David(c.1005–970 BC) (Hebrew: דָּוִד, Standard Davíd
Tiberian Dāwíð ;
Arabic: داوود or داود, Dāwūd ; "beloved") was
the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel. He is depicted as a righteous
king—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). His life and reign, as recorded in the Hebrew Bible's books of Samuel (from I Samuel 16 onwards) and
Chronicles, have been of central importance to Jewish and Western culture.
The biblical account of David
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 only a few major episodes from David's life, chosen on the basis of their fame and/or importance in
later Western and Jewish culture.[1]
David is chosen
God withdraws his favor from King Saul and sends the prophet Samuel to Jesse, "for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." The
choice falls upon David, the youngest son, who is guarding his father's sheep: "He was ruddy, and fine in appearance with
handsome features. And the LORD said [to Samuel], 'Anoint him; for this is he.'"
David plays the harp before Saul
Saul is tormented by an evil spirit. His servants suggest he send for David, "skillful in playing [the harp], a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence; and the LORD is with him." So
David enters Saul's service, and finds favour in his sight, "and whenever the evil spirit was upon Saul, David took the harp and
played it with his hand; so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him."[2]
David and Goliath
The Israelites under Saul are facing the army of the Philistines. David, the youngest of the sons of Jesse, brings food to his brothers who are with Saul, and
hears the Philistine champion, the giant Goliath, challenge the Israelites to
send their own champion to decide the outcome in single combat. David insists to his brothers that he can defeat Goliath; Saul,
upon hearing of this, sends for him, and reluctantly allows him to make the attempt. David is indeed victorious, felling Goliath
with a stone from his sling, at which the Philistines flee in terror and the Israelites
win a great victory. David brings the head of Goliath to Saul, who asks him whose son he is, and David replies, "I am the son of
your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite". [3]
The enmity of Saul
Saul makes David a commander over his armies and gives him his daughter Michal in
marriage. David is successful in many battles, and the women say, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands."
David's popularity awakens Saul's fears - "What more can he have but the kingdom?" - and by various stratagems the king seeks
David's death. But the plots of the jealous king all proved futile, and only endear the young hero the more to the people, and
especially to Jonathan, Saul's son, one of those who love David. Warned by Jonathan
of Saul's intention to kill him, David flees into the wilderness.[4]
David in the wilderness
In the wilderness David gathers a band of heroes and becomes the champion of the oppressed while evading the pursuit of Saul.
He accepts Ziklag as a fief from the Philistine king Achish of
Gath, but continues to secretly champion the Israelites. Achish marches against Saul, but
David is excused from the war on the accusation of the Philistine nobles that his loyalty to their cause cannot be trusted.
David is made king
Saul and Jonathan are killed in the battle with the Philistines, and David mourns their death.[5] Then David goes up to Hebron, where he is
anointed king over Judah, while in the north Saul's son Ish-bosheth is king over the tribes of Israel.[6] War ensues between Ish-bosheth and David, and Ish-bosheth is assassinated.
The assassins bring the head of Ish-bosheth to David hoping for reward, but David executes them for their crime.[7] Yet with the death of the son of Saul the elders of Israel come
to Hebron, and David is anointed King of Israel and Judah. Upon these events he is 30 years old.[8]
King David
David conquers the Jebusite fortress of Jerusalem and makes it his capital, "and Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar
trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house." [9] David brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem,
intending to build a temple.[10] God, speaking to the
prophet Nathan, forbids it, saying the temple must wait for a future generation. But
God makes a covenant with David, promising that he will establish the house of David eternally: "Your throne shall be established
forever."[11] 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.[12]
Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite
David lies with Bathsheba, "the wife of Uriah the
Hittite", and Bathsheba becomes pregnant. David sends for Uriah, who is with the Israelite army at the siege of
Rabbah, that he might lie with her and so conceal the identity of the child's father, Uriah
refuses to do so while his companions are in the field of battle. David then sends Uriah back to Joab, the commander, with a message instructing him to abandon Uriah on the battlefield, "that he may be struck
down, and die." And so David marries Bathsheba and she bears his child, "but the thing that David had done displeased the
LORD."[13]
The prophet Nathan speaks out against David's sin, saying: "Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in
his sight? You have smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife." And although David
repents, God "struck the child ... and it became sick ... [And] on the seventh day the child died.") David then leaves his
lamentations, dresses himself, and eats. His servants ask why he lamented when the baby was alive, but leaves off when it 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."[14]
Absalom
David’s beloved son Absalom rebels against his father. The armies of Absalom and David come
to battle in the Wood of Ephraim, and Absalom is caught by his hair in the branches of
an 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 of David
David is described as the author of the majority of the Psalms. One of the most famous is
Psalm 51, traditionally said to have been composed by David after Nathan upbraided him over Bathsheba and Uriah.
