2 Samuel 11:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going.

NIV: When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going.

NASB: When Uriah came to him, David asked about Joab’s well-being and that of the people, and the condition of the war.

CSB: When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the troops were doing and how the war was going.

NLT: When Uriah arrived, David asked him how Joab and the army were getting along and how the war was progressing.

KJV: And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered.

NKJV: When Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people were doing, and how the war prospered.

A year before, when the king of Ammon died, David sent representatives to give condolences to the former king's son. The paranoid new king foolishly thought the messengers were spies, come to plan an invasion. The king humiliated the messengers. David sent Joab to avenge them. And the Ammonites holed up in Rabbah, a fortified city (2 Samuel 10).

Now, it's spring. David wants the Ammonites taken care of, so he sends Joab back to destroy the city (2 Samuel 11:1). Uriah, one of David's greatest warriors, is with Joab. David sends word that he wants Uriah to return to Jerusalem to give an update on the battle (2 Samuel 11:6).

Any soldier could give David news. David wants Uriah for a specific reason. While Uriah was fighting the Ammonites, David slept with his wife, and now she's pregnant. If word gets out, David could lose his kingdom, and Bathsheba could lose her life. David needs Uriah to go home and have sex with her, so Uriah can think the baby is his (2 Samuel 11:8).

But there's a reason Uriah is a great warrior. He is devoted to David and his fellow soldiers. He can't bear the thought of going to his house and seeing his wife when the rest of the army—not to mention the ark of the covenant—is lying on tents. Instead, Uriah sleeps at David's door with the rest of the servants (2 Samuel 11:9).

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.