David

"King David" redirects here. For other uses, see David (disambiguation) and King David (disambiguation).

David
King of Israel
Statue of King David by Nicolas Cordier in the Borghese Chapel of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
Reign	c. 1010 – 1002 BCE (Judah only) c. 1002 – 970 BCE (Israel)
Predecessor	Saul Ish-bosheth
Successor	Solomon
Born	c. 1040 BCE Bethlehem, Judah, Israel
Died	c. 970 BCE (aged 69 or 70) Jerusalem, Judah, Israel
Burial	City of David
Consort	Michal Ahinoam Abigail Maachah Haggith Abital Eglah Bathsheba
Issue	Amnon Chileab Absalom Adonijah Shephatiah Ithream Shammua Shobab Nathan Solomon Ibhar Elishua Nepheg Japhia Elishama Eliada Eliphalet Tamar
House	House of David
Father	Jesse
Mother	Nitzevet (Talmud)

David (/ˈdeɪvɪd/; Hebrew: דָּוִד, Modern [David] , Tiberian Dāwîḏ;ISO 259-3 Dawid; Arabic: داوُد‎‎ Dāwūd; Syriac: ܕܘܝܕ‎ Dawid; Ancient Greek: Δαυίδ; Latin: Davidus, David; Strong's: Daveed) was, according to the Books of Samuel, the second king of the United Kingdom of Israel, and according to the New Testament, an ancestor of Jesus. His life is conventionally dated to c. 1040 – 970 BCE, his reign over Judah c. 1010–970 BCE.

The Books of Samuel, 1 Kings, and 1 Chronicles are the only Old Testament sources of information on David, although the Tel Dan Stele (dated c. 850–835 BCE) contains the phrase בית דוד‎ (bytdwd), read as "House of David", which many scholars confirm to be a likely plausible match to the existence in the mid-9th century BCE of a Judean royal dynasty called the House of David.

Depicted as a valorous warrior of great renown, and a poet and musician credited for composing much of the psalms contained in the Book of Psalms, King David is widely viewed as a righteous and effective king in battle and civil justice. He is described as a man after God's own heart in 1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22.

In Christianity, David is an important figure because of the Davidic line of the Messiah. In Islam, David is considered a prophet.

Name

Main article: David (name)

Hebrew: דָּוִד, Modern [David] , Tiberian Dāwîḏ has the meaning of "beloved", from a root דּוֹד dôwd, which had an etymological meaning of "to boil" but survives in Biblical Hebrew only in figurative usage "to love", and specifically a term for an uncle (father's brother).

In Christian tradition, the name was adopted in Syriac: ܕܘܝܕ‎ as Dawid, Greek as Δαυίδ, and Latin as Davidus or David. The Quranic spelling is داوُد Dāwūd.

David was adopted as a Christian name from an early period, e.g. David of Wales (6th century), David Saharuni (7th century), David I of Iberia (9th century).

Biblical narrative

Saul rejected

Main article: Saul

Samuel anoints David, Dura Europos, Syria, 3rd century CE

According to the Biblical narrative, Israel is at first ruled by judges, but the people demand a monarchy, so the current judge, the prophet Samuel, reluctantly appoints Saul to be the first king of Israel. Although successful at first, Saul eventually loses favor with God by disobeying directives conveyed through Samuel. Samuel tells Saul that God has rejected him as king, and will give the kingdom instead to "a man after [my] own heart" who is "better than you."

Samuel goes to Bethlehem on the pretext of performing a sacrifice; in fact intending to appoint Saul's successor from among the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem. Samuel examines seven of Jesse's sons, but says to him, "The Lord has not chosen these," and inquires if Jesse has any other sons. Jesse's youngest son, David, is sent for where he is tending the flocks. When Samuel sees David, the Lord says, "Rise and anoint him; this is the one."

At Saul's court

The Bible presents two accounts of how David came to become part of Saul’s household. In 1 Samuel 16:14-23, Saul takes David into his service as his “armor-bearer”. In 1 Samuel 17, David is officially presented to Saul as the hero who killed Goliath. According to French scholar, Andre Lemaire, this may represent an amalgamation of different traditions concerning the early relationship between David and Saul.

