Are their non-biblical records that King David existed?
Qeiyafa_western_gate1 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Prior to the mid-1990s recovery of an Aramaic inscription at Tel Dan , no extrabiblical sources supported the existence of David. Fragments discovered near Israel ’s northern border show that an Aramean king (ninth-eighth centuries BC) erected a monument boasting about his victory over the kings of Israel and “ the house of David ” (Ahituv, Echoes, 466–73). This may demonstrate that David lived and founded a dynasty which was referred to by one foreign king more than a century after David’s reign. However, Lemche challenges the reconstruction and authenticity of the inscription (Lemche, Israelites in History and Tradition , 39–43). He suggests that since “House of David” (Bēt Davîd) has no word dividers, it is better understood as a place name like Bethlehem or Beth-shean. The discovery at Tel Dan led to the reexamination of other inscriptions with possible references to David. By restoring a missing letter in the Mesha Inscription ...