1100 - 1000 BCE
King Saul and King David
David and Goliath from the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo
Timeline of King David of Israel
- c. 1040 BCE David is born in the town of Bethlehem.
- c. 1035 BCE Saul begins his reign as King of Israel.
- c. 1025 BCE David slays Goliath, the Philistine.
- c. 1020 BCE King Saul attempts to assassinate David.
- c. 1010 BCE King Saul dies. David becomes King.
- c. 1004 BCE King David captures the Fortress Zion in Jerusalem, establishes Jerusalem as the capital of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem
- c. 970 BCE King David dies.
Israel Museum / Israel Antiquities Authority, Photo by Ardon Bar-Hama
Israel Museum / Israel Antiquities Authority
David and Goliath, c. 1025 BCE
1 Samuel 17:50
“David triumphed over Goliath with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.”
City of David Megalim Institute, Courtesy of George Blumenthal and the Gol Family
Khirbet Qeiyafa: An Israelite Fortress in the Elah Valley
In the Valley of
David and Goliath
Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem
Photography and Virtual Tour by Ardon Bar-Hama
King Saul at the Valley of Elah
1 Samuel 13:1, 17:2
Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty two years over Israel. …
Saul and the men of Israel massed and encamped in the valley of Elah. They drew up their line of battle against the Philistines.
Tel Qeiyafa Inscription
Early Hebrew writing: “The men and the chiefs/officers have established a king..." (Most likely Saul.)
Israel Antiquities Authority
“Shaaraim” Meaning “Two Gates”
1 Samuel 17:52
Then the men of Israel and Judah charged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. And the bodies of the Philistines were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.
Two city gates were found at Khirbet Qeiyafa in the Valley of Elah.
Bar Ilan University, Found at the Philistine City of Gath in 2005
“Goliath” Inscribed on Philistine Pottery, 950 BCE
1 Samuel 17:4
A champion of the Philistine forces stepped forward; his name was Goliath of Gath, and he was six cubits and a span tall.
David and Goliath
by Rembrandt
1 Samuel 17:49
David put his hand into the bag; he took out a stone and slung it. It struck the Philistine in the forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
David Presents the Head of Goliath to King Saul
by Rembrandt
1 Samuel 17:57
c. 1025 BCE
So when David returned from killing the Philistine, still holding his head in his hand, Abner took him and brought him before Saul.
Kunstmuseum, Basel
The Hague Museum, Netherlands
King Saul Attempts to Assassinate David,
c. 1020 BCE
1 Samuel 19:11
Saul sent messengers to David’s home to keep watch on him and to kill him in the morning. But David’s wife, Michal, told him, “Unless you run for your life tonight, you will be killed tomorrow.”
City of David Megalim Institute , Courtesy of George Blumenthal and the Gol Family
Why King David Chose Jerusalem
as the Capital of Israel, c. 1004 BCE
City of David Megalim Institute, Courtesy of George Blumenthal and the Gol Family
City of David Megalim Institute, Courtesy of George Blumenthal and the Gol Family
City of David Excavations
King David’s Jerusalem
The City of David
1004 BCE
City of David Archives
King David’s Palace
2 Samuel 5:11
Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David.
City of David Megalim Institute, Courtesy of George Blumenthal and the Gol Family
Column Capital from the City of David
Learn more
Israel Antiquities Authority
King David's Palace
Shalom Kveller, City of David
City of David Megalim Institute, Courtesy of George Blumenthal and the Gol Family
Drawing by Balage Balogh
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Nathan Admonishing David by Rembrandt, Metropolitan Museum, New York
David Receiving the News of Uriah’s Death
by Rembrandt
2 Samuel 11:14-17
In the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab, which he sent with Uriah. He wrote in the letter as follows: "Place Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest; then fall back so that he may be killed."
…
The men of the city sallied out and attacked Joab… Uriah the Hittite was among those who died.
Leen Ritmeyer
King David Is Forbidden to Build
the First Israelite Temple to God
1 Chronicles 17:3-4
But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying, “Go and tell My servant David that this is what the LORD says: ‘You are not the one to build Me a house in which to dwell.’”
King David by Rembrandt, Private Collection, Wikimedia Commons
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