King David Trivia
0Loading crowd target
0Loading crowd target
7correct to beat the crowd
100 free King David trivia questions with answers — trivia quiz, new questions added Oct 2026.
From the shepherd boy with a sling to the old king choosing his heir, David gets more pages in the Bible than almost anyone. These Bible trivia questions about David follow the Books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles: his anointing, Goliath, his years on the run from Saul, his friendship with Jonathan, Jerusalem and the Ark, Bathsheba and Nathan, Absalom's revolt, and his legacy in the Psalms, in Islam and in art. Good for Sunday school, youth group or a church quiz night. Every answer is sourced, with a short explanation so you learn something even when you miss.
30 of 100 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which order by King David does the Bible say brought a deadly plague on Israel?
A census of his people
A census of his people; one biblical account says God incited David to count them, while the later retelling in 1 Chronicles blames Satan instead.
Q 02David's father Jesse came from which town?
Bethlehem
Bethlehem; because Micah foretold a ruler would come from Bethlehem, Matthew's Gospel says the Messiah had to be born in David's hometown.
Q 03The Book of Ruth names David as the great-grandson of Ruth and which man?
Boaz
Boaz noticed Ruth, a Moabite widow, gleaning grain in his fields and married her; their son Obed became David's grandfather.
Q 04Which prophet was sent by God to anoint the young David as king?
Samuel
Samuel first assumed David's tall eldest brother Eliab was the chosen one, until God told him that the Lord looks at the heart.
Q 05What was David's job before he entered Saul's service?
Shepherd
Shepherd; David told Saul he had killed a lion and a bear that attacked his father's sheep, so he could take on the giant too.
Q 06David first entered Saul's court to do what?
Play the lyre to soothe him
Play the lyre to soothe him; the music eased Saul's torment, yet on two occasions the jealous king hurled a spear at David while he played.
Q 07Which famous saying comes from David's lament after King Saul died in battle?
How the mighty have fallen
How the mighty have fallen is the lament's refrain, and David pleaded 'tell it not in Gath' so the Philistines could not gloat over Saul's death.
Q 08David refused Saul's armour and faced the Philistine giant with what weapon?
A sling
A sling; its stone sank into the giant's forehead, he fell facedown, and David, who had no sword of his own, cut off his head.
Q 09Whose bronze David was the first freestanding nude male statue made since antiquity?
Donatello
Donatello; the Medici kept it in their palace courtyard, and when the family was expelled from Florence in 1494 it was moved to the Palazzo della Signoria.
Q 10The duel between David and the Philistine giant took place in which valley?
Elah
Elah; for forty days the giant stepped out between the two armies every morning and evening, challenging Israel to send out a champion.
Q 11Which famous ancient manuscripts make David's giant foe under seven feet tall?
The Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls read 'four cubits and a span', as do the Septuagint and Josephus, while the Masoretic Text makes the giant two cubits taller.
Q 12Which son of Saul loved David and warned him of his father's plots?
Jonathan
Jonathan; after his death, David sought out his lame son Mephibosheth, restored the family's land and gave him a seat at the royal table for life.
Q 13Which daughter of Saul became David's wife?
Michal
Michal; Saul set her bride price at 100 Philistine foreskins, hoping David would be killed collecting them, and David brought back 200.
Q 21After Saul died, in which city was David first anointed king over Judah?
Hebron
Hebron; David ruled Judah from there for more than seven years before the elders of all Israel came to Hebron and anointed him king over every tribe.
Q 22Which of Saul's sons was made rival king of Israel after his father's death?
Ish-bosheth
Ish-bosheth; Abner, the general who made him king, later defected to David, and two of Ish-bosheth's own captains murdered him.
Q 23Which city did David conquer from the Jebusites and make his capital?
Jerusalem
Jerusalem; the Jebusites taunted that even the blind and the lame could keep David out, but he captured their fortress anyway.
Q 14Fleeing Saul, David received the slain giant's sword from the priest Ahimelech at which place?
Nob
Nob; when Saul learned that the priest had helped David, he had Ahimelech and the other priests of Nob put to death.
Q 15In which cave did David's family join him while he hid from Saul?
Adullam
Adullam; everyone who was in distress, in debt or discontented gathered there too, and David became the leader of about 400 men.
Q 16In a cave at Ein Gedi, what did David secretly cut from Saul instead of killing him?
A piece of his robe
A piece of his robe; even that small cut troubled David's conscience, but showing it to Saul persuaded the king to make peace, for a time.
Q 17Sneaking into Saul's camp at night, David took the king's spear and what else?
A jug of water
A jug of water; David carried them off as proof that he had spared the sleeping king's life a second time.
Q 18Which Philistine king of Gath gave David the town of Ziklag?
Achish
David raided desert tribes while letting Achish believe he was attacking Israelites.
Q 19At Gath, David escaped the Philistine king by doing what?
Pretending to be insane
Pretending to be insane; the Philistines had recognised him as the hero of the victory song, so he acted the madman until he was driven away.
Q 20Which wealthy man's widow, Abigail, became one of David's wives?
Nabal
Nabal the Carmelite had refused David's men provisions before his sudden death.
Q 24What sacred object did David bring to his new capital?
The Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant; when the oxen stumbled, Uzzah reached out to steady it and was struck dead, so David left the Ark with Obed-edom for three months.
Q 25Why was David denied the chance to build the temple himself?
The bloodshed of his reign
The bloodshed of his reign; 1 Chronicles says God told David he had shed much blood in many wars, so David stockpiled materials for his son to build it.
Q 26Which prophet promised that David's "throne shall be established forever"?
Nathan
Nathan; when David proposed building a temple, Nathan first told him to go ahead, then came back with God's word forbidding it.
Q 27Which metal does the Quran say God made soft for David so he could craft armour?
Iron
Iron; commentators say he shaped it without fire or hammer, and though a king, he earned his living with his own hands.
Q 28What did Uriah the Hittite carry back to the front for David?
His own death warrant
His own death warrant, a letter ordering that he be left exposed in battle; David wrote it after Uriah refused to sleep at home while his comrades camped in the field.
Q 29The prophet rebuked David's adultery with a parable about a rich neighbour stealing what?
A poor man's lamb
A poor man's lamb; David angrily declared the rich man deserved to die, only to be told, 'You are the man!'
Q 30What punishment did the prophet pronounce on David after the affair?
"The sword shall never depart from your house"
"The sword shall never depart from your house"; the prophet also foretold that the child born of the affair would die, and it died on the seventh day.