2 Samuel 11:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So David sent word to Joab, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent Uriah to David.

NIV: So David sent this word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent him to David.

NASB: Then David sent word to Joab: 'Send me Uriah the Hittite.' So Joab sent Uriah to David.

CSB: David sent orders to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hethite." So Joab sent Uriah to David.

NLT: Then David sent word to Joab: 'Send me Uriah the Hittite.' So Joab sent him to David.

KJV: And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David.

NKJV: Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David.

Bathsheba and David have a problem. Hers is most urgent. Before long, it will become apparent that she is pregnant. Since her husband, Uriah, is currently away at war, she'll be held guilty of adultery. If David doesn't acknowledge that he's the father, she will lose her marriage and social standing—at best. At worst, she'll be stoned (Leviticus 20:10). She is entirely dependent on the king to save her.

David's situation is different, but also dire. If Bathsheba tells people that he's the father, and if they believe her, his relationship with the people of Israel, including his most trusted military leaders, could be harmed beyond repair. Instead of being the respected and trusted hero of Israel, his very kingdom might be threatened. His soldiers would know that their wives aren't safe with their king in Jerusalem. David has spent decades building trust with his warriors. He hasn't been in such danger since the Amalekites kidnapped his men's families and the men threatened to stone him (1 Samuel 30).

David hatches a plan. He sends an order to Joab, the commander of Israel's army. Joab and the army are holding the Ammonite city of Rabbah in a siege, the most common strategy to defeat an enemy city. David tells Joab to send Uriah, a respected general in the army, back to Jerusalem. If Uriah will just go home and sleep with his wife, David and Bathsheba can pretend Uriah's the father (2 Samuel 11:8).

Unfortunately, David taught Uriah well that soldiers are not to have sex while on a mission (1 Samuel 21:4–5). Uriah's intense sense of honor won't let him enjoy his wife while his fellow soldiers are at war.

In 2 Samuel 11:6–13, David plans a cover-up. While Uriah the Hittite was fighting the Ammonites at David's command, David slept with Uriah's wife Bathsheba. Now, Bathsheba is pregnant, and there's no way to pretend Uriah is the father. David recalls Uriah from the front line, thinking Uriah will visit home and have sex with his wife. Thinking about his comrades, sleeping in tents, Uriah refuses. So, David takes things a step further. He sends Uriah back with orders for Joab to arrange for Uriah's death in battle (2 Samuel 11:14–15).

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.