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david

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david


  5  definitions  found 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  David 
  n  :  the  2nd  king  of  the  Israelites;  as  a  young  shepherd  he 
  fought  Goliath  (a  giant  Philistine  warrior)  and  killed 
  him  by  hitting  him  in  the  head  with  a  stone  flung  from  a 
  sling;  many  of  the  Psalms  are  attributed  to  David  [syn:  {David}] 
 
  From  U.S.  Gazetteer  (1990)  [gazetteer]: 
 
  David,  KY 
  Zip  code(s):  41616 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  David 
  beloved,  the  eighth  and  youngest  son  of  Jesse,  a  citizen  of 
  Bethlehem.  His  father  seems  to  have  been  a  man  in  humble  life. 
  His  mother's  name  is  not  recorded.  Some  think  she  was  the  Nahash 
  of  2  Sam.  17:25.  As  to  his  personal  appearance,  we  only  know 
  that  he  was  red-haired,  with  beautiful  eyes  and  a  fair  face  (1 
  Sam.  16:12;  17:42). 
 
  His  early  occupation  was  that  of  tending  his  father's  sheep  on 
  the  uplands  of  Judah.  From  what  we  know  of  his  after  history, 
  doubtless  he  frequently  beguiled  his  time,  when  thus  engaged, 
  with  his  shepherd's  flute,  while  he  drank  in  the  many  lessons 
  taught  him  by  the  varied  scenes  spread  around  him  His  first 
  recorded  exploits  were  his  encounters  with  the  wild  beasts  of 
  the  field.  He  mentions  that  with  his  own  unaided  hand  he  slew  a 
  lion  and  also  a  bear,  when  they  came  out  against  his  flock, 
  beating  them  to  death  in  open  conflict  with  his  club  (1  Sam. 
  17:34,  35). 
 
  While  David,  in  the  freshness  of  ruddy  youth,  was  thus  engaged 
  with  his  flocks,  Samuel  paid  an  unexpected  visit  to  Bethlehem, 
  having  been  guided  thither  by  divine  direction  (1  Sam.  16:1-13). 
  There  he  offered  up  sacrifice,  and  called  the  elders  of  Israel 
  and  Jesse's  family  to  the  sacrificial  meal.  Among  all  who 
  appeared  before  him  he  failed  to  discover  the  one  he  sought. 
  David  was  sent  for  and  the  prophet  immediately  recognized  him 
  as  the  chosen  of  God,  chosen  to  succeed  Saul,  who  was  now 
  departing  from  the  ways  of  God,  on  the  throne  of  the  kingdom.  He 
  accordingly,  in  anticipation,  poured  on  his  head  the  anointing 
  oil.  David  went  back  again  to  his  shepherd  life,  but  "the  Spirit 
  of  the  Lord  came  upon  David  from  that  day  forward,"  and  "the 
  Spirit  of  the  Lord  departed  from  Saul"  (1  Sam.  16:13,  14). 
 
  Not  long  after  this  David  was  sent  for  to  soothe  with  his  harp 
  the  troubled  spirit  of  Saul,  who  suffered  from  a  strange 
  melancholy  dejection.  He  played  before  the  king  so  skilfully 
  that  Saul  was  greatly  cheered,  and  began  to  entertain  great 
  affection  for  the  young  shepherd.  After  this  he  went  home  to 
  Bethlehem.  But  he  soon  again  came  into  prominence.  The  armies  of 
  the  Philistines  and  of  Israel  were  in  battle  array  in  the  valley 
  of  Elah,  some  16  miles  south-west  of  Bethlehem;  and  David  was 
  sent  by  his  father  with  provisions  for  his  three  brothers,  who 
  were  then  fighting  on  the  side  of  the  king.  On  his  arrival  in 
  the  camp  of  Israel,  David  (now  about  twenty  years  of  age)  was 
  made  aware  of  the  state  of  matters  when  the  champion  of  the 
  Philistines,  Goliath  of  Gath,  came  forth  to  defy  Israel.  David 
  took  his  sling,  and  with  a  well-trained  aim  threw  a  stone  "out 
  of  the  brook,"  which  struck  the  giant's  forehead,  so  that  he 
  fell  senseless  to  the  ground.  David  then  ran  and  slew  him  and 
  cut  off  his  head  with  his  own  sword  (1  Sam.  17).  The  result  was 
  a  great  victory  to  the  Israelites,  who  pursued  the  Philistines 
  to  the  gates  of  Gath  and  Ekron. 
 