Perhaps the best-known is Psalm 23:
-
- 1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
- 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
- he leadeth me beside the still waters.
- 3 He restoreth my soul:
- he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
- 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
- I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
- thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
- 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
- thou anointest my head with oil;
- my cup runneth over.
- 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
- and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."
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" (1 Chronicles 29:26 - 28).
David in later Abrahamic tradition
David in Judaism
Abishag, Bathsheba, Solomon, and
Nathan tend to aging David, c. 1435
David's reign represents the formation of a coherent Jewish kingdom centered in
Jerusalem and the institution of an eternal royal dynasty; when this "eternal"
Davidic dynasty failed after some four centuries, it formed the basis for the Jewish belief in the Messiah - at first the human occupant of the throne of David, later the quasi-supernatural figure who would
usher in the end of time.
In modern Judaism David's descent from a convert (Ruth) is taken as proof of the
importance of converts within Judaism, and that he was not allowed to build a permanent temple due to his involvement with wars
is taken as proof of the imperative of peace in affairs of state. David is also viewed as a tragic figure; his acquisition of
Bathsheba, and the loss of his son are viewed as his central tragedies.
Many legends grew up around the figure of David. According to Rabbinic tradition, David was raised as the illegitimate son of
his father Jesse's favourite slave-girl,[15] 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 David's true identity as Jesse's legal son revealed. David's
piety was said to be so great that his prayers could bring down things from Heaven, and his adultery with Bathsheba was only an
opportunity to demonstrate the power of repentance: some Talmudic authors even argued that the
affair was not adultery at all, quoting a supposed custom of divorce on the eve of battle to prevent the wives of the
missing-in-action from becoming agunot. Furthermore, the Talmudic scholars argued, the
death of Uriah was not tantamount to murder, as it was David's right as king to execute traitors to the throne, to which category
Uriah belonged due to a technicality; yet at the same time others said that David was stricken by leprosy for the sin, and for a
time was abandoned by both his Court and by the Holy Spirit.[16]
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 (Weeks).
David in Christianity
Originally an earthly king ruling by divine appointment ("the anointed", as the title Messiah
had it), the "son of David" became in the last two pre-Christian centuries the apocalyptic and heavenly "son of God" who would
deliver Israel and usher in a new kingdom. "This was the matrix for the rise of Christianity. The new faith 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."[17] Early Christians believed the Old Testament prophecies told
that the Messiah would come from David's line, and the Gospels of Matthew and
Luke therefore traced Jesus' lineage to David in
fulfillment of this requirement. "Incidents in 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 Messias."[18] 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."[19] Similarly, the Tree of Jesse decorated
countless cathedral windows, its branches demonstrating how divine kingship descended from Jesse, through his son David, to Jesus
and thence to the anointed kings of Europe.
Western-rite churches (Catholic, Lutheran) celebrate his feast day on 29 December, Eastern-rite on 19 December.[1]
David in Mormonism
The Doctrine and Covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints cites David as one
directed by God to practice polygamy, but who sinned in committing adultery with Bathsheba and
having Uriah killed:
- "Verily, thus saith the LORD ... David’s wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant,
and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of
Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation."[20]
This clarifies the Mormon doctrine that polygamy is only allowed as directed by the Lord, otherwise it is a grievous
sin.[21] The Church forbade polygamy in 1890, citing a revelation given to Wilford Woodruff at that time.[22] Other Davidic interpretations in Mormonism closely match
traditional Christianity.
David in Islam
David, known in the Islamic tradition as Dawood (Dāwūd), is
one of the prophets of Islam, to whom the Zabur
(Psalms) were revealed by Allah. Muslims reject the Biblical portrayal of Dawood (in his association with Uriah) as an adulterer and murderer. This is based on the Islamic belief in the righteousness of
prophets.
