10 Fascinating Facts You Didn’t Know about King David

1. David Was the “Runt of the Litter” Yet Became King

David was the youngest of eight sons of Jesse, a farmer and sheep breeder in Bethlehem. When King Saul displeased the Lord and God rejected him as the king over Israel, God told the prophet Samuel that he was to go to Bethlehem and find Jesse, as one of Jesse’s sons would be king.

Samuel went. However, Jesse offered up every one of his sons except David, who was off tending sheep, as a prospective king. Samuel greeted every one of Jesse’s sons, but none of them was “the one.” Finally, Jesse sent for David. When he entered, God told Samuel that David — the youngest and the least likely — was the one he should anoint as the future king.

2. David Was the Great-Grandson of Ruth

David has a great backstory, as he’s descended from Ruth – “the” Ruth, from the book of Ruth. Ruth’s story is one of great faith and dedication. She was a Moabite woman who married the son of a faithful Israelite woman, Naomi, who had moved with her husband away from her homeland because of famine.

However, after some time Naomi’s husband and sons died. So, she returned to her homeland in poverty and bitter despair, accompanied by her daughter-in-law, Ruth, who had converted to Naomi’s faith and was determined to follow her mother-in-law anywhere. As Ruth famously pledged to Naomi, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay” (Ruth 1:16), and so she did.

Back in Bethlehem, the two women lived in poverty, Ruth gleaning from the fields to keep them alive. Ultimately she found favor in Boaz, who praised her great faithfulness and dedication to Naomi, his relative. Boaz took her as a wife, and she gave birth to Obed, who was the father of Jesse and grandfather of David, king of Israel.

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3. David Was a Shepherd

Perhaps we think of kings as having been raised in a palace and trained in warfare and politics from a young age, but that was not the case with David. David was a shepherd. In fact, even after he was anointed as the future king, David continued to work as a shepherd.

Shepherds did not enjoy high status in society. It was hard, dirty, smelly work that took a person off into remote wilderness for long periods of time. The work was often lonely, as well. We’re not told much about David’s life as a shepherd, but one would imagine he had plenty of time to commune with God, accustom himself to menial and difficult labor, and practice his instruments, the harp and the lyre, which would later gain him entrance to the court of the king.

4. David Was a Musician

Before he was king, David was a musician. He played the lyre and the harp. While we don’t know when his skill started, we do know that after he was anointed as king, he went back to shepherding. However, King Saul, whom the Lord had rejected as king because of his disobedience, was being tormented by evil spirits. A servant suggested Saul listen to music to soothe his mind, and Saul agreed. Another servant suggested they invite one of the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem who knew how to play the lyre. “He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him,” the servant said of him (1 Samuel 16:18). That son was David. And so David came to court, serving King Saul as his personal musician.

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5. David Was Good-Looking

David was handsome. When the prophet Samuel first encountered young David as a shepherd, the Bible tells us David was “glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features” (1 Samuel 16:12). King Saul’s servant described David as “a fine-looking man” (1 Samuel 16:18). Later we’re told King Saul’s daughter, Michal, was in love with David, and one can assume it was the combination of David’s good looks and his skill as a warrior (1 Samuel 18:20).

5. David Was Anointed Long before He Became King

It took a long time for David to become king, possibly longer than the prophet Samuel expected when God first told him to do so. In 1 Samuel 15, we’re told that King Saul fell away from the Lord and blatantly disobeyed him. God told Samuel, “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions” (1 Samuel 15:10-11). Samuel mourned Saul’s rejection and hard heart, and eventually the Lord told Samuel to go to Bethlehem and anoint one of the sons of Jesse to be king.

When Samuel did so, David was a young man; scholars think somewhere between 10 and 15 years old. When he fought Goliath, he was still a very young man, not even old enough for the army. Then came a long period of jealousy and fighting when Saul pursued David, trying to kill him. The Bible tells us David was 30 when he finally became king (2 Samuel 5:4 ) — probably 15 years after his anointing.

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7. David Wrote (and Probably Sang) Many of the Psalms

David is thought to have written about half of the psalms, around 73 of the 150 total. The psalms are biblical poetry meant to be accompanied by music. Most of the psalms David wrote are laments, mournful cries to the Lord over fears and troubles he experienced. Others are psalms of thanksgiving.

8. David’s Closest Friend Was His Enemy’s Son

Saul’s oldest son Jonathan was much beloved by the king. Yet after young David killed the giant Goliath, Jonathan came to love David. The Bible tells us, “After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt” (1 Samuel 18:1-4).

Over the years, Jonathan looked out for David when Saul’s jealousy grew so fierce he tried to kill David. Jonathan helped David escape and challenged his father, asking what David had done to earn his hatred. Their friendship remained strong despite the battles between Saul and David. Jonathan was loyal to both men. When Jonathan was eventually killed, David wept and fasted for him.

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9. David Had at Least Eight Wives, Maybe More

Besides Michal, David had at least seven other wives. David married Abigail, the wife of David’s enemy Nabal, after she thwarted her husband to help David’s cause (1 Samuel 25:42). He also later married Bathsheba, the wife of his friend Uriah, after wicked circumstances, though later he repented (1 Samuel 11:27). Beyond these, 2 Samuel 3:2-5 tells us he had sons from five other women: Ahinoam of Jezreel, Maakah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur, Haggith, Abital, and Eglah.

10. David’s Permissive Parenting Led to Rapes, Dysfunction, and a Coup

David wasn’t very tough on some of his sons and apparently had a hard time with stern discipline. His oldest son, Amnon, fell in love with Tamar, his half-sister and David’s daughter. He became so obsessed with her that he raped her, then rejected her in hatred after what he had done.

Their brother, Absalom, was furious with Amnon and took Tamar into his home. When their father David found out about all this, he was furious, too — yet he did nothing. Absalom’s anger grew at both Amnon and his father, and two years later, he had Amnon killed and fled Jerusalem. Later, he raped his father’s concubines and attempted to tear the kingdom from David, but his attempt failed, and he was eventually killed.

David was far from perfect and made many mistakes. But he always turned back to God, and he heeded God’s guidance always. Because of that, he remained in God’s favor and ultimately was admired and respected by all of Israel.

Related Resource: A Bible Study on Tamar: You Are Not Defined by Your Past

How do we define ourselves? Are we righteous on our own, or sinners on our own? Can we relate to Tamar? If we can relate, we can receive. “I have come for the sick, for the sinners." In this episode of How to Study the Bible, we'll look at the story of Tamar and see how her story teaches us about the God who loves us and came to rescue us. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to subscribe to the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

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