IN BRIEF
2 Samuel 11–12
Sins of the righteous
Around 1000 BCE Jerusalem.
David Israel’s well-respected second king, who ascends to the throne after Saul’s death. He sins against God by sleeping with Bathsheba.
Bathsheba The wife of Uriah the Hittite, who commits adultery with David and later marries him.
Joab The commander of David’s army.
Nathan A prophet and one of David’s closest advisers.
Uriah the Hittite A high-ranking officer in David’s army who is married to Bathsheba.
Initially revered as a wise king, David is in the 11th year of his reign when he breaks God’s laws. The events that then unfold warn of the dangers of monarchy if the king does not obey God—a theme explored elsewhere in the Book of Samuel.
David’s transgression occurs during a time of war. Having secured the kingdom, he stays behind in Jerusalem rather than leading his army into another battle. While resting in his palace, the king spots a beautiful woman bathing on the roof of a nearby house. He immediately sends one of his servants to discover her identity. The servant tells him her name is Bathsheba and that she is the wife of Uriah the Hittite, a warrior serving in David’s current campaign against the Ammonites.
Succumbs to sin
Despite his strength in battle, David gives in to desire. He sends for Bathsheba and sleeps with her. This seemingly uncharacteristic action by David shows us that even great men can struggle against sin. However, David’s actions soon catch up with him when Bathsheba sends word that she is pregnant. As both Bathsheba’s husband and many other members of her family hold important positions in court, David wishes to avoid a scandal at all costs.
Adultery and polygamy
One of the most frequently and severely condemned sins in the Bible is adultery. It is mentioned 52 times, including in the Ten Commandments, where it is specifically prohibited; all four New Testament Gospels; and in ten other books of the Bible. Only the sins of idolatry, self-righteousness, and murder are mentioned more often. Leviticus 20:10 makes it clear how sternly God judged the crime, saying that “both the adulterer and adulteress are to be put to death.” The method of execution was by stoning.
While God hates adultery, polygamy seems to be both accepted and commonplace. According to Genesis 4, Cain’s descendant, Lamech, had two wives, while Abraham, Jacob, and possibly Moses are also polygamous. Scholars believe David may have had as many as 12 wives; Solomon, who “loved many foreign women” (1 Kings 11:1), had 700 wives and 300 concubines.
David plots
The king’s first move is to recall Uriah from the battlefront on the pretext of wanting to hear a first-hand account of the war’s progress. Once Uriah is back in Jerusalem, it would be only natural for him to sleep with his wife, who could then claim her unborn child as his.
However, Uriah decides to sleep on a mat in the palace rather than go home. Demonstrating a stricter ethical code than King David, he protests that it would be unfair for him to feast and make love to his wife while his fellow soldiers are away fighting.
David invites Uriah to dine with him and plies him with alcohol, hoping this will make him forget his scruples. However, once again, Uriah does not return home. As David gets more desperate, one sin leads to another, and his thoughts turn to murder. He feels desire for Bathsheba and wants to marry her himself.
When Uriah returns to the battlefield, the king gives him a letter for his commander Joab in which he tells Joab to order Uriah “out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die” (2 Samuel 11:14). Joab carries out David’s orders and sends word that Uriah has been killed. Once Bathsheba’s period of mourning is over, David promptly marries her.
God’s anger
The Lord is displeased by David’s actions and sends Nathan the prophet to confront the king. Nathan tells David a parable about a rich man who, despite his wealth, takes and kills a poor man’s only lamb. When David condemns the injustice, saying “the man who did this must die!” (2 Samuel 12:5), Nathan replies tersely “You are the man!” (12:7) and denounces the enormity of David’s sins. David repents, but God still punishes him. When Bathsheba bears their son, the child dies within days of the birth.
As well as showing how even the most righteous can fall into sin, this story is a cautionary tale about the dangers of power. Through committing the heinous sins of both adultery and murder, King David acts as though he considers himself above the laws of God. Only his true repentance for the harm he has done allows him to recover God’s favor and even then, he and his family will continue to suffer the consequences of his actions.
“Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in His eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own.”
2 Samuel 12:9
See also: Esau and Jacob • The Ten Plagues • The Ten Commandments • Samson • The Fall of Jerusalem • The Disobedient Prophet