Saul is tormented by an "evil spirit from the Lord" which afflicts him with episodes of deep melancholy which only music can ease. David is recommended as a skilled musician and summoned to the court. Saul makes David one of his armor-bearers, a high honor. From then on, whenever the evil spirit from God comes upon Saul, David plays music and the evil spirit leaves him.

David and Goliath

"David Giving Thanks to God After the Death of Goliath", 18th century painting attributed to Charles Errard the Younger

See also: Goliath

According to 1 Samuel 17, the 'men of Israel' under King Saul faced the Philistines near the Valley of Elah. The two armies are encamped within sight of each other for several days but battle has not been joined; instead the Philistine's champion, the giant Goliath, issues daily challenges to single combat. David arrives in camp, sent by his father to bring provisions to his brothers with the army. He hears Goliath's challenge and comments that the uncircumcised Philistine should not insult the army of the living God. Brought to the king, he expresses confidence that he can defeat Goliath just as he has a lion and a bear that threatened the flock.

David holds the impaled head of Goliath and marches before a general on a white horse, as envisioned by Poussin, ca. 1632

Before the ordeal David picks five smooth stones from a nearby brook to use as ammunition. During the duel he avoids Goliath's thrown spear and easily kills him with his sling, afterword removing the giant's head with his own sword as the Philistines flee in terror. Saul inquires about the name of the young champion's father and David tells him that he is the son of Jesse. In 2 Samuel 22, David credits God for delivering him from the hand of the Philistines and saving him from "the snares of death," in his psalm, "David’s Song of Praise."

2 Samuel 21:19 states that Goliath was killed by Elhanan son of Jair from Bethlehem [(ESV), not (KJV)] (1 Chronicles 20:5 retells this story using Goliath's brother). "Most likely, storytellers displaced the deed from the otherwise obscure Elhanan onto the more famous character, David."

David and Jonathan

Saul threatening David, by José Leonardo.

Main article: David and Jonathan

Saul makes David a commander over his armies and offers him his daughter Michal in marriage for a bride price of 100 Philistine foreskins, intending that David will die in trying to remove them; instead he brings back 200 foreskins, saying "God was with me". David is increasingly successful and increasingly popular and Saul begins to see him as a threat. Saul repeatedly tries to arrange for David's death, but the plots only endear David further to the people, and especially to his friend, Saul's son Jonathan. (1 Samuel 18:1, 2 Samuel 1:25–26). Jonathan warns David of his father's plots; David flees into the wilderness at the head of a band of followers.

During this time as a fugitive from King Saul, David becomes a vassal of the Philistine king Achish of Gath, for which Achish gives him the border town of Ziklag. Despite being in the employ of their enemy, David maintains good relations with the Israelites by defending them from the Amalekites. When Achish marches against the Israelites his nobles question David's loyalty, pointing out that if David turns on them during the battle he could win back Saul's favor, so he is excused from the battle and left behind to guard the camp.

Proclaimed king

Jonathan and Saul are killed in battle with the Philistines at Mount Gilboa. David travels to Hebron, where he is anointed king. In the north, Saul's son Ish-Bosheth is anointed king by Abner. War ensues until Ish-Bosheth is murdered. The assassins bring his head to David hoping for a reward, but David executes them for their crime. With the death of Saul's son, the elders of Israel come to Hebron and David is anointed king over a united Israel.

Jerusalem and the Davidic covenant

Main article: Covenant (biblical) § Davidic covenant

David conquers the Jebusite fortress of Jerusalem, and makes it his capital. He brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, intending to build a temple. However the prophet Nathan forbids him to build a temple because he has shed too much blood, but prophesies that the temple would be built by one of his sons. Nathan also prophecies that God has made a covenant with the house of David: "Your throne shall be established forever." David wins more victories over the Philistines, and the Moabites and Hadadezer of Zobah pays tribute.

Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite

King David in robes of a Byzantine emperor, miniature from the Paris Psalter

With his army in the field under the command of his general Joab, David remains in the capital and occupies himself by seducing Bathsheba, the wife of one of his officers, Uriah the Hittite, and she becomes pregnant. To save Bathsheba from punishment for adultery, David sends a letter to Joab with instructions that his reply be carried by Uriah. When Uriah arrives at the capital David detains him, assuming that he will take the opportunity to sleep with his wife. But Uriah refuses do so while his men are sleeping in the field. So David sends him back to the front with a second message instructing Joab to arrange for Uriah to die in battle. With Uriah disposed of David marries the widow, who bears their child, but the narrative comments, "but the thing that David had done displeased the Lord."

