King David is one of the most important figures in Jewish history. Born in 907 BCE, he reigns as king of Israel for 40 years, dying at age 70 in 837 BCE.
There is so much that can be said about him. Some people like to focus on the warrior aspect ― the chivalrous warrior fighting for God ― but when his persona and accomplishments are considered as a whole, it is his spiritual greatness that shines most of all.
David's first and foremost drive is to have a relationship with God. We get the glimpse of the beauty of his soul when we read the Psalms, most of which he wrote. Who doesn't know:
The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want ... (Psalm 23)
The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear ... (Psalm 27)
I lift my eyes to the mountains ― from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth ... (Psalm 121)
Even when we consider his military conquest, we see that the driving force behind them was his attachment to God. The hereditary bloodline of King David will become the only legitimate royal bloodline in Jewish history. From David will come all the future kings of Judah and ultimately, at the end of history, the Messiah. This idea of a God-ordained monarchy will be copied by many other nations throughout history and will serve as the basis for the concept of "the divine right of kings" in Medieval and Renaissance Europe.(1)
The Conquest Of Jerusalem
We know historically that the story of Israel during this entire period of time ― from the Exodus onward ― is the story of a tiny nation sandwiched between the two great ancient civilizations, Egypt and Mesopotamia (which was ruled at various times by the Assyrians, Babylonians or Persians).
When David takes the throne, Egypt and Assyria are both on a significant decline. They're not in any position to expand, which leaves a vacuum in the middle where Israel is located, and Israel is allowed to expand unmolested by these other great empires.
Thus David is able to subdue, at long last, the Philistine threat and to conquer the remaining Canaanite city-state ― Jerusalem ― that the Israelites have thus far not been able to conquer.
(For the 440 years since the Jewish people first entered the Land of Israel until the time of King David, Jerusalem has remained an unconquered non-Jewish city in the heart of a Jewish country. It is a city-state inhabited by Canaanite tribe called Jebusites (the Arab village of Silwan, just south of the walls of the Old City, is located there now). It is heavily fortified, yet despite its seemingly impregnable appearance, Jerusalem has one weakness ― its only source of water is a spring outside the city walls. The spring is accessed from inside the city by a long shaft carved into rock.
The Book of Samuel and the Book of Chronicles describe how David's general, Yoab, climbs up a tzinor (literally "pipe") enters the city and conquers it. Some archaeologists speculate that this might refer to the city's ancient water system ― whose source was the Gihon Spring ― which is a tourist attraction in "David's City," outside the walls of today's Jerusalem.
Why Jerusalem?
The first thing that David does after he occupies the city is make it his capital. And here we have to pause and ask: Why Jerusalem?
Certainly there were more suitable sites for the capital of Israel. Jerusalem does not adjoin any important body of water nor is it located on any trade route. All the capital cities in the world are built near oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, or at least near a major trade route.
(There are major trade routes crisscrossing Israel at this time. There is the Kings Highway, which is one of the major trade routes in the ancient Middle East, running from the Gulf of Aqaba on the Red Sea to Damascus. And there is also the Via Maris, "Way of the Sea," which runs from Egypt along the Mediterranean coast then through Israel and on to Syria.)
Logically, the capital of Israel should have been on the Mediterranean Sea. Ideally a place like Jaffa (next to today's Tel Aviv) would have made the most sense.
So why Jerusalem?
The reason why Jerusalem has to do with a very unique aspect of the Jewish people, and why the children of Israel became a nation in the first place.
Normally, nations become nations by living in a piece of real estate for a long period of time, developing a common language and a common culture. Take the French for example. They didn't all wake up one day and decide they liked wine, cheese and croissants. A group of people over a period of time moved into a common piece of real estate (which later became known as France), and shared a common language. After a shared period of national experience, they coalesced into an identity known as the French. More or less, this scenario works for every nation.
The Jews became a nation shortly after escaping slavery in Egypt. They were not yet in the land of Israel, they were camping out in no man's land, in the desert, at the foot of Mount Sinai. The Jews became a nation there, when they made a covenant with God, promising "we will do and we will hear." The nationhood of Israel is defined, first and foremost, by its communal relationship with God and by the Jewish people's historic mission.
