From the noun דוד (dod) “beloved” and the verb דוה (dawa) used only once in the Bible in Leviticus 12, 2 usually translated as being “sick” or “unwell.” David was the second and greatest of the kings of Israel, reigning in the 10th century BC, several stories about him are told in the Old Testament, including his defeat of Goliath. According to the New Testament account, Jesus was a descendant of the house of David as the son of Joseph.

David is the youngest of eight brothers (1Samuel 16, 10-13) even though only seven are reported in Chronicles (1Chronicles 2, 15). Both texts are undoubtedly correct, and thus it is very likely that one of Jesse’s sons died before making a significant impact during David’s reign, thus being of no account to the chronicler.

There is only one person in the Bible named in this way. Many names recur more than once, but David’s name was never repeated, and perhaps it was out of respect for this great Biblical figure that in later years no one of significance named their son after the great King David of Israel. The Bible also lists a single Adam, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, among the most important.

The name David (Δαβιδ; Dabid) appears frequently in the New Testament. Both Joseph and Jesus are called “son of David” (Matthew 1, 20 ; 9, 27 ; Mark 10, 47) and Jesus is also called “root of David” (Revelation 5, 5 ; 22, 16). The Messiah’s reign is called the “kingdom of David” (Mark 11, 10) and the “throne of David” (Luke 1, 32), and his reign will rebuild the “tent of David” (Acts 15, 16). He who is holy can open and no one close and vice versa, using the “key of David” (Revelation 3, 7). And Paul once refers to a statement that recurs in Psalm 95, 7 as being “in David,” that is, the work of David (Hebrews 4, 7).

The name David occurs 59 times in the New Testament.

Also revered in Islam as a prophet and messenger of GOD and as the righteous and divinely appointed monarch of the ancient United Kingdom of Israel. In addition, Muslims also honor David for receiving the divine revelation of the Psalms. Mentioned sixteen times in the Qur’an, David appears in Islamic scriptures as a link in the chain of prophets who preceded Mohammed. In later Islamic traditions, he is praised for his strictness in prayer and fasting. He is also presented as the prototype of the righteous ruler and as a symbol of GOD’s authority on earth, having been both a king and a prophet.
The narrative of David in the Qur’an, in many respects, parallels that given in the Bible. He is named prophet (nabī) and also messenger (rasūl), David is included in the lists of those who have received revelation (waḥy Qur 4, 163) or guidance (hudā 6, 84) from GOD. In both lists, his name appears alongside that of his son Solomon. Elsewhere, the Qur’ān explains that GOD gave both of them the gifts of “sound judgment” (ḥukm 21, 79) and “knowledge” (ʿilm 21, 79 ; 27, 15).