<P> Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman reject the idea that David ruled over a united monarchy, suggesting instead that he ruled only as a chieftain over the southern kingdom of Judah, much smaller than the northern kingdom of Israel at that time . They posit that Israel and Judah were still polytheistic in the time of David and Solomon, and that much later seventh - century redactors sought to portray a past golden age of a united, monotheistic monarchy in order to serve contemporary needs . They note a lack of archeological evidence for David's military campaigns and a relative underdevelopment of Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, compared to a more developed and urbanized Samaria, capital of Israel . </P> <P> Jacob L. Wright, Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible at Emory University, has written that the most popular legends about David, including his killing of Goliath, his affair with Bathsheba, and his ruling of a United Kingdom of Israel rather than just Judah, are the creation of those who lived generations after him, in particular those living in the late Persian or Hellenistic periods . </P> <P> David is an important figure in Rabbinic Judaism . Many legends have grown around the figure of David . According to one Rabbinic tradition, David was raised as the son of his father Jesse and spent his early years herding his father's sheep in the wilderness while his brothers were in school . </P> <P> David's adultery with Bathsheba was only an opportunity to demonstrate the power of repentance, and the Talmud states that it was not adultery at all, quoting a Jewish practice of divorce on the eve of battle . Furthermore, according to Talmudic sources, the death of Uriah was not to be considered murder, on the basis that Uriah had committed a capital offense by refusing to obey a direct command from the King . However, in tractate Sanhedrin, David expressed remorse over his transgressions and sought forgiveness . God ultimately forgave David and Bathsheba but would not remove their sins from Scripture . </P>

Where does the story of king david start in the bible