David

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This article is about the King of Israel. For other uses, see David (disambiguation).
David and Goliath by Caravaggio, c. 1599.

King David (Standard Hebrew דָּוִד, Davíd, "Beloved", Tiberian Hebrew Dāwíð; Arabic داوود, Dā'ūd, "Beloved") was the second king of the united kingdom of Israel (c. 1005 BC – 965 BC) and successor to King Saul. His life and rule are recorded in the Hebrew Bible's books of First Samuel (from chapter 16 onwards),[1] Second Samuel,[2] First Kings[3] and Second Kings (to verse 4).[4] First Chronicles[5] gives further stories of David, mingled with lists and genealogies.

He is depicted as the most righteous of all the ancient kings of Israel - although not without fault - as well as an acclaimed warrior, musician and poet (he is traditionally credited with the authorship of many of the Psalms). 2 Samuel 7:12-16 states that God was so pleased with David that He promised that the Davidic line would endure forever; Jews therefore believe that the Jewish Messiah will be a direct descendant of King David, and Christians trace the lineage of Jesus back to him through both Mary and Joseph. The nature of his reign and even his existence have been questioned and debated, rejected and defended by modern biblical scholars, but the account given in the Hebrew Bible remains widely accepted by the majority of ordinary Jews and Christians, and his story has been of central importance to Western culture.

Scriptural account of David's life

David and King Saul, by Rembrandt. David plays the lyre (depicted here as a harp) to the king "tormented by an evil spirit"

This section summarizes major episodes from David's life as recorded in the Hebrew Bible, blending historical and mythic elements.

The choosing of David

God has withdrawn His favour from king Saul and sends the prophet Samuel to Jesse of Bethlehem, "for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." The choice falls upon David, the youngest, who is guarding his father's sheep: "he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. And the Lord said [to Samuel], 'Arise, anoint him; for this is he.'"

David plays the lyre before Saul

God has withdrawn his favour from king Saul and sent an evil spirit to torment him. On the advice of the young men around him, Saul sends to Jesse asking that he send him his son, "who is skilful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence; and the Lord is with him." And so David comes to Saul, "and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer...And whenever the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand; so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him."

David and Goliath

The Israelites under Saul are facing the army of the Philistines. David, the youngest of the sons of Jesse, brings food each day to his brothers who are with Saul, and hears the Philistine champion, the giant Goliath, challenge the Israelites to send out their own champion to decide the outcome in single combat. David insists to his brothers that he can defeat Goliath; Saul, hearing of this, sends for him, and although dubious, allows him to go and make the attempt. And indeed David is victorious, felling Goliath with a stone from his slingshot, at which the Philistines flee in terror and the Israelites win a great victory. David brings back the head of Goliath to Saul, who asks him whose son he is, and David tells him, "'I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.'"

The enmity of Saul

Prophet David, by Gentile da Fabriano
Prophet David, by Gentile da Fabriano

Saul gives David his second daughter in marriage, and sets him in command over his armies, (literally, 'commander over a thousand'), and David is successful in many battles. David's popularity awakens Saul's fears - "What more can he have but the kingdom?" - and by various stratagems seeks his death. But the plots of the jealous king all proved futile, and only endear the young hero the more to the people, and very specially to Jonathan, Saul's son, who is one of those who love David. Warned by Jonathan, David flees into the wilderness.

David is made king

The Israelite soldier who killed Saul - at the king's request - brings the news to David, who kills him for having laid hands on an anointed king, and then sings a song of lament for Saul and Jonathan. David then goes up to Hebron in Judah, where he is anointed king of Judah, while in the north Saul's son Ish-bosheth is king over Israel. "There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, and David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker," until Ish-bosheth is assassinated. The assassins bring the head of Ish-bosheth to David hoping for reward, but he is angry that they have killed "a righteous man," and executes them for their crime. Yet with the death of the son of Saul the elders of Israel come to Hebron, and David is anointed king of Israel, uniting the two kingdoms. He is now 30 years old.

God's promise to David

David and Bathsheba, by Lucas Cranach, 1526.
David and Bathsheba, by Lucas Cranach, 1526.

David conquers the Jebusite fortress of Jerusalem and makes it his capital, and brings the Ark of the Covenant there, intending to build a temple. But God, speaking to the prophet Nathan, forbids it, saying the temple must wait for a future generation, but that He will establish the house of David eternally: "Your throne shall be established for ever." Then David establishes a mighty empire, conquering Zobah and Aram (modern Syria), Edom and Moab (roughly modern Jordan), the lands of the Philistines, and much more.

Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite

David, infatuated with the beautiful Bathsheba, wife of Uriah the Hittite, commits adultery with her. Bathsheba conceives, and David tries to cover up his sin. Uriah is brought home from the army in order to report to David. David then sends Uriah home, with the intent that he should have sex with his wife and claims of adultery would never surface. However, Uriah refuses to go home, and sleeps with David's servants in the palace, as it would be unfair for him to enjoy the comforts of home when his comrades are still at war. David tries getting Uriah drunk the second night, but this ploy fails as well; Uriah still retires in the servant quarters of David's palace. Finally, David sends Uriah back to the front, with orders to the commanders that they should abandon him in the midst of the enemy. And so it is done, Uriah dies in battle, and David marries Bathsheba and has a son by her. But the prophet Nathan speaks out against the sin, and although David repents, God kills the child as a punishment. David then leaves his lamentations, dresses himself, and eats. His servants ask why he lamented when the baby was alive, but leaves off when he is dead, and David replies: "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?' But now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me."

Absalom

David's beloved son Absalom rebels against his father. The armies of Absalom and David come to battle, and Absalom is caught in the branches of oak. David's general Joab kills him as he hangs there. When the news of the victory is brought to David he does not rejoice, but is instead shaken with grief: "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!"

The Psalms

David is described as the author of the majority of the Psalms of the Bible. One of the most famous is Psalm 51, traditionally said to have been composed by David after Nathan upbraided him for his adultery with Bathsheba: "To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba." Perhaps the best-known is Psalm 23:

"A song of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He causes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even when I walk in the valley of darkness, I will fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff-they comfort me. You set a table before me in the presence of my adversaries; You anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. May only goodness and kindness pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for length of days."

The reign of David

"Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. The time that he reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. Then he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his stead."

David's family

The Death of Absalom (engraving from the Doré Bible).

David's father was Jesse (ישי "Gift", Standard Hebrew Yíšay, Tiberian Hebrew Yíšay / Yēšay), the son of Obed, son of Boaz of the tribe of Judah and Ruth the Moabite, whose story is told at length in the Book of Ruth. 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 had eight wives, although he appears to have had children from other women as well:

In his old age he took the beautiful Abishag into his bed, leaving her still a virgin on his death (1 Kings 1:1–4).

As given in 1 Chronicles 3, David had sons by various wives and concubines; their names are not given in Chronicles. By Bathsheba, his sons were:

His sons by other mothers included:

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

Famous descended from David

  1. R. Yoseph I of Rome
  2. Jesus of Nazaret (* probably between 7 and 4 v. Chr. in Bethlehem, Kafarnaum or Nazaret; † 30, 31 or 33 in Jerusalem
  3. Rabbi Akiba (Akiba ben Josef † ca. 135; also known as Akiva)
  4. Judah Loew (or Yehuda Loew ben Bezalel * ca. 1525 in Prag; † 22. August 1609 Prag)

David as a religious figure

David in Judaism

In Judaism, David's reign represents the formation of a coherent Jewish kingdom 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 responsible for uniting the tribes of Israel as one people; before David they were a group of many tribes but David destroyed almost all separation of the individual tribes.

David is also viewed as a tragic figure; his inexcusable acquisition of Bathsheba, and the loss of his son are viewed as his 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. For the details see Davidic line.

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

The Catholic Church celebrates his feast day on December 29.

David (Da'ud) in Islam

David (داؤد, Dā'ūd), is 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). Allah says in Surah Baqarah Chapter 2 ayah 251: " And Da'ud slew Jalut, and Allah gave him kingdom and wisdom, and taught him of what He pleased." Muslims reject the Biblical portrayal of David as an adulterer and murderer. This is based on the Islamic belief in the righteousness of prophets ("Nabi").

In Surah Maida, chapter 5, ayah 78, Allah says:"Those who disbelieved from among the children of Israel were cursed by the tongue of Da'ud and Isa, son of Mariam; this was because they disobeyed and used to exceed the limit."

