institution · I0050
Malchut Beit David מלכות בית דוד
The royal house of David: the united monarchy from David's accession in 2884 AM, and after the split of 2964 the kingdom of Yehudah, ruled from Jerusalem by David's direct line for over four centuries until the Babylonian destruction of 3338 AM. Its kings carry their reigns as roles on this institution; the line's only break is the six-year usurpation of Atalyah. Kingship is a separate layer from the Mesorah chain — this house carries no received_from edges.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- מלכות בית דוד
- Also known as
- Kingdom of Yehudah, House of David, Kingdom of Judah
- Era
- bible
II. When
- Traditional
- 2884–3338 AM (united monarchy 2884–2964; kingdom of Yehudah alone after the split)
- Academic
- c. 1010–586 BCE
- Duration
- ≈454 years
- Precision
- approximate
III. Where
- Places
- Jerusalem
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natan the prophet conveyed the dynastic covenant to David: "I will raise up your seed after you... and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever" — the charter of the house of David. | biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| At Shechem the ten northern tribes rejected Rechavam — "What share have we in David?" — and Israel has been in revolt against the house of David to this day; only Yehudah (with Binyamin) remained to the dynasty. The atlas marks the split at 2964 AM. | biblical tradition | ★★★★★ | |
| In the nineteenth year of Nevuchadnetzar, Nevuzaradan burned the house of God, the king's house, and every great house in Jerusalem, and exiled the remnant — the end of the kingdom, anchored on the traditional timeline at 3338 AM. | biblical tradition | ★★★★★ | |
| The Tel Dan Stele (9th century BCE) names "the house of David" (bytdwd) — external attestation that the dynasty was known by its founder's name within roughly a century of his traditional dates.
The reading "house of David" is accepted by most scholars; a minority read the phrase otherwise.
|
external archaeology | ★★★★☆ | |
| The AM band 2884–3338 is a schematic reconstruction on the Seder Olam timeline: David's accession forty years before Shlomo's death, the Temple begun 2928 (480 years after the Exodus, Melachim I 6:1), destruction 3338. The cited sources give relative regnal data, not absolute AM years. | tradition reconstruction | ★★☆☆☆ |