II Samuel 11:3 · Bible study
2 Samuel 11:3 Commentary: The Warning David Ignored
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
David is told Bathsheba is married, yet he proceeds. Study the grammar, context, and lessons on temptation and warning.
Research Summary
- Meaning: David, despite being explicitly told that Bathsheba is married, continues to pursue her, revealing the willful progression of sin.
- Key words: “Inquired” (darash) implies intentional seeking; “Is not this” is a rhetorical question that functions as a warning.
- Main debate: Little debate, all traditions agree on David’s culpability. Minor interest in Bathsheba’s agency, but the text focuses on David’s choices.
- Theological theme: Temptation, the deceitfulness of sin, and the way of repentance and grace.
- Best use: Teaching on the pattern of sin; sermons about accountability, warnings, and God’s forgiveness.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
So David sent and inquired about the woman, and he was told, “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
David sent and inquired after the woman. One said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, Uriah the Hittite’s wife?”
KJV King James Version 1769
And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath–sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and David sendeth and inquireth about the woman, and saith, `Is not this Bath-Sheba, daughter of Eliam, wife of Uriah the Hittite?'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
and David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Urijah the Hittite?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And the king sent, and inquired who the woman was. And it was told him, that she was Bethsabee the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Urias the Hethite.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y envió David á preguntar por aquella mujer, y dijéronle: Aquella es Bath-sheba hija de Eliam, mujer de Uría Hetheo.
E enviou Davi a preguntar por aquela mulher, e disseram-lhe: Aquela é Bate-Seba filha de Eliã, mulher de Urias Heteu.
David fit demander qui était cette femme, et on lui dit: N’est-ce pas Bath-Schéba, fille d’Éliam, femme d’ Urie, le Héthien?
Und David sandte hin und ließ nach dem Weibe fragen, und man sagte: Ist das nicht Bath- Seba, die Tochter Eliams, das Weib des Urias, des Hethiters?
En David zond henen, en ondervraagde naar deze vrouw; en men zeide: Is dat niet Bathseba, de dochter van Eliam, de huisvrouw van Uria, den Hethiet?
Davide mandò ad informarsi chi fosse la donna; e gli fu detto: “E’ Bath-Sheba, figliuola di Eliam, moglie di Uria, lo Hitteo”.
Tedy posłał Dawid, pytając się o onej niewieście, i rzekł: Azaż to nie Betsabee, córka Elijamowa, żona Uryjasza Hetejczyka?
И послал Давид разведать, кто эта женщина? И сказали ему: это Вирсавия, дочь Елиама, жена Урии Хеттеянина.
大衛 就差人 打聽 那婦人是誰。有人說：「她是 以連 的女兒，赫人 烏利亞 的妻 拔示巴。」
And David sent to get knowledge who the woman was. And one said, Is this not Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Samuel 11:3
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse records a critical moment of warning. David has seen Bathsheba from the roof and now sends to inquire about her. The servant’s response, “Isn’t this Bathsheba… the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”, identifies her not only by name but also by her husband and father, anchoring her within a web of relationships. Matthew Henry observes that David should have suppressed the desire kindled by sight, but instead fed it by this inquiry. Gill notes that being told she was another man’s wife was enough to stop him, but it did not. The Cambridge Bible emphasizes that the narrator includes this detail deliberately: David sinned with full knowledge. The consensus is clear: the warning was plain, the sin was chosen. Yet even this dark moment is not the end of David’s story, nor of God’s grace.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: David was told that Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah, yet he sent for her and committed adultery.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| David’s responsibility | All traditions agree David sinned knowingly and is fully culpable. | No significant debate; some modern readings raise questions about Bathsheba’s agency, but the text focuses on David’s choices. |
| Bathsheba’s role in the encounter | The text presents her as the object of David’s inquiry; the narrator does not describe her actions at this stage. | Some interpreters see her as passive, others as possibly complicit or careful, but the supplied commentators do not develop this angle. |
| Name variation Eliam / Ammiel | Eliam (2 Sam 11:3) and Ammiel (1 Chr 3:5) refer to the same person with inverted name components. | None; this is a standard observation across commentaries (Barnes, Clarke). |
Historical & Cultural Context
The setting is the time when kings go out to battle (2 Sam 11:1). David has stayed behind in Jerusalem while Joab and the army besiege Rabbah. Idleness in a season of duty leaves him vulnerable. From the palace roof, a common feature of ancient Near Eastern homes, used for cool evening breezes, David sees a woman bathing. The text does not specify how visible she was, but Poole notes that windows were open and she may have been careless about being seen. The woman is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, wife of Uriah the Hittite. Eliam is listed among David’s mighty men (2 Sam 23:34), and Uriah is also one of David’s elite warriors (2 Sam 23:39). Barnes points out that Eliam is also called Ammiel in 1 Chronicles 3:5, the name components reversed but meaning the same. Bathsheba is thus the granddaughter of Ahithophel, David’s trusted counselor. This family network makes David’s sin a betrayal of his own loyal supporters. The Hittite designation likely refers to Uriah’s ethnic origin; Gill suggests he may have been a proselyte. The legal impurity mentioned in verse 4 indicates the time of month; her bathing may have been part of purification rites. All these details, the war context, the familial ties, the legal observance, magnify the gravity of what follows. David is not a victim of circumstance; he is a king who chooses to exploit his power.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for 2 Samuel 11:3. The parallel in 1 Chronicles 3:5 gives Bathsheba’s father as “Ammiel” rather than “Eliam,” but scholars agree this is a variant form (the same Hebrew name reversed). The Masoretic text is stable, and there is no manuscript dispute affecting interpretation.
