Characteristics and personality of king david as a leader?

Answer 1

• Born: c. 1040 B.C.
• Birthplace: Bethlehem, Judea
• Died: c. 970 B.C.
• Best Known As: The child giant-slayer who became Israel's king

The heroic yet human life of David, ancient Israel's most important king, is told in the biblical books 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings and 1 Chronicles. The eighth and youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem, David is appointed to be court musician and armor-bearer for Israel's first king, Saul. The boy kills a giant enemy soldier becomes intimate friends with Saul's son, Jonathan, and eventually succeeds Saul as king. Under David's rule (circa 1010 to 970 B.C.), Israel's regions unite and win battles with surrounding enemies. Jerusalem comes to be known as the "City of David" and the center of government and worship. David's turbulent personal life includes adultery with a soldier's wife, Bathsheba, and the death of his own rebel son, Absalom. Before he dies he anoints another son, the next king. David's lineage holds an honored place in two religions: Judaism, which awaits the coming of the "Messiah, son of David," and Christianity, whose scriptures trace Davidic ancestry. Many prayers and songs in the biblical book of Psalms have headings that associate them with David. Their actual authorship is uncertain... Islam's Koran lists David as a prophet (Sura 6), noting in Sura 38 his repentance for his sin with Bathsheba... sculpture of David is considered a classic of Renaissance art... The Star of David, a Jewish symbol in recent centuries, appears on the flag of the modern state of Israel... David has been portrayed many times in the movies.

Answer 2

We must separate biblical facts about King David from historical facts for which we have some evidence. The existence of a stele that appears to mention "the House of David" is our only extra-biblical historical evidence that King David ever lived.

The Bible tells us David was born around 1040 BCE in Bethlehem and that he died approximately 970 BCE. One of the most famous biblical legends recounts how he killed the Philistine giant, Goliath, with a stone from his sling. He went on to become the greatest king of all time, reigning for 40 years. He was succeeded by one of his sons, Solomon, who also ruled for a suspiciously similar 40 years. The Deuteronomic History (Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings) says that David appointed Solomon as his successor, while on his death bed, while Chronicles says that he announced Solomon as his successor while he was still hale and hearty.

According to the Bible, David went on to create a great and prosperous empire by conquering lands far to the north and east of Israel. During the course of the twentieth century, scholars began to doubt the biblical story, with opinions divided between those who continued to believe the Bible account to be literally true ('maximalists'), and those who detected nationalistic exaggeration and felt that Israel never really expanded beyond its traditional borders ('minimalists'). Archaeological excavations at northern sites, such as Megiddo in lower Galilee, found evidence of sophisticated fortifications that were immediately attributed to Kings David and Solomon and seen as evidence of Israelite expansion under David. More recent archaeological analysis suggests that the archaeological finds in places such as Megiddo should be dated to a later century. Gradually, evidence has emerged that Israel and Judah were too small and impoverished during the tenth century BCE to ever be a threat to their neighbours, and that there probably never was a United Monarchy of Israel. A developing consensus among scholars is that David was, at best, a local warlord with a small territory surrounding Jerusalem.

At one stage, all the Psalms were attributed to King David, but now only about 73 Psalms have superscriptions identifying him as the putative author. Even some of the Psalms still attributed to David clearly make historical references that must place them long after the tenth century BCE. Biblical scholars say that the Psalms were all written many centuries after the time of David.

Answer 3

1) King David authored/compiled the book of Psalms and gave it to us in its present form (Talmud, Bava Batra 14b). The Psalms (Tehillim), which we might call the soul of the Jewish people, express the yearning of King David and of the entire nation to be close to God. They are one of the foundations of our prayerbook to this day.
2) King David was the one who finally succeeded in subduing all of the surrounding nations (see 2 Samuel ch.8 and ch.10) plus the entire territory of Israel, something which no one else did previously or subsequently. He succeeded in all his endeavors (1 Samuel 16:18).

3) He secured from the prophet Nathan a promise from God that his (David's) son Solomon would build the Holy Temple (2 Samuel ch.7). The First Temple is actually considered the accomplishment of David himself (Rashi commentary, Berakhot 18a), since it existed in his merit ("Torat Chaim," commenting on Talmud, Shabbat 30a).

4) He set the blueprints, with Divine inspiration, for the Holy Temple (1 Chronicles 28:19). Together with the prophet Samuel, he located the spot where the Temple would be built (Talmud, Zevachim 54b); and he dug the foundations for the Temple (Talmud, Sukkah 53a).

5) He amassed vast amounts of material and precious metals for the construction of the Temple (1 Chronicles ch.29).

6) Together with Samuel, he instituted the 24 groupings of families of Kohanim and Levites (Talmud, Taanit 27a).

7) He served God all the days of his life (1 Kings 11:38); and God was with him (1 Samuel 16:18).

8) He was without peer in clarifying and applying the halakhot (laws) of the Oral Tradition (Talmud, Sanhedrin 93b).

9) King David serves as the archetype of the effectiveness of repentance (Talmud, Avodah Zarah 4b).

See also:

Why didn't David kill Saul?

About the Psalms

Jewish history timeline

More about the Hebrew Bible

Answer 4

Brave, Faithful, Repentful, Humble, Trustworthy, Musical(Play the harp), Prayerful and all these characteristics made him man after God's heart.

Answer 5

a worshipper

Answer 6

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