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David

Specialty Definition: David

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Specialty Definition: David

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

This page is about the Biblical king David. For other uses see: David (disambiguation) David was one of the most well known kings of ancient Israel. The name comes from the Hebrew word for beloved. He was the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother's name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Samuel 17:25. As to his personal appearance, we only know that he was red-haired, with beautiful eyes and a fair face (1 Samuel 16:12; 17:42).

Jesse, King David's father, was the son of Obed, son of Boaz and Ruth the Moabite whose story is told at length in the Book of Ruth. They were of the tribe of Judah, and David's lineage is fully documented in Ruth 4:18-22. (The "Peretz" that heads the line is Judah's son, Genesis 38:29).

David's Early Life

His early occupation was that of tending his father's sheep on the uplands of Judah. From what we know of his later story, doubtless he frequently spent his time, when watching sheep, with his shepherd's musical instruments (flute and harp) , while he drank in the many lessons taught him by the varied scenes spread around him. His first recorded exploits were his encounters with the wild beasts. He mentions that with his own unaided hand he slew a lion and also a bear, when they came out against his flock, beating them to death in open conflict with his club (1 Sam. 17:34, 35).

While David, in the freshness of ruddy youth, was thus engaged with his flocks, Samuel paid an unexpected visit to Bethlehem, having been guided thither by divine direction (1 Sam. 16:1-13). There he offered up sacrifice, and called the elders of Israel and Jesse's family to the sacrificial meal. Among all who appeared before him he failed to discover the one he sought. David was sent for, and the prophet immediately recognized him as the chosen of God, chosen to succeed Saul, who was now departing from the ways of God, on the throne of the kingdom. He accordingly, in anticipation, poured on his head the anointing oil. David went back again to his shepherd life, but "the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward," and "the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul" (1 Sam. 16:13, 14).

Not long after this David was sent for to soothe with his harp the troubled spirit of Saul, who suffered from a strange melancholy dejection. He played his harp before the king so skilfully that Saul was greatly cheered, and began to entertain great affection for the young shepherd. After this he went home to Bethlehem. But he soon again came into prominence. The armies of the Philistines and of Israel were in battle array in the valley of Elah, some 16 miles south-west of Bethlehem; and David was sent by his father with provisions for his three brothers, who were then fighting on the side of the king. On his arrival in the camp of Israel, David (now about twenty years of age) was made aware of the state of matters when the champion of the Philistines, Goliath of Gath, came forth to defy Israel. David took only his sling, and with a well-trained aim threw a stone "out of the brook," which struck the giant's forehead, so that he fell senseless to the ground. David then ran to cut off Goliath's head with Goliath's own sword (1 Sam. 17). The result was a great victory for the Israelites, who pursued the Philistines to the gates of Gath and Ekron.

David's popularity following this heroic exploit awakened Saul's jealousy (1 Sam. 18:6-16), which he showed in various ways. He conceived a bitter hatred toward him, and by various stratagems sought his death (1 Sam. 18-30). The deep-laid plots of the enraged king, who could not fail to observe that David "prospered exceedingly," all proved futile, and only endeared the young hero the more to the people, and very specially to Jonathan, Saul's son, between whom and David a life-long warm friendship was formed.

David's time as a fugitive

To escape from the vengeance of Saul, David fled to Ramah (1 Sam. 19:12-18) to Samuel, who received him, and he dwelt among the novice prophets, who were there under Samuel's training. It is supposed by some that the sixth, seventh, and eleventh Psalms were composed by him at this time. This place was only 3 miles from the residence of Saul, who soon discovered where the fugitive had gone, and tried ineffectually to bring him back. Jonathan made a fruitless effort to bring his father to a better state of mind toward David (1 Sam. 20), who, being made aware of the fact, saw no hope of safety but in flight to a distance. We accordingly find him first at Nob (1 Samuel 21:1-9) and then at Gath, the chief city of the Philistines. The king of the Philistines would not admit him into his service, as he expected that he would, and David accordingly now went to the stronghold of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1-4; 1 Chr. 12:8-18). Here in a short time 400 men gathered around him and acknowledged him as their leader. It was at this time that David, amid the harassment and perils of his position, cried, "Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem;" when three of his heroes broke through the lines of the Philistines and brought him the water for which he longed (2 Sam. 23:13-17), but which he would not drink.

In his rage at the failure of all his efforts to seize David, Saul gave orders for the massacre of the entire priestly family at Nob, "persons who wore a linen ephod", to the number of eighty-five persons, who were put to death by Doeg the Edomite, because the High Priest Ahimelekh failed to betray David to Saul, assuming David was still in the king's favor. The news of the massacre were brought to David by Abiathar, a son of Ahimelech, the only one who escaped; compare Psalm 52.

