Despite certain elements of the accounts of King David in the Hebrew Bible appearing to be legendary, there are several intriguing sources that strongly suggest that David existed and founded a dynasty and that David’s kingdom was more than a myth. Textual sources written from the perspective of the enemies of Israel and Judah mention the “house of David,” a clear reference to David as a dynastic founder. While direct, physical evidence (ie.—“David was here”) is lacking, archaeological data from key sites points towards the activity of a king or strong central authority. Additionally, David established his kingdom precisely during a power vacuum in the ancient Near East region. Thus, the overall picture paints David as a historical figure, and biblical accounts of his kingdom are plausible.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Mark D Janzen about his online-exclusive feature article “The Firm Foundations of the House of David: A Defense of King David’s Historicity”.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts related to this topic:

Making a Case for the Historicity of Moses 

Episode 119 The Historicity of Moses

Historical Artifacts and Biblical Sources: Determining What Is True

Christians and Archaeology

Bible Reliability: M-A-P-S to Guide You through Bible Reliability 

Biblical Archaeology: Factual Evidence to Support the Historicity of the Bible

Biblical History: The Faulty Criticism of Biblical Historicity