Shepherd, Warrior, King of Israel, Psalmist
c. 1040–970 BC · Old Testament
The greatest king of Israel — shepherd boy who killed Goliath, wrote most of the Psalms, and from whose lineage came Jesus Christ.
David is the second and greatest king of Israel — the central figure of the Old Testament after Moses, the author of much of the Psalter, and the ancestor of Jesus Christ. Born in Bethlehem as the youngest of eight sons of Jesse (1 Samuel 16), David was a shepherd boy when the prophet Samuel anointed him as the future king of Israel, even as Saul still reigned. David came to public attention by killing the Philistine giant Goliath with a sling and a stone, declaring 'I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts' (1 Samuel 17:45). He served in King Saul's court as a musician and warrior, becoming best friends with Saul's son Jonathan. As David's popularity grew, Saul became jealous and tried repeatedly to kill him — driving David into years of fugitive life, hiding in caves and the wilderness. After Saul's death in battle, David was crowned king first of Judah (at Hebron) and then of all Israel, eventually capturing Jerusalem and making it the capital. His 40-year reign (c. 1010-970 BC) was the high point of Israel's history — a unified kingdom, military victories, and the ark of the covenant brought to Jerusalem. But David's reign also contained his greatest sin: adultery with Bathsheba and the arranged death of her husband Uriah (2 Samuel 11). Confronted by the prophet Nathan, David repented (Psalm 51 records his confession), but the consequences haunted his family — including the rebellion of his son Absalom. God promised David an eternal dynasty (2 Samuel 7) — a 'son' who would reign forever. The New Testament identifies this promise as fulfilled in Jesus, called 'son of David' more than any other title (Matthew 1:1, 9:27, 21:9). David is the author of 73 of the Psalms (about half), the most foundational poet of biblical worship, and the model of a man 'after God's own heart' (Acts 13:22) — not because he was sinless, but because he repented deeply.
Chosen by God as the future king while still a shepherd boy
Killed the Philistine giant with sling and stone
Soul-bond with Saul's son, who protected David from his father
Years as a fugitive in caves and wilderness
First of Judah, then of all Israel; captured Jerusalem
David's catastrophic sin: adultery and arranged murder
David's prayer of confession after Nathan's rebuke
David's son revolts; David flees Jerusalem; Absalom dies in battle
God promises David a dynasty that will reign forever — fulfilled in Christ
David's significance is threefold. First, he is the model king — the 'man after God's own heart' against whom every subsequent king of Israel is measured. The phrase repeated dozens of times in 1-2 Kings — 'he did right in the sight of the LORD, as David his father had done' or its negative — makes David the standard. Second, he is the author of the Psalms — the central poetic and worship texts of both Judaism and Christianity. The Psalms continue to be prayed daily in synagogues, churches, and monastic communities around the world. Third, he is the ancestor of Jesus Christ. The promise of 2 Samuel 7 — that one of David's descendants would reign forever — is the messianic promise. The angel told Mary: 'The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David... and of his kingdom there will be no end' (Luke 1:32-33). 'Son of David' is the most-used royal title for Jesus in the Gospels. David's story is also the most honest portrait of a great man in Scripture — including his catastrophic sin and his radical repentance.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”— Psalm 23:1
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”— Psalm 51:10
“You come to me with sword and spear, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts.”— 1 Samuel 17:45
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”— Psalm 119:9
David was the second king of Israel (c. 1010-970 BC), the youngest son of Jesse from Bethlehem, who began as a shepherd boy and rose to be the greatest king in Israel's history. He killed Goliath, wrote 73 of the Psalms, brought the ark to Jerusalem, and from his line came Jesus Christ. Acts 13:22 calls him 'a man after God's own heart.'
David killed Goliath with a sling and a stone. The Philistine giant Goliath had been challenging Israel daily for 40 days; no Israelite would fight him. David, then a teenager visiting his brothers in Israel's army, accepted the challenge. He refused King Saul's armor as too heavy and went out with five smooth stones from a stream, his shepherd's sling, and the declaration: 'You come to me with sword and spear, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts' (1 Samuel 17:45). One stone to Goliath's forehead struck him down; David then used Goliath's own sword to behead him (1 Samuel 17).
David committed adultery with Bathsheba (the wife of Uriah, one of David's loyal soldiers), then arranged for Uriah's death in battle to cover up the resulting pregnancy (2 Samuel 11). The prophet Nathan confronted David with the parable of the rich man and the lamb (2 Samuel 12), and David repented — Psalm 51 records his confession. The consequences haunted his family for generations: the death of his first child with Bathsheba, the rape of his daughter Tamar, the murder of his son Amnon, and the rebellion of his son Absalom. But God forgave David (2 Samuel 12:13), and David's later son with Bathsheba was Solomon — the next king of Israel.
David wrote 73 of the 150 Psalms in the Hebrew Bible — nearly half. The titles of these psalms identify David as the author. Other psalms were written by Asaph (12), the Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Ethan (1), and Heman (1); 50 psalms are anonymous. David's Psalms include the most beloved: Psalm 23 (The Lord is my shepherd), Psalm 51 (his prayer of repentance), Psalm 22 (which Jesus quoted from the cross), and Psalm 19 (the heavens declare the glory of God).