King David

Both Saul and David had victories over God's enemies, the Philistines (1Samuel 14:47; 18:6, 7; 21:11; 29:5)

• Answer 2

• He, as the very first Israelite king, set up the apparatus of royalty and its institutions.
• He put Israel's enemies to shame (1 Samuel 14:47-48).
• Under the guidance of Samuel, he united the Israelite tribes.
• He briefly experienced prophecy.
• He enforced the observance of the Torah (see 1 Samuel 28:3).

David:

• 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).

Answer 1

The Star of David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism. It is named after King David of ancient Israel; and its earliest known communal usage began in the Middle Ages, alongside the more ancient symbol of the menorah. In Hebrew its name is Magen David, meaning Shield of David. That term is a euphemism for God in the Jewish prayer book because God shielded the Biblical David in battle and during his flight from Saul.

Answer 2

In ancient Hebrew, the letters of the alphabet looked much different looking than today. In fact, the letter 'D' (Dalet) closely resembled a triangle. Tradition states that the Star of David was formed by combining the first and last letters of David's name (which in ancient Hebrew were two triangles) . Because the ancient Hebrew letter for 'D' was a triangle, the resulting image of two letter 'D's placed together (with one of them upside down) would be the Star of David. This can be seen as follows:

1. First Ancient Hebrew Letter 'D' in David's Name- an upward-pointing triangle
2. Last Ancient Hebrew Letter 'D' in David's Name- a downward-pointing triangle
3. The Star of David- two ancient Hebrew letters for 'D', which looked almost exactly like triangles, with one of them drawn upside down to signify the last letter.

Numerous online sources concur with this explanation, although no one will ever know for sure. Here is a list of sources:

The Letters of David's Name

Notice that the first and the last letters of the name David is the 4th Hebrew letter 'dalet' and could be described as having the appearance of a triangle...

It is most probable that the Israelites would have chosen to use the Star of David, which is composed of the first and last letters of King David's name. Notice how the symbol might have appeared if the second 'dalet' would be inverted and then combined into one common symbol. Since David had such a great reputation; his mark would certainly have been an effective symbol.

- The Star of David, by Larry Perino, Rivkah Ministries

The "six pointed star" is made up of two inverted superimposed paleo-Hebrew "daleths" (delets), the beginning and ending letter in King David's name.

- The Star of David - Defending the Shield, Flying Chariot Ministries

The combination triangles of the Star of David, (sometimes called the "Shield of David") goes back David himself, the formation of the triangles having been taking from the ancient Hebraic signature of King David. The 3 letters of his name, Daled, Waw, Daled, by extension compose a double triangle. Thus it is representative of Messiah. In the modem Hebrew aleph-bet (alphabet), the 'd' sound is represented by the dalet, which looks like a backward 'r'. In the ancient Hebrew alephbet, the dalet looked like a triangle.

The Star of David (also called the Shield of David) was made up of these two triangular dalets.

- Anoint the Magen David, Tom Campbell, AngelFire

One theory, of the origin of the Star of David, is that it was a family crest of the House of David. The crest was supposedly created by the way the name, David, would have been spelled with Hebrew letters specifically using the letter which is called Dalet. (Hebrew Alphabet).

- Star of David - Creation Star, BreadStixDesigns

Israeli Researcher Uri Ofir mentions a theory which is found in the literature, that King David adopted this form as his emblem because of its special form which fitted his name. In ancient Hebrew (Daatz writing) the letter "d" (dalet) was written in the form of a triangle and in the name David there are two triangles (two characters of d)...

- Phoenician alphabet, by Zeevveez, Star-of-david at Blogspot

his shield that he took to battle. Star of David in Hebrew is called 'Magen David' which means shield of david.

The real answer:

The Shield of David first emerged as a symbol of Jews in the Middle Ages and was never actually used by King David.

Answer 1

King David was from the tribe of Judah. For Biblical reference read Ruth 1:1, then 4:17.

Answer 2

David, a descendant of Boaz and Ruth, had an ancestry running back through Perez to Judah. (Ru 4:18-22; Mt 1:3-6)

When we are introduced to David, he is a young shepherd boy with the responsibility of looking after his father's Jesse's sheep. David's family lived in Bethlehem, a little town on the summit and slopes of a ridge in the hills of Judah. Bethlehem, located about 9 km (5.5 mi) SSW of Jerusalem, was David's hometown, the town where his forefathers Jesse, Obed, and Boaz had lived, and which was sometimes called "David's city"

Psalm 51 states explicitly when it was written: "When Nathan the prophet came to him" (to rebuke King David) in 2 Samuel ch.12.

What about the last two verses, which imply the lack of an altar and city walls?

Ibn Ezra commentary says that these verses may have been added later. Rashi commentary states that they refer to the Temple Mount, which had not yet been built in David's time (and which made Jerusalem what it was, a holy city). That is why the last verse mentions "Your altar," a title that would not apply to those altars that the Israelites had before the Temple was built. Metzudot commentary says that these verses were written by David, prophetically referring to the eventual exile (like Psalm 79).