describes the dark locks of her shepherd lover’s hair as being like “date clusters” (“bushy,” AV; Heb.: tal·tal·limʹ; “date-panicle,” Koehler and Baumgartner’s Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti Libros, 1953 ed., p. 1030). Solomon likens her to a palm tree and her breasts to “date clusters” (“grapes,” AV), and to “fruit stalks of dates” (Heb.: san·sin·nimʹ; see Koehler and Baumgartner’s Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti Libros, 1953 ed., p. 662).—Song of Sol. 5:11; 7:7, 8; see PALM TREE.

DATHAN

(Daʹthan) [possibly, well, strong].

Son of Eliab of the tribe of Reuben and the brother of Abiram and Nemuel. Dathan and Abiram supported the Levite Korah in his rebellion against the authority of Moses and Aaron and, in effect, challenged Jehovah’s promises by referring to Egypt as the “land flowing with milk and honey.” Because of their rebellion, Dathan and Abiram as well as their households perished when the ground swallowed them up.—Num. 16:1-35; 26:7-11; Deut. 11:6; Ps. 106:17; see ABIRAM No. 1.

DAUGHTER

A female offspring. (Gen. 5:4; Matt. 14:6; Acts 21:9) The birth of daughters in the household in Biblical times was not as great an occasion as was the arrival of sons; their position was less honored than that of boys, and their names have not been recorded as often. (1 Chron. 2:34, 35) Yet most parents dearly loved their daughters and protected their interests. When grieving parents interceded, Jesus healed a Phoenician woman’s daughter, and raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead.—Matt. 15:22-28; Luke 8:41, 42, 49-56.

In the patriarchal society daughters had certain rights, responsibilities and also limitations. They were assigned various chores. Priests’ daughters ate from the priestly portions of sacrifices. (Gen. 24:16, 19, 20; 29:6-9; Lev. 10:14) A daughter was the property of her father until he gave her in marriage (Josh. 15:16, 17; 1 Sam. 18:17, 19, 27), and as such she could even be used as security or sold into slavery, though not to a foreigner. (Ex. 21:7-10; Neh. 5:2-5) Until she was married, her vows were subject to her father’s annulment. (Num. 30:3-5) A father could not lawfully make her a prostitute, and if she were violated he could collect damages. (Ex. 22:16, 17; Lev. 19:29; Deut. 22:28, 29) There are instances where fathers offered their virgin daughters to depraved mobs in order to protect their guests. (Gen. 19:6-8; Judg. 19:22-24) Daughters were sometimes given an inheritance along with their brothers, but in the case of the five daughters of Zelophehad whose father died without sons, they received the entire inheritance of their forefathers, upon the condition they marry sons of Manasseh so that the property remained in the same tribe. (Num. 36:1-12; Josh. 15:19; Job 42:15) If a daughter was divorced or widowed, she could come back into her father’s household.—Gen. 38:11; Lev. 22:13.

Additionally, the term “daughter” was applied to relationships other than one’s immediate progeny. For example, under certain circumstances the term referred to a sister (Gen. 34:8, 17), adopted daughter (Esther 2:7, 15), daughter-in-law (Judg. 12:9; Ruth 1:11-13), granddaughter (1 Ki. 15:2, 10, where the Hebrew word for daughter, bath, is rendered “grand-daughter” in Mo, NW; see 2 Chronicles 13:1, 2) and descendant.—Gen. 27:46; Luke 1:5; 13:16.

Aside from these direct relatives, “daughter” was applied to women in general (Gen. 6:2, 4; 30:13; Prov. 31:29); women of a particular land, people or city (Gen. 24:37; Judg. 11:40; 21:21); female worshipers of false gods (Mal. 2:11); as a general address of kindness by one with authority or by an older person to a younger woman. (Ruth 3:10, 11; Mark 5:34) Forms of the word bath are also rendered “branches” of a tree (Gen. 49:22), “pupil” of the eye (Ps. 17:8), “dependent towns” of a larger city. (Num. 21:25; Josh. 17:11; Jer. 49:2) The term for “daughter,” in its many senses, occurs over 600 times in the Bible.

DAUGHTER-IN-LAW

The wife of one’s son. The same Hebrew (kal·lahʹ) and Greek (nymʹphe) words translated “daughter-in-law” are also rendered “bride” in certain instances. “I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”—Rev. 21:9; Song of Sol. 4:8-12; Isa. 61:10; Jer. 7:34; John 3:29; Rev. 18:23; 21:2; 22:17.

Since the father himself in patriarchal times usually arranged for the marriage of his son, his daughter-in-law was largely his own choice. (Gen. chap. 24) She was welcomed into his household, and when it moved she moved with it. (Gen. 11:31) The Mosaic law prohibited a man from having relations with his daughter-in-law under the penalty of death.—Lev. 18:15; 20:12; Ezek. 22:11.

Dispositions of daughters-in-law and their attitudes toward in-laws vary a great deal. Ruth, for example, proved a most loyal and devoted companion to her mother-in-law Naomi, more so than Orpah, saying, “Your people will be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I shall die.” (Ruth 1:6-17, 22; 4:14, 15) Esau’s Hittite wives were most disconcerting to their in-laws Isaac and Rebekah. (Gen. 26:34; 27:46) Christ Jesus foretold that the Kingdom message would separate daughters-in-law from mothers-in-law.—Matt. 10:35; Luke 12:53.

DAVID

(Daʹvid) [“beloved,” or, possibly, a shortened form of “beloved of Jah”].

In the New World Translation the name occurs 1,076 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, including 75 times in superscriptions of 73 psalms, and 59 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures. Of all Hebrew Scripture characters, only Moses and Abraham are mentioned more frequently by Christian Bible writers. In the 1,135 places where the name David occurs, reference is to but one individual, the second king of Israel, or the one of whom David, at times, served as a pictorial type: “Jesus Christ, son of David.”—Matt. 1:1.

This shepherd, musician, poet, soldier, statesman, prophet and king stands out in the Hebrew Scriptures in great prominence. Here was a fierce fighter on the battlefield who showed endurance under hardships, a leader and commander strong and unwavering in courage, yet humble enough to acknowledge his mistakes and repent of his gross sins, a man capable of tender compassion and mercy, a lover of truth and righteousness, and, above all, one with implicit trust and confidence in his God Jehovah.

David, a descendant of Boaz and Ruth, had an ancestry running back through Perez to Judah. (Ruth 4:18-22; Matt. 1:3-6) This youngest of Jesse’s eight sons also had two sisters or half sisters. (1 Sam. 16:10, 11; 17:12; 1 Chron. 2:16) One of David’s brothers evidently died without having children and was thus dropped from later genealogical records. (1 Chron. 2:13-16) The name of David’s mother is not given. Some have suggested that Nahash was his mother, but it is more probable that Nahash was the father of David’s half sisters. (2 Sam. 17:25; see NAHASH No. 2.) The idea advanced by some that David’s mother may have been a Moabitess has no basis in fact; David’s taking his family to the king of Moab for asylum is no proof of this.—1 Sam. 22:3, 4.

Bethlehem, located some five miles (8 kilometers) S of Jerusalem, was David’s hometown, the town where his forefathers Jesse, Obed and Boaz had lived, and which was sometimes called “David’s city” (Luke 2:4, 11; John 7:42), not to be confused with the “city of David,” that is, Zion in Jerusalem. (2 Sam. 5:7) David longed for the good water in its cistern by the gate from which he drank in his youth when entering the city.—2 Sam. 23:15; 1 Chron. 11:17.