David was the second king of Israel which established and united the kingdom of Israel making Jerusalem as its capital. The New Testament in the Bible emphasized that Jesus came from the lineage of David .

Fact 1:
David was the eighth and youngest son of Jesse and was a shepherd in Bethlehem during his early years in life. Prophet Samuel came to his father’s household and anoints him to become the next king of Israel without the knowledge of the current king, Saul.

Fact 2:
David’s lineage and ancestors were considered royalty of his tribe due to the fact that princes and leaders were descended from them. David’s ancestor, Nachshon the son of Aminadav, was the first one to cross the Red Sea when it was divided for them to cross. Thus, making him the most honored princes of the Jews. He was also the first to bring his offerings to the Sanctuary the following year. Boaz was David’s great grandfather. Boaz was the tenth judge of Israel; a scholar; a righteous man; rich and generous during his time .

Fact 3:
When David fought Goliath, 1 Samuel 17:4 stated that Goliath had a height of “six cubits and one span” according to the Masoretic text or 9’6” based on our present day measurement. Based on the Masoretic text, Goliath had a foot size of 19 ⅜” long. On the other hand, David was described as a “young man” when he faced Goliath and was estimated to have a height of 5’2” and a foot size of 9 3/10” based on the Masoretic text .

David’s fight against Goliath was his first public display of valor when he defeated Goliath using his sling and stones while appealing to God. David’s victory over Goliath made him the commander over King Saul’s army .

Fact 4:
David did not immediately ascend to the throne upon the death of King Saul. Ishbosheth, Saul’s youngest son and legal successor, was declared king at Mahanaim by the greater part of Israel, through the help of Saul’s kinsman, Abner. Meanwhile, David ruled at Hebron over Judah.

Ishbosheth had a long and unsuccessful war against David. The death of Abner took a toll in his kingdom as he lost his last main support in his kingship. Ishbosheth was later murdered by his own guard while sleeping and his severed head was presented to David. The act riled David’s anger and he ordered execution on Ishbosheth’s murderer .

Fact 5:
According to 2 Samuel 5:4-5; cf. 1 Kings 2:11, David became king when he was thirty years old and reigned for forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he ruled over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years .

Fact 6:
Saul’s younger daughter, Michal was David’s first wife. Her sister, Merab should have been David’s first wife, as this was promised by King Saul as a reward to any man that can defeat Goliath. However, he later regrets his decision and gave Merba to another man. David’s heroism made him more famous than King Saul causing the king to be jealous of him and desiring David to be removed.

Upon learning that Michal loved David, King Saul asked David to give him a dowry of 100 foreskins of the Philistines,hoping this will get David killed, however, David delivered 200 foreskins which irked King Saul the more. Since he can’t defy his own word, he gave Michal to David .

Fact 7:
King Saul may have hatred and jealousy against David but his children did not share the same sentiment for David. Michal, David’s first wife, loved him to the point of lying to King Saul to save David. Jonathan, David’s best friend and brother-in-law, had close-knit relationship with David.

Upon the death of Jonathan, who was killed in a war, David took all of Jonathan’s family and his son, Mephibosheth to his home making them as his own .

Fact 8:
King David famous act of adultery was with Bathsheba. She was the wife of Uriah, the Hittite and daughter of Eliam, one of David’s advisor. He first saw Uriah taking a bath when he was walking on the roof of his palace. He desired Bathsheba and later got her pregnant. In order to hide his mistake, he summoned Uriah from the battlefield to be with his wife, hoping that he will think that the child will be his own. However, Uriah declined to leave his troops leaving David to put Uriah in the front line during the battle. This eventually killed Uriah, making Bathsheba a widow and David made Bathsheba as his wife .

Fact 9:
David’s act of adultery and murder displeased the Lord and commanded Prophet Nathan to rebuke him. David confessed and repented but his child with Bathsheba died with an illness a few days after delivery.

David’s sin brought a curse to his family where his beloved son, Absalom, went against him and caused a civil war; had sexual intercourse in the public with David’s .

Absalom met his death when his mule went under and got tangled on the branches of an oak tree which caught his head leaving him hanging in mid-air. He was struck with spears to the heart while he was tangled and hanging .

Fact 10:
During David’s advanced age, he had a hard time getting his body warm. Adonijah, David’s oldest son declared himself king, however, David promised Bathsheba that Solomon will inherit the throne and publicly anointed Solomon. Adonijah, fearing Solomon’s revenge fled to the altar in Jerusalem, but Solomon pardoned him .