"So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse answered. "He is tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives." So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; this is the one." So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. … David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands." … The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake."
— 1 Samuel 16:11-13; 17:45-47; Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV)
People who search bible verses about David want Scripture on Dawid — David anointed while tending sheep, facing Goliath in the name of the Lord Almighty, and singing the Lord as shepherd — not only courage alone, worship alone, faith alone, or Bible verses about the Son of David / root of David alone as titles. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about courage, Bible verses about worship, Bible verses about faith, Bible verses about trust, Bible verses about hope, Bible verses about the Son of David, Bible verses about the root of David, Bible verses about Solomon, Bible verses about Jesus, Bible verses about Christ, and Bible verse of the day. David here means the shepherd-king of Israel — distinct from generic courage lists and from Son-of-David / root-of-David title pages alone.
Word study (lead theme). In Hebrew, דָּוִד Dawid (Strong's H1732; Bible Hub H1732) — David ("beloved"). In 1 Samuel 16 he is anointed; in 1 Samuel 17 he faces Goliath; in Psalm 23 he names the Lord his shepherd. This list tracks that David inventory — not courage-alone twelve or Son-of-David title-alone twelve.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 17 presses David facing the Philistine in the name of the Lord and the battle belonging to the Lord (Bible Hub MHC 1 Samuel 17; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 17). (Courage, worship, and Son-of-David pages live elsewhere; this list centers David the man.)
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12 Bible verses about David
1 Samuel 16:11-13. "So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse answered. "He is tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives." So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; this is the one." So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David." Rise and anoint — Spirit upon David. See Bible verses about faith.
1 Samuel 17:37. "The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine. Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you."" Lion and bear — Lord will rescue. See Bible verses about courage.
1 Samuel 17:45-47. "David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."" Name of the Lord Almighty — battle is the Lord's. See Bible verses about courage.
1 Samuel 18:14. "In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him." The Lord was with him — great success. See Bible verses about faithfulness.
2 Samuel 5:3-4. "When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years." Anointed king over Israel — thirty years old. See Bible verses about hope.
2 Samuel 7:8-9. "Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth.'" From the pasture — make your name great. See Bible verses about trust.
Psalm 23:1-3. "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake." My shepherd — I lack nothing. See Bible verses about trust.
Psalm 51:1-2. "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." Have mercy — blot out transgressions. See Bible verses about forgiveness.
Psalm 63:1. "You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water." Earnestly I seek you — thirst for you. See Bible verses about worship.
1 Chronicles 17:7-8. "Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men on earth.'" From the flock — appointed ruler. See Bible verses about faith.
Acts 13:22. "After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'" Man after my own heart — do everything I want. See Bible verses about obedience.
Hebrews 11:32-34. "And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies." Through faith — David among the conquerors. See Bible verses about faith.
How to use these verses
Pick one verse when you need David — not twelve as a grind. If you need the anointing from the sheepfold, start at 1 Samuel 16:11–13. If you need Goliath and the battle belonging to the Lord, open 1 Samuel 17:45–47. If you need the shepherd psalm, open Psalm 23:1–3. For Solomon his son, open Bible verses about Solomon. For the Son of David title, open Bible verses about the Son of David. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.
Questions people ask
What is a good Bible verse about David?
1 Samuel 16:11–13 is the clear starting place; 1 Samuel 17:45–47 and Psalm 23:1–3 press Goliath and the shepherd.
How do Bible verses about David differ from courage alone?
Courage pages gather bravery in general. This list centers David the man — anoint, Goliath, and shepherd.
What Hebrew word sits under David?
Dawid (H1732) — David ("beloved").
Why isn't the Son of David title page the exclusive center of this page?
That title list stays on Bible verses about the Son of David so the lists stay distinct (this page owns David the man's anoint and Goliath inventory above).
How is David different from Joseph alone?
Joseph pages gather the coat and Egypt. This list centers David anointed, facing Goliath, and singing the shepherd psalm.