Reception History
Augustine, in his exposition of Psalm 51, used this narrative to show that even great saints can fall, yet repentance restores, a point quoted in the Cambridge Bible. Bishop Hall similarly drew comfort that “how can we presume of not sinning, or despair for sinning, when we find so great a saint thus fallen, thus risen.” The episode is omitted in Chronicles, possibly, as Cambridge suggests, because that book focuses on David’s positive legacy. Reformation commentators like Matthew Henry and the Geneva Bible used the passage to warn against idleness and the first motions of lust. Across the centuries, the church has read this both as a caution against the progression of sin and as a witness to the sufficiency of God’s grace in confession.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Context of Vulnerability: David is at home while his men are at war. Idleness opens the door to temptation.
- From Sight to Inquiry: Instead of turning away, David seeks more information to feed his desire. The servant’s question is a clear warning.
- The Warning Despised: David is told Bathsheba is married, one of his own soldiers’ wives. He sends for her anyway. Sin is not a mistake; it is a choice.
Five-point outline
- The Right Place at the Wrong Time: David should have been with the army, not on the roof.
- Lust Does Not Inquire with Integrity: The verb “inquired” (darash) shows intentional seeking, not casual curiosity.
- The Stop Sign Is Ignored: The rhetorical question highlights the warning, but David proceeds.
- Sin Multiplies: Adultery leads to deception, then murder.
- Grace Still Reaches the Fallen: Psalm 51 and the rest of David’s life show restoration through repentance.
Illustration hooks
- A person who knows a relationship is wrong but continues because desire has already taken root.
- Someone who ignores a clear “do not enter” sign and finds themselves stuck.
- The moment a rationalization forms: “It’s just a look… just a question… just a meeting.”
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why didn’t David stop when he heard she was married?
- How can we recognize our own “roof moments” of vulnerability?
- What does this story say about God’s willingness to forgive even grievous sin?
Leading a Discussion
This verse is a crossroads. David is told the truth, but his heart is already set. It forces us to examine our own responses to conviction and temptation.
Discussion questions
- What does the servant’s response reveal about Bathsheba’s identity and social position?
- Why does the narrator include the specific family connections (Eliam, Uriah) at this point?
- How does David’s inquiry differ from an innocent question? Consider the verb “inquired” (darash).
- Read James 1:14-15 alongside this passage. How does David’s progression mirror that description?
- If you had been the servant speaking to David, what would you have wanted to say?
- What warnings has God placed in your life that you have ignored?
- How does this story, for all its darkness, still point toward hope and redemption?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| II Samuel 23:39 | and Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all. |
| I Chronicles 3:5 | and these were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon, four, by Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel; |
| I Chronicles 11:41 | Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, |
| Jeremiah 5:8 | They were as fed horses roaming at large. Everyone neighed after his neighbor’s wife. |
| Hosea 7:6 | For they have prepared their heart like an oven, while they lie in wait. Their anger smolders all night. In the morning it burns as a flaming fire. |
| Hosea 7:7 | They are all hot as an oven, and devour their judges. All their kings have fallen. There is no one among them who calls to me. |
| James 1:14 | But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed. |
| James 1:15 | Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin. The sin, when it is full grown, produces death. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the names Eliam and Ammiel carry the same meaning, referring to the covenant relationship between God and His people. He sees the name itself as expressing the covenant promise: God belonging to His people, and His people belonging to God.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the name Eli
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator highlights that this story serves a dual purpose: it stands as a stern warning that even the holiest can fall into gross sin, but it is equally a powerful testimony that genuine repentance can set people free. The narrative records sin without flattery, yet David's restoration offers hope rather than despair.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights that David did not act in ignorance: he specifically asked who the woman was and was told she was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. This detail underscores that David knew she was a married woman before he took her.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that David's inquiry about Bathsheba may have begun with honorable intentions to marry her if she were single, but the very act of asking was already a dangerous step. Being told she was another man's wife should have stopped him entirely. The deeper point is that even seemingly innocent beginnings can lead to sin.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that David's inquiry was not a random glance; Bathsheba's beauty was already widely known through reports carried between harems. He also identifies her father Eliam as one of David's own mighty men and the son of Ahithophel, placing her within the king's close circle.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry highlights the painful contrast between David's public success in war and his private moral collapse. The very king who bravely pursued the Ammonites was himself conquered and led captive by his own lust, staining his achievements with adultery.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that instead of resisting the desire sparked by what he saw, the man actively fed it by asking about the woman's identity. His purpose was to determine if she was unmarried, so he could take her as wife or concubine.