Chapter Eleven
Joab Returns to Rabbah
[Verse 1 parallels 1 Chronicles 20:1]
11:1 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.
In the Hebrew this verse begins with li ṯᵉšû·ḇǎṯ’, literally “the answer” or “the return,” of the year. The Hebrew calendar had two systems often delineated as the “civic” year and the “religious” or “spiritual” year (click here to read more about the two Hebrew calendars). Per God’s instruction, the religious year is what His people utilized after Genesis 12:2, and the first month of the year is Abib (also known a Nisan) which, on our calendars, would be typically late March to early April, or in other words, the start of spring. The wording is not implying that kings go out every spring looking to conquer some people group or nation, it refers to that if there is something that requires a military response, that it’s best to wait for the weather to be more cooperative, especially if dealing with snow and ice.
David sent Joab back to Ammon territory, possibly in response to their humiliation of the men he sent to console the king (see 2 Samuel 10:1-14), or another unreported event took place between the Ammonites and Israel. We get a brief report here that Joab and his men ravaged (Hebrew yǎš·ḥi’·ṯû, to spoil, to destroy, to ruin) the Ammonites and besieged Rammah. We will hear more about the battle later in this chapter, but now the author gives us a important fact that sets the stage for the following event, that “David remained at Jerusalem.”
David and Bathsheba
There is no parallel record of the following series of events in the book of 1 Chronicles, as that book, unlike 1 & 2 Samuel, does not report everything (see Introduction). Much is written and much is speculated about this dark moment in David’s life. As reviewed in the Introduction, the question that is often raised about someone who is known as the only man after God’s own heart, is how can that be true if he is also an adulterer and a murder?
Almost everyone has heard or read about this story. It has been presented in many ways with a generous mix of presuppositions and accusations. Some emphasize David’s lusts, while others lean towards Bathsheba’s solicitation of David. Some say they have found hidden meanings in the text, while others simply read and move on.
11:2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.
The author begins the retelling of this period in David’s life with the words, “It happened…,” which seems to be a “heads up” warning that something bad (the ominous “it”) is about to happen. It began one late afternoon when David got up from resting on his couch (Hebrew miš·kāḇ, bed, couch, place for resting) and was walking on the roof (not unusual as the roofs on most Middle-East homes at that time had flat roofs with stairs, since the roof was where people often slept during hot nights) and the king’s palace would have been higher in elevation than the other buildings around it allowing for a grand overview of the city. From his roof David saw a woman bathing and he could see that she was very beautiful.
11:3 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?”
David asks an unidentified person who this beautiful woman was, and is told that she is Bathsheba. Some point out that the construct of the response was that there was an expectation that David had known about her, perhaps a well known or a well respected woman of Jerusalem. David is also told that she is the daughter of Eliam[1] and the wife of Uriah the Hittite, which would inform him that she was married, and was married to someone he knew.
11:4 So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house.
David sent messengers to her and they took her (Hebrew yiq·qā·ḥě’, a word that can have several meanings depending on context, here it is likely referring to bringing her to David, probably not a snatching, or a forceful taking) and she came to him (again, no aggressive language) and he laid with her, a common euphemism for having sexual intercourse.
In the Bible we have read various accounts of kings, when they see a woman they desire they obtain her, no questions asked (for example see Genesis 12:14-15; 20:2; 26:7-11), but the king of Israel is not just another king, they are also to keep God’s law. For David to engage in sexual intercourse with another man’s wife (which he was told that she was married) violates two of God’s commandments, “You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14, ESV) and “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife…” (Exodus 20:17a, ESV) We do not see any report of resistance or unwillingness from Bathsheba, which if consensual this act was a violation by both parties and according to the law, punishable by death (see Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:24). Many point out that the use of the words like yiq·qā·ḥě’ could be describing a forceful abduction (kidnapping) that David, like many secular kings, used his royal authority and took what he wanted, giving her no choice which then adds up to rape. Based on her behavior and comments after hearing of her husband’s death, she gave no clue of any past hostility from David.
We are told by the author that Bathsheba had been purifying herself from her uncleanness. When David saw her bathing she was purifying herself after her menstrual flow had ended. During that period any physical contact with her would pass on ritual impurity (see Leviticus 15:19–30). The author undoubtedly added this parenthetical comment to show that the soon-to-be-discovered pregnancy was not from her husband, but from the sexual intercourse with David.
11:5 And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”
With the death penalty looming over their heads with secrecy being the only thing that is preventing exposure, Bathsheba notifies David, with the inevitable news everyone will soon know, that she is pregnant.
While conception takes place almost immediately during sexual intercourse, it takes several weeks for this fact to become evident. This phrase therefore implies the passage of a considerable amount of time.[2]
Potentially there may have been several people in or around the palace that knew of David's affair with Bathsheba, but only Bathsheba and David knew she was pregnant from the king (with the possible exception of the messenger that delivered the notice) so there was still time to cover that truth up. But only if David could get Uriah home and in bed with his wife, then the pregnancy would not raise suspicions.
