2 Samuel 11:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

NIV: In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.

NASB: Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they brought destruction on the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem.

CSB: In the spring when kings march out to war, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem.

NLT: In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.

KJV: And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

NKJV: It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

The story of David and Bathsheba is heartbreaking on several levels. First, it becomes a turning point in David's life. For the first time, he acts in open rebellion against the Lord, and for the first time, the Lord is openly displeased with him (2 Samuel 11:27).

The story begins with David sending Joab and the army of Israel out to war with the Ammonites. Commentators assume this takes place in the year after the events of the previous chapter. Because of a foolish decision by the Ammonites' new king, Joab and the army sent them racing back to the fortified city of Rabbah (2 Samuel 10:13–14). The Syrians, the Ammonites' allies, raised a massive force to attack Israel, and David went with the army and defeated them (2 Samuel 10:17–18). No mention is made of the Ammonites participating in that second conflict.

David has unfinished business with the Ammonites. He sends Joab and the army out once more to lay siege to Rabbah and defeat them for the last time. Such campaigns often took place in the spring, after the winter rains and before the spring harvest season.

Some commentators over the years have suggested that David's choice to remain in Jerusalem during the time when "kings go out to battle" shows some weakness of character. However, it was not unusual for kings to send out their armies on their behalf and remain at home to deal with domestic issues. David could "go out" to battle in the sense of sending Joab and the army out with his full authority. However, the choices David makes in Jerusalem while his army is on the battlefield will plainly reveal sinful weakness in the king.

Second Samuel 11:1–5 describes David's sin against Bathsheba. Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, is at war against the Ammonites with Joab and Israel's army. David sees Bathsheba bathing from the uncleanness of her menstruation and has her brought to him. He has sex with her, and she becomes pregnant. To hide his sin, David first tries to trick Uriah into sleeping with his wife. When Uriah refuses, David has Uriah murdered (2 Samuel 11:6–25). We aren't told the story from Bathsheba's point of view, but the text never faults her or condemns her of sin. First Chronicles 20:1 describes the battle.

In 2 Samuel 11, David commits grievous sins. Joab and the Israelite army, including the warrior Uriah, are finishing the battle against the Ammonites. Back in Jerusalem, David takes notice of Uriah's wife and impregnates her. When she informs David of the pregnancy, David recalls Uriah. The king expects the soldier to sleep with his wife and claim the child. Uriah's intense loyalty and integrity prevent him from even visiting his house while the others are still at war. David tells Joab to have Uriah killed in battle. God sends Nathan to confront David. David sincerely repents, but God takes the child (2 Samuel 12).

Second Samuel 11 begins the account of David's greatest sins. David sleeps with and impregnates a soldier's wife, Bathsheba. To hide his sin, David has the soldier killed in battle. God tells Nathan to rebuke David, and David repents fully. But God still takes the life of the baby boy (2 Samuel 12; Psalm 51). The story reveals two things about God. First, He is willing to restore His relationship with us when we repent from even the most horrible sin. And second, He has no interest in shaming vulnerable victims of powerful people.

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.