The year of Jubileewhen debts were forgiven and property returned to its original owners, among other thingstook place after seven cycles of seven years. After the destruction of the northern kingdom, Benjamin was fully absorbed into the southern kingdom. But its also worth noting: God forbid David from building his temple because he had shed blood (1 Chronicles 28:3). Israel's first king, Saul, was of the tribe of Benjamin. And he executed plenty of criminals. This understanding does not rule out the possibility that before the entrusting of the assignment to Judah as kingly tribe, another tribe could receive this honor. He was the sibling of Joseph, yet forever ago was firmly associated with individuals of Judah. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. When David asked the Lord about the famine, God said, "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained . It uses the relationships between a man named Boaz, a woman named Ruth, and her mother-in-law, Naomi, to paint a picture of Gods compassion for Israel. Benjamin means "son of the right hand." 52, ed. But David also wrote Psalms of praise and thanksgiving, and frequently declared his trust in the Lord in spite of his circumstances. Why did King Saul prophesy w/o clothing all day after pursuing David in 1 Samuel 19:24? xix. Geography. The Southern Kingdom of Judah consisted of the large tribe of Judah (King David's tribe) and the small tribe of Benjamin, which became part of the tribe of Judah and began using the same name. In geographical terms, the term Benjamin can be read as "son of the south" from the perspective of the northern Kingdom of Israel, as the Benjamite territory was at the southern edge of the northern kingdom.[1]. (Genesis 35:16-18). While the description of Benjamite territory stops there, the description of the area assigned to the house of Joseph gives one more reference point to the W, namely Gezer (see The Land of the Bible [1962, 1967], 235, 236 and the map on p. 229). [7] Uzziah may also be mentioned in the annals of Tiglath-Pileser III; however, the texts are largely fragmentary. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! The erection of the Temple on Benjamitic ground is explained in several ways. Later, Gd confirmed to King David that this was indeed the site where the Holy Temple was to be built. According to the Bible, David, of the Tribe of Judah, was the third king of the United Monarchy of Israel and Judah. If Uriah slept with her, then no one could say he was the one who got her pregnant. So, to hide his sin, David committed another one. [44][45][46] The Messiah is often referred to as "King Messiah", or, in Hebrew, (melekh mashiach), and, in Aramaic, malka meshia. Its fitting that David is such a prominent figure in the Old Testament. As king of Israel, David won numerous battles and made Israel a formidable nation, expanding its territory and military might, all while pointing his people to God. Throughout the Old Testament narrative, we see David write laments and songs to commemorate important moments and express deep emotions, such as when he learns that Saul and Jonathan died (2 Samuel 1:19-27). He also overheard the Israelites talking about what Saul would give to the person who defeated Goliath (1 Samuel 17:23-27). N. Avigad and B. Sass. The kingdom fell to the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 587/6 BCE. And when the Philistines (and Goliath) invaded, David was torn between his duties as Sauls musician and his responsibilities for tending his fathers sheep (1 Samuel 17:15). On his father's side, Rashi has been claimed to be a 33rd-generation descendant of Johanan HaSandlar, who was a fourth-generation descendant of Gamaliel, who was reputedly descended from the Davidic line. 22:22)? The Torah had a thing or two to say about adultery (Leviticus 18:20, Deuteronomy 5:18, Exodus 20:14), and it was punishable by death (Deuteronomy 22:22, Leviticus 20:10). The other Israelite tribes were grieved at the near loss of the tribe of Benjamin. How to follow the signal when reading the schematic? Please indicate which translation you are using. . ; Targ. As the old saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for; you might get it. Answer (1 of 3): They didn't. After the death of King Solomon, his sons couldn't agree on the succession and ended up splitting Israel into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah. In order to have Uriah killed in battle, Joab had to sacrifice some of Davids other men, and Joab feared David would be angry for the waste (2 Samuel 11:20). Judahs territory included the city of Jerusalem. Six hundred of the men from the tribe of Benjamin survived by hiding in a cave for four months. But Joab did not include the tribes of Levi and Benjamin in the census because he was so distressed at what the king had made him do. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. A widely spread traditional Christian interpretation relates the non-continuation of the main Davidic line from Solomon to the godlessness of the line of Jehoiachin which started in the early 500s BC, when Jeremiah cursed the main branch of the Solomonic line, by saying that no descendant of "[Je]Coniah" would ever reign on the throne of Israel again (Jeremiah 22:30). A number of Jewish families in the Iberian peninsula and within Mesopotamia continued to preserve the tradition of descent from Exilarchs in the Late Middle Ages, including the families of Abravanel, ibn Yahya and Ben-David. Benjamin's oath touched Joseph so deeply that he could no longer pretend to be a stranger, and so revealed himself to his brother (Tan., ed. It's pretty clear from the exchange that the people's demand for a king was a sinful rejection of God's rule, and that He intended to deal with that sin by giving them a very undesirable king in response. Several passages in the Bible describe tribe of Benjamin as being pugnacious,[7] for example in the Song of Deborah, and in descriptions where they are described as being taught to fight left handed, so as to be able to wrong foot their enemies (Judges 3:1521, 20:16, 1 Chronicles 12:2) and where they are portrayed as being brave and skilled archers (1 Chronicles 8:40, 2 Chronicles 14:8). by Ryan Nelson | Jul 27, 2020 | Bible characters. Several families, as late as the 14th century, traced their descent back to Josiah, the brother of David ben Zakkai who had been banished to Chorasan (see the genealogies in [Lazarus 1890] pp. Logos Bible Software 10 review: Do you REALLY need it? Benjamin went into captivity in Babylon with Judah, and later returned from captivity with Judah (Ezra 4:1). The Lord does not look at the things people look at. When, after the death of Solomon, the northern tribes broke away from Judah, Benjamin was the only tribe in Israel to remain loyal to Judah and the Davidic throne (1 Kings 11:11-13,31-32; 12:21; 1 Chron 8:1,28). They then grabbed a wife each and took her back to their land and rebuilt their houses (Judges 1921). But in the Bible, this isnt an underdog story. The Kingdom of Judah, that included Benjamin, continued until it was conquered by Babylon in c. 586 BCE and the population deported, and was subjected to the Babylonian captivity. Jerusalem was chosen by King David to be the capital mainly because the city, although part of the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, had not yet been conquered by the Israelites, and was not tied specifically to any of the twelve tribes. These cookies do not store any personal information. All subsequent kings of Judah, except Athaliah, are said to be direct descendants of David. Conclusion [3] The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges suggests that the tribe of Benjamin "was the most likely to offer opposition [to Abner] through fear of losing dignity and advantage by the transference of the royal house to the tribe of Judah".[4]. [21] As nothing like it is mentioned in the (older) book of Kings and Bethel is thereafter always firmly situated in the Northern kingdom of Israel, this is almost certainly not a historical event. He reigned from Gibeah for 38 years (1 Samuel 8:31). David was too young. Leghorn, p. 56b). Its possible that he simply meant David cared about the things God cared about. Historically the fulfillment is: "(when) the scepter is (finally given), it will not depart from Judah" Once it is taken from Benjamin and given to Judah, it will remain. people of wealth will seek your favor. In the Southern Kingdom of Judah, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained with control of the capital city of Jerusalem. But what makes David such a significant biblical figure is his role in establishing Gods earthly headquarters in Jerusalem. According to Genesis, Benjamin was the result of a painful birth in which his mother died, naming him Ben-Oni, "son of my pain," immediately before her death. The Quran mentions the House of David once: "Work, O family of David, in gratitude. 