11:6 So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going.
David instructed Joab to send Uriah to him in Jerusalem, and when Uriah arrived David asked three questions. He asked how Joab was doing, how the people were doing, and how the war was going. In each of these questions the Hebrew word šᵉlôm’ meaning peace, is used, however, unlike the English word ‘peace’, it does not always convey an absence of something hostile, unpleasant, or bad, it can be used to inquire of how one’s ‘peace’ is, the equivalent of asking “How are you?” (see Genesis 43:27; Exodus 18:7; Judges 18:15). Here David is seemingly using Uriah as a messenger to provide him with the status of the war, which if this is the same war that David sent Joab to at Rabbah, their siege on the city has likely been in place for at least one month at this time.
11:8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king.
David then gives him permission to go home and wash his feet. The phrase, “wash your feet” has stirred up a significant amount of debate. When one entered any house it would have been customary to wash one’s feet. In an effort to appear appreciative of Uriah’s information, David suggested that Uriah go home to his wife. But some believe that the phrase expresses a double entendre, where they claim the Hebrew word here translated as 'feet', rǎḡ·lê', can also refer to male genitals by citing verses like Ruth 3:4, 7, 8 and Song of Solomon 5:3 to support that claim. That David intentionally used that phrase to encourage Uriah to have sex with his wife.
After David sent Uriah home, he sends him a present (Hebrew mǎś·ʾt’, something that rises up) likely food from his table (see use of this word in Genesis 43:34; Esther 2:18; Amos 5:11) which would be considered a great honor, as a gesture of thanks.
Not hearing any of Uriah’s responses or thoughts, many believe that he must have been a little suspicious as he was likely not called in the past to return to Jerusalem to offer his perspective during a war, nor given the opportunity to come home during a time of battle. But would he have been suspicious that the king had sexual intercourse with Bathsheba, probably not.
11:9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.
Instead of going home that night Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house, a location where the king’s servants would sleep to be nearby if the king needed something.
11:10 When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”
David was informed that Uriah did not go home, so he asks Uriah, “What’s the matter? Why didn’t you go home last night after being away for so long?” (2 Samuel 11:10b, NLT) Uriah responded that the Ark and that the people of Israel and Judah dwell in booths (Hebrew sǔk·kôṯ’, a booth, a temporary shelter) and that Joab and the servants of David are camping in the open field. The Hebrew wording in that statement has caused some to think that the Ark of the Covenant was out at the site of the battle, although not mentioned anywhere else (the use of the word for booth instead of the word for a tent, like the one David prepared for the Ark, is what prompted that idea). Plus, who was Uriah referring to when he said, “Israel and Judah dwell in booths,” since he adds Joab and the other men fighting as camping in the open field? It seems that Uriah was first pointing out that the Ark and his fellow warriors were all dwelling in a temporary structures and that the men who were camping (Hebrew ḥō·nîm’, to decline, bend down, lay siege) in the open country were away from any comforts. Nothing else should be implied. He contrasts that to going home the night before and says, “How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do such a thing.” (2 Samuel 11:11b, NLT)
Some ask where does the Ark fit into this response? Even though Uriah is referred to as being a Hittite, his speech and actions clearly indicate he was a faithful follower or YHWH, and as such God is first and foremost in his life, and the Ark represents His presence in Israel. What’s “good enough” for God, is certainly “good enough” for him!
11:12 Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.
David quickly formulates an alternate plan, and asks Uriah to stay in town one more day and he will send him back to Rabbah the following day. Uriah did stay and was invited to eat and drink with him that night. David was able to get Uriah drunk, but afterwards Uriah again did not go home, instead he slept in the same place in David’s palace. Now that two plans to encourage Uriah to go home did not work, David then conceived an evil plot.
11:14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” 16 And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. 17 And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died.
The following morning David wrote a letter to Joab with the instructions to place Uriah in a dangerous position where he would be killed by the enemy. Joab complied with the king’s orders and placed him in a scenario that Uriah and some of David’s other men were killed. By writing that letter, David made Joab an accomplice to murder of not only of one murder, but possible several others.
11:18 Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting. 19 And he instructed the messenger, “When you have finished telling all the news about the fighting to the king, 20 then, if the king’s anger rises, and if he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’ ”
Joab sent a messenger to inform David of this incident without the message being too self-incriminating. He tells the messenger that if after explaining what happened and the king gets angry over the tactics used, and retorts something like, “Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall?” And relate it to when Abimelech, the son of Jerubbesheth (namely, Gideon, who was also known as Jerubbaal, which was changed to Jerubbesheth by the author, like Ish-bosheth and Mephibosheth) was attacking Thebez (see Judges 9:50-57) when a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head, offering the lesson that when going against a walled city or a tower, don’t get too close. Joab anticipates that David will ask, “Why did you go so near the wall?” If the messenger is questioned in like manner, he is to respond that his servant Uriah the Hittite was among those that died.
