Bathsheba was a young girl when the king spied her enjoying a ritual bath on her roof. According to Jewish legend she was still a virgin since Uriah had not yet consummated their marriage. The parable which Nathan used to illustrate the situation leads one to believe that Bathsheba had been raised in her husband's household along with his children from a previous marriage and was like a daughter to him.
Although he already had many wives, David, seeing that the girl was beautiful, sent for her and enjoyed a night of sexual relations with her. Then he sent her home. A few months later, Bathsheba sent word to David that she was pregnant and it was impossible to pass off the child as that of her husband's since he was out fighting for Israel.
The king sent for Uriah and tried to get him to go home and have sex with Bathsheba so he would think that he had fathered the child she now carried. The ruse didn't work. Uriah refused to sleep at home while the rest of Israel's soldiers slept in tents on the battlefield. David sent Bathsheba's husband back to the war with a letter to his commander telling him to arrange for Uriah to be killed in battle.
Bathsheba mourned for her dead husband and then David married her. Shortly after her son was born, Nathan the prophet rebuked the king for taking the wife of a poor man. Because of his actions the Lord declared that the boy would sicken and die. Although David pleaded for the child's life, it was not spared. He then went in to comfort Bathsheba and she bore him 3 more sons including Solomon who would be his successor.
2 Sam 11-12; I Kings 1:11-31; 2:13-25; I Chr 3:5
All scripture quotes are from the REB Bible unless otherwise indicated.
Comments© 1998 by Suzetta Tucker
To cite this page:
Tucker, Suzetta. "Jesse Tree Advent Calendar - December 16
- Bathsheba." ChristStory Christian Bestiary. 1998.
http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/legend01/16bathsh.htm ().