Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite
What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? - Proverbs 31:2
Stats
- Husband: Uriah the Hittite then King David
- Children: One who dies in infancy, Solomon
- Father: Eliam (2 Samuel 11:3)
- Grandfather: Ahithophel the Gilonite(?) (Not confirmed in Scripture, but one of the thirty of David was Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite in 2 Samuel 23:34)
Life
David commits adultery with her
Late one spring afternoon when her husband Uriah and all Israel were out to battle, she was purifying herself from her uncleanness in the bath. (2 Samuel 11)
(Bathsheba was probably purifying herself from her uncleanness after her menstrual period. Clearly, then, the coming pregnancy would be David's.)
(The ESV Study BibleTM, English Standard Version (ESV) by Crossway Bibles, 2007. Page 558)
King David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. She returned to her house. She conceived, so she sent and told David, "I am pregnant."
She later heard her husband was killed in battle, and she lamented over him. When the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son.
The LORD tells a story through Nathan of a rich and a poor man's lambs to reveal David's sin in killing Uriah and taking Bathsheba
The LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
David replied in anger against the man, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."
Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’”
David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.”
Then Nathan went to his house.
The child dies
The LORD afflicted the child she bore to David, and he became sick. David fasted and lay on the ground to see if the LORD would be gracious to him, that the child may live. He died. (2 Samuel 12:24-25)
Solomon is born
When the child died, David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidah because of the LORD.
The Shulammite remembers the apple tree under which Bathsheba bore Solomon. "Under the apple tree I awakened you. There your mother was in labor with you; there she who bore you was in labor. (Song of Solomon 8:5)
Adonijah's self-exaltation pushed Bathsheba to defend Solomon's rightful throne
Nathan told Bathsheba, "Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it? Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. Go in at once to King David, and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, “Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then is Adonijah king?’ Then while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.”
She went to King David in his chamber, since Abishag the Shunammite was attending to him now, and bowed and paid homage. David asked, "“What do you desire?” She replied, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it. He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but Solomon your servant he has not invited. And now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders.”
Nathan the prophet came in and confirmed her words.
King David answered, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king's presence and stood before the king. And the king swore, saying, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity, as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ even so will I do this day.” Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
Then her son Solomon became king.
Adonijah manipulates Bathsheba against King Solomon
Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba. She asked, "Do you come peacefully?" He said, "Peacefully. ... "I have something to say to you. ... You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother's, for it was his from the LORD. And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me." She said, "Speak." He said, "Please ask King Solomon--he will not refuse you--to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife." Bathsheba said, "Very well; I will speak for you to the king."
Bathsheba came to King Solomon. He rose to meet her and bowed then sat on his throne and had a seat brought out for her on his right. She said, "I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me." He said, "Make your request, my mother, for I will not refuse you." She said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife." Solomon answered, "And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my older brother, and on his side are Abiathar the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah." Also, "God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life! Now therefore as the LORD lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today." He sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada to strike him down.
Unsorted
Bathsheba crowned King Solomon on the day of his wedding. (Song of Solomon 3:11)