Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. xiv. . Follow Christ's journey to the Cross. In general, the term Messiah unqualified refers to Mashiach ben David (Messiah, son of David).[44][45]. The grandson of Hezekiah ben David through his eldest son David ben Chyzkia, Hiyya al-Daudi, died in 1154 in Castile according to Abraham ibn Daud and is the ancestor of the ibn Yahya family. Gods anointed one was the person he chose to lead and save his people. 11.23: 'Thus Joshua conquered the whole country, just as the L. Rashi on Joshua 15:21; Babylonian Talmud, destruction of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians, Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on 2 Samuel 3, accessed 6 July 2017, "Early Israel in Recent Biblical Scholarship", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tribe_of_Benjamin&oldid=1138853522, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia without a Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 12 February 2023, at 00:34. It is a good question, and I do not know the answer. A widely spread traditional Christian interpretation relates the non-continuation of the main Davidic line from Solomon to the godlessness of the line of Jehoiachin which started in the early 500s BC, when Jeremiah cursed the main branch of the Solomonic line, by saying that no descendant of "[Je]Coniah" would ever reign on the throne of Israel again (Jeremiah 22:30). (Exodus 15:6). After the death of David's son, King Solomon, the ten northern tribes of the Kingdom of Israel rejected the Davidic line, refusing to accept Solomon's son, Rehoboam, and instead chose as king Jeroboam and formed the northern Kingdom of Israel. b.c. The king then understood that if his own son was seeking his life, it was no surprise if the Benjamites should behave in similar fashion (16:11). Jacob follows a similar pattern when blessing Joseph's sons when he placed his right hand on Ephraim instead of Manasseh (Genesis 48:14). The other likely translation, which fits your question better is like the Christian Standard Bible: The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet. [23] Still, in light of a general lack of material evidence explicitly indicating a United Monarchy, it cannot be positively ascertained whether some portents of the biblical narrative of the United Monarchy and the origins of David's dynasty have any historical basis. There were still 200 men remaining who were without a wife, so it was agreed that they could go to an Israelite festival and hide in the vineyards, and wait for the young unmarried women to come out and dance. One interpretation refers the blessing to the early ripening of the fruits in the territory of Benjamin, and the great fertility of the region of Jericho and Beth-el, and another refers the expression "wolf" to the altar of the Temple, which devoured the sacrifices in the morning and in the evening (Gen. R. Wilhelm Bacher, Jacob Zallel Lauterbach (1906). While Psalms is often (mistakenly) assumed to be the biggest book of the Bible, David actually didnt write that much of the Bible in comparison to authors like Moses, Ezra, Luke, Jeremiah, and Paul. According to the Masoretic Text (based on ancient Jewish tradition), David wrote 73 out of the total 150 Psalms. He enquired the people, 'What is wrong?' For less than $5/mo. Samuel thought he would know whom God had chosen by their appearance, and assumed the oldest, Eliab, was clearly the chosen one: When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, Surely the Lords anointed stands here before the Lord. 1 Samuel 16:6. The exact boundary lines of Benjamins territory are impossible to determine with certainty. (1906) "Benjamin," in the, "Besides the rejection of the Albrightian 'conquest' model, the general consensus among OT scholars is that the Book of Joshua has no value in the historical reconstruction. Israel's first king, Saul, was of the tribe of Benjamin. Sauls servants believed a musician would help soothe Saul whenever the spirit came to torment him. This is what the LORD says: 'Record this man as if he is childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none of them will sit on the throne of David or rule in Judah anymore.Jeremiah 22:30, NIV, Warren W. Wiersbe -The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete Old Testament - 2007 p. 1497 "Zerubbabel was the grandson of King Jehoiachin (Jeconiah, Matt. 7 . [7] The Temple in Jerusalem was traditionally said to be partly in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin (but mostly in that of Judah), and some traditional interpretations of the Blessing consider the ravenous wolf to refer to the Temple's altar which devoured biblical sacrifices. Two of his sons fled to Al-Andalus, where they found refuge with Joseph, the son and successor of Samuel ibn Naghrillah. Euler: A baby on his lap, a cat on his back thats how he wrote his immortal works (origin? 12; Sifre, l.c.). [33][34] The patriarch of the Meisels family, Yitskhak Eizik Meisels, was an alleged 10th generation descendant of the Exilarch, Mar Ukba. Nathan told David that the Lord has taken away your sin (2 Samuel 12:13), but he also cursed him, and the son who came from Davids adultery died. His great-grandson Simeon ben Gamliel became one of the Jewish leaders during the First JewishRoman War.