The prophet Nathan confronts David and prophecies the punishment that shall fall upon him: "the sword shall never depart from your house" apparently meaning that he will always be troubled by war; "the son born to you will die," and that God will "take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight."

When their child falls ill David desperately prays for his recovery with such disturbing expressions grief that when the child dies the servants are at first afraid to tell him out of concern for his sanity. But upon learning his son has died David promptly recovers himself, explaining, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.' But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." (2 Samuel 12:22–23)

David's son Absalom rebels

David Playing the Harp, by Jan de Bray, 1670

David's son Absalom "stole the hearts of the people" and rebelled. David flees Jerusalem, leaving his servant Hushai behind in Absalom's court as a double agent. Ahitophel, formerly David's chief advisor, advises Absalom to strike before David has time to gather his forces. Hushai persuades Absalom to wait and build up his own forces before facing his formidable father. When Ahitophel sees his council rejected he correctly surmises the cause is lost and hangs himself. Absalom has a tent pitched on the palace roof, in which he takes his father's consorts, thus fulfilling Nathan's prophecy. The rebellion ends at the battle of the Wood of Ephraim; Absalom's forces are routed, leaving him behind with his flowing locks tangled in the branches of a terebinth tree, where he is found and killed by David’s general Joab, contrary to Davids order in 2. Samuel 18:5. When the news of the victory is brought to David, he is grief-stricken and laments, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!" Joab reprimands him for his excessive show of grief in the face of victory.

Death

The funeral of King David, while his son Solomon watches (from a medieval manuscript)

With David old and bedridden, Adonijah, his eldest surviving son and natural heir, declares himself king. Bathsheba, David's favorite wife, and Nathan the prophet go to David and obtain his agreement that Bathsheba's son Solomon should become king, according to Davids earlier promise. David counsels Solomon to begin his reign with the killing of two men, his long-time general Joab, who had killed several people without David`s consent, and Simei who had offended David years previously. reference 1.King 2:5-9

Family

According to tradition, David was born in Bethlehem, in the territory of the Tribe of Judah. His grandfather was Obed, whose mother was the Moabite Ruth and whose grandmother was the former prostitute Rahab. David's father was Jesse. His mother is not named in the Bible, but the Talmud identifies her as Nitzevet daughter of Adael. David had six older brothers and two sisters, Zeruiah and Abigail.

David cemented his relations with various political and national groups through marriage. He had eight wives: Michal, the second daughter of King Saul; Ahinoam the Jezreelite; Abigail the Carmelite, previously wife of Nabal; Maachah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; Haggith; Abital; Eglah; and Bathsheba.

The Book of Chronicles lists his sons by 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 by 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. David also had at least one daughter, Tamar, by Maachah.

Given that Nathan prophesies, in punishment for his sin with Bathsheba, that the Lord will take his wives and give them to his "neighbor", Solomon may not have been David's son at all, but later editors may have amended the story to emphasize Nathan's other statement) that "the sword shall never depart from your house".

Historicity

Archaeology

The Tel Dan Stele

Main articles: Tel Dan Stele, Mesha Stele, and City of David

Two archaeological finds, the Tel Dan Stele and the Mesha Stele, have direct bearing on the question of the existence of a historical David. The first of these is an Aramean victory stele (a freestanding, inscribed stone) discovered in 1993 at Tel Dan and dated c. 850–835 BCE: it contains the phrase ביתדוד‎ (bytdwd), which is very frequently interpreted as "House of David". The Mesha Stele from Moab, dating from approximately the same period, may also contain the name David in two places: in line 12, where the interpretation is debatable due to unusual syntax (perhaps Anson Rainey's translation, "its Davidic altar-hearth"), and in line 31, where one destroyed letter must be supplied. Since apparently no other letter in line 31 produces a word that makes sense in the context, "house of David seems to be the likely translation.