18). Berean Standard Bible He sent someone to find out about her, and learned she was married to Uriah the Hittiteone of his best soldiers (2 Samuel 23:39). The first king of this new entity was Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin (1 Samuel 9:12), which at the time was the smallest of the tribes. The tribe of Benjamin continued to oppose David being named as king. The tribe descended from Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. In fact, David cites his experience as a shepherd to convince Saul why he can defeat Goliath: Your servant has been keeping his fathers sheep. Joshua 18:21-27 gives a list of the many cities and towns contained within the territory of Benjamin and, included among them are Jebus (=Jerusalem) and Jericho. Jacob's Naming He attempted to kill David on multiple occasions, and became his constant enemy. And David had been living with and fighting for the Philistinesthe Israelites sworn enemies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. However, The Jewish Quarterly Review mentions that Hezekiah was liberated from prison, and became head of the academy, and is mentioned as such by a contemporary in 1046. But it didnt work out that way. Since Jacob had blessed Judah and prophesied that (Genesis 49:10): The scepter will not turn aside from Judah until Shiloh comes, and to him the obedience of the people will belong. The Rabbis lay stress on the name, "beloved of the Lord," by which Benjamin is distinguished (Deut. When David returned to Jerusalem an all too obvious favorite of Judah, one Sheba, a Benjamite, raised a revolt (20:1ff.). Then again, perhaps the Biblical writers simply enjoyed a bit of word play. . To Joseph's astonishment Benjamin declared that the man on the throne was his brother, and Joseph revealed himself to Benjamin, telling him what he meant to do with the brothers. ", "It behooves us to ask, in spite of the fact that the overwhelming consensus of modern scholarship is that Joshua is a pious fiction composed by the deuteronomistic school, how does and how has the Jewish community dealt with these foundational narratives, saturated as they are with acts of violence against others? Among the families of the "Sons of the Free" are the families of Abravanel and Benveniste. After the death of David's son, King Solomon, the ten northern tribes of the Kingdom of Israel rejected the Davidic line, refusing to accept Solomon's son, Rehoboam, and instead chose as king Jeroboam and formed the northern Kingdom of Israel. 21:43. The report that the large number of 280,000 archers, said to be the tribe of Benjamin, belonged to King Asa (II Chron. When David couldnt get Uriah to sleep with his wife Bathsheba (and therefore conceal Davids adultery), he plotted to have Uriah killed in combat. Once Uriah was dead and Bathsheba had time to mourn him, David married her, and she gave birth to a son. Atlanta, 2004, 15359, 219. The Tree of Jesse (a reference to David' father) is a traditional Christian artistic representation of Jesus' genealogical connection to David. But David came to the Israelite camp to play music for Saul, and he heard Goliaths taunts. The Tribe of Benjamin Later, the Israelite. From this point on, Davids duties were divided between watching his fathers sheep and playing music for the king. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. So there were two kings and two kingdoms: Ish-bosheth became the second king of Israel, and David ruled Judah. Later still, during the time of King David, a famine occurred in Israel. For example: Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, Several passages record his lineage, and they all point out that he was the son of Jesse, who was the son of Obed, who was the son of Boaz and Ruthmaking him the great grandson of this significant couple (1 Chronicles 2:12). According to the Tanakh, King Saul ( Talut) was the son of Kish, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, one of the twelve Tribes of Israel ( 1 Samuel 9:1-2 ). During Sauls reign, Jerusalem was captured, and the Ark of the Covenant was in Judah. 17:14-15)? The biblical authors present slightly different representations of Davids immediate family: he was either Jesses seventh son, or his eighth (1 Chronicles 2:1314, 1 Samuel 16:1011). Mar Ahunai lived in the period succeeding Mar Zutra II, but for almost fifty years after the failed revolt he did not dare to appear in public, and it is not known whether even then (c.550) he really acted as Exilarch. But he was a strong . (1906) "Benjamin," in the, "Besides the rejection of the Albrightian 'conquest' model, the general consensus among OT scholars is that the Book of Joshua has no value in the historical reconstruction. 