  David's  popularity  consequent  on  this  heroic  exploit  awakened 
  Saul's  jealousy  (1  Sam.  18:6-16),  which  he  showed  in  various 
  ways.  He  conceived  a  bitter  hatred  toward  him  and  by  various 
  stratagems  sought  his  death  (1  Sam.  18-30).  The  deep-laid  plots 
  of  the  enraged  king,  who  could  not  fail  to  observe  that  David 
  "prospered  exceedingly,"  all  proved  futile,  and  only  endeared 
  the  young  hero  the  more  to  the  people,  and  very  specially  to 
  Jonathan,  Saul's  son,  between  whom  and  David  a  life-long  warm 
  friendship  was  formed. 
 
  A  fugitive.  To  escape  from  the  vengeance  of  Saul,  David  fled 
  to  Ramah  (1  Sam.  19:12-18)  to  Samuel,  who  received  him  and  he 
  dwelt  among  the  sons  of  the  prophets,  who  were  there  under 
  Samuel's  training.  It  is  supposed  by  some  that  the  sixth 
  seventh  and  eleventh  Psalms  were  composed  by  him  at  this  time. 
  This  place  was  only  3  miles  from  the  residence  of  Saul,  who  soon 
  discovered  whither  the  fugitive  had  gone,  and  tried 
  ineffectually  to  bring  him  back  Jonathan  made  a  fruitless 
  effort  to  bring  his  father  to  a  better  state  of  mind  toward 
  David  (1  Sam.  20),  who  being  made  aware  of  the  fact  saw  no 
  hope  of  safety  but  in  flight  to  a  distance.  We  accordingly  find 
  him  first  at  Nob  (21:1-9)  and  then  at  Gath,  the  chief  city  of 
  the  Philistines.  The  king  of  the  Philistines  would  not  admit  him 
  into  his  service,  as  he  expected  that  he  would  and  David 
  accordingly  now  betook  himself  to  the  stronghold  of  Adullam 
  (22:1-4;  1  Chr.  12:8-18).  Here  in  a  short  time  400  men  gathered 
  around  him  and  acknowledged  him  as  their  leader.  It  was  at  this 
  time  that  David,  amid  the  harassment  and  perils  of  his  position, 
  cried,  "Oh  that  one  would  give  me  drink  of  the  water  of  the  well 
  of  Bethlehem;"  when  three  of  his  heroes  broke  through  the  lines 
  of  the  Philistines  and  brought  him  the  water  for  which  he  longed 
  (2  Sam.  23:13-17),  but  which  he  would  not  drink. 
 
  In  his  rage  at  the  failure  of  all  his  efforts  to  seize  David, 
  Saul  gave  orders  for  the  massacre  of  the  entire  priestly  family 
  at  Nob,  "persons  who  wore  a  linen  ephod",  to  the  number  of 
  eighty-five  persons,  who  were  put  to  death  by  Doeg  the  Edomite. 
  The  sad  tidings  of  the  massacre  were  brought  to  David  by 
  Abiathar,  a  son  of  Ahimelech,  the  only  one  who  escaped.  Comp. 
  Ps  52. 
 