Hearing that Ke'ilah, a town on the western frontier, was harassed by the Philistines, David with his men relieved it (1 Sam. 23:1-14); and then, for fear of Saul, he fled to the strongholds in the "hill country" of Judah; compare Psalm 31. While encamped there, in the forest in the district of Ziph, he was visited by Jonathan, who spoke to him words of encouragement (1 Sam. 23:16-18). The two now parted never to meet again. Saul continued his pursuit of David, who narrowly escaped from him at this time, and fled to the crags and ravines of Ein Gedi, on the western shore of the Dead Sea (1 Sam. 23:29). Here Saul, who still pursued him with his army, narrowly escaped, through the generous forbearance of David, and was greatly affected by what David had done for him. He returned home from pursuing him, and David betook himself to Maon, where, with his 600 men, he maintained himself by contributions gathered from the district. Here occurred the incident connected with Nabal and his wife Abigail (1 Sam. 25), whom David married after Nabal's death.

Saul again went forth (1 Sam. 26) in pursuit of David, who had hid himself "in the hill Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon," in the wilderness of Ziph, and was a second time spared through his forbearance. He returned home, professing shame and penitence for the way in which he had treated David, and predicting his elevation to the throne.

David In the Service of the Philistines

Harassed by the necessity of moving from place to place through fear of Saul, David once more sought refuge among the Philistines (1 Sam. 27). He was welcomed by the king, who assigned him Ziklag as his residence. Here David lived among his followers for some time as an independent chief engaged in frequent war with the Amalekites and other tribes on the south of Judah.

Achish summoned David with his men to join his army against Saul; but the lords of the Philistines were suspicious of David's loyalty, and therefore he was sent back to Ziklag, which he found to his dismay had been pillaged and burnt during his brief absence. David pursued after the raiders, the Amalekites, and completely routed them. On his return to Ziklag tidings reached him of Saul's death (2 Sam. 1). An Amalekite brought Saul's crown and bracelet and laid them at his feet. David and his men rent their clothes and mourned for Saul, who had been defeated in battle near Mount Gilboa. David composed a beautiful elegy, the most beautiful of all extant Hebrew odes, a "lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son" (2 Sam. 1:18-27). It bore the title of "The Bow," and was to be taught to the children, that the memory of Saul and Jonathan might be preserved among them. "Behold, it is written in the book of Jasher".

David king over Judah

David and his men now set out for Hebron under divine direction (2 Sam. 2:1-4). There they were cordially welcomed, and he was at once anointed as king. He was now about thirty years of age.

But his title to the throne was not undisputed. Abner took Ish-bosheth, Saul's only remaining son, over the Jordan River to Mahanaim, and there crowned him as king. Then began a civil war in Israel. The first encounter between the two opposing armies, led on the one side by Abner, and on the other by Joab, took place at the pool of Gibeon. It resulted in the defeat of Abner. Other encounters, however, between Israel and Judah followed (2 Sam. 3:1, 5), but still success was on the side of David. For the space of seven and a half years David reigned in Hebron. Abner now sided with David, and sought to promote his advancement; but was treacherously put to death by Joab in revenge for his having slain his brother Asahel at Gibeon (3:22-39). This was greatly to David's regret. He mourned for the death of Abner. Shortly after this Ish-bosheth was also treacherously put to death by two Canaanites of Beeroth. The murderers approached David for a reward for the deed, but he had them executed as traitors instead. Now with no rival, David was anointed king over all Israel (4:1-12).

The period of David's reign at Hebron lasted seven years and six months (2 Sam. 5:5).

David king over all Israel

(2 Sam. 5:1-5; 1 Chronicles 11:1-3). The elders of Israel now repaired to Hebron and offered allegiance to David in name of all the people, among whom the greatest enthusiasm prevailed. He was anointed king over all Israel, and sought out a new seat of government, more suitable than Hebron, as the capital of his empire. At this time there was a Jebusite fortress, "the stronghold", on the hill of Zion, called also Jebus. This David took from the Jebusites, and made it Israel's capital, and established here his residence, and afterwards built for himself a palace by the aid of Tyrian craftsmen. The Philistines, who had for some time observed a kind of truce, now made war against David; but were defeated in battle at a place afterwards called, in remembrance of the victory, Baal-perazim. Again they invaded the land, and were a second time routed by him. He thus delivered Israel from their enemies.

David now resolved to bring up the Ark of the Covenant to his new capital (2 Sam. 6). It was in the house of Abinadab at Kirjath-jearim, about 7 miles from Jerusalem, where it had been for many years, from the time when the Philistines had sent it home (1 Sam. 6; 7). In consequence of the death of Uzzah (for it was a divine ordinance that only the Levites should handle the ark, Numbers 4), who had put forth his hand to steady the ark when the cart in which it was being conveyed shook by reason of the roughness of the road, David stayed the procession, and conveyed the ark into the house of Obed-edom, a Levite (1 Chr. 15:21) from Gath. After three months David brought the ark from the house of Obed-edom up to Jerusalem; compare Psalm 24. Here it was placed in a new tent or tabernacle which David erected for the purpose. About seventy years had passed since it had stood in the tabernacle at Shiloh. The old tabernacle was now at Gibeon, at which Zadok ministered. David now (1 Chr. 16) carefully set in order all the ritual of divine worship at Jerusalem, along with Abiathar the high priest. A new religious era began. The service of praise was for the first time introduced into public worship. Zion became henceforth "God's holy hill".