11.23: 'Thus Joshua conquered the whole country, just as the L. Rashi on Joshua 15:21; Babylonian Talmud, destruction of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians, Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on 2 Samuel 3, accessed 6 July 2017, "Early Israel in Recent Biblical Scholarship", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tribe_of_Benjamin&oldid=1138853522, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia without a Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 12 February 2023, at 00:34. The Septuagint (an early great translation of the Old Testament) and the Latin Vulgate (a fourth-century Latin translation of the Bible) include additional Psalms, and bring the number attributed to David closer to 85. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. While a shepherd may seem like an inconsequential position, it was still dangerous. Davids faith would become one of his defining characteristics, and it led him to overcome countless enemies after Goliath. When he was born, Rachel gave him the name of Ben-oni: Then they journeyed from Bethel. At first the intention of the other tribes was to efface Benjamin completely, since the number of twelve tribes could be preserved through Ephraim and Manasseh; but they remembered God's promise to Jacob shortly before Benjamin's birth (Gen. xxxv. Most people have heard Jesus described as the messiah. In the Blessing of Jacob, Benjamin is referred to as "a ravenous wolf";[8] traditional interpretations often considered this to refer to the might of a specific member of the tribe, either the champion Ehud, king Saul, or Mordecai of the Esther narrative, or in Christian circles, the apostle Paul. In the New testament Paul claims Benjamite descent and is proclaiming the Kingship of Jesus as Christ of the seed of David- Rom 1:3. Perhaps Davids biggest claim to fame was his legendary showdown with the Philistine giant, Goliath. Answer (1 of 20): No (lol). According to the Torah, the Tribe of Benjamin (Hebrew: .mw-parser-output .script-hebrew,.mw-parser-output .script-Hebr{font-family:"SBL Hebrew","SBL BibLit","Taamey Ashkenaz","Taamey Frank CLM","Frank Ruehl CLM","Ezra SIL","Ezra SIL SR","Keter Aram Tsova","Taamey David CLM","Keter YG","Shofar","David CLM","Hadasim CLM","Simple CLM","Nachlieli",Cardo,Alef,"Noto Serif Hebrew","Noto Sans Hebrew","David Libre",David,"Times New Roman",Gisha,Arial,FreeSerif,FreeSans}, Modern:Bnyamn, Tiberian:Bnymn) was one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Because Jews have historically believed that the Messiah will be a male-line descendant of David, the lineage of Jesus is sometimes cited as a reason why Jews do not believe that he was the Messiah. Buber, Wayesheb, 8).When Benjamin was detained as the alleged thief of the cup, Joseph pretended that Benjamin had been instigated by his brothers. The eleven tribes turned against the tribe of Benjamin and nearly annihilated them because of their refusal to give up the perpetrators (Judges 20:121:25). As part of the Kingdom of Judah, Benjamin escaped the destruction of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in c. 740 BCE. Bibliography W. F. Albright, From the Stone Age to Christianity (1957), passim; M. Noth, History of Israel (1958) 73f., 146, 233; GTT (1959), 164ff. After the death of Saul, the tribe of Benjamin remained faithful to his house. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. Isa 11:1-10)? Under the Judges, the Benjamites participated in various battles such as that under Deborah and Barak against Sisera (Judg 5:14) and the calamitous fight with Israel recorded in Judges 20:20ff. The Hebrew text of the Bible passage (Gen 49:10) you try to understand implies that: 1) the tribe of Judah, starting from a crucial moment, would receive (from God) the honor to have kings on the throne of Jerusalem (until the latter existed! And few of My servants are grateful. In the Revelation, the tribe of Benjamin has its place among the eleven other tribes from each of which 12,000 servants of God were to be sealed (Rev 7:8). Gods anointed one was the person he chose to lead and save his people. was spreading among them (Pire R. El. Many years before Samuel anointed David and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, Samuel anointed Saul, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul (1 Samuel 10:16). Despite his glaring flaws, the David is described as a man after Gods own heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22). Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. However, it must be noticed that other authorities interpret the data in such a way that the western boundary runs more or less due N of Kiriath-jearim, sharing that border with the tribe of Dan. Throughout the gospels, Jesus is often referred to as "the son of David," referring to the lineage associated with King David and the royal house of Judah. The Lord told David the reason for the scarcity: "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death" ( 2 Samuel 21:1 ). Giving Benjamin the first opportunity to rule fulfills the meaning of the new name given by Jacob. This is what the LORD says: 'Record this man as if he is childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none of them will sit on the throne of David or rule in Judah anymore.Jeremiah 22:30, NIV, Warren W. Wiersbe -The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete Old Testament - 2007 p. 1497 "Zerubbabel was the grandson of King Jehoiachin (Jeconiah, Matt. When David was crowned kingDavid was from the tribe of Judah (one of Leah's tribes)the Benjamites rebelled (2 Samuel 2-3). After Saul died, all the tribes other than Judah remained loyal to the House of Saul, but after the death of Ish-bosheth, Saul's son and successor to the throne of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin joined the northern Israelite tribes in making David then king of Judah king of the united Kingdom of Israel and Judah. 23:2 prevented it. Moses- Davids line ruled in Jerusalem for about 400 years, until King Nebuchadnezzar captured the city and broke the line of kings. [38][39], In 2012, The Jerusalem Post reported that philanthropist Susan Roth created Davidic Dynasty as subsidiary of her Eshet Chayil Foundation, dedicated to finding, databasing, and connecting Davidic descendants and running the King David Legacy Center in Jerusalem. After Uzziah, each successive king of Judah is attested to in some form, with the exception of Amon of Judah: Jotham, Uzziah's successor, is named on the seals of his own son and successor, Ahaz,[9] who ruled from 732 to 716 BCE. Bright, History of Israel (1960), 142, 189, 213-216; F. F. Bruce, Israel and the Nations (1963), passim. There seems to be no truly satisfactory resolution of the problem of the western boundary of Benjamin. The Israelite and Philistine armies lined up on opposing hills, Goliath taunted the Israelites and challenged them to decide the battle with a duel: him against one of them (1 Samuel 17:8-11). Welcome to BHSE! For less than $5/mo. [32] Hai Gaon was the son of Sherira Gaon, who claimed descent from Rabbah b. Abuha, who belonged to the family of the exilarch, thereby claiming descent from the Davidic line. 1. After the Israelites defeated the Philistines, women danced and sang: and David his tens of thousands. 1 Samuel 18:7. Excellent and well-grounded response. The name Benjamin means "son of (my) right hand." He was betrayed by a woman of Abel of Beth-maachah and was slain. (Gen 49:10, I Sam 8-9), We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. When Samuel anointed David, it didnt instantly make him king, but it did signal that he was the Lords chosen one, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David (1 Samuel 16:13). 352, ed. The Davidic dynasty, which had roots in Judah, continued to reign in Judah. ", "We Are Family: King David's Descendants Gather for 'Reunion', "The Real Messiah A Jewish Response to Missionaries", "David, Prophetic Figure of the Last Days", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Davidic_line&oldid=1137080126, This page was last edited on 2 February 2023, at 18:06. This was why he wasnt with his brothers when Samuel came to anoint the next king (1 Samuel 16:11). Moses: The Old Testaments Greatest Prophet. The Tel Dan Stele mentions the death of the reigning king from "BYTDWD",[6] (interpreted as "House of David") and thus far is the only extrabiblical explicit mention of David himself. One of Hasan's descendants Solomon ben Azariah ha-Nasi settled in Aleppo were the family became Dayan's (judges) of the city and thus adopted the surname Dayan. They had a special economic and social status in the Jewish community, and they were close to their respective governments, some serving as advisers and tax collectors/finance ministers. [23] Still, in light of a general lack of material evidence explicitly indicating a United Monarchy, it cannot be positively ascertained whether some portents of the biblical narrative of the United Monarchy and the origins of David's dynasty have any historical basis. This pleased all the troops, and Sauls officers as well. 1 Samuel 18:5. 