David — a man after God's own heart
The shepherd of Bethlehem who killed Goliath, became Israel's greatest king, and was promised an everlasting throne; a poet of the Psalms and ancestor of Jesus.
What we know — and how we know it
Oren Rozen — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
ArchaeologyThe Tel Dan Stele (9th century BC) names the 'House of David' — the earliest reference to David's dynasty outside the Bible.
Where in scripture
Ruth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SolomonIsaiahJeremiahEzekielHoseaAmosZechariahMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans2 TimothyHebrewsRevelationThe women, her neighbors, gave him a name, saying, “A son is born to Naomi”. They named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Ruth 4:17
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the middle of his brothers. Then Yahweh’s Spirit came mightily on David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
1 Samuel 16:13 — Anointed by Samuel
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine, and killed him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
1 Samuel 17:50 — Kills Goliath
After the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag;
2 Samuel 1:1
After this, David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” Yahweh said to him, “Go up.” David said, “Where shall I go up?” He said, “To Hebron.”
2 Samuel 2:1
Your house and your kingdom will be made sure forever before you. Your throne will be established forever.”’”
2 Samuel 7:16 — An everlasting throne
King David longed to go out to Absalom; for he was comforted concerning Amnon, since he was dead.
2 Samuel 13:39
Now king David was old and advanced in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he couldn’t keep warm.
1 Kings 1:1
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
Family
In their own words — 178 recorded sayings
“And David said to the men near him, What will be done to the man who overcomes this Philistine and takes away the shame from Israel? for who is this Philistine, a man without circumcision, that he has put shame on the armies of the living God?” — 1 Samuel 17:26
“And David said, What have I done now? was it not only a word?” — 1 Samuel 17:29
“And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart become feeble because of him; I, your servant, will go out and have a fight with this Philistine.” — 1 Samuel 17:32
“And David said to Saul, Your servant has been keeper of his father's sheep; and if a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him, and overcame him, and took it out of his mouth: and if, turning on me, he came at me, I took him by the hair and overcame him and put him to death. Your servant has overcome lion and bear: and the fate of this Philistine, who is without circumcision, will be like theirs, seeing that he has put shame on the armies of the living God.” — 1 Samuel 17:34-36
“And David said, The Lord, who kept me safe from the grip of the lion and the bear, will be my saviour from the hands of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go! and may the Lord be with you.” — 1 Samuel 17:37
“And David took Saul's sword and put the band round him over the metal coat, and was unable to go forward; for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, It is not possible for me to go out with these, for I am not used to them. So David took them off.” — 1 Samuel 17:39
“Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin: but I come to you in the name of the Lord of armies, the God of the armies of Israel on which you have put shame. This day the Lord will give you up into my hands, and I will overcome you, and take your head off you; and I will give the bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth today, so that all the earth may see that Israel has a God; And all these people who are here today may see that the Lord does not give salvation by sword and spear: for the fight is the…” — 1 Samuel 17:45-47
“And Saul said to him, Young man, whose son are you? And David in answer said, I am the son of your servant Jesse of Beth-lehem.” — 1 Samuel 17:58
…and 170 more recorded sayings.
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).
Events
- David and Goliath
- The Death of Saul at Gilboa
- David Captures Jerusalem
- David, Bathsheba and Nathan
- Absalom's Revolt
Places in their life
Photo: Neil Ward — CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
In art
