death, but Saul's son Jonathan, one of those who loves David, warns him of his father's schemes, and David flees. He goes first to Nob, where he is fed by the priest Ahimelech and given Goliath's sword, and then to Gath, the Philistine city of Goliath, intending to seek refuge with King Achish there. Achish's servants or officials question his loyalty, and David sees that he is in danger there. He goes next to the cave of Adullam, where his family joins him. From there, he goes to seek refuge with the King of Moab, but the Prophet Gad advises him to leave, and he goes to the Forest of Hereth and then to Keilah, where he is involved in a further battle with the Philistines. Saul plans to besiege Keilah so that he can capture David, so David leaves the city in order to protect its inhabitants. From there, he takes refuge in the mountainous Wilderness of Ziph.
Jonathan meets with David again and confirms his loyalty to David as the future King. After the people of Ziph notify Saul that David is taking refuge in their territory, Saul seeks confirmation. He plans to capture David in the Wilderness of Maon, but a renewed Philistine invasion diverts his attention, and David can secure some breathing space at Ein Gedi. Returning from battle with the Philistines, Saul heads to Ein Gedi in pursuit of David and enters the cave where, as it happens, David and his supporters are hiding "to attend to his needs." David realizes he has an opportunity to kill Saul, but this is not his intention: he secretly cuts off a corner of Saul's robe, and when Saul has left the cave, he comes out to pay homage to Saul as the King and to demonstrate, using the piece of robe, that he holds no malice towards Saul. The two are thus reconciled, and Saul recognizes David as his successor.
A similar passage occurs in 1 Samuel 26 when David can infiltrate Saul's camp on the hill of Hachilah and remove his spear and a jug of water from his side while he and his guards lie asleep. In this account, David is advised by Abishai that this is his opportunity to kill Saul, but David declines, saying he will not "stretch out [his] hand against the Lord's anointed." Saul confesses that he has been wrong to pursue David and blesses him.
In 1 Samuel 27:1–4, Saul ceases to pursue David because David took refuge a second time with Achish, the Philistine King of Gath. Achish permits David to reside in Ziklag, close to the border between Gath and Judea. He leads raids against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites but leads Achish to believe he is attacking the Israelites in Judah, the Jerahmeelites, and the Kenites. Achish believes that David has become a loyal vassal, but he never wins the trust of the princes or lords of Gath, and at their request, Achish instructs David to remain behind to guard the camp when the Philistines march against Saul. David returns to Ziklag and saves his wives and the citizens from the Amalekites. Jonathan and Saul are killed in battle, and David is anointed King over Judah. Saul's son Ish-Bosheth is anointed King of Israel, and war ensues until Ish-Bosheth is murdered.
With the death of Saul's son, the elders of Israel come to Hebron, and David is anointed King over all of Israel. He conquers Jerusalem, previously a Jebusite stronghold, and makes it his capital. He brings the Ark of the Covenant to the city, intending to build a temple for God, but the Prophet Nathan forbids it, prophesying that the temple would be built by one of David's sons. Nathan also prophesies that God has made a covenant with the house of David, stating, "your throne shall be established forever." David wins additional victories over the Philistines, Moabites, Edomites, Amalekites, Ammonites, and king Hadadezer of Aram-Zobah, after which they become tributaries. As a result, his fame earned the praise of figures like King Toi of Hamath, Hadadezer's rival.
During a siege of the Ammonite capital of Rabbah, David remains in Jerusalem. He spies a woman, Bathsheba, bathing and summons her; she becomes pregnant. The text in the Bible does not explicitly state whether Bathsheba consented to sex. David calls her husband, Uriah the Hittite, back from the battle to rest, hoping he will go home to his wife and the child will be presumed to be his. However, Uriah does not visit his wife, so David conspires to kill him in the heat of battle. David then marries the widowed Bathsheba. In response, Nathan, after trapping the King in his guilt with a parable that described his sin in analogy, prophesies the punishment that will fall upon him, stating, "the sword shall never depart from your house." When David acknowledges that he has sinned, Nathan advises him that his sin is forgiven and he will not die, but the child will. In fulfillment of Nathan's words, the child born of the union between David and Bathsheba dies, and another of David's sons, Absalom, fueled by vengeance and lust for power, rebels. Thanks to Hushai, a friend of David who was ordered to infiltrate Absalom's court to sabotage his plans successfully, Absalom's forces are routed at the battle of the Wood of Ephraim. His long hair catches in the branches of a tree where, contrary to David's order, he is killed by Joab, the commander of David's army. David laments the death of his favorite son: "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I have died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!" until Joab persuades him to recover from "the extravagance of his grief" and to fulfill his duty to his people. David returns to Gilgal and is escorted across the River Jordan and back to Jerusalem by the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
When David is old and bedridden, Adonijah, his eldest surviving son and natural heir, declare himself King. According to David's earlier promise, Bathsheba and Nathan go to David and obtain his agreement to crown Bathsheba's son Solomon as King. The revolt of Adonijah is put down. David dies at the age of 70 after reigning for 40 years, and on his deathbed, he counsels Solomon to walk in the ways of God and take revenge on his enemies.
