David

Michelangelo's David.

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

The successor to King Saul, who was the first official king of the biblical united Kingdom of Israel, David's forty-year reign is estimated to have 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. He is not referred to in ancient literature outside of the bible.

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, rivaled perhaps only by King Josiah (2 Kings 23:25). David was also an acclaimed warrior, monarch, musician, and poet. He is traditionally credited with composing many of the psalms recorded in the book of Psalms, although both critical and pious scholarship cast doubt on his authorship.

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.

David's life

David's early life

David was the seventh and youngest son of Jesse, a resident 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).

David's early occupation was to tend his father's sheep on the uplands of Judah. His first recorded exploits were his encounters with 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).

A further account in the first book of Samuel reports that while David was away tending his flocks, the Prophet Samuel paid an unexpected visit to Bethlehem. There the prophet 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 one chosen by God 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" (1 Sam. 16:13).

David and Goliath by Caravaggio

David and Saul

Not long after this event, David was summoned to soothe, with his harp, the troubled spirit of King Saul, who suffered from a strange melancholy dejection, caused by "an evil spirit from the Lord" (1 Sam. 16:4). Soon, the armies of the Philistines and 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 hurled a stone which struck the giant's forehead. David then ran to cut off Goliath's head with the giant'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 obvious legendary quality, but also because the Philistine giant Goliath is elsewhere described as having been killed by someone other than David, namely Elhanan son of Jair (1 Chron. 20:5).

David quickly rose to prominence as a military leader under Saul. The young leader's battle prowess resulted in a popular slogan: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands" (1 Sam. 18:7). Despite David's romantic marriage to Saul's daughter Michal and the deep friendship between David and Saul's son Jonathan, 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 and his military followers lived as exiles. He forged important alliances with Judean/Israelite figures such as the prophets Samuel and Gad, the priests Ahimelech and Abiathar, and the unfortunate priests of Nob, whom Saul murdered outrageously (1 Sam 22). He also married the wealthy Abigail of Carmel, widow of the Calebite chieftan Nabal. On the run from Saul, David accepted the city of Ziklag as a fief from the Philistine king Achish of Gath and worked as a mercenary general on his behalf, despite the fact that Achish was Israel's enemy (1 Sam 27:2-6). David may have adopted iron technology (as opposed to bronze) from the Philistines during this time.

Civil War

David returned to Judah at God's command (2 Sam. 2) after Saul and Jonathan's deaths in battle against the Philistines. He went to Hebron, where the leaders of the tribe of Judah anointed him as king over the tribe. The northern tribes, however, did not recognize David and instead supported Saul's son, Ish-Bosheth.

There followed a long and bitter civil war between Judah (supporting David) and the northern tribes (supporting Ish-Bosheth). Eventually, Abner, Saul's former army commander and advisor, broke with Ish-Bosheth and went over to David's side, bringing with him key elements of the northern alliance, including David's first wife Michal, whom Saul had given to another man in David's absence. David's own general, Joab, soon murdered Abner. The war finally ended when Ish-Bosheth was assassinated by two of his own men.

David's reign over the United Monarchy

With Ish-Bosheth out of the picture, the leaders of the northern tribes came to David and declared him king by popular assent (2 Sam. 5). He reigned over Israel for a while longer in Hebron, but eventually decided on conquering the Jebusite fortress of Salem, also called Jerusalem, a key mountain stronghold the Israelites had been unable to capture despite having lived around it for centuries.

David conquered Jerusalem and made it his capital. In a gesture of good will, the Phonecian king Hiram of Tyre sent valuable presents of material and craftsmen to assist David in building a new palace. David solidified his Israelite alliances by taking new wives and concubines from allied tribes. He then then turned against his old allies, the Philistines, defeating them soundly with God's help (2 Sam. 5). Next, David brought the Ark of the Covenant to the city. However, David's uninhibited ecstatic dancing during this procession earned him the disapproval of Michal, who strongly condemned his public, at least partly nude, display. The bible concludes the story of David and his first love with the poignant words: "Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death." (2 Sam. 6)

The Bible says that David intended to build a temple in which to house the ark, but through the Prophet Nathan, God commanded him not to do so. Nathan prophesied that one of David's offspring would be the one to build the "House of the Lord" (2 Sam. 7:14).