The evidence from surface surveys indicates that Judah at the time of David was a small tribal kingdom. The Bronze and Iron Age remains of the City of David, the original urban core of Jerusalem identified with the reigns of David and Solomon, were investigated extensively in the 1970s and 1980s under the direction of Yigal Shiloh of the Hebrew University, who failed to discover significant evidence of occupation during the 10th century BCE. In 2005 Eilat Mazar reported the discovery of a Large Stone Structure which she claimed was David's palace, but the site is contaminated and cannot be accurately dated.

In December 2014, archaeologists from Mississippi State University announced the discovery of six bullae which suggests that some type of government activity was being conducted in the 10th century, and thus support the existence of David, although the bullae do not mention David or Jerusalem or Judah or Israel and there is no way of knowing who produced them or for what purpose.

In 2015 a 10-year-old Russian volunteer at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount Sifting Project found a seal from the time of King David in the 10th century BCE.

Academic views on the biblical account

The biblical account about David comes from the Books of Samuel and the Books of Chronicles. Chronicles merely retells Samuel from a different theological vantage point, and contains little (if any) information not available there, and the biblical evidence for David is therefore dependent almost exclusively on the material contained in the chapters from 1 Samuel 16 to 1 Kings 2.

Russian icon of St. David, the Prophet and King, 18th century (iconostasis of Kizhi monastery)

Since Martin Noth put forward his analysis of the Deuteronomistic history, biblical scholars have accepted that these two books form part of a continuous history of Israel, compiled no earlier than the late 7th century BCE, but incorporating earlier works and fragments. Samuel's account of David "seems to have undergone two separate acts of editorial slanting". The original writers show a strong bias against Saul, and in favour of David and Solomon. Many years later the Deuteronomists edited the material in a manner that conveyed their religious message, inserting reports and anecdotes that strengthened their monotheistic doctrine. Some of the materials in Samuel I and II—notably the boundary, allotment and administrative lists—are believed to be very early, since they correspond closely to what we know of the territorial conditions of the late Davidic-early Solomonic period.

Beyond this, the full range of possible interpretations is available. The late John Bright, in his History of Israel takes Samuel at face value. Donald B. Redford, however, thinks all reconstructions from biblical sources for the United Monarchy period are examples of "academic wishful thinking". Thomas L. Thompson rejects the historicity of the biblical narrative, "The history of Palestine and of its peoples is very different from the Bible's narratives, whatever political claims to the contrary may be. An independent history of Judea during the Iron I and Iron II periods has little room for historicizing readings of the stories of I-II Samuel and I Kings." Amihai Mazar however, concludes that based on recent archeological findings, like those in City of David, Khirbet Qeiyafa, Tel Dan, Tel Rehov, Khirbet en-Nahas and others "the deconstruction of United Monarchy and the devaluation of Judah as a state in 9th century is unacceptable interpretation of available historic data". According to Mazar, based on archeological evidences, United Monarchy can be described as a "state in development".

Some studies of David have been written: Baruch Halpern has pictured David as a lifelong vassal of Achish, the Philistine king of Gath; Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman have identified as the oldest and most reliable section of Samuel those chapters which describe David as the charismatic leader of a band of outlaws who captures Jerusalem and makes it his capital. Steven McKenzie, Associate Professor of the Hebrew Bible at Rhodes College and author of King David: A Biography, states the belief that David actually came from a wealthy family, was "ambitious and ruthless" and a tyrant who murdered his opponents, including his own sons.

Matteo Rosselli, The triumphant David.

Critical Bible scholarship holds that the biblical account of David's rise to power is a political apology—an answer to contemporary charges against him, of his involvement in murders and regicide.

Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman reject the idea that David ruled over a united monarchy, suggesting instead that he ruled only as a chieftain over the southern kingdom of Judah, much smaller than the northern kingdom of Israel at that time. They posit that Israel and Judah were still polytheistic in the time of David and Solomon, and that much later seventh century redactors sought to portray a past golden age of a united, monotheistic monarchy in order to serve contemporary needs. They note a lack of archeological evidence for David's military campaigns and a relative underdevelopment of Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, compared to a more developed and urbanized Samaria, capital of Israel.

