David (English spelling) Dawid (Hebrew)

The second king of the Kingdom of Israel (reigned from about 1000 BCE to about 960 BCE). He was considered a national hero throughout both the Old and New Testaments, and was also called the "ideal king," "the servant of the Lord (Yahweh)," and "the father of rituals." He was also known as the author of the Psalms and an accomplished harpist, and his life is detailed in the Books of 1 and 2 Samuel in the Old Testament.

According to the legend, the young David, who was merely an unknown shepherd from Bethlehem, was recognized by King Saul after killing the Philistine giant Goliath with a sling and became his favorite. He went on to achieve many military feats and married Princess Michal, but he gradually aroused the king's jealousy, so he left the country to avoid the conflict. When Saul was eventually killed in battle, David was recommended to take the throne, took Jerusalem from the Jebusites and made it his capital, moved the "Ark of the Covenant" (a symbol of unity) there, and established control over all the tribes and the center of his faith. Externally, he conquered the Philistines, annexed the Kingdom of Edom, and expanded his sphere of influence to central Syria. In domestic affairs, he established rules regarding worship, strengthened the religious character of the king, and established a centralized power by improving the government and military systems, thus building the Kingdom of Israel at its zenith. Jerusalem was later known as the "City of David." It is also important to consider the prosperity of the Hebrew Kingdom in the context of the international situation during this period, when both Mesopotamia to the north and Egypt to the south were in a period of decline.

[Ryuichi Urushibara April 18, 2018]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

イスラエル王国第2代目の王（在位前1000ころ～前960ころ）。『旧・新約聖書』の両時代を通じて国民的英雄とみなされ、「王の理想」「主（ヤーウェ）の僕(しもべ)」「祭儀の祖」などともよばれている。「詩編」の作者、竪琴(たてごと)の名手としても知られ、その生涯は『旧約聖書』の「サムエル記上・下」に詳しい。

　それによると、ベート・レヘム（ベスレヘム）の無名の羊飼いにすぎなかった少年ダビデは、ペリシテ人の巨人ゴリアテを投石索で倒したことでサウル王に認められ、その寵愛(ちょうあい)を受けた。その後も数々の武勲をたて、王女ミカルMichalと結婚したが、しだいに王のねたみを買うようになったため、争いを避けて国外へ出た。やがてサウルが戦死したため推挙されて王位につき、エブス人からエルサレムを奪って首府とし、ここに団結のしるしである「神の箱」（契約の箱（櫃(ひつ)））を移して、全部族への支配権を打ち立てるとともに信仰の中心を定めた。対外的にはペリシテ人を制圧し、エドム王国を併合し、勢力範囲を中部シリアにまで広げた。内政では礼拝に関する規則を定めて、王の宗教的色彩を強化するとともに、官制、兵制などの整備を行って中央集権を確立し、イスラエル王国の絶頂期を築いた。エルサレムは以後「ダビデの町」とも称される。ヘブライ王国の繁栄については、この時代、北のメソポタミア、南のエジプトがともに沈滞期に入っていたという国際情勢のなかでとらえることも重要である。

［漆原隆一　2018年4月18日］

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