  Hearing  that  Keilah,  a  town  on  the  western  frontier,  was 
  harassed  by  the  Philistines,  David  with  his  men  relieved  it  (1 
  Sam.  23:1-14);  and  then,  for  fear  of  Saul,  he  fled  to  the 
  strongholds  in  the  "hill  country"  of  Judah.  Comp.  Ps  31.  While 
  encamped  there  in  the  forest  in  the  district  of  Ziph,  he  was 
  visited  by  Jonathan,  who  spoke  to  him  words  of  encouragement 
  (23:16-18).  The  two  now  parted  never  to  meet  again  Saul 
  continued  his  pursuit  of  David,  who  narrowly  escaped  from  him  at 
  this  time,  and  fled  to  the  crags  and  ravines  of  Engedi,  on  the 
  western  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea  (1  Sam.  23:29).  Here  Saul,  who 
  still  pursued  him  with  his  army,  narrowly  escaped,  through  the 
  generous  forbearance  of  David,  and  was  greatly  affected  by  what 
  David  had  done  for  him  He  returned  home  from  pursuing  him  and 
  David  betook  himself  to  Maon,  where  with  his  600  men,  he 
  maintained  himself  by  contributions  gathered  from  the  district. 
  Here  occurred  the  incident  connected  with  Nabal  and  his  wife 
  Abigail  (1  Sam.  25),  whom  David  married  after  Nabal's  death. 
 
  Saul  again  went  forth  (1  Sam.  26)  in  pursuit  of  David,  who  had 
  hid  himself  "in  the  hill  Hachilah,  which  is  before  Jeshimon,"  in 
  the  wilderness  of  Ziph,  and  was  a  second  time  spared  through  his 
  forbearance.  He  returned  home,  professing  shame  and  penitence 
  for  the  way  in  which  he  had  treated  David,  and  predicting  his 
  elevation  to  the  throne. 
 
  Fighting  against  Israel.  Harassed  by  the  necessity  of  moving 
  from  place  to  place  through  fear  of  Saul,  David  once  more  sought 
  refuge  among  the  Philistines  (1  Sam.  27).  He  was  welcomed  by  the 
  king,  who  assigned  him  Ziklag  as  his  residence.  Here  David  lived 
  among  his  followers  for  some  time  as  an  independent  chief 
  engaged  in  frequent  war  with  the  Amalekites  and  other  tribes  on 
  the  south  of  Judah. 
 
  Achish  summoned  David  with  his  men  to  join  his  army  against 
  Saul;  but  the  lords  of  the  Philistines  were  suspicious  of 
  David's  loyalty,  and  therefore  he  was  sent  back  to  Ziklag,  which 
  he  found  to  his  dismay  may  had  been  pillaged  and  burnt  during 
  his  brief  absence.  David  pursued  after  the  raiders,  the 
  Amalekites  and  completely  routed  them  On  his  return  to  Ziklag 
  tidings  reached  him  of  Saul's  death  (2  Sam.  1).  An  Amalekite 
  brought  Saul's  crown  and  bracelet  and  laid  them  at  his  feet. 
  David  and  his  men  rent  their  clothes  and  mourned  for  Saul,  who 
  had  been  defeated  in  battle  near  Mount  Gilboa.  David  composed  a 
  beautiful  elegy,  the  most  beautiful  of  all  extant  Hebrew  odes,  a 
  "lamentation  over  Saul  and  over  Jonathan  his  son"  (2  Sam. 
  1:18-27).  It  bore  the  title  of  "The  Bow,"  and  was  to  be  taught 
  to  the  children,  that  the  memory  of  Saul  and  Jonathan  might  be 
  preserved  among  them  "Behold,  it  is  written  in  the  book  of 
  Jasher"  (q.v.). 
 
  David  king  over  Judah.  David  and  his  men  now  set  out  for 
  Hebron  under  divine  direction  (2  Sam.  2:1-4).  There  they  were 
  cordially  welcomed,  and  he  was  at  once  anointed  as  king.  He  was 
  now  about  thirty  years  of  age. 
 
