How Old Was King David When He Died? - Good Question

Home » How Old Was David When He Became King » How Old Was King David When He Died? - Good Question

Maybe your like

Skip to content

Q. Is there any record as to how old David, King of Israel, was when he died? 1 Kings just says, “He died at a good old age.” Thank you.

Yes, there is a record. 2 Samuel 5:4 says, “David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.” This means that David was seventy years old when he died.

Share this:

  • X
  • Facebook
Like Loading...

Related

Unknown's avatar

Author: Christopher R Smith

The Rev. Dr. Christopher R. Smith is an an ordained minister, a writer, and a biblical scholar. He was active in parish and student ministry for twenty-five years. He was a consulting editor to the International Bible Society (now Biblica) for The Books of the Bible, an edition of the New International Version (NIV) that presents the biblical books according to their natural literary outlines, without chapters and verses. His Understanding the Books of the Bible study guide series is keyed to this format. He was also a consultant to Tyndale House for the Immerse Bible, an edition of the New Living Translation (NLT) that similarly presents the Scriptures in their natural literary forms, without chapters and verses or section headings. He has a B.A. from Harvard in English and American Literature and Language, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell, and a Ph.D. in the History of Christian Life and Thought, with a minor concentration in Bible, from Boston College, in the joint program with Andover Newton Theological School. View all posts by Christopher R Smith

10 thoughts on “How old was King David when he died?”

  1. Great information God bless us all.

    Reply

  2. This would be incorrect. David did not die when he had Solomon anointed as his successor. He was rushed into this prematurely by the bad conduct of Adonijah in trying to scheme the throne as recorded in 1 Kings chapters 1 and 2. The bible does not say how long David lived after he made Solomon King consequently we do not know how old he was when he died.

    Reply

    1. This post says, “Yes, there is a record. 2 Samuel 5:4 says, ‘David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.’ This means that David was seventy years old when he died.” We don’t need to know how long David lived after he made Solomon his successor. We only have to do the math.

      Reply

    2. Yes, this is what I was looking for, and 70yrs is not good old age.

      Reply

  3. 2 Samuel 5:4-5. He was 30 years old 40 years 33 years Juda 7yrs 6 months Jerusalem Total of yrs 109

    Reply

    1. 2 Samuel 5:4 “David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.” 2 Samuel 5:5 “In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.” Verse 4 is giving the total, and verse 5 is giving the two parts that make up that total: 40 = 7 + 33. So if David was 30 when he became king and he reigned for 40 years and then died, David was 70 when he died.

      Reply

    2. Elizabeth, I’ve thought the same thing, the Bible does not mention how old King David was when he died, only the years he was King.

      Reply

  4. Why add his age + his reigning years = death age,.. when the Bible hasn’t recorded it as a death summation. 70 is not a good old age. One commenter suggested 109 I would have to say that has more acceptable than the others who suggested 70 yrs old.

    Reply

    1. The Bible makes clear that David died right at the end of his reign. That is, he reigned until he died. 1 Kings 2:10–11, “Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. He had reigned forty years over Israel—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem.” So age at start of reign + years reigned = death age.

      Reply

    2. I agree.

      Reply

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Δ

Post navigation

Previous post: Why did God reveal future events to Nebuchadnezzar? Next post: Is the earth only 6,000 years old?

About This Blog

In this blog, the author of the Understanding the Books of the Bible study guide series, the Rev. Dr. Christopher R. Smith, shares his reflections about the Scriptures and answers questions from users of the guides and from others who want to find out more about the Bible. If you have a question, please use the link at the top left of this page to reach the comment box. Thank you! Search for: Search

FEATURED POSTS

If Jesus died on a Friday and rose on a Sunday, how was that the “third day”?

Why did Jesus tell the women of Jerusalem, “Weep for yourselves, not for me,” when he was going to the cross?

Was Jesus really forsaken on the cross?

Why would Jesus tell the disciples to bring swords and then rebuke Peter for using one?