11:22 So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men gained an advantage over us and came out against us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. 24 Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king’s servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” 25 David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”
The messenger came to David and told him that the enemy had gained an advantage over them and came out against them in the field, but the drove them back to the entrance of the gate, but close enough that the archers shot at David’s men and several had died, including Uriah the Hittite. This rendition of events is not what we read in verses 19-21, but it does align well with Joab’s instructions and does not contradict them. Keeping the appearance for the messenger David tells him to convey to Joab that he should not be discouraged, and say, “The sword devours this one today and that one tomorrow! Fight harder next time, and conquer the city!” (2 Samuel 11:25b, NLT)
David offers a platitude that basically says “things happen,” so don’t let that bother you Joab. Implying that the death of his men was merely by chance, but in reality were the result of an evil plan to hide a sin.
From his own selfish perspective the king is basically saying that what is done is done, that it cannot be helped, and that innocent people will often get caught in the crossfire when vital goals are pursued. What is more, David further masks his true concerns by telling the messenger to authorize Joab to “press” the attack against Rabbah.[3]
11:26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. 27 And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.
When Bathsheba heard that her husband had died, she mourned for him. We are not told how long the mourning period lasted (could be from one week, see Genesis 50:10; 1 Samuel 31:13, to one month, see Numbers 20:29; Deuteronomy 34:8, or perhaps longer). When the mourning was over, David had her brought to his palace and she became his wife and we are further told that she bore him a son.
Though David’s actions here toward Bathsheba have parallels with his treatment of Abigail (cf. 1 Sam 25:39–42), similar policies and motivations may distinguish the two. As perhaps in the case of Abigail, David may have been acting as a royal, surrogate kinsman-redeemer (Hb. gōʾēl). David might have claimed he was taking the gōʾēl responsibility on himself since Uriah was a foreigner who had no near kinsman living in Israel. As such, David would have assumed the lifelong responsibility of caring for the needs of Uriah’s widow and was obligated to father a child in order to raise up an offspring to preserve the family line of the deceased (cf. Gen 38:8; Deut 25:5–6; Ruth 4:5). Such a pretext would have made David’s actions toward Bathsheba following Uriah’s death seem truly noble and would have accounted nicely for the birth of the son.[4]
David resolved his problem through murder, so now he violated a third commandment, “You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13, ESV) He is not just guilty of one murder but several men were now dead all because he wanted to cover up a sin.
And, as is often the case, the sins which followed were worse than those which prepared the way. Vice begins as a small stream trickling through the opposing dam, but it quickly breaks down all moral restraints, and rushes along like a destroying flood.[5]
Or was it covered up? We now hear from God, “But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.”
Considerations
Not Satisfied?
As we read how one bad decision led to a cascade of catastrophic failures and a horrific conclusion, we are left with not only feeling disappointed, but also with the burning question, how did a man known as a man after God’s own heart, leave Him out?
David’s many wives did not satisfy his lust. This was because you can’t satisfy lusts of the flesh, as they are primarily rebellious assertions of self. It wasn’t so much that David wanted Bathsheba; it was that he would not be satisfied with what God gave him.[6]
Much of that question will be answered in the next chapter, but while we can say that we would never resort to murder to cover up a sin, we can learn a valuable lesson here. Reading his Psalms we can see that David really did have an insight on the nature of God, yet he failed here in such a catastrophic way. Sinful lusts can cloud our view of God, if it can happen to a man who is recorded in the Bible as a man after God’s own heart, we need to be aware and understand that any sinful lust can ‘snowball’ into something that can blind us, and perhaps even block us from God. Peter would remind us, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9a, NLT)
This is one of the Scripture’s most vivid reminders that all human beings, no matter how elevated their status in the eyes of those around them, no matter what special calling they may have received from the Lord, are still fallen creatures and capable of the most unimaginable iniquities...With few exceptions (no sin is mentioned in the life of Daniel; and some argue the same with Joseph), the heroes of the Bible are not portrayed as sinless saints, including the most godly of Israel’s rulers in the Old Testament period.[7]
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[1] The reference to Eliam probably reflects Bathsheba’s upper-class pedigree, because Eliam was the son of Ahithophel (2 Samuel 23:34), who was in turn David’s counselor (see 2 Samuel 15:12). Youngblood, R. F. (1992). 1, 2 Samuel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 929). Zondervan Publishing House.
[2] Omanson, R. L., & Ellington, J. (2001). A handbook on second book of Samuel (pp. 822–823). United Bible Societies.
[3] Youngblood, R. F. (1992). 1, 2 Samuel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 937). Zondervan Publishing House.
[4] Bergen, R. D. (1996). 1, 2 Samuel (Vol. 7, p. 368). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[5] Spence-Jones, H. D. M., ed. (1909). 2 Samuel (p. 288). Funk & Wagnalls Company.
[6] Guzik, D. (2013). 2 Samuel (2 Sa 11:2). David Guzik.
[7] Vannoy, J. R. (2009). Cornerstone Biblical Commentarya: 1-2 Samuel (Vol. 4, p. 336). Tyndale House Publishers.