[27]. English Standard Version But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king's command was abhorrent to Joab. ; Num. (Gen 49:10, I Sam 8-9), We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. His intention was to try them and thus to learn whether they would act in a brotherly manner toward Benjamin if he were in danger of losing his liberty. The Rabbis lay stress on the name, "beloved of the Lord," by which Benjamin is distinguished (Deut. Many years before Samuel anointed David and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, Samuel anointed Saul, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul (1 Samuel 10:16). Here are the 73 Psalms attributed to David, according to Jewish (and Protestant) tradition: Most of the Psalms David wrote are laments, giving us intimate portraits of his darkest moments. Nobody wanted to take him up on the offer. The Book of Ruth is a story of love and redemption. Later, David used his experience as a shepherd to create one of the most powerful portrayals of Gods relationship with his people, foreshadowing the good shepherd Jesus (John 10:11): The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. According to the Tanakh, upon being chosen and becoming king, one was customarily anointed with holy oil poured on one's head. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. Since Jacob had blessed Judah and prophesied that (Genesis 49:10): The scepter will not turn aside from Judah until Shiloh comes, and to him the obedience of the people will belong. After convincing Saul to let him challenge Goliath, David chose five stones and went out to meet him. And he executed plenty of criminals. David condemned the man in the story, unaware that it was a metaphor for what hed done to Uriah with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:1-10). As the old saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for; you might get it. The Tribe of Benjamin remained a part of the southern Kingdom of Judah. The Davidic dynasty, which had roots in Judah, continued to reign in Judah. Petrus Vermaak even suggests that the physical prowess of the Benjaminites, including their left-handed abilities, was what led the tribe to produce the first Israelite king.16 II.he Symbolic Meaning of Left and Right T In his book, A Jewish Princedom in Feudal France, Arthur J. Zuckerman proposes a theory that from 768 to 900 CE a Jewish Princedom ruled by members of the Exilarchs existed in feudal France. When the Israelites wanted a human king, the prophet, Samuel, anointed Saul to show that God had set him apart for this special role: Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Sauls head and kissed him, saying, Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance? 1 Samuel 10:1. The Hebrew text of the Bible passage (Gen 49:10) you try to understand implies that: 1) the tribe of Judah, starting from a crucial moment, would receive (from God) the honor to have kings on the throne of Jerusalem (until the latter existed! When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. [18], The origins of the dynasty, on the other hand, are shrouded in mystery. How is Jesus " " (Luke 1:32 NAS28) different from a prophet (, Luke 1:76 NAS28)? The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:3437. arrows with the bow; they were kinsmen of Saul from Benjamin. And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son. I think the prophecy in Gen 49:10 does not require that all kings would be of Judah, but that eventually the kingship would be of Judah. [40] In 2020, Roth chose Brando Crawford, a descendant from both grandfathers, to represent the organization internationally. It's pretty clear from the exchange that the people's demand for a king was a sinful rejection of God's rule, and that He intended to deal with that sin by giving them a very undesirable king in response. [16] Marking what is now one of the southernmost butts and bounds of Benjamin's territory is "the spring of the waters of Nephtoah" (Joshua 18:15), a place identified as Kefar Lifta ( ), and situated on the left-hand side of the road as one enters Jerusalem. While We can not explain why this was done by Yhwh, it is obvious that it was part of the Scriptural narrative to bond these two king's respective tribes together to divite the spoil, dwell together and show the mighty hand of YHWH working according to the Council of his own Will! But God told Samuel that he doesnt use the same factors as people when it comes to choosing kings: Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. 69c; Lam. (Dont worry, its been done. Then again, perhaps the Biblical writers simply enjoyed a bit of word play. On the accession of Rehoboam, David's grandson, in c. 930 BCE, the united Kingdom of Israel dissolved with the northern tribes splitting from the House of David to constitute the northern Kingdom of Israel. 2. Shimei the son of Gera was there with them. Buber, Wayiggash, 7; the meanings of the names are also given in Soah 36b; Gen. R. xciv. 22:22)? Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. When Samuel anointed David, it didnt instantly make him king, but it did signal that he was the Lords chosen one, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David (1 Samuel 16:13). Generally, Benjamins territory lay between that of Judah on the S and that of the house of Joseph on the north. 