David was Israel's second and greatest king, the shepherd boy who killed Goliath, the writer of many psalms, and the ancestor through whom the Messiah was promised to come. More of the Bible is about him than about anyone except Jesus. - Youngest of eight sons of Jesse, from Bethlehem, keeping sheep when Samuel anointed him (; ; ). - Killed Goliath with a sling while Israel's army stood by (; ). - Hunted for years by Saul, and twice spared Saul's life when he could have taken it (; ; ; ). - Reigned forty years, seven in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem, which he captured and made the capital (; ; ). - Given a covenant that his throne would be established for ever (; ; ). - Committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed, and the Bible records it in full without softening it (; ; ; ).

Who was King David?

Topical

Short answer

David was Israel's second and greatest king, the shepherd boy who killed Goliath, the writer of many psalms, and the ancestor through whom the Messiah was promised to come. More of the Bible is about him than about anyone except Jesus.

Youngest of eight sons of Jesse, from Bethlehem, keeping sheep when Samuel anointed him (1 Samuel 16:1; 1 Samuel 16:11; 1 Samuel 16:13).
Killed Goliath with a sling while Israel's army stood by (1 Samuel 17:49; 1 Samuel 17:50).
Hunted for years by Saul, and twice spared Saul's life when he could have taken it (1 Samuel 18:9; 1 Samuel 24:4; 1 Samuel 24:6; 1 Samuel 26:9).
Reigned forty years, seven in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem, which he captured and made the capital (2 Samuel 5:4; 2 Samuel 5:5; 2 Samuel 5:7).
Given a covenant that his throne would be established for ever (2 Samuel 7:12; 2 Samuel 7:13; 2 Samuel 7:16).
Committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed, and the Bible records it in full without softening it (2 Samuel 11:4; 2 Samuel 11:15; 2 Samuel 12:7; 2 Samuel 12:9).

Question

Who was King David?

Analysis

Why he is called a man after God's own heart

The phrase is used of him (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22) and is often misread as a verdict on his character. In context it is about God's choice of a king who would do God's will, in contrast to Saul who did not. It is not a claim that David was morally exemplary, and the same books that use it record his adultery, his arranged killing of Uriah, his failures as a father, and a census that brought disaster (2 Samuel 11:4; 2 Samuel 11:15; 2 Samuel 13:21; 2 Samuel 24:10).

What is presented as distinctive is not sinlessness but response. Confronted by Nathan, David admitted it in a sentence and repented rather than defending himself (2 Samuel 12:13; Psalms 51:1; Psalms 51:4).

What he did


United the tribes under one throne	2 Samuel 5:1; 2 Samuel 5:3
Took Jerusalem and brought the ark there	2 Samuel 5:7; 2 Samuel 6:12; 2 Samuel 6:15
Wanted to build the temple; was told his son would	2 Samuel 7:2; 2 Samuel 7:5; 2 Samuel 7:13; 1 Chronicles 28:3
Organised the temple's musicians and gathered materials	1 Chronicles 22:14; 1 Chronicles 25:1
Wrote psalms; 73 carry his name in their titles	Psalms 3:1; Psalms 51:1; 2 Samuel 23:1

The covenant, and why it matters

The promise that David's house and throne would endure for ever (2 Samuel 7:16; Psalms 89:3; Psalms 89:4) shapes the rest of the Bible. Prophets look for a coming ruler from his line (Isaiah 9:7; Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5; Ezekiel 34:23), and the New Testament opens by tracing Jesus to him (Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:32; Romans 1:3; Revelation 22:16). "Son of David" becomes a title people use of Jesus (Matthew 9:27; Matthew 21:9).

What is debated

How many psalms he actually wrote. The Hebrew titles attribute 73 to him, but the phrase used can mean "of", "to", or "concerning" David, so scholars differ on whether the titles are claims of authorship, dedications, or later additions.
The historical scale of his kingdom. The Tel Dan inscription, discovered in 1993 and dated to the 9th century BC, refers to the "house of David", which most scholars take as evidence outside the Bible for a Davidic dynasty. How large and centralised his kingdom was is debated among archaeologists, with positions ranging from a substantial state to a modest chiefdom.

An honest note

The Bible's treatment of David is unusual for ancient royal writing: it preserves his worst acts in detail rather than editing them out, and lets a prophet condemn him to his face. Whatever else that indicates, it is not the work of a court propagandist.

Sources, trace every one

Every cited verse, in full. Tap any reference to open it in the reader.

1 Samuel 16:1bsb
Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.”
1 Samuel 16:11bsb
And Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied, “but he is tending the sheep.” “Send for him,” Samuel replied. “For we will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”
1 Samuel 16:13bsb
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.
1 Samuel 17:49bsb
Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
1 Samuel 17:50bsb
Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
1 Samuel 18:9bsb
And from that day forward Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
1 Samuel 24:4bsb
So David’s men said to him, “This is the day about which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do with him as you wish.’” Then David crept up and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
1 Samuel 24:6bsb
So he said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed. May I never lift my hand against him, since he is the LORD’s anointed.”
1 Samuel 26:9bsb
But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can extend a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?”
2 Samuel 5:4bsb
David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.
2 Samuel 5:5bsb
In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
2 Samuel 5:7bsb
Nevertheless , David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).
2 Samuel 7:12bsb
And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.
2 Samuel 7:13bsb
He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
2 Samuel 7:16bsb
Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.”
2 Samuel 11:4bsb
Then David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned home.

On contested questions we show every major view, attributed and cited, and pick no winner. Answers are synthesized from primary sources, truth you can trace, not opinion.