2 Samuel 11:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"

NIV: and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite."

NASB: So David sent servants and inquired about the woman. And someone said, 'Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?'

CSB: So David sent someone to inquire about her, and he said, "Isn’t this Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hethite?"

NLT: He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, 'She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.'

KJV: And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

NKJV: So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “ Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

Walking on his roof in the relative cool of the evening, David sees a beautiful woman bathing. Nothing in the text suggests that either of them is doing anything wrong at this point. Bathsheba doesn't appear to realize anyone can see her and Scripture does not say that she was on her own roof. David isn't intentionally looking for naked women. Perhaps his gaze lingered longer than it should have, but the text doesn't comment on this. David asks who she is. We don't know what's in his heart, but his actions aren't yet sinful. He has the right to pursue her for wife or concubine if she's single.

She's not. She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite. David knows both men very well.

Eliam is the son of Ahithophel, who will later be described as one of King David's wisest and most valued advisers (2 Samuel 16:23). Both Eliam and Uriah are part of an elite military regiment called "the thirty," the mightiest of David's men (2 Samuel 23:34, 39). Uriah is from the Hittite people, one of the Canaanite people God told the Israelites to drive out (Deuteronomy 7:1). But Uriah has demonstrated longstanding loyalty to David and earned his place among the Israelite people as one of them.

Bathsheba's family is loyal and deeply respected in David's kingdom. Uriah is actively fighting a battle that David demanded. By taking Bathsheba and having sex with her, David commits an egregious betrayal of their loyalty and trust (2 Samuel 11:4).

At least two other men in the Bible are named Uriah: a priest (2 Kings 16:10–16) and a wall-builder (Nehemiah 3:4, 21; 8:4).

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.