Goliath appears in the Qur'an as Jalut; and like in Judaism, Jalut's slayer is Dawood. In surah
al-Baqarah, ayah 251 says: "And Dawood slew Jalut, and Allah
gave him kingdom and wisdom, and taught him of what He pleased."(Transl. Shakir)
Dawood was in Taloot's (Hebrew tradition: Saul's) army.
David in the Bahá'í Faith
In the Bahá'í faith, David is seen as a prophet during the dispensation of
Moses. Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Religion, is thought
to be a distant descendant,[23] although little is made
of this relationship.
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.
Archaeology
An inscription found at Tel Dan and dated c.850-835 BCE apparently contains the phrase
"House of David" in reference to the royal house of Judah; the Mesha Stele from Moab, and
from a similar time, may contain the same phrase; and Kenneth Kitchen has proposed that
an inscription of c. 945 BCE by the Egyptian pharoah Shoshenq I mentions "the highlands of
David," but this has been questioned.[24] "If the reading
of ביתדוד (House of David?) on the Tel Dan stele is correct, ... then we have solid evidence that a 9th-century Aramean king
considered the founder of the Judean dynasty to be somebody named דוד" (David).[25]
The Bronze and Iron Age remains of the City of David[26] were investigated extensively in the 1970s and 1980s under the direction of
Yigael Shiloh of Hebrew University.
Fieldwork there and elsewhere in Jerusalem failed to discover significant evidence of occupation during the 10th century BCE: not
only are there no signs of monumental architecture, but even distinctive 10th century pottery shards are absent.[27] Elsewhere in the territory of biblical Judah and Israel, no
royal inscriptions exist from the 10th century BCE, nor evidence of a royal bureaucracy (the equivalents of the LMLK seal[28] attached to oil jars
associated with the Judean royal bureaucracy of the late 8th century BCE), nor the inscribed potshards which would provide
evidence of widespread literacy. Surveys of surface finds aimed at tracing settlement patterns and population changes have shown
that between the 16th and 8th centuries BCE, a period which includes the biblical kingdoms of David and Solomon, the entire
population of the hill country of Judah was no more than about 5,000 persons, most of them wandering pastoralists, with the
entire urbanised area consisting of about twenty small villages.[29]
While the Tel Dan stele is largely accepted as supporting the historical existence of a Judean royal dynasty tracing its
descent from an individual named David, the interpretation of the archeological evidence on the extent and nature of Judah and
Jerusalem in the 10th century BCE is a matter of fierce debate. On one hand is the view of Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv University, who says, in
his The Bible Unearthed (2001): "[O]n the basis of archaeological surveys,
Judah remained relatively empty of permanent population, quite isolated and very marginal right up to and past the presumed time
of David and Solomon, with no major urban centers and with no pronounced hierarchy of hamlets, villages and towns."[30] On the other is William
Dever, in his What Did the Biblical
Writers Know and When Did They Know It?,[31]
holds that while archaeological investigation of Genesis, Moses and the Exodus "has ... been discarded as a fruitless pursuit",
the archaeological and anthropological evidence supports the broad biblical account of a Judean state in the 10th century
BCE.[32]
The Bible and David's Reign
The biblical evidence for David comes from three sources: the Psalms, the book of Samuel (two books in the Christian tradition), and the book of Chronicles (also two books in the Christian tradition). Of these, the Psalms need to be
treated with great scepticism: although almost half of them are headed "A Psalm of David", the headings are later additions, and
the Hebrew preposition translated in English as "of" can also be translated as "for". "No psalm can be attributed to David with
certainty, and aside from the headings, they contain no information about David's life that is useful for historical
reconstruction."[33] Chronicles retells Samuel from a
different theological vantage point, but contains little if any information not available in Samuel. 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.
The question of David's historicity therefore becomes the question of the date, textual integrity, authorship and reliability
of 1st and 2nd Samuel. 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 lists of officers, officials, and districts are believed to be very early, possibly
even dating to the time of David or Solomon. These documents were probably in the hands of the Deuteronomists when they started
to compile the material three centuries later."[34]
Beyond this, the full range of possible interpretations is available, from the "maximalist" position of the late
John Bright, whose "History of Israel", dating largely from the 1950s, takes Samuel at face
value, to the recent "minimalist" scholars such Thomas L. Thompson, who measures
Samuel against the archaeological evidence and concludes that "an independent history of Judea during the Iron I and Iron II
periods [i.e., the period of David] has little room for historicizing readings of the stories of I-II Samuel and I
Kings."[35] Within this gamut some interesting studies of
David have been written. Baruch Halpern has pictured David as a lifelong vassal of
Achish, the Philistine king of Gath;[36] 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.[37]
David's family
The Death of Absalom (engraving from the
Doré Bible).
