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The Bible has been the most influential text in all of Western culture. It's difficult to understand medieval or early modern or much of modern literature without knowing it...

Prof. Barbara Newman, Northwestern University
from 2006 Bible Literary project

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It's not that it's impossible to read some writers without a Biblical background, but that you would miss a whole dimension to their work.

Prof. Steven Goldsmith, University of California at Berkeley
from 2006 Bible Literary Project

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I can only say that if a student doesn't know any Bible literature, he or she will simply not understand whole elements of Shakespeare, Sidney, Spenser, Milton, Pope, Wordsworth

Prof. Robert Kiely, Harvard University
from 2006 Bible Literary Project

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...there is truth in the remark. "without Tyndale[Bible translator], no Shakespeare"...

Prof. David Daniell, University College London
from The Bible in English

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You can't really study Western literature intelligently or coherently without starting with the Bible.

Prof. Gerald L. Bruns, University of Notre Dame
from 2006 Bible Literary Project

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...a familiar understanding of Christian doctrine in historical perspective thus contributes to a fuller appreciation of Shakespeare's art, but Shakespeare's art

Prof. Roland M. Frye
from Shakespeare and the Christian Doctrine

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In English tradition and also for an American tradition begun by Puritan writers, a knowledge of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament is even more crucial than classical references.

Prof. Ulrich Knoefplmacher, Princeton University
from 2006 Bible Literary Project

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There is no book more important for our culture than the Bible, and it is fundametal to the study of English literature and language.

Prof. David Jasper and Prof. Stephen Prickett
from the Bible and literature

David

Picture description: David and Goliath by Caravaggio (1600; Oil on canvas; Prado, Madrid)
Picture copyright: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/about/license.html

Bible Verse

1 Samuel 16:1

Meaning

The name came from the Hebrew word דוד (spelling “dvd” in Latin). In the Old Testament, David was the second and greatest king of Israel. He was regarded as a righteous king, a lauded warrior who defeated a giant Philistine Goliath with a stone and a poet who was thought to have composed many of the Psalms. Though David was widely praised, he did not lead a faultless life. Captivated by the beauty of Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, David sent Uriah to the battlefield so as to hide his adultery, and he married Bathsheba upon Uriah’s death. However, David later on repented when the prophet Nathan confronted his sin. Jesus is believed to be descended from David’s bloodline.

Gender

Male

Example

Keywords

Bathsheba    David    Goliath    Hittite    Israel    Jesus    King    Nathan    Uriah   

Related Information

NIV official site
Chinese Bible (???)

Search idiom or name
FIND THE ORIGIN OF IDIOMS

A lot of phrases, such as "two-edged sword" and " an eye for an eye", are taken from the English Bible. Learning the stories behind these idioms is fun, and can help boost your vocabulary. Click here to find out now!

What's in a name?

Common names such as Joseph and Rachel have their origins in the Bible. Want to know their stories before picking the right name for yourself? Click here to find out.