David's wars

David now entered on a series of conquests which greatly extended and strengthened his kingdom (2 Sam. 8). In a few years the whole territory from the Euphrates to the Brook of Egypt, and from Gaza on the west to Thapsacus on the east, was under his sway (2 Sam. 8:3-13; 10).

David's fall

He had now reached the height of his glory. He ruled over a vast empire, and his capital was enriched with the spoils of many lands. But in the midst of all this success he fell, and his character became stained with the sin of adultery (2 Sam. 11:2-27). It has been noted as characteristic of the Bible that while his military triumphs are recorded in a few verses, the story of his fall is given in detail. This crime, and the attempt to conceal it, led to another murder. Uriah the Hittite, whom he had foully wronged, an officer of the Gibborim, the corps of heroes (23:39), was, by his order, "set in the front of the hottest battle" at the siege of Rabbah, in order that he might be killed by the enemy. Nathan the prophet (2 Sam. 7:1-17; 12:1-23) was sent by God to bring home his crimes to the conscience of the guilty monarch. He became a true penitent. He bitterly bewailed his sins before God. The thirty-second and fifty-first Psalms are traditionally interpreted as revealing the deep struggles of his soul, and his spiritual recovery.

Bathsheba became his wife after Uriah's death. Her first-born son died, according to the word of the prophet. She gave birth to a second son, whom David called Solomon, and who ultimately succeeded him on the throne (2 Sam. 12:24, 25).

David's time of Peace

After the successful termination of all his wars, David formed the idea of building a temple for the ark of God. This he was not permitted to carry into execution, because he had been a man of war. God, however, sent Nathan to him with a gracious message (2 Sam. 7:1-16). On receiving it he went into the sanctuary, the tent where the ark was, and sat before the Lord, and poured out his heart in words of devout thanksgiving (7:18-29). The building of the temple was reserved for his son Solomon, who would be a man of peace (1 Chr. 22:9; 28:3).

A cloudy evening. Hitherto David's carrer had been one of great prosperity and success. Now cloudy and dark days came. His eldest son Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam of Jezreel, was guilty of a great and shameful crime (2 Sam. 13). This was the beginning of the disasters of his later years. After two years Absalom terribly avenged the crime against Tamar, and put Amnon to death. This brought sore trouble to David's heart. Absalom, afraid of the consequences of his deed, fled to Geshur beyond Jordan, where he remained for three years, when he was brought back through the intrigue of Joab (2 Sam. 14).

After this there fell upon the land the calamity of three years' famine (2 Sam. 21:1-14). This was soon after followed by a pestilence, brought upon the land as a punishment for David's sinful pride in numbering the people (2 Sam. 24), in which no fewer than 70,000 perished in the space of three days.

Rebellion of Absalom

The personal respect for David was sadly lowered by the incident of Bathsheba. There was a strong popular sentiment against the taking of the census, and the outburst of the plague in connection with it deepened the feeling of jealously that had begun to manifest itself among some of the tribes against David. Absalom, taking full advantage of this state of things, gradually gained over the people, and at length openly rebelled against his father, and usurped the throne. Ahithophel was Absalom's chief counsellor. The revolt began in Hebron, the capital of Judah. Absalom was there proclaimed king. David was now in imminent danger, and he left Jerusalem (2 Sam. 15:13-20), and once more became a fugitive. It was a momentous day in Israel. The incidents of it are recorded with a fulness of detail greater than any other day in Old Testament history. David fled with his followers to Mahanaim, on the east of Jordan. An unnatural civil war broke out. After a few weeks the rival armies were mustered and organized. They met in hostile array at the wood of Ephraim (2 Sam. 18:1-8). Absalom's army was defeated, and himself put to death by the hand of Joab (18:9-18). The tidings of the death of his rebellious son filled the heart of David with the most poignant grief. He "went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept" (18:33), giving utterance to the heart-broken cry, "Would that I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" Peace was now restored, and David returned to Jerusalem and resumed the direction of affairs. An unhappy dispute arose between the men of Judah and the men of Israel (19:41-43). Sheba, a Benjamite, headed a revolt of the men of Israel. He was pursued to Abelbeth-maachah, and was there put to death, and so the revolt came to an end.