David's father was Jesse, 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 for health reasons, "but the king
knew her not (intimately)" (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 born in Hebron by other mothers included:
His sons born in Jerusalem by other mothers included:
According to 2 Chronicles 11:18, another son was born to David who is not mentioned in any of the
genealogies:
David also had at least one daughter, Tamar, progeny of David and Maachah and the full sister of Absalom, who is later raped
by her brother Amnon
Claimed descendants of David
A number of persons have claimed descent from the Biblical David, or had it claimed on their behalf. See List of Messiah claimants. The following are some of the more notable:
- Jesus of Nazareth, (7-4 BCE, Bethlehem; † 30, 31 or 33, Jerusalem)- see Genealogy of Jesus
- Haile Selassie I, Emperor Haile Selassie I (1930 - , His Imperial
Majesty Haile Selassie I, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, King of Kings of Ethiopia and Elect of God)
- Rabbi Akiba, Akiba ben Josef, also known as Akiva (d. c. 135)
- Judah Loew, Yehuda Loew ben Bezalel (c. 1525, Prague; 22 August 1609
Prague).
- The Abravanel family
- The Baal Shem Tov, and through him every Hassidic Rebbe descended from him
- Dov Ber of Mezeritch
- Eliezer Silver
- Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch (See Chabad Messianism) This claim was made by his
descendants and not the Rabbi himself
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 nove, 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 aging David,
the humanity — rather than the heroism — of various biblical characters are 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.
- Juan Bosch, Dominican political leader and writer, wrote "David: Biography of a King"
(1966) a realistic approach to David's life and political career.
- Allan Massie wrote "King David" (1995), a novel about David's career which portrays the
king's relationship to Jonathan and others as openly homosexual.
- 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.[2]
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.
- Finlay Currie, played an aged King David in the 1959 film Solomon and Sheba, directed by King Vidor.
Yul Brynner played Solomon and Gina Lollobrigida
played the Queen of Sheba.
- Jeff Chandler, played King David in the 1960 TV movie A Story of David,
directed by Bob McNaught. Basil Sydney played King Saul and Donald Pleasence played Nabal.
- Keith Michell, played the older King David, and Timothy Bottoms, played the younger King David in the 1976 TV miniseries The Story of David, directed by David Lowell Rich and Alex Segal.
- Richard Gere portrayed King David in the 1985 film King David directed by Bruce Beresford.
- Nathaniel Parker played King David in the 1997 TV movie David. It also
starred Sheryl Lee as Bathsheba and Leonard Nimoy as
Samuel.
Musical Theatre
In 1997, lyricist Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita) collaborated with Alan Menken to create a musical based on the
Biblical tale of King David. Based on Biblical tales from the Books of Samuel and 1 Chronicles, as well as text from David's
Psalms, a concert version, produced by Disney Theatrical Productions and André Djaoui and directed by Mike Ockrent, was presented
as the inaugural production at Disney's newly-renovated New Amsterdam Theatre (the former home of the Ziegfeld Follies), playing
for a nine-performance limited run in 1997. The cast included Roger Bart, Stephen Bogardus, Judy Kuhn, Alice Ripley, Martin
Vidnovic, and Michael Goz, with Marcus Lovett in the title role. Though a Broadway run was scheduaed it was soon cancelled and
there have been no future arrangements to move the musical to the Broadway stage.
See also
Notes
(Note:Online Bible references are to the Revised Standard Version)
- ^ For a more complete summary of all the episodes in the Saul/David story in
Samuel (but excluding Chronicles), see synopsis
- ^ 1 Samuel 16:14-23
- ^ 1 Samuel 17
- ^ 1 Samuel 18 and subsequent chapters of 1 Samuel.
- ^ 2 Samuel 1; the death of Saul and Jonathan is described in the closing chapter of 1
Samuel.
- ^ 2 Samuel 2:1-10
- ^ 2 Samuel 4
- ^ 2 Samuel 5
- ^ 2 Samuel 5
- ^ 2 Samuel 6
- ^ 2 Samuel 7
- ^ 2 Samuel 8 and subsequent chapters.