File:David-and-mephibosheth.jpg

David shows mercy to Saul's son, Mephi-Bosheth

David's reign during the remaining years of his life was marked by additional military victories as well as considerable political acumen. He solidified his position with the northern tribes by showing generosity to King Saul's one remaining son, Mephi-Bosheth (2 Samuel 9). He also subdued and exacted tribute from the nearby tribes of Moab, Ammon, and Edom, as well as the Arameans to the north (2 Sam 8). However, his reign was marred by scandal, rebellion and tragedy. His infamous affair with Bathseba (see below) brought 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), and Absalom's rebellious public act of sexual intercourse David's concubines (2 Sam. 16). In the subsequent war between David's forces and Absalom's, elements of the northern tribes supported the usurper (2 Sam 18) and later threw in their lot with the rebel Sheba, 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.

Near the end of his life, the bible portrays David as increasingly impotent both physically and politically. Lacking his former confidence, he sinned by ordering a census of Israel's fighting men, although the accounts in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronciles 21 disagree as to whether it was God or Satan who incited him to this action. Next, his advisors procured for him the lovely virgin Abishag, "to lie beside our lord the king and keep him warm" (1 Kings 1:2). Finally, the aging monarch endured an acrimonious struggle over succession. David's eldest living son, Adonijah, began to reign as king without David's knowledge, with the support of the priest Abiathar and David's 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 anointed and enthroned with David's blessing (1 Kings 1-2). "Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David."

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. (The story is ommited from Chronicles.) 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. Nevertheless, she is the mother of King Solomon, and in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew (1:6) Bathsheba 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)
• "DDaniel, 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. He is unexceled by any other ruler in piety. Even his affair with Bathsheba and the "murder" of Uriah her husband is excused by some Talmudic authorities on various grounds ranging from the idea that women traditionally obtained writs of divorce before their husbands went to war to the fact that Uriah had committed a capital offense by disobeying David's order to sleep with Bathsheba. The traditional Jewish understanding of the role of the Messiah is to restore the Davidic lineage to the throne after the return of Israel from Babylonian captivity. Thus, the Messiah is given the title "Son of David," and his role continues to be seen by many Jewish authorities as involving political more than spiritual redemption. David's descent from a Moabite convert (Ruth) is taken as proof of the importance of converts within Judaism, as well as a counterbalance to the Book of Ezra (ch. 9-10), which insists that Jews divorce any foreign wives that they married during the period of exile in Babylon. That David 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 immoral acquisition of Bathsheba and the loss of his son are viewed by many Jews as central tragedies.

David in Christianity

In Christianity, as in Judaism, David is seen as a righteous king par excellence; but he is especially important as the ancestor of Jesus, the Messiah. Several Old Testament prophecies state that the Messiah will come from David's line, and the Gospels of Matthew and Luke trace Jesus' lineage to David to fulfill this requirement. David, the greatest Israelite king, is also figurative of Christ, who will reign as King of Kings. Jesus is portrayed as having been born, like David, in Bethlehem. Like David, he is a shepherd-king, but one who cares for spiritual sheep instead of physical ones. However, Christians reject the Jewish notion that Jesus, as the Messiah, intended to restore the Davidic kingship of Israel in a physical sense. Instead, he came to redeem mankind from sin spiritually, through his atoning death on the cross. However, Christians also believe that he will return in glory as King of Kings, either to establish a millennial reign on earth, or to call all who believe in him to his kingdom in the heavens. David is also 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. The Qur'an declares him to be God's wise and strong "viceregent" (38: 16-27). As in Judaism, he is said to have killed Goliath (Jalut) with a rock from his sling. He is considered as great warrior for Allah. Muslims generally reject the 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. However some Muslims admit that David's repentance for sin is acknowledged in the Quran 38:21-30 as well as in the Zabur, such as Psalm 25.

David in Unificationism

Unificationists follow the Christian and Jewish tradition concerning King David, that he was the paradigm of the Messiah, as well as the ancestor of Jesus. In The Divine Principle, David is a victorious central figure of the period of the United Kingdom. He succeeded where Saul failed in unifying Israel and Judah, laying the practical and spiritual conditions necessary for the realization of the Temple, which had been God's intent since the time of Moses. This enabled his son Solomon finally to build the Temple, a key external element in the national level foundation to receive the Messiah.