The end of David's Life

After the suppression of the rebellion of Absalom and that of Sheba, ten comparatively peaceful years of David's life passed away. During those years he seems to have been principally engaged in accumulating treasures of every kind for the great temple at Jerusalem, which it was reserved to his successor to build (1 Chr. 22; 28; 29), a house which was to be "exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries" (22:5). The exciting and laborious life he had spent, and the dangers and trials through which he had passed, had left him an enfeebled man, prematurely old (1 Kings 1). It became apparent that his life was now drawing to its close. A new palace conspiracy broke out as to who should be his successor. Joab favoured Adonijah. The chiefs of his party met at the "Fuller's spring," in the valley of Kidron, to proclaim him king; but Nathan hastened on a decision on the part of David in favour of Solomon, and so the aim of Adonijah's party failed. Solomon was brought to Jerusalem, and was anointed king and seated on his father's throne (1 Kings 1:11-53). David's last words are a grand utterance, revealing his unfailing faith in God, and his joyful confidence in his gracious covenant promises (2 Sam. 23:1-7).

After a reign of forty years and six months (2 Sam. 5:5; 1 Chr. 3:4) David died (965 BC) at the age of seventy years, "and was buried in the city of David." His tomb is alleged to be on the hill now called Mount Zion, though it actually contains the body of a Roman soldier.

Both in his prophetical and in his regal character David was a prototype of the Messiah (1 Sam. 16:13). The book of Psalms commonly bears the title of the "Psalms of David," from the circumstance that he was the largest contributor (about eighty psalms) to the collection.

"The greatness of David was felt when he was gone. He had lived in harmony with both the priesthood and the prophets; a sure sign that the spirit of his government had been thoroughly loyal to the higher aims of the theocracy. The nation had not been oppressed by him, but had been left in the free enjoyment of its ancient liberties. As far as his power went he had striven to act justly to all (2 Sam. 8:15). His weak indulgence to his sons, and his own great sin besides, had been bitterly atoned, and were forgotten at his death in the remembrance of his long-tried worth. He had reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem and seven and a half at Hebron (2 Sam. 5:5). Israel at his accession had reached the lowest point of national depression; its new-born unity rudely dissolved; its territory assailed by the Philistines. But he had left it an imperial power, with dominions like those of Egypt or Assyria. The sceptre of Solomon was already, before his father's death, owned from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates, and from the Orontes to the Red Sea.", Geikie's Hours etc., iii.

Famous sculptures of David include those by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Michelangelo Buonarroti (see Michelangelo's David), Donatello (see Donatello's David) and Jean-Antoine Mercié

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "David."

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David ap Gruffydd

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

David or Dafydd ap Gruffydd (c.1235 - 1283) was a prince of Gwynedd, a younger son of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn and his wife, Senena, and thus grandson of Llywelyn the Great. During his career, Dafydd had repeatedly switched allegiances between his elder brother, Llywelyn the Last and King Edward I of England, but it was his rash attack on Hawarden Castle in March, 1282, that caused the final conflict with Norman England, in the course of which Welsh independence was lost. The last Prince of Gwynedd and Wales, he ruled only for a few months after Llywelyn's death, effectively an outlaw. Seeking refuge from the English forces in the mountains of Gwynedd, he was eventually captured and executed at Shrewsbury, and is identified by some sources as the first victim of hanging, drawing and quartering. His two sons and several daughters, mostly by Elizabeth (or Eleanor) Ferrars, were sent to prison and convents respectively after his death, and none ever emerged alive to threaten English domination.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "David ap Gruffydd."

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David ap Llywelyn

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

David or Dafydd ap Llywelyn (1208 - 1246) was the only legitimate son of Llywelyn the Great by his wife, Joan (daughter of King John). Recognised as Prince of Wales by his uncle King Henry III of England in 1220 (the first to hold this title officially), he ruled Gwynedd following his father's death in 1240, despite the rival claims of his half-brother, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. Dafydd's revolt of 1244 against the Crown was only a temporary success, and his sudden death led to disorder, his marriage to Isabella de Breos having failed to produce an heir.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "David ap Llywelyn."

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David Attenborough

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Sir David Frederick Attenborough, born May 8, 1926 in London, the younger brother of director and actor Lord Attenborough, is the presenter of many ground-breaking and award winning BBC wildlife documentaries. Foremost among these are the trilogy of series: Life on Earth, The Living Planet and The Trials of Life. These examine the world's organisms from the viewpoints of taxonomy, ecology and adaptive fitness respectively. In addition to these series, Attenborough also presented more specialised surveys including The Private Life Of Plants, Life in the Freezer (about adaptation to cold climates), The Life of Birds, The Blue Planet (about life in the oceans) and The Life of Mammals. Attenborough also narrated the long-running half-hour nature series Wildlife on One on BBC ONE (sometimes retitled Wildlife on Two for BBC TWO, or just BBC Wildlife), but only made two or three appearances on camera.

He was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester and Clare College, Cambridge. He joined the Royal Navy in 1947 and, after two years' service, worked for a publishing company, eventually joining the BBC in 1952. His association with natural history programmes began in 1954 with the series, Zoo Quest.