Jacob L. Wright, Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible at Emory University, has written that the most popular legends about David, including his killing of Goliath, his affair with Bathsheba, and his ruling of a United Kingdom of Israel rather than just Judah, are the creation of those who lived generations after him, in particular those living in the late Persian or Hellenistic period.

Physical descriptions

1 Samuel 16:12 says: "And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he." 1 Samuel 17:41–43 says: "And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance."

The Hebrew word for 'ruddy' used in the above passages is admoni (אדמני), from the root ADM (אדם, see also Adam and Edom). "Admoni", reddish-brown, was the ideal colour for men, and indicates David's heroic nature.

David as Psalmist

King David the Prophet
King David in Prayer, by Pieter de Grebber (c. 1640)
Holy Monarch, Prophet, Reformer, Spiritual Poet & Musician, Vicegerent of God, Psalm-Receiver
Born	c. 1040 BCE Bethlehem
Died	c. 970 BCE Jerusalem
Venerated in	Judaism Christianity Islam
Feast	December 29 - Roman Catholicism
Attributes	Psalms, Harp, Head of Goliath

While almost half of the Psalms are headed "A Psalm of David" (though the phrase can also be translated as "to David" or "for David") and tradition identifies several with specific events in David’s life (e.g., Psalms 3, 7, 18, 34, 51, 52, 54, 56, 57, 59, 60, 63 and 142), the headings are late additions and no psalm can be attributed to David with certainty.

Psalm 34 is attributed to David on the occasion of his escape from the Abimelech (king) Achish by pretending to be insane. According to the narrative in 1 Samuel 21, instead of killing the man who had exacted so many casualties from him, Abimelech allows David to depart, exclaiming, "Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?"

Rabbinic Judaism

David is an important figure in Rabbinic Judaism. Many legends have grown around the figure of David. According to one Rabbinic tradition, David was raised as the son of his father Jesse and spent his early years herding his father's sheep in the wilderness while his brothers were in school. Only at his anointing by Samuel—when the oil from Samuel's flask turned to diamonds and pearls—was his true identity as Jesse's son revealed.

David's adultery with Bathsheba was only an opportunity to demonstrate the power of repentance, and the Talmud states that it was not adultery at all, quoting a Jewish practice of divorce on the eve of battle. Furthermore, according to Talmudic sources, the death of Uriah was not to be considered murder, on the basis that Uriah had committed a capital offence by refusing to obey a direct command from the King. However, in tractate Sanhedrin, David expressed remorse over his transgressions and sought forgiveness. God ultimately forgave David and Bathsheba but would not remove their sins from Scripture.

According to midrashim, Adam gave up 70 years of his life for the life of David. Also, according to the Talmud Yerushalmi, David was born and died on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot (Feast of Weeks). His piety was said to be so great that his prayers could bring down things from Heaven.

Saul and David, by Rembrandt, c. 1650. David plays the lyre (depicted here as a harp) to the king “tormented by an evil spirit.”

Christianity

See also: Genealogy of Jesus

The concept of the Messiah is important in Christianity. Originally an earthly king ruling by divine appointment ("the anointed one", as the title Messiah had it), the "son of David" became in the last two pre-Christian centuries the apocalyptic and heavenly one who would deliver Israel and usher in a new kingdom. This was the background to the concept of Messiahship in early Christianity, which interpreted the career of Jesus "by means of the titles and functions assigned to David in the mysticism of the Zion cult, in which he served as priest-king and in which he was the mediator between God and man". The early Church believed that "the life of David [foreshadowed] the life of Christ; Bethlehem is the birthplace of both; the shepherd life of David points out Christ, the Good Shepherd; the five stones chosen to slay Goliath are typical of the five wounds; the betrayal by his trusted counsellor, Achitophel, and the passage over the Cedron remind us of Christ's Sacred Passion. Many of the Davidic Psalms, as we learn from the New Testament, are clearly typical of the future Messiah." In the Middle Ages, "Charlemagne thought of himself, and was viewed by his court scholars, as a 'new David'. [This was] not in itself a new idea, but [one whose] content and significance were greatly enlarged by him". The linking of David to earthly kingship was reflected in later Medieval cathedral windows all over Europe through the device of the Tree of Jesse, its branches demonstrating how divine kingship descended from Jesse, through his son David, to Jesus.

