2 Samuel11

King David, while his army was at war, saw Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, bathing and subsequently lay with her, leading to her conception. To conceal his sin, David orchestrated Uriah's death in battle by sending a letter to Joab. After Uriah's death and Bathsheba's mourning, David took her as his wife, but "the thing that David had done displeased the LORD."
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David's Idleness Leads to Sin

1
And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. ​

David Commits Adultery with Bathsheba

2
And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. ​
3
And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? ​
4
And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. ​
5
And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child. ​

The Attempted Cover-Up

6
And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David. ​
7
And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered.
8
And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king.
9
But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house. ​
10
And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from thy journey? why then didst thou not go down unto thine house?
11
And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing. ​
12
And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow.
13
And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house. ​

David Arranges Uriah’s Murder

14
And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. ​
15
And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die. ​
16
And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.
17
And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also. ​
18
Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war;
19
And charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king,
20
And if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?
21
Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also. ​
22
So the messenger went, and came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for.
23
And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate.
24
And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and some of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
25
Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him. ​

The Aftermath and God's Displeasure

26
And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.
27
And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD. ​

Study Notes for 2 Samuel 11

Verse 1

David’s decision to remain in Jerusalem while his army was engaged in battle was a failure of leadership. This idleness created the opportunity for the subsequent moral collapse.

Verse 2

David’s viewing of Bathsheba was the start of a chain reaction of sin. The text emphasizes that lust, when entertained, quickly moves toward action, violating the Tenth (coveting) and Seventh (adultery) Commandments.

Verse 3

Bathsheba is explicitly identified as the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of David’s most loyal and elite warriors (2 Sam. 23:39). Her father, Eliam, was likely the son of David’s counselor, Ahithophel (2 Sam. 23:34), deepening the betrayal.

Verse 4

The phrase 'took her' implies the misuse of royal power (extortion or coercion). The detail that she was 'purified from her uncleanness' confirms that she was not pregnant from her husband, making David solely responsible for the conception.

Verse 5

The unexpected pregnancy immediately forces David's hand, turning his private sin into a public crisis that demands a cover-up or confession.

Verse 6

David attempts to use Uriah’s presence in Jerusalem to mask the paternity of the child, demonstrating a pattern of deception to avoid responsibility.

Verse 9

Uriah’s refusal to go home was based on military custom and ritual purity laws, which forbade sexual relations while on duty or consecrated for battle. His integrity sharply contrasts with David’s moral failure.

Verse 11

Uriah’s powerful statement highlights his solidarity with his fellow soldiers and his reverence for the sacred Ark, which was often taken into battle. His commitment implicitly condemns David’s luxurious and self-indulgent behavior.

Verse 13

David’s attempt to manipulate Uriah by getting him drunk fails to break the soldier’s resolve. This only confirms Uriah’s steadfast character and forces David to resort to a more desperate solution.

Verse 14

The profound irony and moral tragedy is that David uses the loyal and unsuspecting Uriah to carry his own death warrant to Joab.

Verse 15

This act moves David’s sin from adultery and deception to premeditated murder, a capital offense (Exod. 21:14) and a gross abuse of his divinely appointed authority.

Verse 17

The simple statement of Uriah’s death marks the tragic completion of David’s destructive plan. The text focuses on the successful execution of the king’s evil command.

Verse 21

Joab anticipates David’s possible anger over the tactical failure and prepares a coded response. The mention of Abimelech (Judges 9) is a historical comparison used to justify the loss of life near the wall, while subtly revealing the true purpose of the messenger: to confirm Uriah's death.

Verse 25

David’s casual dismissal of the loss of life ('the sword devoureth one as well as another') demonstrates his hardened conscience and his success in covering up the murder, showing no remorse at this stage.

Verse 27

David rushes the marriage after the typical mourning period (often seven days) to fully legitimize the pregnancy and finalize the cover-up. The final theological judgment is clear: despite David’s success in concealing the crime from men, 'the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.'

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