Keraia
2 Samuel 11

2 Samuel 11:4

David and Bathsheba · 2 Samuel 11:1–13
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Translations

Modern
Then David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned home.
Traditional
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.
Literal
And David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (And she had cleansed herself from her uncleanness.) And she returned to her house.
Latin
Missis itaque David nuntiis, tulit eam: quæ cum ingressa esset ad illum, dormivit cum ea: statimque sanctificata est ab immunditia sua,

Original

Hebrew
English
Then David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned home.

Notes

2 Samuel 11:4

  • It is not clear whether Bathsheba came to David’s palace by her own choice. David was the king, and Bathsheba was a subject under his authority. This unequal power relationship means that she may not have been free to refuse his summons.

    The text does not record any protest from Bathsheba, unlike other passages where protest is clearly stated (compare 2 Samuel 13:12–13). Afterward, she married David, bore him another son, and later urged David to name their son as heir (1 Kings 1:11–21). These details may suggest willing cooperation.

    However, other details point in a different direction. Bathsheba mourned for her husband Uriah (2 Samuel 11:26–27), and the text places blame only on David for what happened (2 Samuel 11:27). Given David’s authority and Bathsheba’s vulnerable position, it is also possible that she was taken against her will.

  • The phrase about her menstrual period (see Leviticus 15:19–24) shows that Bathsheba could not have been pregnant by Uriah. It makes clear that the child she conceived must have been David’s.

2 Samuel 11:1–27

David’s affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah show that David was capable of serious moral failure. These actions deeply damaged David’s life and leadership.

These failures took place during a period when David was enjoying major military success against the Ammonites (2 Samuel 10:1–11:1; 12:26–31).

Events

People

David: Anointed king of Israel, ancestor of Jesus Christ

Glossary

Archaeology and the Bible Bathsheba Cleanness and Uncleanness, Regulations Concerning David Hittites Jerusalem Joab Kings, Books of First and Second Nathan Palace Psalms, Book of Samuel, Books of First and Second Uriah

Topics

Adultery: David Bastard: David's Child by Bath-Sheba Bath-Sheba (Bathsheba): Adultery of Chastity: Temptation to Deviate From, Dangerous Covetousness: David, of Bath-Sheba David: King of Israel: Commits Adultery with Bath-Sheba Defilement: Caused by Menses Instability: David, in Yielding to Lust Lasciviousness: David Purification for Women: After Menstruation Temptation: Yielding to David, to Commit Adultery Uriah: One of David's Mighty Men: David's Adultery with the Wife of Wife: Bath-Sheba Women: Bath-Sheba, in Her Adultery, in Becoming the Wife of Her Husband's Murderer Women: Purifications of After Menstruation