  But  his  title  to  the  throne  was  not  undisputed.  Abner  took 
  Ish-bosheth,  Saul's  only  remaining  son,  over  the  Jordan  to 
  Mahanaim,  and  there  crowned  him  as  king.  Then  began  a  civil  war 
  in  Israel.  The  first  encounter  between  the  two  opposing  armies, 
  led  on  the  one  side  by  Abner,  and  on  the  other  by  Joab,  took 
  place  at  the  pool  of  Gibeon.  It  resulted  in  the  defeat  of  Abner. 
  Other  encounters,  however,  between  Israel  and  Judah  followed  (2 
  Sam.  3:1,  5),  but  still  success  was  on  the  side  of  David.  For 
  the  space  of  seven  and  a  half  years  David  reigned  in  Hebron. 
  Abner  now  sided  with  David,  and  sought  to  promote  his 
  advancement;  but  was  treacherously  put  to  death  by  Joab  in 
  revenge  for  his  having  slain  his  brother  Asahel  at  Gibeon 
  (3:22-39).  This  was  greatly  to  David's  regret.  He  mourned  for 
  the  death  of  Abner.  Shortly  after  this  Ish-bosheth  was  also 
  treacherously  put  to  death  by  two  Canaanites  of  Beeroth;  and 
  there  being  now  no  rival,  David  was  anointed  king  over  all 
  Israel  (4:1-12). 
 
  David  king  over  all  Israel  (2  Sam.  5:1-5;  1  Chr.  11:1-3).  The 
  elders  of  Israel  now  repaired  to  Hebron  and  offered  allegiance 
  to  David  in  name  of  all  the  people,  among  whom  the  greatest 
  enthusiasm  prevailed.  He  was  anointed  king  over  all  Israel,  and 
  sought  out  a  new  seat  of  government,  more  suitable  than  Hebron, 
  as  the  capital  of  his  empire.  At  this  time  there  was  a  Jebusite 
  fortress,  "the  stronghold",  on  the  hill  of  Zion,  called  also 
  Jebus.  This  David  took  from  the  Jebusites,  and  made  it  Israel's 
  capital,  and  established  here  his  residence,  and  afterwards 
  built  for  himself  a  palace  by  the  aid  of  Tyrian  tradesmen.  The 
  Philistines,  who  had  for  some  time  observed  a  kind  of  truce,  now 
  made  war  against  David;  but  were  defeated  in  battle  at  a  place 
  afterwards  called  in  remembrance  of  the  victory,  Baal-perazim. 
  Again  they  invaded  the  land,  and  were  a  second  time  routed  by 
  him  He  thus  delivered  Israel  from  their  enemies. 
 
  David  now  resolved  to  bring  up  the  ark  of  the  covenant  to  his 
  new  capital  (2  Sam.  6).  It  was  in  the  house  of  Abinadab  at 
  Kirjath-jearim,  about  7  miles  from  Jerusalem,  where  it  had  been 
  for  many  years,  from  the  time  when  the  Philistines  had  sent  it 
  home  (1  Sam.  6;  7).  In  consequence  of  the  death  of  Uzzah  (for  it 
  was  a  divine  ordinance  that  only  the  Levites  should  handle  the 
  ark,  Num.  4),  who  had  put  forth  his  hand  to  steady  the  ark  when 
  the  cart  in  which  it  was  being  conveyed  shook  by  reason  of  the 
  roughness  of  the  road,  David  stayed  the  procession,  and  conveyed 
  the  ark  into  the  house  of  Obed-edom,  a  Philistine  from  Gath. 
  After  three  months  David  brought  the  ark  from  the  house  of 
  Obed-edom  up  to  Jerusalem.  Comp.  Ps  24.  Here  it  was  placed  in  a 
  new  tent  or  tabernacle  which  David  erected  for  the  purpose. 
  About  seventy  years  had  passed  since  it  had  stood  in  the 
  tabernacle  at  Shiloh.  The  old  tabernacle  was  now  at  Gibeah,  at 
  which  Zadok  ministered.  David  now  (1  Chr.  16)  carefully  set  in 
  order  all  the  ritual  of  divine  worship  at  Jerusalem,  along  with 
  Abiathar  the  high  priest.  A  new  religious  era  began.  The  service 
  of  praise  was  for  the  first  time  introduced  into  public  worship. 
  Zion  became  henceforth  "God's  holy  hill." 
 
