According to the Hebrew Bible, was the second king of the
United Kingdom of Israel, and according to the New Testament Gospels of Matthew
and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus. His life is conventionally dated to c. 1040–970
BCE, his reign over Judah c. 1010–1002 BCE, and his reign over the United
Kingdom of Israel c. 1002–970 BCE.
The Books of Samuel, 1 Kings, and 1 Chronicles are the only
sources of information on David, although the Tel Dan stele (dated c.850–835
BCE) contains the phrase, read as "House of David", which most
scholars take as confirmation of the existence in the mid-9th century BCE of a
Judean royal dynasty called the House of David. He is depicted as a righteous
king, although not without faults, as well as an acclaimed warrior, musician,
and poet, traditionally credited for composing many of the psalms contained in
the Book of Psalms.
David is very important to Jewish, Christian and Islamic
doctrine and culture. Biblical tradition maintains that a direct descendant of
David will be the Messiah. In Islam he is considered to be a prophet and the
king of a nation.
