Biblical Profile: Bathsheba

Bathsheba

Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, was the daughter of Eliam (2 Sam 11:3; cp. 1 Chr 3:5) and the granddaughter of Ahithophel, the king’s adviser (2 Sam 15:12; 23:34). Her husband, Uriah, was a Hittite mercenary in King David’s service and was one of David’s mighty men (23:39).

One spring, David stayed home in Jerusalem while the army went to the battlefield (11:1). Resting at midday, David strolled on his roof overlooking the city and saw the beautiful Bathsheba taking a bath. He arranged for her to be brought to his private chambers. Then he had sexual relations with her, and she became pregnant (11:2-4).

Not wanting this scandal to become public, David arranged a cover-up: He told Joab, the general, to have Uriah bring back a report from the battle lines. David hoped that Uriah would return home and sleep with Bathsheba, thus legitimizing her pregnancy. But Uriah considered himself still on active duty, so he slept at the palace gate instead (11:5-13). When David asked him about this, he replied that he could not sleep with his wife while the Ark and the armies of Israel were on the battlefield. This answer put David in a very bad light: Uriah, who was not even an Israelite, was standing ready to return to battle by avoiding intercourse with his wife (see Lev 15:16-18), while David was staying at home and trying to cover up adultery! Then David sent Uriah back and ordered Joab to ensure that he was killed in battle (2 Sam 11:14-25). Uriah’s death did not keep David’s sin a secret, however. The Lord sent the prophet Nathan to confront David, and David confessed his sin and repented (12:1-14; see Ps 51).

Bathsheba’s baby became sick and died, as Nathan had predicted. After Bathsheba’s period of mourning, David brought her to the palace as his wife. David and Bathsheba had other children (Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon; 2 Sam 12:15-25; 1 Chr 3:5). The rest of David’s life is filled with intrigue among the different factions of his wives and children, culminating in David’s old age when Bathsheba sought to ensure the kingship for her son Solomon (1 Kgs 1:1-53).

In Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, both Solomon and Bathsheba appear (Matt 1:6); she is described there as “the widow of Uriah,” a reminder of the sin that brought her into David’s family and of God’s gracious favor toward her descendants.

Passages for Further Study

2 Sam 11:1–12:25; 1 Kgs 1:5–2:25; Ps 51:1-19