According to tradition, King David gave us the Book of Psalms. Seventy-three of the 150 bear his name, and tradition states that the unattributed ones are also from him (Talmud, Berakhot 9b).

Concerning those Psalms that have the names of other authors, tradition teaches that we may thank David for them too (Talmud, Bava Bathra 14b). This is because it was he who recorded them in their permanent form and in a single book. If not for King David, those Psalms would have gone lost.

See also:

Psalm 23

The purpose of the Psalms

If God had told Hosea to commit adultery, then indeed it would seem quite inconsistent.

However, God did not tell Hosea to commit adultery. He told Hosea to marry a wife who was an adulteress.

Hosea 1:2 in the King James reads:The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. and the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.

The New International Version renders the same passage as follows:When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD."

The Hebrew word used to describe the wife can be rendered "idolatry," "whoredom," or "adultery," so either translation is legitimate.

The first thing to note is that Hosea himself wasn't told to commit adultery, but that his wife had or would commit adultery (or harlotry).

The Life Application Bible commentary has this to say about the situation: "Did God really order his prophet to marry a woman who was a prostitute? Some who find it difficult to believe God could make such a request view this story as an allegorical illustration, not an historical event. Many, however, think the story is historical and give one of these explanations: (1) According to God's law, a priest could not marry a prostitute or a divorced woman (Leviticus 21:7). However, Hosea was not a priest. (2) It is possible that Gomer was not a prostitute when Hosea married her but that God was letting Hosea know that Gomer would later turn to adultery and prostitution. In this case, Hosea knew ahead of time that his wife would be unfaithful and that their married life would become a living object lesson to the adulterous northern kingdom. Hosea's marriage to an unfaithful woman would illustrate God's displeasure with the unfaithful nation of Israel.

In relationship to Israel and their worship of God, service to any other deity is considered whoredom.

Both Saul and David had victories over God's enemies, the Philistines (1Samuel 14:47; 18:6, 7; 21:11; 29:5)

• Answer 2

• He, as the very first Israelite king, set up the apparatus of royalty and its institutions.
• He put Israel's enemies to shame (1 Samuel 14:47-48).
• Under the guidance of Samuel, he united the Israelite tribes.
• He briefly experienced prophecy.
• He enforced the observance of the Torah (see 1 Samuel 28:3).

David:

• 1) King David authored/compiled the book of Psalms and gave it to us in its present form (Talmud, Bava Batra 14b). The Psalms (Tehillim), which we might call the soul of the Jewish people, express the yearning of King David and of the entire nation to be close to God. They are one of the foundations of our prayerbook to this day.
• 2) King David was the one who finally succeeded in subduing all of the surrounding nations (see 2 Samuel ch.8 and ch.10) plus the entire territory of Israel, something which no one else did previously or subsequently. He succeeded in all his endeavors (1 Samuel 16:18).
• 3) He secured from the prophet Nathan a promise from God that his (David's) son Solomon would build the Holy Temple (2 Samuel ch.7). The First Temple is actually considered the accomplishment of David himself (Rashi commentary, Berakhot 18a), since it existed in his merit ("Torat Chaim," commenting on Talmud, Shabbat 30a).
• 4) He set the blueprints, with Divine inspiration, for the Holy Temple (1 Chronicles 28:19). Together with the prophet Samuel, he located the spot where the Temple would be built (Talmud, Zevachim 54b); and he dug the foundations for the Temple (Talmud, Sukkah 53a).
• 5) He amassed vast amounts of material and precious metals for the construction of the Temple (1 Chronicles ch.29).
• 6) Together with Samuel, he instituted the 24 groupings of families of Kohanim and Levites (Talmud, Taanit 27a).
• 7) He served God all the days of his life (1 Kings 11:38); and God was with him (1 Samuel 16:18).
• 8) He was without peer in clarifying and applying the halakhot (laws) of the Oral Tradition (Talmud, Sanhedrin 93b).
• 9) King David serves as the archetype of the effectiveness of repentance (Talmud, Avodah Zarah 4b).

1) King David authored/compiled the book of Psalms and gave it to us in its present form (Talmud, Bava Batra 14b). The Psalms (Tehillim), which we might call the soul of the Jewish people, express the yearning of King David and of the entire nation to be close to God. They are one of the foundations of our prayerbook to this day.
2) King David was the one who finally succeeded in subduing all of the surrounding nations (see 2 Samuel ch.8 and ch.10) plus the entire territory of Israel, something which no one else did previously or subsequently. He succeeded in all his endeavors (1 Samuel 16:18).

3) He secured from the prophet Nathan a promise from God that his (David's) son Solomon would build the Holy Temple (2 Samuel ch.7). The First Temple is actually considered the accomplishment of David himself (Rashi commentary, Berakhot 18a), since it existed in his merit ("Torat Chaim," commenting on Talmud, Shabbat 30a).

4) He set the blueprints, with Divine inspiration, for the Holy Temple (1 Chronicles 28:19). Together with the prophet Samuel, he located the spot where the Temple would be built (Talmud, Zevachim 54b); and he dug the foundations for the Temple (Talmud, Sukkah 53a).

5) He amassed vast amounts of material and precious metals for the construction of the Temple (1 Chronicles ch.29).

6) Together with Samuel, he instituted the 24 groupings of families of Kohanim and Levites (Talmud, Taanit 27a).

7) He served God all the days of his life (1 Kings 11:38); and God was with him (1 Samuel 16:18).

8) He was without peer in clarifying and applying the halakhot (laws) of the Oral Tradition (Talmud, Sanhedrin 93b).

9) King David serves as the archetype of the effectiveness of repentance (Talmud, Avodah Zarah 4b).

See also:

Why didn't David kill Saul?

About the Psalms

Jewish history timeline

More about the Hebrew Bible

Answer 1

King David was from the tribe of Judah. For Biblical reference read Ruth 1:1, then 4:17.

Answer 2

David, a descendant of Boaz and Ruth, had an ancestry running back through Perez to Judah. (Ru 4:18-22; Mt 1:3-6)

When we are introduced to David, he is a young shepherd boy with the responsibility of looking after his father's Jesse's sheep. David's family lived in Bethlehem, a little town on the summit and slopes of a ridge in the hills of Judah. Bethlehem, located about 9 km (5.5 mi) SSW of Jerusalem, was David's hometown, the town where his forefathers Jesse, Obed, and Boaz had lived, and which was sometimes called "David's city"

Another answer from our community:

David reigned from 1077-1038 BCE. David was anointed as king on three different occasions: once by Samuel, later by the men of Judah, and finally by all the tribes. (1Sa 16:13; 2Sa 2:4; 5:3)

In Hebron, the older men of Judah anointed him as king over their tribe in 1077 B.C.E., when he was 30 years old. David ruled at Hebron seven and a half years before moving his capital, at Jehovah's direction, to the captured Jebusite stronghold, Jerusalem. There he built the City of David on Zion and continued to rule another 33 years.