In Surah Anbiya, chapter 21, ayahs 78-80, Allah says: "And Da'ud and Sulaiman when they gave judgment concerning the field when the people's sheep pastured therein by night, and We were bearers of witness to their judgment. So We made Sulaiman to understand it; and to each one We gave wisdom and knowledge; and We made the mountains, and the birds to celebrate Our praise with Da'ud; and We were the doers. And We taught him the making of coats of mail for you, that they might protect you in your wars; will you then be grateful? "

Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn Mas`ud said: "Grapes which had grown and their bunches were spoiled by the sheep. Da'ud ruled that the owner of the grapes should keep the sheep. Sulayman (Solomon) said, "Not like this, O Prophet of Allah!" Da'ud said, "How then?" Sulayman said: "Give the grapes to the owner of the sheep and let him tend them until they grow back as they were, and give the sheep to the owner of the grapes and let him benefit from them until the grapes have grown back as they were. Then the grapes should be given back to their owner, and the sheep should be given back to their owner."

When he recited the Zabur in a beautiful manner, the birds would stop and hover in the air, and would repeat after him, and the mountains would respond and echo his words. The Prophet passed by Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari while he was reciting Qur'an at night, and he had a very beautiful voice, he stopped and listened to his recitation, and said: "This man has been given one of the wind instruments (nice voices) of the family of Da'ud." He said: "O Messenger of Allah, if I had known that you were listening, I would have done my best for you."

In Surah Saba, chapter 34, ayahs 10-11, Allah says: "And certainly We gave to Da'ud excellence from Us: O mountains! sing praises with him, and the birds; and We made the iron pliant to him, Saying: Make ample (coats of mail), and assign a time to the making of coats of mail and do good; surely I am seeing what you do."

In Surah Sa'd, chapter 38 ayahs 17-26, Allah says: "And remember Our servant Da'ud, the possessor of power; surely he was frequent in returning (to Allah). Surely We made the mountains to sing the glory (of Allah) in unison with him at the evening and the sunrise, And We strengthened his kingdom and We gave him wisdom and a clear judgment. And has there come to you the story of the litigants, when they made an entry into the private chamber by ascending over the walls? When they entered in upon Da'ud and he was frightened at them, they said: Fear not; two litigants, of whom one has acted wrongfully towards the other, therefore decide between us with justice, and do not act unjustly, and guide us to the right way. Surely this is my brother; he has ninety-nine ewes and I have a single ewe; but he said: Make it over to me, and he has prevailed against me in discourse. He said: Surely he has been unjust to you in demanding your ewe (to add) to his own ewes; and most surely most of the partners act wrongfully towards one another, save those who believe and do good, and very few are they; and Da'ud was sure that We had tried him, so he sought the protection of his Lord and he fell down bowing and turned time after time (to Him). Therefore We rectified for him this, and most surely he had a nearness to Us and an excellent resort. o Dawood ! surely We have made you a ruler in the land; so judge between men with justice and do not follow desire, lest it should lead you astray from the path of Allah; (as for) those who go astray from the path of Allah, they shall surely have a severe punishment because they forgot the day of reckoning."

Historicity of David

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

The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) itself, being composed of no less than thirty-nine books traditionally written on twenty-two scrolls, is a library of many different sources, all of which are ancient. For that reason, researchers treat its accounts of past persons and events, as well as it references to them, as potentially valuable sources of reliable, accurate, historical data, but also as potentially flawed, exaggerated, or mythical. The task of evaluating the historicity of King David involves working between interpreted artifacts recovered in archeological digs and interpreted texts of biblical manuscripts received from tradition.

The most relevant biblical books are 1 and 2 Samuel, because they contain the earliest biblical account of almost all of David's career, followed in relevance by 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles. Among the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest scroll of a biblical book happens to be that of Samuel (that is, 1 and 2 Samuel). This scroll dates to about 225 BCE, and in turn, it is generally acknowledged to be a copy of an earlier scroll, but it is impossible to tell how far back the "lineage" of these scrolls extends. The Hebrew Bible places David's reign from around 1005 until around 965 BC and the end of the reign of the last king of the Davidic dynasty at 586 BCE; building on this basis, the first sentence of the New Testament asserts that Jesus is "the son of David" (Matthew 1:1). Thus the early sources are much closer to the purported events of David's lifetime than the present day, and yet they are still, as far as we can tell, centuries removed from that time. Some scholars of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries find oral tradition to be a means of conveying information that might have spanned a gap of unknown duration between the purported events and the writings that assert them.