From 1965 to 1968, Attenborough was Controller of BBC2 (as it was then styled). From 1969 to 1972, he was the BBC's Director of Programmes. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awarded him the Desmond Davis Award in 1970, and a Fellowship in 1979. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1983 and knighted in 1985. In 1997 he was awarded doctor honoris cause by Ghent University (Belgium).

It has been speculated, that during his 50 year career at the BBC, travelling the world making natural history documentaries, David Attenbororugh has been to more places and seen more things, than anybody else on the planet.

His autobiography is Life on Air: Memoirs of a Broadcaster (2002). Hardcover edition: ISBN 056353461-3; paperback edition: ISBN 056348780-1

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "David Attenborough."

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David Beckham

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

David Robert Joseph Beckham (born May 2, 1975) is a British football player born in Leytonstone, London. He is a midfielder and is noted for the quality of his crossing and ability to hit a dead ball, particularly at long-range free-kicks. He played most of his career for Manchester United F.C and is currently captain of the English national football team.

Manchester United F.C.

Beckham first signed a trainee's contract with United in 1991, and made his League debut in 1995, aged 19. The next year he helped the side to the Premiership and FA Cup trophies and to their dominance of domestic football. In 1998, he was part of the United team to win the "treble" - Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. In total, Beckham scored 86 goals in 397 games for United.

Real Madrid C.F.

However, on June 17, 2003, Beckham signed a four-year contract with Real Madrid of Spain, potentially worth up to €3535 million (£2525 million, USD 41 million).

Apart from benefitting from his football ability, this transfer gives the Spanish club an opportunity to profit from merchandising, especially in the Far East, where Beckham is enormously popular, and Manchester United have until now had the lion's share of interest. It is probably no coincidence that Beckham was transferred just before Real started a far-eastern tour. At the time of the announcement of his transfer to Real Madrid, Beckham and his wife (Victoria) were on a week-long tour of Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand promoting beauty products, chocolate, motor oil, and mobile phones, which it was reported would earn them more than the entire first year of his Real Madrid contract. (Western journalists are excluded from the Japanese "press conferences" organised by his sponsors because of the embarrassment they would cause him in the West).

He successfully completed the transfer on July 1 and was presented with the squad number of 23 on July 2. He is believed to have chosen the number as a tribute to his idol, Michael Jordan, who made number 23 famous with the Chicago Bulls. Real Madrid shirts bearing his name and number were sold out in Madrid on the day his transfer was completed and Real Madrid were expected to receive €624,000 for the sale of the shirts.

His transfer to Real Madrid has proven very fruitful for both Beckham and the club. Beckham scored five times in his first 16 matches (including Real's 600th goal in the European Cup/Champions League, against Olympique Marseille on 26 November 2003), a higher scoring rate than his last year at Manchester United (11 goals in 52 games). He has become a favourite of the notoriously fickle Real Madrid crowd, and established an excellent playing relationship with Ronaldo.

English national team

By 1998 he was a regular international, and travelled with the England squad to the FIFA World Cup. In the quarter-final of that competition he received a red-card for retaliation, following a foul challenge by the Argentine Diego Simeone. This act arguably cost England the game (which they lost on penalties) and the chance of advancing in the tournament. On returning home, Beckham became the target of criticism, sometimes justified (the accusation of petulance, for example) but much merely gratuitous. He received a similar vilification following his dismissal for a dangerous challenge in the World Club Championship the next year.

Following England's poor performance in the 2000 European Championship (from which Beckham was one of the few players to emerge with credit) and later poor performances, the departure of Kevin Keegan as manager saw Beckham promoted to captain, initially under caretaker manager Peter Taylor and maintained by Sven-Göran Eriksson. His leadership, mainly by example due to his fitness and workrate helped England to qualify for the 2002 World Cup Finals and an unprecedented 5-1 defeat of Germany in Munich. Meanwhile, taking the role of captain seems to have helped mature him, in both skill and temperament.

He was considered by some Manchester United fans to be too interested in playing for England, to the detriment of his performances for United.

In the summer of 2003, Beckham was made an Officer in The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in Queen Elizabeth II's honours list.

Beckham's celebrity lifestyle

Beckham's highly publicised marriage to Spice Girl and media celebrity Victoria Adams, otherwise known as Posh Spice, has made them both popular targets for the tabloid press, which has dubbed the couple "Posh and Becks". They have two sons, Brooklyn, born March 4, 1999 and Romeo, born September 1, 2002. Beckham is well-known for his frequent hairstyle changes and has changed his hairstyle for many times after being criticised for influencing teenagers' hairstyle.

David Beckham is, according to the Google[1] search engine, the most famous sports personality in the world, however the producers of The Simpsons decided that he wasn't famous enough to make a cameo appearance in an episode of the show set in London. Also he's the most famous metrosexual.