18). In it he wrote, Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Abner was murdered out of revenge, and David cursed his killers and mourned his death. or to Ehud or to Saul. This pleased all the troops, and Sauls officers as well. 1 Samuel 18:5. However the question of the western border is settled, Benjamite territory was strategically located for warfare, the main highway from N to S passing through it. Before he was a king, David was a shepherd. The names of Kafnai and his son Haninai, who were Exilarchs in the second half of the 6th century, have been preserved. Its possible that he simply meant David cared about the things God cared about. This fear led Saul to drive away his greatest asset. But the Bible doesnt explicitly tell us what Samuel meant by this. He reigned from Gibeah for 38 years (1 Samuel 8:31). Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! Buber, Wayesheb, 8).When Benjamin was detained as the alleged thief of the cup, Joseph pretended that Benjamin had been instigated by his brothers. The Hasmoneans, also known as the Maccabees, established their own monarchy in Judea following their revolt against the Hellenistic Seleucid dynasty. 1 Samuel 10: 1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because Yhwh hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? David killed Goliath with a single stone, hurled from his sling. [36] The Jewish banking family Louis Cahen d'Anvers claimed descent from the Davidic Line[37] Rabbi Yosef Dayan, who is a modern-day claimant to the Davidic throne in Israel and the founder of the Monarchist party Malchut Israel, descends from the Dayan family of Aleppo, who paternally descend from Hasan ben Zakkai, the younger brother of the Exilarch David I (d. 940). Defeating Goliath marked the beginning of Davids life as a warrior. the larger division of the tribe of Benjamin, to which the house of Saul, a much smaller subdivision of the family, belonged (see note on 2 Samuel 14:7). After Judah was destroyed by the Babylonians in the early sixth century BCE and its population deported, Benjamin as an organized tribe faded from history. As a shepherd, David didnt merely feed and lead his fathers sheep. David committed a grave sin. Even so, as for David and his immediate descendants themselves, the majority position, as described by Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silberman, authors of The Bible Unearthed, espouses that David and Solomon may well be based on "certain historical kernels", and probably did exist in their own right, but their historical counterparts simply could not have ruled over a wealthy lavish empire as described in the Bible, and were more likely chieftains of a comparatively modest Israelite society in Judah and not regents over a kingdom proper.[24]. The tribe seems to have met the challenge of this position, becoming known for its skillful archers and slingers. The house of David bonded with Benjamin -1Sam 3, In the civil wars of the kingdom of Israel, Benjamin and Judah banded together -1Ki 12:16. her gown is interwoven with gold. In Jewish culture the day begins at evening. On another occasion, however, the Benjamites showed themselves worthy of their pious ancestor. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. When David was crowned kingDavid was from the tribe of Judah (one of Leah's tribes)the Benjamites rebelled (2 Samuel 2-3). those brought to be with her. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Hezekiah, Ahaz's son, is attested to by numerous royal seals[10][11] and Sennacherib's Annals;[12] Manasseh is recorded giving tribute to Esarhaddon;[13] Josiah has no relics explicitly naming him; however, seals belonging to his son Eliashib[14] and officials Nathan-melech[15][16] and Asaiah[17] have been discovered; and the kings Jehoahaz II, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah are never explicitly named in historical records but are instead alluded to; however, Jeconiah is mentioned by name in Babylonian documents detailing the rations he and his sons were given while held prisoner during the Babylonian captivity. However, The Jewish Quarterly Review mentions that Hezekiah was liberated from prison, and became head of the academy, and is mentioned as such by a contemporary in 1046. Every day Israel declined Goliaths challenge, they conceded that their God was no match for the gods of the Philistines. We see that in the Feast of Tabernacles, which occurred for seven days on the seventh month. When Saul died, the tribe of Judah anointed David as their king (2 Samuel 2:4), but Abner son of Ner, the commander of Sauls army, made Sauls son Ish-bosheth king over all Israel. The Tree of Jesse (a reference to David' father) is a traditional Christian artistic representation of Jesus' genealogical connection to David. So who was King David? Mar Ahunai lived in the period succeeding Mar Zutra II, but for almost fifty years after the failed revolt he did not dare to appear in public, and it is not known whether even then (c.550) he really acted as Exilarch. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. So there seems to be some discrepancy between David and Gods heart. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. After the death of Moses, Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land and, dividing the . After Saul died in battle with the Philistines, David warred against Sauls commander Abner, and Sauls last son, Ish-Bosheth, whom Abner had made king of Israel. Several passages record his lineage, and they all point out that he was the son of Jesse, who was the son of Obed, who was the son of Boaz and Ruthmaking him the great grandson of this significant couple (1 Chronicles 2:12). But Jerusalem's significance predates King David. 