King David is one of the most important figures in the Bible: a shepherd boy who killed Goliath, became Israel’s greatest king, wrote many of the Psalms, and was also an adulterer who arranged a man’s death. Here are 15 facts about King David’s life in the Bible, and what history can tell us about him.
King David at a glance
Who: the second king of Israel, after Saul
Reigned: about 40 years, traditionally around 1010 to 970 BC
Father: Jesse of Bethlehem
Famous son: King Solomon
Where his story is told: 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1 to 2 and 1 Chronicles
1He was the youngest son of a shepherd family.
David was the youngest of eight sons of Jesse, a farmer in Bethlehem. When the prophet Samuel came looking for Israel’s next king, Jesse paraded his older sons first, and David had to be fetched from looking after the sheep.
2Samuel anointed him king while he was still a boy.
According to 1 Samuel 16, God rejected King Saul and sent Samuel to anoint David in secret. It was years before David actually took the throne.
3He played music to calm King Saul.
David was a skilled musician. When Saul was troubled by an “evil spirit”, David was brought to court to play the lyre, and Saul felt better. He later became Saul’s armour-bearer.
4He killed Goliath with a sling.
In the most famous story about him, in 1 Samuel 17, the young David faces the Philistine giant Goliath, refuses Saul’s armour, and kills him with a single stone from his sling. The phrase “David and Goliath” is still used for any contest between an underdog and a giant.
5The Bible also credits someone else with killing Goliath.
2 Samuel 21:19 says that a warrior called Elhanan killed “Goliath the Gittite”. Later, 1 Chronicles 20:5 says Elhanan killed Goliath’s brother. Scholars have long debated how the two accounts fit together.
6Saul tried to kill him.
As David’s fame grew, the jealous Saul turned against him, throwing a spear at him and hunting him across the wilderness. David spent years as an outlaw, and twice spared Saul’s life when he had the chance to kill him.
7His closest friend was Saul’s son.
David’s friendship with Saul’s son Jonathan is one of the most famous in the Bible. When Jonathan was killed in battle, David’s lament says that Jonathan’s love for him was “more wonderful than the love of women”.
by Alexander Dyomin at Mount Zion
8He made Jerusalem the capital.
After ruling from Hebron for seven years, David captured the city of Jerusalem, then a Jebusite stronghold, and made it his capital. He brought the Ark of the Covenant there, and Jerusalem has been known as the “City of David” ever since.
9His affair with Bathsheba led to murder.
From his palace roof, David saw Bathsheba bathing and slept with her while her husband, Uriah, was away fighting. When she became pregnant, David arranged for Uriah to be sent to the front line, where he was killed. The prophet Nathan confronted David with a parable that ended with the famous words “You are the man!”
10Bathsheba became the mother of Solomon.
David married Bathsheba after Uriah’s death. Their first child died, but their second son, Solomon, succeeded David as king and built the First Temple in Jerusalem.
11His own son led a rebellion against him.
David’s son Absalom turned the people against his father and seized Jerusalem, forcing David to flee. Absalom was killed in the battle that followed, after his head got caught in the branches of an oak tree, and David’s grief, “O my son Absalom”, is one of the Bible’s most moving passages.
12He is said to have written many of the Psalms.
Seventy-three of the 150 Psalms are headed “of David” in the Hebrew Bible, including Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd”. Scholars debate how many he actually wrote.
13Chronicles leaves out his scandals.
The Books of Chronicles retell David’s reign but leave out the Bathsheba affair, the murder of Uriah and Absalom’s revolt, presenting a much more flattering picture of him than the Books of Samuel.
14An ancient stone mentions the “House of David”.
For a long time, there was no evidence for David outside the Bible. Then in 1993, archaeologists at Tel Dan in northern Israel found a stone inscription from the 9th century BC that refers to the “House of David”, the earliest known mention of his royal line.
15The Messiah was promised from his family line.
In Jewish tradition the Messiah will be a descendant of David, and the Gospels of Matthew and Luke trace Jesus’ ancestry back to him. The six-pointed Star of David, now on Israel’s flag, is named after him, although it was linked to him only much later.
FAQs about King David
Who was King David in the Bible?
The second king of Israel, who united the tribes, made Jerusalem his capital and reigned for about 40 years. He is remembered as a warrior, poet and musician, and as a deeply flawed man.
Why was King David so special to God?
The Bible calls him “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). Despite serious sins, he repented sincerely, and God promised that his family would rule forever.
How many wives did King David have?
The Bible names eight, including Michal, Abigail and Bathsheba, and says he had concubines as well.
Was King David a real person?
Most historians think a king called David probably existed, mainly because of the Tel Dan inscription, but how large and powerful his kingdom was is still debated.
Sources and further reading
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4 responses to “King David in the Bible: 15 Facts About His Life”
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Yes David was a prophet and priest
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The word obsessed with other men wives is wrong cus he only did it once n once is not an obsession
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HE IS NOT ALIVE
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It says in 1 Samuel 17:51, “Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.” I would understand if you meant there is no proof today that he was killed, but that was thousands of years ago so I don’t know how they would find the bones of Goliath.
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