However, he has become more well known in North America since the success of the British film Bend It Like Beckham. It is about a Sikh girl whose ambition is to be a football player because she can play like David Beckham.

In May of 2003 Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson ordered David Beckham not to wear his hair band during matches. It has been speculated that he believed it to be too effeminate.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "David Beckham."

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David I of Scotland

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

David I, known as "the Saint", (1084 - 1153), king of Scotland, the youngest son of Malcolm Canmore and of Saint Margaret (sister of Edgar Ætheling), was born in 1084. He married in 1113 Matilda, daughter and heiress of Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria, and thus became possessed of the earldom of Huntingdon.

On the death of Edgar, king of Scotland, in 1107, the territories of the Scottish crown were divided in accordance with the terms of his will between his two brothers, Alexander and David. Alexander, together with the crown, received Scotland north of the Forth and Clyde, David the southern district with the title of earl of Cumbria. The death of Alexander I in 1124 gave David possession of the whole starting on April 27 of that year.

In 1127, in the character of an English baron, he swore fealty to Matilda as heiress to her father Henry I, and when the usurper Stephen ousted her in 1135 David vindicated her cause in arms and invaded England. But Stephen marched north with a great army, whereupon David made peace. The peace, however, was not kept. After threatening an invasion in 1137, David marched into England in 1138, but sustained a crushing defeat on Cutton Moor in the engagement known as the Battle of the Standard.

He returned to Carlisle, and soon afterwards concluded peace. In 1141 he joined Matilda in London and accompanied her to Winchester, but after a narrow escape from capture he returned to Scotland. Henceforth he remained in his own kingdom and devoted himself to its political and ecclesiastical reorganization. A devoted son of the church, he founded five bishoprics and many monasteries. In secular politics he energetically forwarded the process of feudalization which his immediate predecessors had initiated . He died at Carlisle on May 24 1153.

Original text from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.

Preceded by: Alexander I

List of British monarchs

Succeeded by: Malcolm IV

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "David I of Scotland."

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David II of Scotland

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

David II (March 5, 1324-February 22, 1371) king of Scotland, son of King Robert the Bruce by his second wife, Elizabeth de Burgh (d. 1327), was born at Dunfermline Palace, Fife.

In accordance with the terms of the treaty of Northampton he was married in July 1328 to Joanna (d. 1362), daughter of the English king, Edward II, and became king of Scotland on his father's death in June 1329, being crowned at Scone in November 1331.

Owing to the victory of Edward III of England and his protégé, Edward Balliol, at Halidon Hill in July 1333, David and his queen were sent for safety into France, reaching Boulogne in May 1334, and being received very graciously by the French king, Philip VI. Little is known about the life of the Scottish king in France, except that Château Gaillard was given to him for a residence, and that he was present at the bloodless meeting of the English and French armies at Vironfosse in October 1339.

Meanwhile his representatives had obtained the upper hand in Scotland, and David was thus enabled to return to his kingdom in June 1341, when he took the reins of government into his own hands. In 1346 he invaded England in the interests of France, but was defeated and taken prisoner at the battle of Neville's Cross in October of this year, and remained in England for eleven years, living principally in London and at Odiham in Hampshire. His imprisonment was not a rigorous one, and negotiations for his release were soon begun. Eventually, in October 1357, after several interruptions, a treaty was signed at Berwick by which the Scottish estates undertook to pay 100,000 marks as a ransom for their king.

David, who had probably recognized Edward III as his feudal superior, returned at once to Scotland; but owing to the poverty of the kingdom it was found impossible to raise the ransom. A few instalments were paid, but the king sought to get rid of the liability by offering to make Edward III, or one of his sons, his successor in Scotland. In 1364 the Scottish parliament indignantly rejected a proposal to make Lionel, duke of Clarence, the next king; but David treated secretly with Edward III over this matter, after he had suppressed a rising of some of his unruly nobles.

The king died in Edinburgh Castle in 1371. His second wife was Margaret, widow of Sir John Logie, whom he divorced in 1369; but he left no children, and was succeeded by his nephew, Robert II. David was a weak and incapable ruler, without a spark of his father's patriotic spirit.

See Andrew of Wyntoun, The orygynale cronykil of Scotland, edited by D Laing (Edinburgh, 1872—1879); John of Fordun, Chronica gentis Scotorum, edited by WF Skene (Edinburgh, 1871-1872); JH Burton, History of Scotland, vol. ii. (Edinburgh, 1905); and A Lang, History of Scotland, vol. i. (Edinburgh, 1900).

This entry was originally from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.

Preceded by: Robert I

List of British monarchs

Succeeded by: Robert II

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "David II of Scotland."

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David Stevenson

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

David Stephenson (1815-1886) was a lighthouse designer, the son of Robert Stevenson, brother of Alan Stevenson and Thomas Stevenson, and uncle to Robert Louis Stevenson.

He designed and built Muckle Flugga Lighthouse, Bressay Lighthouse and....

