Bathsheba means "daughter of seven" or "daughter of oath." Her father, Eliam, was the son of Ahithophel (see 2 Samuel 23:34), an adviser first to David and then to Absalom (2 Samuel 15:12; 16:23). Ahithophel later switched his support from David to Absalom (2 Samuel 17:1–4, 14), which upset David. He advised Absalom to sleep with David's concubines on a rooftop, where everyone could see (2 Samuel 16:20–22).
Uriah is a Hebrew name meaning "Yahweh is my light." He might have been a foreign soldier, a convert to the Israelite religion, or an Israelite with Hittite ancestry. Uriah could also have been part of the non-Israelite nobility in Jerusalem before David conquered the city. He was one of David's 30 mightiest warriors (2 Samuel 23:39).