1), "who devours his enemy" (Gen. xlix. The descendants of the Karaite Exilarchs have been referred to above. Jerusalem: The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, 1997, nos. Berean Standard Bible Referring to the start (morning) and the end (evening) of the state-history of Israel, we read there: Benjamin as a wolf will he tear to pieces; In the morning he will devour the prey, And in the evening he will divide the booty. (Darby). He was somewhere between the age of 15 and 19when Jesse sent him to the battle to check on his brothers. Benjamins position was on the W side of the Tabernacle along with Ephraim and Manasseh, the leader of the tribe at this time being Abidan the son of Gideoni (2:22). There are three reasons to justify giving the tribe of Benjamin the first opportunity to rule: The Elder-Younger Relationship Some of the people replied: Prophet Muhammad passed away".[55]. Does a summoned creature play immediately after being summoned by a ready action? The relevant passages are Joshua 15:5-11; 16:1-3, 5; 18:11-13. A number of Jewish families in the Iberian peninsula and within Mesopotamia continued to preserve the tradition of descent from Exilarchs in the Late Middle Ages, including the families of Abravanel, ibn Yahya and Ben-David. Mari texts but that seems, on the whole, to be unlikely. The report that the large number of 280,000 archers, said to be the tribe of Benjamin, belonged to King Asa (II Chron. But he was a strong . And when Samuel laid eyes upon Jesses youngest son, the shepherd, David, the Lord said, Rise and anoint him; this is the one.. Exilarchs continued to be appointed until the 11th century, with some members of the Davidic line dispersing across the Islamic world. After he finished the work of creation, God rested on the seventh day and made it holy (Genesis 2:3). Had they waited till David was 17 he would have been king. The kingdom fell to the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 587/6 BCE. What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? The Stepped Stone Structure and Large Stone Structure in Jerusalem, assuming Eilat Mazar's contested stratigraphic dating of the structures to the Iron Age I is accurate, show that Jerusalem was at least somewhat populated in King David's time, and lends some credence to the biblical claim that Jerusalem was originally a Canaanite fortress; however, Jerusalem seems to have been barely developed until long after David's death,[19] bringing into question the possibility that it could have been the imperial capital described in the Bible. Bibliography W. F. Albright, From the Stone Age to Christianity (1957), passim; M. Noth, History of Israel (1958) 73f., 146, 233; GTT (1959), 164ff. As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul's family came out from there. However, it must be noticed that other authorities interpret the data in such a way that the western boundary runs more or less due N of Kiriath-jearim, sharing that border with the tribe of Dan. When the people asked for a king, David was not born yet, so God gave them the best man available at the time. In fact, the famous narrative of David and Goliath has been so prolific in literature, art, and culture that its become a common trope for describing other stories about underdogs. When David couldnt get Uriah to sleep with his wife Bathsheba (and therefore conceal Davids adultery), he plotted to have Uriah killed in combat. Among Eastern European Rabbis . When asked for a proof that his brother's memory was so sacred that Joseph must believe this oath, Benjamin told Joseph how he had given his ten sons (Gen. xlvi. When they came to David with their good news, he had them executed for their crime. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. [29] Must Acts 13:21 mean that Saul reigned 40 years? Benjamin means "son of the right hand." Shimei was from the tribe of Benjamin, and Douay-Rheims Bible And Semei the son of Gera the son of Jemini of Bahurim, made haste and went down with the men of Juda to meet king David, English Revised Version [31] Meir Perels traced the ancestry of Judah Loew ben Bezalel to the Hai Gaon through Judah Loew's alleged great-great-grandfather Judah Leib the Elder and therefore also from the Davidic dynasty; however, this claim is widely disputed, by many scholars such as Otto Muneles. Benjamin had a very strong relationship with both Joseph and Judah for the rest of his life, and that relationship was maintained by their tribes. But one killing in particular displeased the Lord (2 Samuel 11:27). This kingdom was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the 8th century BCE which exiled much of the Northern Kingdom population and ended its sovereign status. According to some Islamic sources, some of the Jewish settlers in Arabia were of the Davidic line, Mohammad-Baqer Majlesi recorded: "A Jewish man from the Davidic line entered Medina and found the people in deep sorrow. The ownership of Bethel is also ambiguous. rev2023.3.3.43278. the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin. In any event, Jerusalem remained an independent Jebusite city until it was finally conquered by David[18] in c.11th centuryBC and made into the capital of the united Kingdom of Israel. Please make sure you take our Tour. Perhaps the meaning was understood that Benjamin's King was never meant to continue as it is said: A wolf not a lion the biblical royal ensign, In the evening he divides or shares his spoil or gain (the kingdom of Israel), The beloved dwell in safety by Benjamin (David of Judah? [41][42] The King David Legacy Center has seen support from Haredi Jews in Jerusalem. Initially, David was king over the Tribe of Judah only and ruled from Hebron, but after seven and a half years, the other Israelite tribes, who found themselves leaderless after the death of Ish-bosheth, chose him to be their king as well.