Shepherd, poet, king · United monarchy, c. 1010–970 BC
David in the Bible
David is anointed as a shepherd boy, kills Goliath, spends years as a fugitive from Saul, and unites the tribes with his capital at Jerusalem. The covenant promising him an everlasting throne, and the psalms attributed to him, make his name the one the New Testament reaches for when it calls Jesus 'son of David'.
Verses mentioning David
1,161 occurrences across 969 verses in the King James Version.
- 1 Samuel 27:9
And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish.
Read in context - 1 Samuel 27:10
And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites. Whither: or, Did you not make a road, etc
Read in context - 1 Samuel 27:11
And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines.
Read in context - 1 Samuel 27:12
And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever. utterly: Heb. to stink
Read in context - 1 Samuel 28:1
And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.
Read in context - 1 Samuel 28:2
And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever.
Read in context - 1 Samuel 28:17
And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: to him: or, for himself me: Heb. mine hand
Read in context - 1 Samuel 29:2
And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands: but David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish.
Read in context - 1 Samuel 29:3
Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day?
Read in context - 1 Samuel 29:5
Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
Read in context - 1 Samuel 29:6
Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not. the lords: Heb. thou art not good in the eyes of the lords
Read in context - 1 Samuel 29:8
And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king? with: Heb. before thee
Read in context - 1 Samuel 29:9
And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.
Read in context - 1 Samuel 29:11
So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
Read in context - 1 Samuel 30:1
And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
Read in context - 1 Samuel 30:3
So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
Read in context - 1 Samuel 30:4
Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
Read in context - 1 Samuel 30:5
And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
Read in context - 1 Samuel 30:6
And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. grieved: Heb. bitter
Read in context - 1 Samuel 30:7
And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
Read in context - 1 Samuel 30:8
And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
Read in context - 1 Samuel 30:9
So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.
Read in context - 1 Samuel 30:10
But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
Read in context - 1 Samuel 30:11
And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;
Read in context - 1 Samuel 30:13
And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.
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