Western Rite churches (Lutheran, Roman Catholic) celebrate his feast day on 29 December, Eastern-rite on 19 December. The Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches celebrate the feast day of the "Holy Righteous Prophet and King David" on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (two Sundays before the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Lord), when he is commemorated together with other ancestors of Jesus. He is also commemorated on the Sunday after the Nativity, together with Joseph and James, the Brother of the Lord.

Middle Ages

Coat of arms attributed to King David by mediaeval heralds (identical to the arms of Ireland)

In European Christian culture of the Middle Ages, David was made a member of the Nine Worthies, a group of heroes encapsulating all the ideal qualities of chivalry. His life was thus proposed as a valuable subject for study by those aspiring to chivalric status. This aspect of David in the Nine Worthies was popularised firstly through literature, and was thereafter adopted as a frequent subject for painters and sculptors.

David was considered as a model ruler and a symbol of the God-ordained monarchy throughout medieval Western Europe and Eastern Christendom. David was perceived as the biblical predecessor to Christian Roman and Byzantine emperors and the name "New David" was used as an honorific reference to these rulers. The Georgian Bagratids and the Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia claimed a direct biological descent from him. Likewise, the Frankish Carolingian dynasty frequently connected themselves to David; Charlemagne himself occasionally used the name of David as his pseudonym.

Representation in art

Early Byzantine Depictions of David include:

• c. 613 – 630 David Plates
• c. 950 Paris Psalter
• c. 843 Chludov Psalter

Famous sculptures of David include those by:

• c. 1430 – 1440 Donatello
• 1476 Andrea del Verrocchio
• 1504 Michelangelo
• 1624 Gian Lorenzo Bernini
• 1873 Antonin Mercié

Latter Day Saints

In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Book of Mormon offers a negative commentary on David's practice of polygamy. In the Book of Jacob, the Nephite nation begins to practice polygamy, justifying it by the example of David and Solomon. In response the prophet Jacob denounces both David's taking of "many wives" and the Nephites' taking of multiple wives, though he stops short of denouncing polygamy altogether.

Editions of the Doctrine and Covenants utilized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest Latter Day Saint denomination, state that of David's sexual relationships, only his relationship with Bathsheba was a sin. However, in consequence of this sin and the further sin of killing Uriah, David had "fallen from exaltation" and would not be married to any of his wives in the next life.

The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research argues that there is no contradiction between the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants because the Lord authorized David to have some wives, but not "many" wives. They see a parallel between Jacob 2:24 and Deuteronomy 17:17, which some rabbis interpreted as a limit of four wives per husband. When David took Bathsheba, he crossed the line into having "many" wives, which he was not authorized to do. Jacob's denunciation then becomes, not a complete denunciation of David's polygamy, but a denunciation of unauthorized indulgence in polygamy.

The Community of Christ, the second-largest Latter Day Saint faction, does not accept the validity of 132nd section of the LDS Doctrine and Covenants; nor does the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), the Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite), and many other smaller factions. Although the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) accepted the validity of polygamy as an institution, they do not accept Doctrine and Covenants 132, nor do they believe that Joseph Smith instituted or taught it (they believe that James Strang was responsible for that, when he released his Book of the Law of the Lord in 1850).

Islam

Main article: David in Islam

David (Arabic داود, Dāwūd) is a highly important figure in Islam as one of the major prophets sent by God to guide the Israelites. David is mentioned several times in the Qur'an, often with his son Solomon. The actual Arabic equivalent to the Hebrew Davīd is Dawūd. In the Qur'an: David killed Goliath (2:251), Goliath was a powerful king who used to invade random kingdoms and villages. Goliath was spreading evil and corruption. When David killed Goliath, God granted him kingship and wisdom and enforces it (38:20). David is made God's "vicegerent on earth" (38:26) and God further gives David sound judgment (21:78; 37:21–24, 26) as well as the Psalms, which are regarded as books of divine wisdom (4:163; 17:55). The birds and mountains unite with David in uttering praise to God (21:79; 34:10; 38:18), while God made iron soft for David (34:10), God also instructed David in the art of fashioning chain-mail out of iron (21:80); an indication of the first use of Wrought iron, this knowledge gave David a major advantage over his bronze and cast iron-armed opponents, not to mention the cultural and economic impact. Together with Solomon, David gives judgment in a case of damage to the fields (21:78) and David judges in the matter between two disputants in his prayer chamber (38:21–23). Since there is no mention in the Qur'an of the wrong David did to Uriah nor is there any reference to Bathsheba, Muslims reject this narrative.