Unificationism agrees with Judaism that the Messiah's role is not only spiritual redemption. It teaches that Jesus, as the Messiah, intended to restore God's original ideal of creation on earth. In another departure from most Christian commentators, Unification Church founder, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, teaches that David's taking of Bathsheba from Uriah the Hittite was providential in its intent, although wrong in its implementation through an act of adultery and virtual murder. David stood in Adam's position, Bathsheba in Eve's, and Uriah the Hittite in Lucifer's. By taking Bathsheba, David was restoring "Eve" from Lucifer's dominion. This, however, does not excuse David's behavior, or Bathsheba's. A possible model for the proper method of restoration in David's course is seen in his earlier marriage to Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Calebite. The wise Abigail prevailed on David not to slay her husband. David blesses her for "keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands." David soon married Abigail lawfully after her husband's death by "natural" causes at the hand of God (1 Sam 25).

Historicity of David

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 ancient historical documents. However, an ancient inscription called the Tel Dan Stele is thought to refer to a king of the "House of David", providing non-biblical evidence that Israelite kings as early as the 9th century were thought to be descendants of David.

A great deal of controversy exists over the question of the "historical David." The most extreme Biblical minimalists hold that David and his united kingdom never existed. An intermediate position, taken by a large proportion of scholars, recognizes him as a real historical figure but, as with King Arthur, considers many of the traditions relating to him and his kingdom to be more myth than substance. Finally, some scholars defend the basic outline of the biblical story of David, while admitting that the details of his exploits may be somewhat exaggerated.

David's authorship of the Psalms is also controversial. Some scholars doubt that David could have composed any of the Psalms, holding that a primitive chieftan such as he probably could not even write, let alone compose the sublime poetry attributed to him. Others defend his authorship of some, but not all of the Pslams traditionally attributed to him. Although many of the Pslams are specifically denoted as "Psalms of David," the content of these works often describes a later time. For example, some describe the Temple as already in operation, while others describe Jerusalem as having been invaded by gentile forces, neither of which was the case in David's time. This leaves even some of the most pious Christian scholars to conclude that "of David" is more likely to be a designation added by later scribes meaning "in the spirit of David" rather than actually having been written by him.

Regarding David as a political figure, 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 even if its extent in the biblical account is exaggerated. Dever opines that David probably ruled approximately from Tel Dan in northern Israel to the area south of Beer-Sheba in Judah. Another prominent archaelogist, Israel Finkelstein, in his book, The Bible Unearthed, goes further, providing evidence that David's capital, Jerusalem, must have been only a small fortified village in David's day. In his view, even the idea of David as a "king" of a unified nation extending from Dan to Beer-Sheba cannot be maintained. David indeed could have existed, but probably only as a particularly gifted Judean war chief with a limited record of success in relating to the northern Israelite and Canaanite tribes. Finklestein's claim is challenged by the work of Israeli archaeologist Eilat Mazar, who in August, 2005 announced that she believes she has uncovered David's palace in the biblical City of David, and that it is indeed a very large structure capable of housing a great king.

Representation in art and literature

Art

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

• Donatello (ca. 1430 - 1440)
• Andrea del Verrocchio (1476)
• Michelangelo Buonarroti (1504)
• Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1624)
• 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 emphasisemphasisedrtrayal 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.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Finkelstein, Israel "The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts". NY: Free Press, 2002 ISBN 0-684-86913-6
• Kirsch, Jonathan "King David: the real life of the man who ruled Israel". Hendersonville, TN: Ballantine, 2000 ISBN 0-345-43275-4.
• Pinsky, Robert "The Life of David". NY: Schocken, 2005 ISBN 0-805-24203-1
• Rosenberg, David "The Book of David: A New Story of the Spiritual Warrior and Leader Who Shaped Our Inner Consciousness". NY: Harmony, 1997 ISBN 0-517-70800-0
• See also the entry for David in Easton's Bible Dictionary.
• See also the entry for David in [1]

External links

• Complete Bible Genealogy David's family tree

Preceded by: Ish-bosheth

Kingdom of Israel

Succeeded by: Solomon

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