- ^ 2 Samuel 11
- ^ 2 Samuel 12
- ^ Illegitimacy of David's descent in Jewish tradition.
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia,
"David"
- ^ Online Encyclopedia Britannica, article "David"
- ^ Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 edition
- ^ Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity,
- ^ Doctrine and Covenants 132:1, 38-39 (see highlighted portions).
- ^ Book of Mormon, Jacob 2:28-30.
- ^ Doctrine and Covenants, Official Declaration—1
- ^ http://bahai-library.com/?file=gonzales_genealogy_shoghieffendi
- ^ See, for example, The Tel Dan Inscription: A Reappraisal and a New
Interpretation [Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2003], pp. 193-194. See also King David: A Biography
(Steven McKenzie, Associate Professor Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee): McKenzie discusses the background to his 2002 book of
the same title. On the Shoshenq 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.
- ^ Picking Abraham and Chosing David, Christopher Heard, Associate Professor of Religion at
Pepperdine University. See also Israeli jounalist Daniel Gavron's ""King David and Jerusalem - Myth and Reality" for a useful
overview.
- ^ The original urban core of Jerusalem, identified with the reigns of David
and Solomon.
- ^ See David Ussishkin, "Solomon's
Jerusalem: The Text and the Facts on the Ground," in: A.G. Vaughn and A.E. Killebrew (eds.), Jerusalem in Bible and
Archaeology: The First Temple Period, (Society of Biblical Literature, Symposium Series, No. 18), Atlanta, 2003, pp. 103-115.
See also Cahill, J., David's Jerusalem, Fiction or Reality? The Archaeological Evidence Proves It, and Steiner, M., David's
Jerusalem, Fiction or Reality? It's Not There: Archaeology Proves a Negative, both in Biblical Archaeology Review 24/4,
1998 (the two scolars argue opposite sides of the case for a Jerusalem in keeping with the biblical portrayal).
- ^ LMLK:"Belonging to the king", or "for the king".
- ^ On settlement patterns in ancient Judah, see A. Ofer, "'All the Hill
Country of Judah': From a Settlement Fringe to a Prosperous Monarchy," in I. Finkelstein and N. Na'aman, eds., From Nomadism
to Monarchy (Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1994), pp. 92-121; "The Judean Hills in the Biblical Period," Qadmoniot
115 (1998), 40-52 (Hebrew); "The Monarchic Period in the Judaean Highland," in A. Mazar, ed., Studies in the Archaeology of
the Iron Age in Israel and Jordan (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2001), pp. 14-37.
- ^ Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman, The Bible Unearthed:
Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of its Sacred Texts, p.132. See this summary of
Finkelstein and Silberman's book.
- ^ Dever, What Did the Biblical Writers Know...?
- ^ See especially chapter 4 of What Did the Biblical Writers
Know?
- ^ [http://www.bibleinterp.com/commentary/McKensie_020301.htm Steven McKenzie, Associate
Professor Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee].
- ^ "King David and Jerusalem: Myth and Reality", Israel Review of Arts and Letters, 2003, Israeli
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- ^ "A View from Copenhagen", Thomas L. Thompson, Professor of Old Testament, Copenhagen
University.
- ^ Baruch Halpern, "David's Secret Demons", 2001.Review of Baruch Halpern's "David's Secret
Demons".
- ^ Finkelstein and Silberman, "David and Solomon", 2006. See review"Archaeology" magazine.
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 David in Easton's Bible Dictionary.
References to Daud (David) in the Qur'an
- Appraisals for Daud: 21:79, 27:15, 34:10, 38:17, 38:18, 38:19, 38:20, 38:21, 38:24, 38:25, 38:26
- Daud's prophecy: 2:251, 6:84
- Daud took care of his child: 21:78, 21:79
- the Zabur: 3:184, 4:163, 16:44, 17:55, 21:105
- the Zabur was revealed to Daud: 4:163, 17:55
- Daud as an example of a pious person: 38:17
- Daud's fight: 38:21, 38:22, 38:23, 38:24
- Challenges for Daud: 38:24
- Daud's occupation: 21:80, 34:13
- Daud's power: 2:251, 38:20
- Daud's kingdom: 2:251, 21:79, 34:10, 38:26
External links
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