Muslim tradition and the hadith stress David's zeal in daily prayer as well as in fasting. Qur'an commentators, historians and compilers of the numerous Stories of the Prophets elaborate upon David's concise Qur'anic narratives and specifically mention David's gift in singing his Psalms as well as his musical and vocal talents. His voice is described as having had a captivating power, weaving its influence not only over man but over all beasts and nature, who would unite with him to praise God.

Baha'i Faith

In the Baha'i Faith, David is described as a reflection of God and one among a long line of prophets who came in the shadow of the dispensation of Moses to develop and consolidate the process he set in motion. The Kitáb-i-Íqán describes David as being "among the more exalted Manifestations who have appeared during the intervening period between the revelations of Moses and Muhammad, ever altered the law of the Qiblih".

Modern art and literature

Literature

Literary works about David include:

• 1865 Dryden's long poem Absalom and Achitophel is an allegory that uses the story of the rebellion of Absalom against King David as the basis for his satire of the contemporary political situation, including events such as the Monmouth Rebellion (1685), the Popish Plot (1678) and the Exclusion Crisis.
• 1893 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle used the story of David and Bathsheba as the main structure for the Sherlock Holmes story The Adventure of the Crooked Man. The betrayal of the Crooked Man is paralleled with David's betrayal of Uriah the Hittite, carried out in order to win Bathsheba.
• 1928 Elmer Davis's 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.
• 1936 William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom! refers to the story of Absalom, David's son; his rebellion against his father and his death at the hands of David's general, Joab. In addition it parallels Absalom's vengeance for the rape of his sister Tamar by his half-brother, Amnon.
• 1939 In Agatha Christie's novel/play And Then There Were None (also known as Ten Little Indians), one character compares his own predicament to the story of David and Uriah.
• 1946 Gladys Schmitt's novel David the King was a richly embellished biography of David's entire life. The book took a risk, especially for its time, in portraying David's relationship with Jonathan as overtly homoerotic, but was ultimately panned by critics as a bland rendition of the title character.
• 1966 Juan Bosch, a Dominican political leader and writer, wrote David: Biography of a King, as a realistic portrayal of David's life and political career.
• 1970 Dan Jacobson's The Rape of Tamar is an imagined account, by one of David's courtiers Yonadab, of the rape of Tamar by Amnon.
• 1972 Stefan Heym wrote The King David Report, a work of fiction depicting the writings of the Bible historian Ethan, upon King Solomon's orders, of a true and authoritative report on the life of David, Son of Jesse.
• 1974 In Thomas Burnett Swann's Biblical fantasy novel How are the Mighty Fallen, 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 coexisting with humanity but often persecuted by it.
• 1980 Malachi Martin's factional novel King of Kings: A Novel of the Life of David relates the life of David, Adonai's champion in his battle with the Philistine deity Dagon.
• 1984 Joseph Heller wrote a novel based on David called God Knows, published by Simon & Schuster. Told from the perspective of an aging David, the humanity—rather than the heroism—of various biblical characters is emphasized. 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.
• 1993 Madeleine L'Engle's novel Certain Women explores family, the Christian faith, and the nature of God through the story of King David's family and an analogous modern family's saga.
• 1995 Allan Massie wrote King David, a novel about David's career that portrays the king's relationship to Jonathan as sexual.
• 2007, 2010 "Occupation Duty," a short alternate history story by Harry Turtledove, published in Time Twisters, (eds. Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg), and in Atlantis and Other Places, is set in modern times in a world in which Goliath defeated David, resulting in the state of "Philistinia" having the same function in that world as the State of Israel has in ours.
• 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks published a novel about King David, The Secret Chord.

Film

• 1951 In David and Bathsheba, directed by Henry King, Gregory Peck played David.
• 1959 In Solomon and Sheba, directed by King Vidor, Finlay Currie playing an aged King David.
• 1960 In A Story of David, directed by Bob McNaught, Jeff Chandler played David.
• 1985 In King David, directed by Bruce Beresford, Richard Gere played King David.