6), his territory was reserved for the worship of God. The Tribe of Benjamin remained a part of the southern Kingdom of Judah. Nevertheless, a prophetic answer could exist in the prophecy concerning Benjamin from Jacob and Moses: Jacob- The southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to the House of David, and this kingdom came to be known as the Kingdom of Judah. The 12 tribes of Israel descended from Jacobs 12 sons, and with the exception of Levi, each tribe controlled a specific territory within the nation of Israel. Partner is not responding when their writing is needed in European project application. For David, this was of great significance, because this enabled him to conquer the city with royal forces . Corpus of West Semitic Stamp Seals. Origen ("In Genesim," xlii. Surely your goodness and love will follow me, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord. Nathan told David that the Lord has taken away your sin (2 Samuel 12:13), but he also cursed him, and the son who came from Davids adultery died. But centuries before Jesus, another savior came from this unassuming town. [28] An unsuccessful attempt of David ben Daniel of the Davidic line to establish an Exilarchate in the Fatimid Caliphate failed and ended with his downfall in 1094. By the time of the division of the Promised Land, leadership of the tribe of Benjamin had fallen to Elidad the son of Chislon (34:21). 1 Samuel 10: 1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because Yhwh hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? The Exilarchate in Mesopotamia was officially restored after the Arab conquest in the 7th century and continued to function during the early Caliphates. As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul's family came out from there. Abner was murdered out of revenge, and David cursed his killers and mourned his death. [9] However, according to the consensus of modern scholars, the conquest as described in the book of Joshua did not occur. Sauls servants believed a musician would help soothe Saul whenever the spirit came to torment him. But the Bible doesnt explicitly tell us what Samuel meant by this. ). Shimei the son of Gera was there with them. They each wrote at least 32,000 words, and the entire book of Psalms is only 30,000! David was a talented musician. Goliath wasnt just taunting the Israelites. 55b). According to the Tanakh, upon being chosen and becoming king, one was customarily anointed with holy oil poured on one's head. "[54] and mentions David himself sixteen times. Ta'anit iv. Redoing the align environment with a specific formatting. Here are some of the things we know about David. 14 In embroidered garments she is led to the king; Some have thought that the origin of the tribe is to be found in the Binu (or Maru) yamina of the 18th cent. those brought to be with her. And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. The New Testament books of Matthew and Luke give two different accounts of the genealogy of Jesus that trace back to David. Jerusalem: The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, 1997, nos. The Bible gives us a lot of information about King David. There were still 200 men remaining who were without a wife, so it was agreed that they could go to an Israelite festival and hide in the vineyards, and wait for the young unmarried women to come out and dance. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. This shows their ability to help their sibling, Judah. Ruth 4:18 lists descendants of Judah as Perez, Hezron, Ram, Amminidab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse, David (the tenth). Deu. Both Ish-bosheth and Abner were murdered. To get around this, they provided wives for the men by killing the men from Jabesh-Gilead who had not shown concern for the almost lost tribe of Benjamin as they did not come to grieve with the rest of Israel. Members of the tribe are referred to as Benjamites or Benjaminites. When the captivity ended, the distinction between Benjamin and Judah was lost in favour of a common identity as Israel, though in the biblical book of Esther, Mordecai is referred to as being of the tribe of Benjamin,[5] and as late as the time of Jesus of Nazareth some (notably Paul the Apostle) still identified their Benjamite ancestry: If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised on the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.[6]. [a], The earliest unambiguously[b] attested king from the Davidic line is Uzziah, who reigned in the 8th century BCE, about 75years after Ahaziah, who is named on bullae seals belonging to his servants Abijah and Shubnayahu. Benjamin, according to biblical tradition, one of the 12 tribes that constituted the people of Israel, and one of the two tribes (along with Judah) that later became the Jewish people. [43], In Jewish eschatology, the term mashiach, or "Messiah", came to refer to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line, who is expected to be anointed with holy anointing oil and rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age. But then people started to see David as greater than Saul. King David was a shepherd boy who became Israels third and most important king.