[25]. R. to viii. His comparison to the ravening wolf (Cant. [13] The Babylonian Talmud names three of these cities, all of which were formerly enclosed by a wall, and belonged to the tribe of Benjamin: Lydda (Lod), Ono (Kafr 'Ana),[14][15] and Gei Ha-arashim. Judahs territory included the city of Jerusalem. Hes also mentioned in several other books, and nearly half of the Psalms are attributed to him. By the time of the division of the Promised Land, leadership of the tribe of Benjamin had fallen to Elidad the son of Chislon (34:21). These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. [7] Uzziah may also be mentioned in the annals of Tiglath-Pileser III; however, the texts are largely fragmentary. 1. Isa 11:1-10)? That was not God's timing, but the people's. Where does this (supposedly) Gibson quote come from? He was the sibling of Joseph, yet forever ago was firmly associated with individuals of Judah. ; compare Ab, Fifteenth Day of). After the Israelites defeated the Philistines, women danced and sang: and David his tens of thousands. 1 Samuel 18:7. But he also put his God-given creativity to work as a songwriter. This arrangement could also set up a scenario wherein the chosen Judean King could be united with the princess he takes as a wife in Psalm 45 vs. 10-15 (NIV). He was betrayed by a woman of Abel of Beth-maachah and was slain. And the more successful David became, the more responsibility Saul gave him: Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. I do not think it is possible to give an exegetical answer to this question, but only an Eisegetical one and that based on conjecture, beside the simplicity of Because Jews have historically believed that the Messiah will be a male-line descendant of David, the lineage of Jesus is sometimes cited as a reason why Jews do not believe that he was the Messiah. As king of Israel, David won numerous battles and made Israel a formidable nation, expanding its territory and military might, all while pointing his people to God. They see the book as an ideological retrojection from a later period either as early as the reign of Josiah or as late as the Hasmonean period. While the description of Benjamite territory stops there, the description of the area assigned to the house of Joseph gives one more reference point to the W, namely Gezer (see The Land of the Bible [1962, 1967], 235, 236 and the map on p. 229). ), Seemingly Benjamin will be covered with the beloved, The beloved will bear Benjamin between of with his shoulders, All in all this is prophetically the relationship between the everlasting royal house of David via Judah as the beloved in relationship as it happened with Benjamin as a tribe. Can archive.org's Wayback Machine ignore some query terms? In Genesis 38, Tamar tricks Judah into sleeping with her. The Book of Judges recounts that the rape of the concubine of a member of the tribe of Levi, by a gang from the tribe of Benjamin resulted in a battle at Gibeah, in which the other tribes of Israel sought vengeance, and after which members of Benjamin were killed, including women and children. Benjamin's oath touched Joseph so deeply that he could no longer pretend to be a stranger, and so revealed himself to his brother (Tan., ed. Surely your goodness and love will follow me, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord. Since about the 11th or 12th century, with the demise of the dynasty of Resh Galuta, the leaders of the Babylonian Jewish community who claimed descent from King David, there has been nobody with a real claim of descent from King David. There is speculation that he was a follower of Saul in the long conflict of Saul and his descendants with David ( 1 Samuel 18 - 2 Samuel 4 ), since Saul was also a Benjamite ( 1 Samuel 9:1-2 ). On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Sherira's son-in-law was Elijah ben Menahem HaZaken. [21] As nothing like it is mentioned in the (older) book of Kings and Bethel is thereafter always firmly situated in the Northern kingdom of Israel, this is almost certainly not a historical event. The Exilarchate in Mesopotamia was officially restored after the Arab conquest in the 7th century and continued to function during the early Caliphates. And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, Do not fear, for you have another son. And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. When David learned she was pregnant, he hatched a scheme to hide his sin: since her husband Uriah was away at war, David had him brought back home. Understandably, this made Saul feel threatened by David. [50] Some Christian commentators also believe that this same "curse" is the reason why Zerubbabel, the rightful Solomonic king during the time of Nehemiah, was not given a kingship under the Persian empire.[51]. Did Saul believe that the spirit of Samuel was in Sheol? tribe of Judah David was the youngest of eight sons of Jesse, a farmer and sheep breeder of the Israelite tribe of Judah. Eventually, David became king (more on how that happened in a moment), and continued his legacy as a great warrior. All except Judah followed him and it was Joab who pursued him on behalf of David. Jewish Quarterly Review, hereafter "J. Q. R.", xv. Conclusion David killed a lot of people in battle.