Music

• 14th/15th century Josquin des Prez's Planxit autem, David is a polyphonic setting of 2 Samuel, chapter one verses 17–27, David's lamentation for the dead Saul and Jonathan. His Absalon fili mi is a polyphonic lamentation from David's perspective on the death of his son.
• 1738 George Frideric Handel's oratorio Saul features David as one of its main characters.
• 1921 Arthur Honegger's oratorio Le Roi David with a libretto by Rene Morax, instantly became a staple of the choral repertoire.
• 1984 Leonard Cohen's song Hallelujah has references to David ("there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord", "The baffled king composing Hallelujah") and Bathsheba ("you saw her bathing on the roof") in its opening verses.
• 1989 The Pixies' song Dead on Doolittle is a retelling of David's adultery and repentance.
• 1990 The song One of the Broken by Paddy McAloon, performed by Prefab Sprout on the album Jordan: The Comeback, has a reference to David ("I remember King David, with his harp and his beautiful, beautiful songs, I answered his prayers, and showed him a place where his music belongs").
• 1991 Mad About You, a song on Sting's the album The Soul Cages, explores David's obsession with Bathsheba from David's perspective.
• 1999 Eric Whitacre composed a choral piece, "When David Heard", chronicling the death of Absalom and David's grief over losing his son.
• 2000 The song Gimme a Stone appears on the Little Feat album Chinese Work Songs chronicles the duel with Goliath and contains a lament to Absalom as a bridge.
• 2008 Flash of the Blade by Iron Maiden mentions David in the line "You're St. George or you're David and you always killed the beast".
• 2009 The Angel of Death Came to David's Room by MewithoutYou is in reference to King David.
• 2011 Your Heart by Chris Tomlin on Music inspired by The Story is a prayer of David.

Musical theater

• 1997 King David, a modern oratorio, with a book and lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Alan Menken.

Television

• 1995 The episode "Little Big Dog" of the PBS series Wishbone recounts the story of David, his favor with Saul, and his triumphant battle over Goliath.
• The season two episode of Xena: Warrior Princess "Giant Killer" features David and his killing of Goliath.
• 1996 In Series 2 Episode 7 of the Science fiction show Dominion "Lay Thee Before Kings"David is shown slaying Goliath with the unwitting support of the Archangels Gabriel and Michael.* 1997 TV film David, with Nathaniel Parker portraying King David.
• 1997 Max von Sydow portrayed an older King David in the TV film Solomon, a sequel to David.
• 2009 The NBC series Kings, explicitly designed as a modern retelling of the David story.
• 2013 Langley Kirkwood portrayed King David in the miniseries The Bible produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey.

Playing cards

For a considerable period, starting in the 15th century and continuing until the 19th, French playing card manufacturers assigned to each of the court cards names taken from history or mythology. In this context, the King of Spades was often known as "David".

See also

• David in Islam
• Large Stone Structure
• David's Tomb
• David's Mighty Warriors
• Midrash Shmuel (aggadah)
• List of Jewish monarchs

References

Translations of 1 and 2 Samuel

• Samuel 1 and 2 at Bible Gateway
• Kirsch, Jonathan (2000) King David: the real life of the man who ruled Israel. Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-43275-4.
• Dever, William G. (2001) What did the Bible writers know and when did they know it? William B. Eerdmans Publ. Co., Cambridge UK.

General

• Coogan, Michael D. (2009) A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: the Hebrew Bible in its Context Oxford University Press

External links

• Complete Bible Genealogy David's family tree
• Double Identity: Orpheus as David. Orpheus as Christ? Biblical Archaeology Review
• David engravings from the De Verda collection
• King David at the Christian Iconography web site
• The History of David, by William Caxton

David of the United Kingdom of Israel & Judah House of David Cadet branch of the Tribe of Judah
Regnal titles
New title Rebellion from Israel under Ish-bosheth	King of Judah 1010 BC–1003 BC	Succeeded by Solomon
Preceded by Ish-bosheth	King of the United Israel and Judah 1003 BC–970 BC