And it turns out that there is no better place to relate to God than Jerusalem.
God's Place
After David makes Jerusalem his capital, he buys the upper part of the hill above the northern boundary of the city from its owner Aravnah, the Jebusite. The purchase is recorded in the Bible in two places (2 Samuel 24:24 and 1 Chronicles 21:25).
This hill is Mount Moriah and what it may lack in physical size, it more than compensates for spiritual greatness.(2)
From the earliest period of Jewish history, the Patriarchs of the Jewish people recognized the tremendous spiritual power of Mount Moriah. This is where Abraham, sensing God's presence, went up to offer Isaac as a sacrifice and later remarked as the Bible records:
"The Lord will see," as it is said to this day, "On the Lord's mountain, He will be seen." (Genesis 22:14)
This is where Jacob dreamt of a ladder going to heaven, and said:
"How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." (Genesis 28:17)
No wonder this is a spot that every major conqueror in all of human history has wanted to own. (Jerusalem has been conquered or destroyed 36 times in 3,000 years.)
Today on this spot stands an Islamic structure known as the Dome of the Rock. Under this golden dome is an exposed piece of the bedrock of Mount Moriah-metaphysically known as the even shatiya, literally, "drinking stone." Water and spirituality are synonymous, and the Torah is known as mayim chayim, "water of life." According to Judaism, the world is spiritually nourished from this spot, this stone-which is the metaphysical center of the universe.
This is the place where God's presence can be felt more intensively than in any other place on the planet earth. Therefore, this is the logical place to build a permanent resting spot for the most holy object that the Jewish people have ― the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant.
The Site of the Temple
King David wastes no time bringing the Ark to Jerusalem. And it is an occasion of great communal happiness. In ecstasy David dances wildly at this celebration. For this he is condemned by his wife Michal, the daughter of Saul, who had stuck with him through thick and thin and who even saved his life when King Saul wanted to kill him. But now Michal attacks David, ridiculing his behavior (2 Samuel 6:16-23):
"How glorious was the king of Israel today, who was exposed today in the eyes of the maidservants of his servants, as one of the boors would be exposed!"
David ― who had thought nothing of his own honor in his gladness that he had made a special connection with God, ― responds in astonishment:
"Before the Lord I will make merry. And I shall behave even more humbly than this, and I shall be lowly in my eyes; and of the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them shall I will be held in honor."
The story concludes with the punishment visited on Michal for her harsh condemnation of the man chosen by God to be Israel's king:
And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.
Although David brings up the Ark of the Covenant to Mount Moriah, he is not allowed by God to build the Temple. A number of reasons are given. One is that the Temple is a house of God and a house of peace and David has a lot of blood on his hands from subduing the enemies of Israel. However, he is promised that his son will build it.
Now David has a number of sons by several wives, some of whom give him serious trouble. One, Amnon, rapes his sister, Tamar. Another, Absalom plots against David and tries to have him deposed. But there is one special boy, Solomon, born from David's relationship with the beautiful Bathsheba.
David and Bathsheba
The story of David's relationship with Bathsheba (II Samuel Chap. 11) is one of the most misread stories in the Bible, and we have to be careful in reading it as if it were some kind of soap opera. In summary, however, this is what happens.
Restless one night, David is pacing the roof of his palace from where he has a view of the homes and gardens in the city below(3). And there he spies a beautiful woman bathing. She is the wife of one of his generals, Uriah, the Hittite, who is away at war.
David sends for Bathsheba and spends the night with her. When she becomes pregnant, he commands that Uriah be placed on the front lines, where he dies in battle. David then marries Bathsheba.
At this point, the prophet Nathan is sent by God to reprove David. (See 2 Samuel 12.) He says that he has come to inform the king of a great injustice in the land. A rich man with many sheep, stole the one beloved sheep of a poor man, and had it slaughtered for a feast.
Furious at what he hears, King David, declares, "As God lives, the one who has done this deserves death."
Responds the prophet, "You are that man!"
David is humbled. "I have sinned before God," he says.
This is an enormously complex story and there is much more here than meets the eye. Technically, Bathsheba was not a married woman since David's troops always gave their wives conditional divorces, lest a soldier be missing in action leaving his wife unable to remarry.(4) However, the Bible states clearly that David acted improperly, and the Sages explain that while David did not commit adultery in the literal sense, he violated the spirit of the law(5).
