David

(c.1043–c.973 B.C.) one of the most loved and revered figures in Hebrew history, was born the youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem.

I Samuel 17 records how, as a young shepherd boy, he single-handedly slew the Philistine giant Goliath. Anointed by the prophet Samuel as the successor of Saul, David rose to become king of all of Israel, reuniting the twelve tribes as one nation and greatly extending its borders. He established Jerusalem as the capital and there enshrined the Ark of the Covenant. David is honored as the “ideal king”—symbol of the bond between God and nation.

His soul reembodied as the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sources

Pearls of Wisdom, vol. 27, no. 61.