Scripture: 1 Samuel 16 – 1 Kings 2; 2 Samuel 7
David, the shepherd who defeats Goliath, becomes king of Israel, makes Jerusalem his capital and founds a dynasty that rules Judah for four centuries.
Until 1993 no inscription outside the Bible mentioned David, and some scholars argued he was a later legend. That year the Tel Dan was found, a 9th-century BCE victory inscription naming a king of the 'House of David'. A 'House of David' reading has also been proposed on the Mesha Stele, though that is debated. Sites such as Khirbet Qeiyafa show fortified towns in Judah around 1000 BCE.
City of David, JerusalemView on OpenStreetMap
