David

Michelangelo's David.

David (דָּוִד "Beloved", Standard Hebrew Davíd, Tiberian Hebrew Dāwiḏ; Arabic داود Dāʾūd "Beloved"), as referred to as King David, was the second the most well-known kings of ancient Israel, as well as the most mentioned man in the Hebrew Bible. He is the archtypal biblical king and the ancestor of the Messiah in both Jewish and Christian tradition. Critical scholars argue over the historicity of David and his supposedly united kingdom of Israel and Judah, but there is no disagreement concerning his signifcance as the biblical paradigm of a monarch approved by God.

The successor to King Saul, who was the first official king of the biblical united Kingdom of Israel, David's forty-year reign probably lasted from roughly 1005 B.C.E. to 965 B.C.E. The account of his life and rule are recorded in the Books of Samuel and the first of the two Books of Chronicles.

David is regarded by the Bible as "a man after God's own heart" (1 Sam 13:14). Despite his well-known moral flaws, most Jews and Christians view him as having been the most righteous of all the ancient kings of Israel, rivalled perhaps only by King Josiah (2 Kings 23:25). David was also an acclaimed warrior, monarch, musician and [[poet]. He is traditionally credited with the authorship of many of the psalms recorded in the book of [[Psalms], although both critical and pious scholarship cast doubt on this.

In the Bible God is described as promising that the Davidic line would endure forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16). Judaism traditionally teaches that the Messiah will be a direct descendant of King David, and Christians trace the lineage of Jesus back to him.

File:Davide Donatello29.jpg

Donatello's David

David's life

David's early life

File:David gegen Goliath.jpg

David fighting Goliath

David was the seventh and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His mother's name is not recorded. A midrashic tradition holds that he was the son of a slave-woman belonging to Jesse. As to his personal appearance, he is described as being ruddy and handsome (1 Samuel 16:12; 17:42).

His early occupation was to tend his father's sheep on the uplands of Judah. His first recorded exploits were his encounters with the wild beasts. He boasted to King Saul he slew a lion and also a bear, when they raided his flock. (1 Samuel 17:34-35).

While David was thus engaged with his flocks, the Prophet Samuel paid an unexpected visit to Bethlehem. There he offered up sacrifice, and called the town elders as well as Jesse's family to the sacrificial meal. Among all who appeared before him he failed to discover the one he sought. David was sent for, and the prophet immediately recognized him as the chosen of God, chosen to succeed King Saul. He accordingly poured on his head the anointing oil. David went back again to his shepherd life, but "the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward," and "the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul" (1 Sam. 16:13, 14).

David and Goliath by Caravaggio

Not long after this David was sent for to soothe with his harp the troubled spirit of King Saul, who suffered from a strange melancholy dejection, caused by "an evil spirt from the Lord" (1 Sam. 16:4). Soon, the armies of the Philistines and of Israel were in battle array in the valley of Elah, some 16 miles south-west of Bethlehem. David swore to fight the Philistine champion, the giant Goliath. David took only his sling, and with a well-trained aim threw a stone which struck the giant's forehead, so that he fell senseless to the ground. David then ran to cut off Goliath's head with Goliath's own sword (1 Sam. 17). The result was a great victory for the Israelites, who pursued the Philistines to the gates of Gath and Ekron. [This famous episode is challenged by critical scholars not only because of its obious legendary quality, but also because the Phlistine giant Goliath is elsewhere described as having been killed by someone other than David, namely Elhanan son of Jair (1 Cron. 20:5).]

David's popularity following this heroic exploit awakened Saul's jealousy (1 Sam. 18:6-16). David's military prowes resulted in a popular slogan: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands" (1 Sam. 18:7). Despite David's marriage to Saul's daughter Michal and the deep friendship between Saul's son Jonathan and David, Saul conceived a bitter hatred toward David, and by various stratagems sought his death (1 Sam. 18:29).

During the period of his persecution by Saul, David lived as an exile and even accepted the city of Ziklag as a fief from Israel's enemy, the Philistine king Achish of Gath (1 Sam 27:2-6). Until Saul's death at Gilboa, David worked at times as a mercenary captain for the Philistines but also forged important alliances with Judean figures such as the priest Ahimelech and his son Abiathar. He also married Abigail, the former wife of the Calebite chieftan Nabal. David may have adopted iron technology (as opposed to bronze) from the Philistines during this time.

Reign as King of Judah

David returned to Israel at God's command (2 Sam. 2) after Saul and Jonathan's deaths and the mourning period. He went to Hebron, where the people of his native tribe, the tribe of Judah, anointed him as king over the tribe. The northern tribes, however, did not recognize David, and instead followed Saul's son, Ish-Bosheth.

There followed a bitter civil war between Judah (supporting David) and the northern tribes (supporting Ish-Bosheth). Eventually, Abner, Saul's army commander and advisor, grew dissatisfied with Ish-Bosheth and went over to David's side. The war was ended when Ish-Bosheth was assassinated.

