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. He gains fame and becomes a hero by killing Goliath. He becomes a favorite of Saul , the first king of Israel, but is forced to go into hiding when Saul suspects David of plotting to take his throne. After Saul and his son Jonathan are killed in battle, David is anointed king by the tribe of Judah and eventually all the tribes of Israel.
He conquers Jerusalem , makes it the capital of a united Israel , and brings the Ark of the Covenant to the city. He commits adultery with Bathsheba and arranges the death of her husband, Uriah the Hittite. David's son Absalom later tries to overthrow him, but David returns to Jerusalem after Absalom's death to continue his reign.
David desires to build a temple to Yahweh, but is denied because of the bloodshed of his reign. He dies at age 70 and chooses Solomon , his son with Bathsheba, as his successor instead of his eldest son Adonijah. David is honored as an ideal king and the forefather of the future Hebrew Messiah in Jewish prophetic literature, and many psalms are attributed to him.
David is also richly represented in post-biblical Jewish written and oral tradition and referenced in the New Testament. Early Christians interpreted the life of Jesus of Nazareth in light of references to the Hebrew Messiah and to David; Jesus is described as being directly descended from David in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke.
In the Quran and hadith , David is described as an Israelite king as well as a prophet of Allah. David is described as cementing his relations with various political and national groups through marriage. Saul offered David his oldest daughter, Merab , a marriage David respectfully declined. David escaped. Later, David wanted Michal back and Abner , Ish-bosheth's army commander, delivered her to him, causing Palti great grief. The Book of Chronicles lists his sons with his various wives and concubines.