  David's  wars.  David  now  entered  on  a  series  of  conquests  which 
  greatly  extended  and  strengthened  his  kingdom  (2  Sam.  8).  In  a 
  few  years  the  whole  territory  from  the  Euphrates  to  the  river  of 
  Egypt,  and  from  Gaza  on  the  west  to  Thapsacus  on  the  east,  was 
  under  his  sway  (2  Sam.  8:3-13;  10). 
 
  David's  fall.  He  had  now  reached  the  height  of  his  glory.  He 
  ruled  over  a  vast  empire,  and  his  capital  was  enriched  with  the 
  spoils  of  many  lands.  But  in  the  midst  of  all  this  success  he 
  fell,  and  his  character  became  stained  with  the  sin  of  adultery 
  (2  Sam.  11:2-27).  It  has  been  noted  as  characteristic  of  the 
  Bible  that  while  his  military  triumphs  are  recorded  in  a  few 
  verses,  the  sad  story  of  his  fall  is  given  in  detail,  a  story 
  full  of  warning,  and  therefore  recorded.  This  crime,  in  the 
  attempt  to  conceal  it  led  to  anoter.  He  was  guilty  of  murder. 
  Uriah,  whom  he  had  foully  wronged,  an  officer  of  the  Gibborim 
  the  corps  of  heros  (23:39),  was  by  his  order  "set  in  the  front 
  of  the  hottest  battle"  at  the  siege  of  Rabbah,  in  order  that  he 
  might  be  put  to  death.  Nathan  the  prophet  (2  Sam.  7:1-17; 
  12:1-23)  was  sent  by  God  to  bring  home  his  crimes  to  the 
  conscience  of  the  guilty  monarch.  He  became  a  true  penitent.  He 
  bitterly  bewailed  his  sins  before  God.  The  thirty-second  and 
  fifty-first  Psalms  reveal  the  deep  struggles  of  his  soul,  and 
  his  spiritual  recovery. 
 
  Bathsheba  became  his  wife  after  Uriah's  death.  Her  first-born 
  son  died,  according  to  the  word  of  the  prophet.  She  gave  birth 
  to  a  second  son,  whom  David  called  Solomon,  and  who  ultimately 
  succeeded  him  on  the  throne  (2  Sam.  12:24,  25). 
 
  Peace.  After  the  successful  termination  of  all  his  wars,  David 
  formed  the  idea  of  building  a  temple  for  the  ark  of  God.  This  he 
  was  not  permitted  to  carry  into  execution,  because  he  had  been  a 
  man  of  war.  God,  however,  sent  Nathan  to  him  with  a  gracious 
  message  (2  Sam.  7:1-16).  On  receiving  it  he  went  into  the 
  sanctuary,  the  tent  where  the  ark  was  and  sat  before  the  Lord, 
  and  poured  out  his  heart  in  words  of  devout  thanksgiving 
  (18-29).  The  building  of  the  temple  was  reserved  for  his  son 
  Solomon,  who  would  be  a  man  of  peace  (1  Chr.  22:9;  28:3). 
 