David's reign over the United Monarchy

The leaders of all the tribes came to David and declared him king by popular assent. He reigned over Israel for a while longer in Hebron, but eventually decided on conquering the Jebusite fortress of Jerusalem as his capital. One of the strongest cities in Israel, the Israelites had been unable to capture the fortress despite having lived around it for centuries. Nevertheless, we are told in the Bible, David captured the city.

David made Jerusalem the capital, and bought Mount Moriah. He then brought the Ark of the Covenant to Mount Moriah and intended to build a temple, but God did not allow him to do so. One reason cited was that the Temple is supposed to be a peaceful and reverent place, but David had fought too many wars, becoming, according to the Biblical text, a "man of blood."

David's reign during the remaining years of his life was marked by additional military victories as well as considerable political acumen. However, it was marred by scandal, rebellion and tragedy. His affiar with Bathseba (see below)earned him the condemnation of the prophet Nathan and — according to the biblical authors — resulted both in the death of their first son and the later rebellion of David's heir-apparent, Absalom. David also faced the shame of incest between his son Amnon and daughter Tamar, the murder of Amnon by Absalom (2 Sam. 13), Absalom's publicly have sex with David's concubines (2 Sam. 16). In the subsequent war between David's forces and Absalom's the nothern tribes seem to have supported the usurper (2 Sam 18), and later threw their lot with Sheba, the son of Bichri, under the slogan "We have no share in David" (2 Sam 20). This begs the question as to how "united" the United Kingdom of David really was.

Even near the end of his life, David had to face an acrimonious struggle over the question of who would succeed him. David's eldest living son, Adonijah, began to reign as king against David's wishes while the old king still lived. The usurper had the support both of the priest Abiathiar and David's most powerful general, Joab. Ironically, David's old nemesis the prophet Nathan threw his support behind Bathsheba and her son Solomon. Together, they prevailed on David to support Solomon's claim to the throne. The story ends happily, as the glorious King Solomon is anoninted with David's blessing near the end of the old monarch's life (1 Kings 1).

David's family

David's father

Jesse (ישי "Gift", Standard Hebrew Yíšay, Tiberian Hebrew Yíšay / Yēšay), King David's father, was the son of Obed, son of Boaz and Ruth the Moabite whose story is told at length in the Book of Ruth. They were of the tribe of Judah. David's lineage is fully documented in Ruth 4:18-22. (The "Pharez" that heads the line is Judah's son, Genesis 38:29).

David's wives

David had eight wives, although he appears to have had children from other women as well.

1. The first one was Michal, a daughter of King Saul.
2. The second was Ahinoam of Jezreel.
3. The third was Abigail, previously wife of the evil Nabal.
4. The fourth was Maachah.
5. The fifth was Haggith.
6. The sixth was Avital.
7. The seventh was Eglah.
8. The eighth was Bathsheba.

Bathsheba

In the Old Testament, Bathsheba ("the seventh daughter" or the "daughter of the oath"), the daughter of Ammiel, is the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of King David. She is the mother of King Solomon. In 1 Chronicles 3:5 she is called Bath-shua.

2 Samuel 11:1 to 12:25 tells the story of David's adultery with Bathsheba, and his subsequent murder of Uriah in order to conceal his guilt. His plan comes unstuck when God sends the prophet Nathan to denounce David by means of a parable. David is completely taken in, declaring at the end of it, "The man who did this deserves to die!" only to be told by Nathan, "You are that man".

Although both David and Bathsheba are spared death for this crime, their first child dies after only 7 days. Furthermore, the Bible claims that the subsequent string of intrigues, murders and infighting including civil war that plagues David's later life is part of a curse imposed as additional punishment.

In the Gospel of Matthew (1:6) she is listed as an ancestor of Jesus.

David's sons

As given in 1 Chronicles, chapter 3 (KJV). David had sons by wives and concubines; their names are not given in Chronicles.

Born in Hebron

• "Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess" (the firstborn)
• "Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess", also called Chileab (2 Sam. 3:3).
• "Absalom the son of Maachah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur"
• "Adonijah the son of Haggith"
• "Shephatiah of Abital"
• "Ithream by Eglah his wife"

Born in Jerusalem

"of Bath-shua (Bathsheba) the daughter of Ammiel:"

• Shimea
• Shobab
• Nathan
• Solomon

of other women:

• Ibhar
• Elishama
• Eliphelet
• Nogah
• Nepheg
• Japhia
• Elishama (again)
• Eliada
• Eliphelet (again)

David also had at least one daughter, Tamar, who was the full sister of Absalom.

David as a religious figure

David in Judaism

In Judaism, David's reign represents the formation of a coherent Jewish state with its political and religious capital in Jerusalem and the institution of a royal lineage that culminates in the Messianic Age. David's descent from a convert (Ruth) is taken as proof of the importance of converts within Judaism. That he was not allowed to build a permanent temple is taken as proof of the imperative of peace in affairs of state.