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "David Stevenson."

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Donatello's David

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Donatello's bronze statue of David (circa 1430) is notable as the first unsupported standing work in bronze cast since classical times. It created a sensation when it was first shown, due to its portrayal of the nude young male.

Plaster copy of Donatello's David
(sword broken off)
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

It originally belonged to Cosimo de Medici, and was placed in the courtyard of the Palazzo Medici in Florence. After the expulsion of Piero de' Medici, it was confiscated, and ordered placed in the courtyard of the Palazzo della Signoria. It is now in the Bargello. There is a full-size plaster cast (with broken sword) in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

There is online for free reading an historical novel centered on the creation of the statue, "Donatello's David." http://donatello.0catch.com/Index.htm

External Links: Images of David

• Full length view
• Another view
• Front and rarer back view
• Detail of face

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Donatello's David."

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Jacques Louis David

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Jacques-Louis David (1748 - 1825) was a French painter.

He was a central figure of the French Neoclassicism art movement.

His major works include Oath of Horatii (Louvre, 1784), Death of Marat (Brussels, 1793) and Coronation of Napoleon (Louvre, 1805).

He is buried in Le Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France.

See also: Prix de Rome, List of people on stamps of Gabon, List of French people, List of painters.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Jacques Louis David."

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Jacques-Louis David

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Jacques-Louis David (August 30, 1748 - 1825), most usually known as David, was a French painter.

Self portrait

Born into a middle-class Parisian family. In 1757 his mother deserted him and he was subsequently raised by his uncles after his father was killed. All his life he suffered from severe emotional problems.

At 16 he began studying art at the Académie Royale under the rococo painter J.-M. Vien. He won the Prix de Rome in 1774 after having attempted suicide when he lost the contest for three years in a row.

He subsequently travelled to Italy where he was strongly influenced by the wealth of classical art and the classically inspired work of the 17th century painter Nicolas Poussin.

David devised his own individual neoclassical style, drawing subject matter from classical sources, basing both form and style on Roman sculpture. His "Oath of the Horatii" was intended as a proclamation of the neoclassical style. Presenting a moralistic and patriotic theme, the work became the model for noble and heroic historical painting of the following two decades. It greatly increased his popularity and gave him the right to take on his own students.

After 1789, David moved towards a more realistic rather than neoclassical painting style in order to accurately depict scenes of the French Revolution (1789-1799). David was active in the Revolution, and was elected a deputy to the National Convention on September 17, 1792. He sided with the extremists known as the Montagnards, with Marat, Danton, and Robespierre. Apart from his many illustrious paintings, David is also the author of the famous sketch of Marie Antoinette on her way to the guillotine.

During this time he had produced deeds both positive and negative: On the positive side he proposed the establishment of an inventory of all national treasures, making him one of the founders of France's museums and played an active role in the organization overseeing the Louvre, in Paris.

He was appointed to the Committee of General Security in 1793. This empowered him to condemn nearly 300 arrested individuals to be guillotined. After the end of the Revolution he was imprisoned because of his actions during it. His students demanded his release, and he was freed on December 28, 1794.

Towards the end of 1797 he met Napoleon Bonaparte and from 1799 to 1815 he was Napoleon's painter, chronicling his life in such massive oeuvres as "The Coronation of Napoleon and Josephine" which now hangs in the Louvre. One of his most famous pupils, also a favorite of Napoleon and Josephine, was Francois Gerard (1770 - 1837). After Napoleon's downfall in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo, David was exiled to Brussels, Belgium, where he returned to Greek and Roman mythological subjects.

David, throughout his career, was also a prolific portraitist. Smaller and more intimately human than his larger works, portraits such as "Madame Récamier" show great technical mastery and human insight. Many critics consider them his best work since they are free of the propensity to moralisation and overwhelming obeisance to style of his neoclassical works.

He died in Brussels, Belgium on December 29, 1825 and was buried at the Evere Cemetery, Brussels. His heart was interred separately at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Jacques-Louis David."

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Michelangelo's David

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Michelangelo's David, finished by Michelangelo Buonarroti in 1504 (started in 1501) is widely considered to be a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture, and one of Michelangelo's two greatest works of sculpture, along with the Pieta. David portrays the Biblical David at the moment that he decides to engage Goliath. This 4.1 meter (13' 5") marble statue was commissioned as a symbol of the Florentine Republic.

Notice the sling over the figure's shoulder, and the almost perfect human proportions depicted. Michelangelo's David is based on the artistic discipline of disegno, which is built on knowledge of the male human form. Under this discipline, sculpture is considered to be the finest form of art because it mimics divine creation. Because Michelangelo adhered to the concepts of disegno, he worked under the premise that the image of David was already in the block of stone he was working on -- in much the same way as the human soul is thought to be found within the physical body. It is also an example for the contrapposto style.