  A  cloudy  evening.  Hitherto  David's  carrer  had  been  one  of 
  great  prosperity  and  success.  Now  cloudy  and  dark  days  came  His 
  eldest  son  Amnon,  whose  mother  was  Ahinoam  of  Jezreel,  was 
  guilty  of  a  great  and  shameful  crime  (2  Sam.  13).  This  was  the 
  beginning  of  the  disasters  of  his  later  years.  After  two  years 
  Absalom  terribly  avenged  the  crime  against  Tamar,  and  put  Amnon 
  to  death.  This  brought  sore  trouble  to  David's  heart.  Absalom, 
  afraid  of  the  consequences  of  his  guilt,  fled  to  Geshur  beyond 
  Jordan,  where  he  remained  for  three  years,  when  he  was  brought 
  back  through  the  intrigue  of  Joab  (2  Sam.  14). 
 
  After  this  there  fell  upon  the  land  the  calamity  of  three 
  years'  famine  (2  Sam.  21:1-14).  This  was  soon  after  followed  by 
  a  pestilence,  brought  upon  the  land  as  a  punishment  for  David's 
  sinful  pride  in  numbering  the  people  (2  Sam.  24),  in  which  no 
  fewer  than  70,000  perished  in  the  space  of  three  days. 
 
  Rebellion  of  Absalom.  The  personal  respect  for  David  was  sadly 
  lowered  by  the  incident  of  Bathsheba.  There  was  a  strong  popular 
  sentiment  against  the  taking  of  the  census,  and  the  outburst  of 
  the  plague  in  connection  with  it  deepened  the  feeling  of 
  jealously  that  had  begun  to  manifest  itself  among  some  of  the 
  tribes  against  David.  Absalom,  taking  full  advantage  of  this 
  state  of  things  gradually  gained  over  the  people,  and  at  length 
  openly  rebelled  against  his  father,  and  usurped  the  throne. 
  Ahithophel  was  Absalom's  chief  counsellor.  The  revolt  began  in 
  Hebron,  the  capital  of  Judah.  Absalom  was  there  proclaimed  king. 
  David  was  now  in  imminent  danger,  and  he  left  Jerusalem  (2  Sam. 
  15:13-20),  and  once  more  became  a  fugitive.  It  was  a  momentous 
  day  in  Israel.  The  incidents  of  it  are  recorded  with  a  fulness 
  of  detail  greater  than  of  any  other  day  in  Old  Testament 
  history.  David  fled  with  his  followers  to  Mahanarm,  on  the  east 
  of  Jordan.  An  unnatural  civil  war  broke  out  After  a  few  weeks 
  the  rival  armies  were  mustered  and  organized.  They  met  in 
  hostile  array  at  the  wood  of  Ephraim  (2  Sam.  18:1-8).  Absalom's 
  army  was  defeated,  and  himself  put  to  death  by  the  hand  of  Joab 
  (9-18).  The  tidings  of  the  death  of  his  rebellious  son  filled 
  the  heart  of  David  with  the  most  poignant  grief.  He  "went  up  to 
  the  chamber  over  the  gate,  and  wept"  (33),  giving  utterance  to 
  the  heart-broken  cry,  "Would  God  I  had  died  for  thee,  O  Absalom, 
  my  son,  my  son!"  Peace  was  now  restored,  and  David  returned  to 
  Jerusalem  and  resumed  the  direction  of  affairs.  An  unhappy 
  dispute  arose  between  the  men  of  Judah  and  the  men  of  Israel 
  (19:41-43).  Sheba,  a  Benjamite,  headed  a  revolt  of  the  men  of 
  Israel.  He  was  pursued  to  Abelbeth-maachah,  and  was  there  put  to 
  death,  and  so  the  revolt  came  to  an  end 
 