David is also viewed as a tragic figure; his inexcusable acquisition of Bathsheba, and the loss of his son are viewed as central tragedies in Judaism.

David in Christianity

In Christianity, David is important as the ancestor of the Messiah. Several Old Testament prophecies state that the Messiah will come from David's line; the Gospels of Matthew and Luke trace Jesus' lineage to David to fulfill this requirement.

David is also figurative of Christ, the slaying of Goliath being compared to the way that Jesus defeated Satan when Jesus died on the cross. More often, David is figurative of a Christian believer. The Psalms that he wrote show a Christian how to depend upon God during times of adversity, how to praise, how to repent.

The Catholic Church celebrates him as Saint David on December 29.

David (Dawud) in Islam

In the Qur'an, David is known as Dawud (داود), and considered one of the prophets of Islam, to whom the Zabur (Psalms) were revealed by Allah. As in Judaism, he is said to have killed Goliath (Jalut) with a rock from his sling. In his reign, he is generally believed to have laid the foundations of the Dome of the Rock. See Similarities between the Bible and the Qur'an. Muslims reject the Biblical portrayal of David as an adulterer and murderer. This is based on the Islamic belief in the infallibility and superiority of the moral character of prophets.

Historicity of David

See The Bible and history for a more complete description of the general issues surrounding the Bible as a historical source.

Biblical minimalists hold that David and his united kingdom never existed, and that the stories told about his life were made up much later by Jewish nationalists. Others feel that he was a historical figure and that the Biblical account on his person is generally accurate. An intermediate position, taken by a large proportion of scholars, consider him a real historical figure but, as with King Arthur, consider most of the traditions relating to him to have more myth than substance.

Archaeologist William G. Dever, in his book, What Did the Biblical Authors Know and When Did They Know It?, comes to the conclusion that David and his united monarchy did indeed exist, but that he did not rule "from the Euphrates to the River of Egypt" as the Bible claims, and more probably ruled approximately from Tel Dan in northern Israel to the area south of Beer-Sheba in Judah.

The details of David's life given in this article come from the Hebrew Bible and are not corroborated by, or even mentioned in, other historical documents. However, an ancient inscription called the Tel Dan Stele is controversially considered to refer to a king of the "House of David", providing indirect evidence that someone called David did exist as a historical king (although a minority interpret the vowel-less text as saying the "House of Duad", the "House of Thoth", or various other readings). It has recently been claimed that this inscription is a modern forgery, but this claim is rejected by the majority of researchers.

There have been many attempts at considering David as a quasi-historical figure, a composite mostly taken from the details of someone or something else, whether being a deliberate satire or commentary, or simply an attempt at accurate portrayal which became corrupted (in the sense that it appears now that he is someone distinct from who/what he was intended to portray).

In 2005, an Israeli archaeologist working in East Jerusalem uncovered a large public building dating back to the period of David's reign, which may allow the issue to be addressed more definitively.

Representation in art and literature

Art

Famous sculptures of David include (in chronological order) those by:

• Donatello (ca. 1430 - 1440) (see Donatello's David)
• Andrea del Verrocchio (1476)
• Michelangelo Buonarroti (1504) (see Michelangelo's David)
• Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1624) (see Bernini's David
• Antonin Mercié (1873)

Literature

Elmer Davis's 1928 novel Giant Killer retells and embellishes the Biblical story of David, casting David as primarily a poet who managed always to find others to do the "dirty work" of heroism and kingship. In the novel, Elhanan in fact killed Goliath but David claimed the credit; and Joab, David's cousin and general, took it upon himself to make many of the difficult decisions of war and statecraft when David vacillated or wrote poetry instead.

In Thomas Burnett Swann's Biblical fantasy novel How are the Mighty Fallen (1974) David and Jonathan are explicitly stated to be lovers. Moreover, Jonathan is a member of a winged semi-human race (possibly nephilim), one of several such races co-existing with humanity but often persecuted by it.

Joseph Heller, the author of Catch-22, also wrote a novel based on David, God Knows. Told from the perspective of an ageing David, the humanity — rather than the heroism — of various biblical characters are emphasised. The portrayal of David as a man of flaws such as greed, lust, selfishness, and his alienation from God, the falling apart of his family is a distinctly 20th century interpretation of the events told in the Bible.

Film

Gregory Peck played King David in the 1951 film David and Bathsheba, directed by Henry King. Susan Hayward played Bathsheba and Raymond Massey played the prophet Nathan.

Richard Gere portrayed King David in the 1985 film King David directed by Bruce Beresford.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

David

• Tel Dan Stele
• Hebrew Bible
• Aviad- Minister (prince) of peace of David.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Kirsch, Jonathan (2000) "King David: the real life of the man who ruled Israel". Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-43275-4.
• See also the entry for David in Easton's Bible Dictionary.

External links

• Complete Bible Genealogy David's family tree

Preceded by: Ish-bosheth

Kingdom of Israel

Succeeded by: Solomon

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