David (1038–968 BCE)
Born 1038 BCE, died 968 BCE.
David (; Biblical Hebrew: דָּוִד, romanized: Dāwīḏ, "beloved one") was, originally, leader of the Tribe of Judah who became the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. David's reign may have occurred around the 9th century BC, although the timeframe of his reign and geographical boundaries of his kingdom are disputed. Most of what is known of David comes from biblical literature, the historicity of which has been extensively challenged, and there is little detail about David that is concrete and undisputed. Debates persist over several controversial issues: whether the story serves as a political defence of David's dynasty against accusations of tyranny, murder and regicide; the homoerotic relationship between David and Jonathan; whether the text is a Homer-like heroic tale adopting elements from its Ancient Near East parallels; and whether elements of the text date as late as the Hasmonean period. In the biblical narrative of the Books of Samuel, David is described as a young shepherd and harpist whose heart is devoted to Yahweh, the one true God.
Text from the Wikipedia article David, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.