  The  end  After  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion  of  Absalom  and 
  that  of  Sheba,  ten  comparatively  peaceful  years  of  David's  life 
  passed  away  During  those  years  he  seems  to  have  been 
  principally  engaged  in  accumulating  treasures  of  every  kind  for 
  the  great  temple  at  Jerusalem,  which  it  was  reserved  to  his 
  successor  to  build  (1  Chr.  22;  28;  29),  a  house  which  was  to  be 
  "exceeding  magnifical,  of  fame  and  of  glory  throughout  all 
  countries"  (22:5).  The  exciting  and  laborious  life  he  had  spent, 
  and  the  dangers  and  trials  through  which  he  had  passed,  had  left 
  him  an  enfeebled  man,  prematurely  old  It  became  apparent  that 
  his  life  was  now  drawing  to  its  close  A  new  palace  conspiracy 
  broke  out  as  to  who  should  be  his  successor.  Joab  favoured 
  Adonijah.  The  chiefs  of  his  party  met  at  the  "Fuller's  spring," 
  in  the  valley  of  Kidron,  to  proclaim  him  king;  but  Nathan 
  hastened  on  a  decision  on  the  part  of  David  in  favour  of 
  Solomon,  and  so  the  aim  of  Adonijah's  party  failed.  Solomon  was 
  brought  to  Jerusalem,  and  was  anointed  king  and  seated  on  his 
  father's  throne  (1  Kings  1:11-53).  David's  last  words  are  a 
  grand  utterance,  revealing  his  unfailing  faith  in  God,  and  his 
  joyful  confidence  in  his  gracious  covenant  promises  (2  Sam. 
  23:1-7). 
 
  After  a  reign  of  forty  years  and  six  months  (2  Sam.  5:5;  1 
  Chr.  3:4)  David  died  (B.C.  1015)  at  the  age  of  seventy  years, 
  "and  was  buried  in  the  city  of  David."  His  tomb  is  still  pointed 
  out  on  Mount  Zion. 
 
  Both  in  his  prophetical  and  in  his  regal  character  David  was  a 
  type  of  the  Messiah  (1  Sam.  16:13).  The  book  of  Psalms  commonly 
  bears  the  title  of  the  "Psalms  of  David,"  from  the  circumstance 
  that  he  was  the  largest  contributor  (about  eighty  psalms)  to  the 
  collection.  (See  {PSALMS}.) 
 
  "The  greatness  of  David  was  felt  when  he  was  gone.  He  had 
  lived  in  harmony  with  both  the  priesthood  and  the  prophets;  a 
  sure  sign  that  the  spirit  of  his  government  had  been  throughly 
  loyal  to  the  higher  aims  of  the  theocracy.  The  nation  had  not 
  been  oppressed  by  him  but  had  been  left  in  the  free  enjoyment 
  of  its  ancient  liberties.  As  far  as  his  power  went  he  had 
  striven  to  act  justly  to  all  (2  Sam.  8:15).  His  weak  indulgence 
  to  his  sons,  and  his  own  great  sin  besides,  had  been  bitterly 
  atoned,  and  were  forgotten  at  his  death  in  the  remembrance  of 
  his  long-tried  worth.  He  had  reigned  thirty-three  years  in 
  Jerusalem  and  seven  and  a  half  at  Hebron  (2  Sam.  5:5).  Israel  at 
  his  accession  had  reached  the  lowest  point  of  national 
  depression;  its  new-born  unity  rudely  dissolved;  its  territory 
  assailed  by  the  Philistines.  But  he  had  left  it  an  imperial 
  power,  with  dominions  like  those  of  Egypt  or  Assyria.  The 
  sceptre  of  Solomon  was  already,  before  his  father's  death,  owned 
  from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  Euphrates,  and  from  the  Orontes  to 
  the  Red  Sea.",  Geikie's  Hours  etc.,  iii. 
 
 
  From  Hitchcock's  Bible  Names  Dictionary  (late  1800's)  [hitchcock]: 
 
  David,  well-beloved,  dear 
 
 
  From  V.E.R.A.  --  Virtual  Entity  of  Relevant  Acronyms  13  March  2001  [vera]: 
 
  DAVID 
  Digital  Audio  Video  Interactive  Decoder  (digital  audio) 
 
 




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