Although at least one small portion of the Hebrew Bible from biblical times has been discovered in a dig (parts of the benediction in Numbers 6:24–26 on two silver scroll amulets recovered from a grave at Ketef Hinnom), it must be observed that each book of the Bible, having been handed down for generations by recopying, rather than having been excavated, is an example of a received text, a textus receptus. (So are the works of Homer, that originated in the eighth to seventh centuries BCE, and the works of Plato, from ca. 400 BCE.) For this reason, the Biblical texts themselves need to be treated cautiously. They contain, for example, two different accounts that both seem to describe David's first meeting with Saul. In the first of these, Saul sends for David as one known for his skill on the lyre and makes him his armour-bearer, while in the second Saul first meets David when he defeats Goliath. Observations such as this serve to underline the likelihood that the narrative is drawn from numerous originally independent sources.

More fundamentally, the texts as they currently exist have been subject to revision and redaction over many centuries, notably during the reign of King Josiah of Judah at the end of the 7th century BC. Many scholars think that Josiah (or rather the priests of the temple in Jerusalem) put forward the picture of David and Solomon as rulers over a united and far-flung early Hebrew kingdom in order to provide a rationale for his own plans for the conquest of the former kingdom of Israel, which had been abandoned by the Assyrians as that empire collapsed. Other scholars—and archaeologists, most notably William G. Dever—point to the similar architecture of the massive, fortified gates of several cities built in what would have been the home territory of David's and Solomon's united kingdom of Israel as evidence that they were built by a powerful Hebrew king during the period that the Bible assigns to the reign of Solomon (compare 1 Kings 9:15-16). According to the Bible, David's realm for his first seven years as king was the territory of two Hebrew tribes in what later became the southern kingdom of Judah; after that, his realm came to include the territory of the ten Hebrew tribes in what later became the northern kingdom of Israel, and he transferred kingship over this united kingdom to Solomon. Dever describes the architecture of the cities' gates and other evidences as "convergences" consistent with the biblical portrayal, rather than as direct proofs of the historical accuracy of the Bible ).[6]

Despite debates about particular biblical episodes within the reigns of various Hebrew kings, most biblical scholars regard the list of Hebrew kings contained in the books of Samuel and Kings, and repeated in Chronicles, as well-established and reliable. The consecutive reigns of these Hebrew kings, each of whom is explicitly named in the Bible, form the historical "backbone" of biblical chronology from ca. 1000 BCE to the end of the Hebrew monarchy in 586 BCE. They are confirmed at several points by extrabiblical inscriptions.[7]

Turning to sources outside of the Bible for the specific case of David, three inscriptions are either clearly or potentially relevant. The first is from an Aramean king, the second is from a Moabite king, and the third is from an Egyptian Pharaoh:

First, the famous Tel Dan Stele provides the only clear non-Biblical evidence of King David's existence and status as the founder of a Hebrew dynasty. Dated to the period from the mid-9th to mid-8th centuries BC and erected by an Aramean king (probably the king of Damascus) to record a victory over Israel, the text says inter alia: "I killed [Achaz]yahu son of [Joram kin]g of the House of David." (The words and letters within square brackets have been supplied using biblical content.) While the reading has been questioned, it is accepted by a majority of scholars as confirming the existence in the 9th/8th centuries BC of a line of kings claiming descent from a dynasty founder named David.

A second stele, the Moabite Stone or Mesha Stele, erected by a king of Moab in about 850 BCE, has also been read as containing the phrase "house of David." Because the phrase that is read "house of [D]avid" appears in a place where the stone is partly broken (the square brackets around the first D indicate that the letter is supplied) and for other reasons, this claim is accepted by some scholars but is ignored or rejected by others.

A third possible mention of King David is found in a standing monumental Egyptian inscription of Pharaoh Shoshenq I (called Shishak in the Bible) that is dated to 924 BCE—only about forty years after David's death as calculated according to the books of Kings and Chronicles. David's name appears to be included within a place-name that appears among other place-names located in the territory later said to belong to the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. This particular place-name is Hadabiyat-Dawit, translated by Egyptologist Kenneth Kitchen as "highland of David" or "heights of David," and it is located in the Negev region, where the Bible says that David hid as a fugitive from Saul for lengthy periods of time. Kitchen proposed the identification of the biblical David in this inscriptional place-name in 1997.[8]

In 2005, Israeli archaeologist Eilat Mazar, excavating in the most ancient portion of Jerusalem, which is called the City of David, in East Jerusalem uncovered an alleged King David's Palace site, but there is no reliable archaeological assessment currently available. The objectivity of her archaological resaerch was called into question by Israeli newspapers, and by some fellow- archaologists, due to her known links with extrme-right settlers who try to establish themselves in Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.

