With the passing of Saul and Jonathan in battle, the kingship devolved upon David as Samuel had foretold. As a result of prayer he proceeded to Hebron, where he was anointed "king over the house of Judah" by the Judeans themselves, reigning there for "seven years and six months" (II Sam. 2:4,11).
David's rule, however, was by no means undisputed. Saul's supporters had crowned his son Ish-bosheth as king in the territory of Gilead to the east of the Jordan, with influence extending "over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel" (verse 9). Here, then, were the elements of civil war, but there could be no doubt concerning the eventual outcome of the strife between the two kings, for "David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker" (3:1) until, at the age of thirty-seven, David was accepted as monarch of a united kingdom of Judah and all Israel combined (see 5: 1-5).
It was apparently about this time that Jerusalem became the capital of the Hebrew nation. Taking its central fortress of Zion by storm, David renamed the town "the city of David" in honor of this event and established his court there (I Chron. 11:4-7). Since Jerusalem lay almost on the boundary between the tribal territory of Judah and that of Benjamin, the selection of this city for David's capital was a wise one, calculated to satisfy both the members of David's own tribe of Judah, and those who, like Saul, were Benjamites. David also transferred the sacred "ark of the covenant" to Jerusalem, thus identifying the city as a religious center (see II Sam. 6).
In fact the pomp now associated with David's personal residence led the king to propose the erection of a stately temple for the housing of the ark, which hitherto had been kept in a humble tabernacle or tent. The Lord commended the plan, the Bible account tells us, through the instrumentality of Nathan the prophet. But David was informed that not by himself but by his famous son whom we know as Solomon would the temple eventually be erected. He received the promise that his throne would be "established for ever" (II Sam. 7:16).
David's success in the wars he waged in furthering the advancement of his kingdom is unquestioned, but his personal and domestic affairs were sometimes less fortunate or praiseworthy. In his desire to make Bath-sheba his queen, David arranged that her husband, Uriah, should be left unsupported while leading an assault against an Ammonite stronghold. When Uriah was slain, as David had anticipated, Bath-sheba "became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord" (11:27).
Nathan the prophet rebuked David with a parable. He told the story of "one little ewe lamb," cherished by a poor man but wantonly killed by his wealthy neighbor to provide food for an unexpected guest. Incensed at the injustice, David cried that such a man should surely die, only to hear Nathan's stern response, "Thou art the man" (12:7). Because of his prompt and sincere repentance, the king's own life was spared, although his first child by Bath-sheba did not survive. Later, however, Bath-sheba became the mother of Solomon, David's successor.