The proportions are not quite true to the human form; the head and upper body are somewhat larger than the proportions of the lower body. While some have suggested that this is mannerist stylization, the most commonly accepted explanation is that the statue was originally intended to be placed on a church fascade or high pedestal, and that the proportions would appear correct when the statue was viewed from some distance below.

The statue was originally placed in the Piazza Signoria, just in front of the Palazzo della Signoria. To protect it from damage, in 1873 it was moved to the Accademia Gallery in Florence, where it attracts many visitors. A replica was placed in the Piazza Signoria in 1910.

Another replica of the statue was offered as a gift by the municipality of Florence to the municipality of Jerusalem to mark the 3,000 anniversary of David's conquest of the city. The proposed gift evoked a storm in the city, with religious factions in the municipality declaring that the naked figure was pornographic and should not be accepted. Finally, a compromise was reached and another, fully-clad replica of a different statue was donated in its stead.

In 1991 a person attacked the statue with a hammer, damaging the toes of the left foot before being restrained. In 2003 a controversy occurred with some experts opposing the use of water to clean the statue. This was the first cleaning since 1843.

There are many other full-size replicas of the statue around the world, from a plaster cast copy in London's Victoria and Albert Museum, to the centrepiece of a shopping mall in Surfer's Paradise, Australia. One resident of Los Angeles. California has decorated his house and grounds with twenty-three reduced scale replicas of the statue. There is also a copy in front of CAESARS PALACE in Las Vegas among lots of other replicas of famous sculptures.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Michelangelo's David."

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Saint David

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

David (known in Welsh as Dewi Sant) is the patron saint of Wales. Unlike Saint George, England's patron saint, much is known about his life.

He lived during the 5th century A.D. (date of death probably 601). He is believed to have been of royal blood and became renowned as a teacher and preacher, founding monastic settlements in his native land, in a period when neighbouring tribal regions (that were to be united as 'England' three hundred years later) were still mostly pagan. He rose to a bishopric, and presided over two synods, as well as going on pilgrimages to Jerusalem (where he was anointed as a bishop by the Pope) and Rome. St. David's Cathedral now stands on the site of the monastery he founded in a remote and inhospitable part of Pembrokeshire. He taught his followers to refrain from eating meat or drinking alcohol. His symbol, also the symbol of Wales, is the leek. See vegetarian.

The best-known miracle associated with St. David is said to have taken place on an occasion when he was preaching in the middle of a large crowd. When those at the back complained that they could not see or hear him, the ground on which he stood is reputed to have risen up to form a small hill so that everyone had a good view.

His last words are reputed to have been "Be steadfast, brothers, and do the little things".

Unlike many contemporary "saints" recognised by the Welsh, David was actually canonised.

Saint David's Day is March 1.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Saint David."

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Abbreviations & Acronyms: David

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Synonyms within Context: David

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Modern Usage: David

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Image Slideshow: David

Photos: David More pictures...

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Photo Album: David

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	DHEW Secretary, F. David Mathews is greated by CDC Director, Dr. David Sencer during a 1975 visit to CDC. Credit: CDC.		The unveiling ceremony of the bust of Hygeia. (left to right), Archbishop Lakovas, Ambassador B. Vitsaxis, Dr. John E Skandalakis, and R. David J. Sencer. Credit: CDC.
	"Goblets" by David Sjöstrand.		"Sea Shell" by Hassan Sedaghat, colorized by David Parker. The surface is colored by theta in spherical coordinates.
	H. Arnold Karo and President Dwight David Eisenhower 150th Anniversary Dinner of the Coast and Geodetic Survey. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.		LCDR Commander John Bowie's base camp at Watertown, Yukon, Territory L to R: David Sammons; Eli Packer, geodetic engineer; bush pilot Sam White Lieutenant Commander John Bowie; Mr Smith, Canadian IBC representative. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.
	Julis greenovii Bennett. In: "The Shore Fishes of the Hawaiian Islands, with a General Account of the Fish Fauna", by David Starr Jordan and Barton Warren Evermann. Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission, Vol. XXIII, for 1903. Part I. P. 574, PlateC XXX. Credit: Fisheries.		Hemicoris ballieui (Vaillant & Sauvage). In: "The Shore Fishes of the Hawaiian Islands, with a General Account of the Fish Fauna", by David Starr Jordan and Barton Warren Evermann. Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission, Vol. XXIII, for 1903. Part I. P. 574, Plate XXXII. Credit: Fisheries.
	Flying off the DAVID STARR JORDAN in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Credit: Flying With NOAA.		MD500 helicopter secured on flight deck of the DAVID STARR JORDAN. Credit: Flying With NOAA.
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: David
 

"David" by Jef T Commentary: "This is David. I edited it in Photoshop for an ad in an English project."	"Variation on Caspar David Frie" by Lukasz Kinalczyk Commentary: "The background different (a calm sea) but the man the same:)."
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Familiar Quotations: David

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Non-Fiction Usage: David