As noted in earlier installments, the Bible takes a hyper-critical position of Jewish leaders. It never whitewashes anyone's past, and in that it stands alone among the records of ancient peoples which usually describe kings as descendants of gods without faults.
David's greatness shines in both his ability to take responsibility for his actions and the humility of his admission and the repentance that follows. This is part of the reason that the ultimate redeemer of the Jewish people and the world will descend from David's line ― he will be "Messiah son of David."
Shortly thereafter, Bathsheba gives birth, but the child becomes deathly ill as the prophet Nathan had predicted. David goes into a period of prayer and fasting, but the child dies nevertheless. David realizes that the death of the baby and later the revolt of his beloved son, Absalom (II Samuel 15-19), were divine punishment and also served as atonement for his actions. David "pays his dues," repents for many years and is ultimately forgiven by God.
Before long Bathsheba is pregnant again. And this time, she bears a healthy child ― who is named Solomon, and who will be the golden child, gifted with unusual wisdom.
1) Many peoples around the world have taken this idea one step further and actually claim that their royal family and even they, themselves, are actual descendants of the ancient Hebrews. One fascinating example are the Makuya sect in Japan who claim that there is an ancient connection between the Japanese and the Jews and that the Royal family of Japan is actually descended from King David.
Another example is the British. For seven hundred years, every king and queen of England was crowned king while sitting on a throne mounted on a large block of limestone. The stone is called the "Stone of Scone King Edward I (1239-1307) stole the stone from the Scots (It was returned to Scotland in 1997). Scottish tradition held that the stone was the "pillow" that Jacob rested his head on when he had his dream. It was used as a coronation stone by the early Hebrew kings and was kept in Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem After the destruction of the First Temple in 422 BCE, the stone eventually found its way first to Ireland and later to Scotland, . As outrageous as this idea may sound it shows us the centrality and importance of the Davidic line in history.
2) It is often mentioned that the Western Wall is the holiest spot in the world for the Jews. This is simply not true. The Western Wall is merely a retaining wall built around Mt Moriah by Herod the Great more than 2,000 years ago. The holiest spot is Mt Moriah itself. Today this holiest of places is hidden behind the Western Wall and under the Moslem shrine called the Dome of the Rock. 3) For more details see Talmud, Sanhedrin 107a
4) Talmud, Shabbat 56b
5) See Talmud, Sanhedrin 107b. As a prophet, David saw that Bathsheba was destined for him. (Solomon's birth and kingship are proof of this point). The issue was not that Bathsheba was meant to be his wife, but rather how he acquired her.
(36) Sharlene Simpson, August 20, 2019 11:34 AM
Will the third temple be built?
I enjoyed reading this. Thanks.
(35) David Chandran V R, December 27, 2018 10:40 PM
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing. Very informative. Very meaningful.
(34) Anonymous, June 11, 2018 12:27 PM
WHAT DAY of week was King David born? and what DAY did he die?
(33) Nancy, March 6, 2017 9:51 PM
Historical Background
I am leading a book club discussion of THE SECRET CHORD by the noted author, Geraldine Brooks. Thanks for the concise historical perspective that I will incorporate as part of our discussion.
(32) Jenifer Florence Stalin, October 7, 2016 8:37 AM
King David life teaches me how we have to be safe our life in falling into sin and plan of the Lord in David life. Its wonderful and amazing
(31) Keith Vanier, January 23, 2016 5:49 PM
Explain where you get the information on passage below
This is an enormously complex story and there is much more here than meets the eye. Technically, Bathsheba was not a married woman since David's troops always gave their wives conditional divorces, lest a soldier be missing in action leaving his wife unable to remarry.(4) However, the Bible states clearly that David acted improperly, and the Sages explain that while David did not commit adultery in the literal sense, he violated the spirit of the law(5).
(30) Dilini Anjala, July 17, 2015 6:03 AM
Thank you.!
This article is really good. It's very clear.
Thanks again and God bless.!!
(29) Solomon Adule, June 20, 2015 10:37 PM
A brief and concised illustration and sequencial description was made about the history of king David how great he was during his time, his achievements, and manner towards God as well as his Godly rulership
This article is quite educating and inspiring. The content is useful and i'm glad for its importance towards me.
