How old was King David when he died?

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.

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.

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

  1. 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.

    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.

    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.

  2. 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.

    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.

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