2 Samuel 11:2-27
11:2 a walking on the roof: The roofs of houses were flat and were regularly used for a variety of purposes, such as drying and storing produce (Josh 2:6 b), strolling and socializing, and sleeping in warm weather.• Bathsheba was taking a bath in plain view of the roof of the king’s palace, but perhaps she assumed everyone would be inside, seeking refuge from the heat or having a midday rest.
11:3 c Bathsheba means “daughter of seven” or “daughter of oath.” Her father Eliam was the son of Ahithophel (see 23:34 d), an adviser sought by David and then by Absalom (15:12 e; 16:23 f). Much to David’s chagrin (15:31 g), Ahithophel later shifted his allegiance from David to Absalom (17:1-4 h, 14 i) and advised Absalom to sleep with David’s concubines on a rooftop, in open view (16:20-22 j).
• Uriah is a Hebrew name (meaning “Yahweh [is] my light”); either he was a foreign mercenary, a convert to Israelite religion, or an Israelite of Hittite heritage. Uriah might also have been a member of the non-Israelite aristocracy in Jerusalem that predated David’s conquest of the city. He was one of the Thirty—David’s mightiest warriors (23:39 k).
11:4 l It is not clear whether Bathsheba came to David’s palace voluntarily. That no protestations are recorded (cp. 13:12-13 m) and that she married David, bore him another child, and persuaded him to designate their child as heir (1 Kgs 1:11-21 n) suggest that she might have been a willing partner. However, Bathsheba mourned for her husband (2 Sam 11:26-27 o), and only David was condemned for this act (11:27 p), so she might have been violated against her will.
• The phrase after having her menstrual period (see Lev 15:19-24 q) is included to show that the child Bathsheba conceived could not possibly have been Uriah’s.
11:8 r and relax: David assumed that Uriah would have sex with Bathsheba while on this weekend pass. Then everyone except Bathsheba would assume that the child was Uriah’s, conceived on this night.
• a gift: David might not have even cared whether the husband and wife were intimate. Uriah’s return to his house would stifle any rumors as to how and when Bathsheba became pregnant.
11:11 s in tents (Hebrew, sukkoth, the name behind Sukkot, “the Festival of Shelters,” Deut 16:13-17 t): These were temporary structures made of branches and foliage used by soldiers in the field, herdsmen protecting their cattle, or grape harvesters in the vineyard.
• wine and dine and sleep with my wife? Uriah was willing to wine and dine with David (2 Sam 11:13 u), so it was not sharing the table with Bathsheba that Uriah wished to avoid but sharing the marriage bed. The Israelites considered the war camp a holy place because God was present to fight for his people. Thus, soldiers on duty avoided anything that caused impurity, such as sexual intercourse (Lev 15:18 v; see also 1 Sam 21:5-6 w).
Summary for 2Sam 11:16-17: 11:16-17 x Uriah was not the only casualty: David sacrificed several other Israelite soldiers while attempting to hide his sin.
11:21 y Wasn’t Abimelech ... killed ... by a woman: Cp. Judg 9:54 z.
11:25 aa The sword devours this one today and that one tomorrow! David’s callous attitude toward the unnecessary deaths he caused is chilling.
2 Samuel 12:1-25
Summary for 2Sam 12:1-31: 12:1-31 ab Chapter 12 expands on the last phrase of 11:27 ac. 12:1 ad The Lord sent Nathan to David at least nine months after his adulterous sin.• This story is a rare Old Testament instance of a parable (see also Judg 9:8-15 ae). Such stories can be effective for communicating truth.
• David was rich in the royal treasures he possessed, the number of wives he had, and all the promises of God for his future. Uriah by contrast was poor: he had one wife, one home, and no lineage.
12:3 af like a baby daughter: Nathan’s comparison of this lamb to a daughter (Hebrew bath) strikes a parallel with Bathsheba’s name (see study note on 11:3).
12:4 ag he took the poor man’s lamb: Samuel had previously warned that a king would take what was not his (1 Sam 8:11-17 ah).
Summary for 2Sam 12:5-6: 12:5-6 ai The rich man of the parable did not deserve to die according to the law; instead, he must repay four lambs (cp. Exod 22:1 aj). Intriguingly, David would later lose four of his sons (Bathsheba’s first child, 2 Sam 12:18 ak; Amnon, 13:29 al; Absalom, 18:14-15 am; Adonijah, 1 Kgs 2:25 an).
Summary for 2Sam 12:7-8: 12:7-8 ao You are that man! David did deserve to die for his crime (Lev 20:10 ap).
• I anointed ... I gave ... I would have given you: David’s sin not only violated God’s commandments against murder, adultery, and coveting (Exod 20:1-17 aq) but also amounted to a brazen disregard for all that the Lord had graciously given him.
12:8 ar His wives were probably the concubines of Saul’s harem (cp. 3:7 as). The phrase could refer to Saul’s wife Ahinoam, although David probably married a different woman with the same name (cp. 1 Sam 14:50 at; 25:43 au).
12:10 av from this time on (literally forever): Contrast God’s gracious “forever” promises of 7:13-29 aw.
• The reminder of what David had done with the sword (12:9 ax) and what role the sword would play in his family recalls David’s cavalier response to Joab’s report of the deaths of Uriah and other innocent Israelites (11:25 ay).
12:11 az I will cause your own household to rebel against you: Absalom’s revolt against David (chs 14–19 ba) fulfilled this promise.
12:14 bb Nevertheless ... your child will die: At times, God transfers punishment of fathers to their descendants (Exod 20:5 bc; 34:7 bd; Num 14:18 be; Deut 5:9 bf; Jer 32:18 bg). Although David repented and was forgiven (2 Sam 12:13 bh), it did not cancel all retribution; it delayed it until a later generation (cp. 1 Kgs 21:27-29 bi).
12:20 bj The series of actions described here show David resuming normal life activities. That he did so this soon after his son’s death amazed his advisers (12:21 bk).
Summary for 2Sam 12:21-23: 12:21-23 bl David grieved before his son’s death, hoping to ward off punishment.
12:23 bm Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day: The irreversibility of his son’s death forced David to face his own mortality. But he also showed his confidence in the afterlife.
12:24 bn Even after Uriah’s death, Bathsheba was still called Uriah’s wife (12:9 bo; see also Matt 1:6 bp). Only here is she called David’s wife.
• Solomon: Pronounced Shelomoh in Hebrew, it probably means “his peace,” from the Hebrew shalom. It might mean “his replacement”; cp. Shelemiah (Jer 36:14 bq, “Yahweh has provided compensation”) and Shelumiel (Num 1:6 br, “God [is] my compensation”); both contain the root shelem (“replacement, compensation”).
12:25 bs Jedidiah means “loved by Yahweh.” This God-given second name for Solomon, mentioned only here, guaranteed his future, as it expressed God’s special love for him.
Copyright information for
TNotes