(28) amy, January 14, 2015 6:23 PM
thank you
i think that this was indeed helpful for my class progect. what I recommend is a page just about a couple worded facts. thank you so much this a awesome website that I will recommend to family and friends. I will spread the word on all social media imedetly saying that aish.com is the place to go!
(27) c.s.joshua, May 24, 2014 10:40 AM
eye opening as regards to kind david and bathseba
enjoyed and very excellent.
(26) jimmy lolohea, July 17, 2013 11:22 PM
truthfully an eye opener.
It is indeed a great inspiration to know your Jewish royalty is the"Spring of the Water of Life"
May the Jewish Nation of Israel be richly Blessed.
From the Tiny Island nation of Fiji.
(25) chris alornyeku, July 3, 2013 11:42 PM
i have being inspired by the article i red. Thank so much and stay bless
(24) Igor, May 19, 2013 4:41 PM
Bible
Read 1st and 2nd Samuel of the bible it gives a detailed biography of Davids life.
(23) Anonymous, August 14, 2012 10:04 AM
I luv this article. But dey are more 2 it.king David is a pheonumenum.
(22) Anonymous, February 6, 2012 4:40 PM
Iam a first year student
Hello i am a student at the International University of the Caribbean, doing some research on the rise and fall of the united monarchy. so my research is to get info on both David and Solomon, along with their reign and fall. your site is very informative and helpful. thanks and keep up the good work. by the way
(21) Anonymous, December 11, 2011 8:59 PM
Fascinating
I am a Catholic graduate student, getting my degree at a fundamentalist Protestant university, and came across your site while researching a paper on Saul, David and Absalom. These articles are so interesting and insightful, and give so much more perspective on the Bible, coming from a Jewish viewpoint. Thank you so much - you have greatly added to my faith. I have always said, you Jewish people's faith is truly the mother of my faith. (If you ever attended a Mass you would see how much we got from you!) I have deep reverence for Jewish people who love and practice their faith. Thank you for your example and scholarly pursuits.
(20) femi, November 26, 2011 2:27 PM
Rich Word
Thanks, More grace to you. It's rich, insighful and refreshing. Stay Blessed
(19) mary otoo, April 20, 2011 9:30 AM
A friend introduced me to this site. You give a vivid account of the bible. I am excited and will visit the site regulary
(18) Grace Fishenfeld, June 21, 2008 7:40 PM
The Power of Spirit
I am working on a painting for an exhibition. My subject is young David, "The Candidate" I am grateful to you, Rabbi Spiro for your spiritual description of David and the contrasting baseness of the Philistines. Spirit vs brawn.
I am waiting for your book to be published because your lessons have become an important part of my life and my work.
Thank you
(17) Anonymous, October 27, 2007 2:35 PM
great synopsis
I didn't know this site existed. I would like to read all of the chapters.
The story is fascinating.
(16) Grace Fishenfeld, September 26, 2007 9:03 AM
Beginning of the Line
The 23rd Psalm has comforted people all over the world. This is the comfort a shepherd learns while tending his sheep and as a parent to a child and God to man. The beauty in those words must have come from a loving soul.
David could not build the temple because of he was a warrior. The lives he took, in the service of Israel kept him apart from the holiness of a peaceful Temple. The building of which was done by his great son Solomon.
David did not escape sorrow. He accepts his guilt on behalf of his lusting after Bathsheba while her husband was in battle. He was made to suffer the loss of his first child by Bathsheba and learns of the plottting and wrong doing of his sons, Amnon and Absalom. After his punishment is absolved, he rises to become the first in the link of the future Kings of Israel. David is forgiven and so we learn of the nature of God's mercy.
(15) Menashe Kaltmann, April 24, 2007 10:35 PM
The Greatness of Kind David
Again thank you Rabbi Ken Spiro and aish.com for publishing this article.
It is truly the case the greatness of Dovid HaMelech (King David) lies in his truthfulness admitting when he has done seemingly wrong.
There is also a Midrash describing King David's care of the sheep and his concern for all the animals in his care (before he became the King and was just a shepherd)The Midrash speaks about how G-d was pleased with David's concern for the sheep and later when he became King of Israel he cared for all his subjects even the smallest ones.