Why did Jesus have to die in such a torturous manner?

Why does a serpent represent what Jesus did on the cross?

Why did Jesus entrust his mother Mary to John’s care?

What did Jesus do for three days after he descended into hell?

Why did Jesus tell Mary not to hug him after his resurrection?

Christopher R Smith

WELCOME!

Thank you for visiting my blog Good Question. Perhaps you were brought here by a search engine or by a link to one of the posts. I hope you’ve found what you were looking for.

There are several hundred posts here, on a wide range of biblical topics. You may want to look for further items of interest by using the resources below: the search bar; the lists of posts; and the list of categories. (Clicking on a category will display all of the posts it, in a continuous scroll with the most recent at the top.)

You can also read or download the study guides in my Understanding the Books of the Bible series by using the Free Study Guides link at the top of this page.

Thanks again for stopping by!

PLEASE VISIT MY OTHER BLOGS

Endless Mercies

The story of God’s faithfulness to my late wife and me during the 4 1/2 years when she battled ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) with unfailing faith, joy, and courage.

Paradigms on Pilgrimage

The book-to-blog version of the book I co-authored with Dr. Stephen J. Godfrey on creationism, paleontology, and biblical interpretation.

Search for: Search

MOST-VIEWED POSTS

  • How long did Jesus live in Egypt?
  • How old was Jesus at his presentation at the temple?
  • Why is "mene" written twice in the handwriting on the wall?
  • Why didn't God give Esau back the blessing that Jacob stole?
  • Did Joseph and Mary stop at the temple to dedicate Jesus on the way to Egypt?
  • Did Boaz already have another wife when he married Ruth?
  • Why are there two different (not duplicate) versions of the Ten Commandments in the Bible?
  • Why did God reject Saul as king for making one small mistake?
  • Why was Moses not allowed to enter the Promised Land?
  • How long did the baby Jesus stay in the manger in the stable?

Recent Posts

  • Why doesn’t Job ever mention Satan?
  • Does a person need to be baptized to become a church leader?
  • Can God transform the heart and mind of a leader?
  • How old were Jesus’ disciples?
  • Was Paul only saved when he was baptized and “washed away his sins”?
  • Is the opposite of faith certainty or doubt?
  • How did John the Baptist know that Jesus was the Messiah?
  • Is the old version of the NIV still in print?
  • Why do Matthew and Luke’s account of Jesus healing the centurion’s servant differ in detail?
  • Do believers sin because they still have a sinful nature?

Categories

  • Angels/Demons (16)
  • Bible: Authorship (19)
  • Bible: Canon (12)
  • Bible: Chapters and Verses (9)
  • Bible: Contradictions (14)
  • Bible: Historical Accuracy (20)
  • Bible: Inspiration (10)
  • Bible: Interpretation (86)
  • Bibles without chapters and verses (22)
  • Book and Article Reviews (9)
  • Character (7)
  • Christian Living (108)
  • Creation (15)
  • Faith and Works (5)
  • Forgiveness (9)
  • Gender (10)
  • God's Will (7)
  • Government (13)
  • Healing (8)
  • Heaven and Hell/Afterlife (10)
  • Holy Spirit (14)
  • Justice/Fairness of God (54)
  • Life of Jesus (37)
  • Marriage/Sex (28)
  • Money/Wealth (8)
  • Occult (5)
  • Prayer (15)
  • Predestination/Free Will (14)
  • Prophecy (40)
  • Published Bibles (18)
  • Redemptive History (14)
  • Religion and Science (29)
  • Roman Catholicism (4)
  • Salvation (55)
  • Sin (13)
  • Slavery (2)
  • Suffering (11)
  • Translation of Specific Passages (23)
  • Uncategorized (7)
  • Using my study guides (20)
  • War/Violence (8)
  • Worship/Preaching (6)
  • Comment
  • Reblog
  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Good Question
      • Join 467 other subscribers Sign me up
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Good Question
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
%d

Tag » How Old Was David When He Became King