King David

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Pronunciations

King David (KEENG DAY-vid) listen

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Definitions

  • n. The second king of Israel, who reigned from 1010 to 970 B.C.E.

Example Sentences

  • "David was a great man who yet did some bad things. It's the reason he was banned from building the Temple - because he had bloodied his hands, God informed him that his son would be building the Temple instead." (source)

  • "The universal expectation is that the Messiah will be a descendant of David ha-Melech." (Glinert)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • דָּוִד‎ 'lit. beloved one' + המלך 'the king'

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).

      Alternative Spellings

      David, David ha-Melech, David haMelech, David ha-Melekh, David haMelekh

Notes

  • Called David Hamelech in Hebrew.

    "As a young man, David, armed with only a slingshot and faith in God, gained fame for defeating the Philistine giant Goliath. As king, David united the warring tribes into the nation of Israel, with Jerusalem as its capital. Today, Jerusalem is still called the City of David, and it remains the physical and spiritual capital of Israel. David is also acknowledged as the author of the Book of Psalms." (JPS)

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