(14) Sara Garfinkel, March 25, 2007 6:53 PM
Jewish history is Mankind history
It is my first approach to this page. I am very happy because in spite of being a Professor I am always eager to learn things.
(13) dennis newland, March 25, 2007 6:53 PM
The francs
Interesting story about king David one wonders when the dome of the rock will finally be moved. Also regarding France the name of this country actuall developed from a group of Celtic tribes known as the franks / and out of this it became france.
The stone of scone or Lia fail was transported to a place in ireland upon which all irish kings were crowned until it went to scotland and later england
The new capital of ireland at that time was a derivitive of the name Torah.
The stone was forecaast to be returned to the scots in 1996 and actually did as prophesised some 8 years earlier.
Scotland originally being called scotia after the wife of galeus (Might not have spelt that right)who settled for a while in portugal in what was later referred to as the port o galeus and later evolved to Portugal. Five of his sons went to ireland to basicall conquer the place most died.
Scotia left scotland declaring it to barbaric and diverse to be conquered.
Dennis
(12) Jeanie Laurence, March 25, 2007 4:21 PM
Very enlightening.
I loved reading the story of David. It is so fascinating the way you have described it. Makes it much easier to understand. Better than a novel, this is History, my favorite subject, especially my history.
(11) Anonymous, January 6, 2007 1:09 PM
conscise informative gained new knowldge
really liked the way you mixed historical fact with bible fact and turned me on to some new cocepts to look into
(10) Kirsten, November 23, 2006 7:59 PM
Thanks for the article
Thanks for this article. I am doing a project on the empire of David and Solomon and I havent been able to find anything but I'm sure this will really help!
(9) Anonymous, July 5, 2006 12:00 AM
Michal
This is a great take on King David. However, I am somewhat in agreement with Shira.
In modern times (after 1500) royalty is expected to be well-mannered and courteous. Even earlier this was true to a lesser extent, for instance in ancient Persia, and imaginably in the kingdom of the people of God, Israel. Thus, perhaps Princess Michal was looking out for her husband David (as she often did), and did not wish him to 'act like a boor'.
Nevertheless God is just. Could it perhaps be that Michal failed to see the joy of the occasion which David shared with the people by even feeding them, and it was for this that God punished her?
(8) Ndumo Sabelo, March 25, 2006 12:00 AM
Characterization in Biblical Narrative
The stories have been woven into a masterful narrative in which all facets of the hero's complex personality are allowed to emerge. This is accomplished by highlighting him at times. This shift focus and clarity of presentation produces a narrative which has depth, which is credible to the reader, and which never fails to engage his interest.
(7) Emma, September 29, 2005 12:00 AM
thank you so much for this information on King David. I am doing a project on him and this site really helped me out.
(6) Anonymous, January 12, 2005 12:00 AM
thanks
im cuyrrent;y doing in VCE and its an important study time for me now. your site has helped me so much and given me valuable information. thanks
(5) Karl, October 8, 2002 12:00 AM
Joy
Shira, It was not Michals place to admonish her husband David, for he was making merry in the sight of the Lord and not for anybody else. His heart was beaming with joy for the Lord and it was not right for Michal to ask him to stop it, because it was really embarassing her. Shalom,Karl
(4) shira, October 2, 2002 12:00 AM
I love this series, I really learn a lot from it... theres one thing i don't understand in this unit however, why should Michal be punnished for admonishing King David? It sounds like she had his best interests at heart, even if in this instance she was wrong; do not Jewish women traditionally provide guidance for their men, as exemplified by the saying, "A good woman will make a wicked man good, while a wicked woman will turn a good man wicked?"
(3) Neva L. Perry, May 28, 2002 12:00 AM
Teaching the Crash Course.
As I go through this reading & studying it, I can't help but say, this is GREAT, this is the GREATEST! & each book that is taught on is so wonderful. Thank you, thank you, thank you. A student.
(2) Anonymous, April 30, 2002 12:00 AM
Thank you very much.It is so good,i can`t wait to read next part.
(1) Anonymous, April 14, 2001 12:00 AM
Very interesting story about David
It is great to be able to study the Bible on line. Thank you.