Introduction
Youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem; anointed by Samuel, rose from shepherd and court musician to Saul's general, then became king of Judah and later of a united Israel, per 1-2 Samuel
Family
- Father: Jesse
- Spouse: Michal (married)
- Spouse: Ahinoam of Jezreel (married)
- Spouse: Abigail (married)
- Spouse: Bathsheba (married)
- Children: Absalom, Adonijah, Amnon, Solomon, Tamar (daughter of David)
Biblical Narrative
Other: The text records his defeat of the Philistine champion Goliath, his years as a fugitive from Saul, his kingship first over Judah and then over all Israel after Ish-bosheth's death, his establishment of Jerusalem as capital, and his relationship with Bathsheba and the death of Uriah the Hittite, an episode the text itself presents critically through the prophet Nathan's rebuke.
This article records a figure from the Hebrew Bible's narrative genealogy of Israel, as told across the Torah and the Former Prophets. It follows the text's own presentation of events rather than adjudicating questions of historicity, which remain debated among biblical scholars and archaeologists.