The strongest argument for the historicity of King David is the area of specific agreement between the Bible and the Tel Dan stele. The biblical books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, all of which are received texts handed down by tradition over the course of some 2,000 years, possibly up to several centuries more, do have some points of agreement with the Tel Dan stele, which was carved in stone during the 9th or 8th centuries BC and then excavated in fragmentary form during 1993 and 1994. The biblical content presents David as a Hebrew king who founded a dynasty called "the house of David" (in Isaiah 7:13, etc.) that lasted more than four centuries. The Tel Dan stele presents David as a king, most likely a Hebrew, and the founder of a dynasty called "the house of David." At the time the stele was carved, this dynasty had thus far lasted approximately one or two centuries.

The weakest point of the above argument arises from the fact that the Tel Dan stele is in a fragmented condition. The problem is that the join between the two main fragments, which is at a place in the broken part of the stone below the smooth writing surface, is not a tight fit, but rather is somewhat loose and is disputed. If the fragments were not originally aligned side by side, as possibly indicated by the loose fit, but instead were an upper and a lower portion of the original inscription, then the narrative flow of the inscription would be broken up much more than with a side-by-side arrangement. The result would be that even though the letters that are read "the house of David" remain intact, much of the rest of the inscription's pieced-together meaning in the side-by-side arrangement would not be present. (See, for example, George Athas' translation of an arrangement that is not side-by-side, but rather vertical.[9]

A somewhat different but related question has to do not with the historicity of King David, that is, whether he existed, but rather with the many episodes and details of the biblical presentation of him. The problem is that the area of agreement between the biblical content and the Tel Dan stele, though recognized by the majority of Bible scholars, is tiny compared with the great amount of material about David in the Bible. The stele does not provide any information as to whether the David of the stele was the son of Jesse, "the sweet psalmist of Israel," the shepherd who defeated Goliath, etc. The stele does not verify these things; it only confirms David's existence and status as the king who founded a long-lasting, most likely Hebrew dynasty. On the other hand, extant inscriptions of this era simply do not contain detailed information about the lives of members of societies which are foreign to the writer, so one cannot realistically expect to find inscriptional corroboration of biblical details of the life of any Hebrew person in a foreign inscription—or vice versa—from the period of the Hebrew monarchies.

The question of whether the biblical portrayal of David and his successors amounts to royal propaganda must take into consideration the prophetic rebukes of the monarchs of Israel and Judah in the books of 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings. The standard commentary by Cogan and Tadmor finds that the author of Kings "leveled severe criticism at the conduct of every monarch of Israel and most of those of Judah" for leading their kingdoms into disobedience, resulting in the ultimate defeat and exile of both Hebrew kingdoms (Mordecai Cogan and Hayim Tadmor, _II Kings_, The Anchor Bible [n.p.: Doubleday, 1988], p. 3).

Representation in art and literature

Art

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

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.

Gladys Schmitt wrote a novel titled "David the King" in 1946 which proceeds as 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.

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.
Preceded by
none - new kingdom
 King of Judah Succeeded by
Preceded by King of Israel Succeeded by

Footnotes

(Note:Online Bible references are to the Revised Standard Version)

  1. ^ 1st Samuel
  2. ^ 2nd Samuel
  3. ^ 1st Kings
  4. ^ 2nd Kings
  5. ^ 1st Chronicles
  6. ^ William G. Dever, What Did the Biblical Writers Know and When Did They Know It? (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2001).
  7. ^ For a list of these points, see Gershon Galil, The Chronology of the Kings of Israel and Judah (New York: Brill, 1996), pp. 153–154.
  8. ^ On this inscription, see K. A. Kitchen, "A Possible Mention of David in the Late Tenth Century B.C.E., and Deity *Dod as Dead as the Dodo?" Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 76 (1997): 29–44, especially 39–41.
  9. ^ George Athas, The Tel Dan Inscription: A Reappraisal and a New Interpretation [New York: Sheffield Academic Press, a Continuum Imprint, 2003], pp. 193-194.

References

  • 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

References to Daud (David) in the Qur'an

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