¶ … King David as Described in 2 Samuel 11 Samuel 11 describes the events surrounding the sin of King David with regard to Uriah, whom he essentially had executed so that David's adultery with Uriah's wife would not be made known to him. This shameful action on the part of David displeased the Lord immensely, which is described in the following chapters. This chapter, however, reveals a side of David's character that prior to this incident had not been explored before. Much of what is known about David's character is celebratory -- from his time as the boy who slays the giant Goliath, to his handling of the Ark of the Covenant. David is described as a man after God's own heart (1 Sam 13:14) and most of his actions support this idea. His "humility and innocence" in his approach to Saul, playing for him on his lyre and soothing the latter's soul for a time, is just one of many examples of David's kindness and of his gentle spirit.[footnoteRef:1] Yet, here, in 2 Samuel 11, David shows a side of himself that is particularly abject -- it is a David that has more in common with wicked Saul, whose spirit tended more towards machinations and evil plots than towards the good. In his dalliance for Bathseba and then in the shameful manner in which David exacerbates the situation by sending Bathsheba's husband to his death, David demonstrates an abuse of authority and a disregard for God's law that is unlike him and very uncharacteristic of him. That he later repents bitterly and returns to God, accepting the punishment that the Lord sends indicates David's ultimately underlying just nature. However, in 2 Samuel 11 another side of David is manifested -- one that illustrates the point that all men are fallen and in need of redemption. [1: Steven L. McKenzie, King David: A Biography (UK: Oxford University Press, 2000), 3.]

Function and Context

In the larger context of the book of 2nd Samuel, chapter 11 begins an examination of David's character that has hitherto been unseen. The first half of 2nd Samuel describes David as the king of Judah, who becomes the ruler of Israel following the execution of Saul's son in the north. David's selection of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his transfer of the Ark to the capital along with his rise as celebrated ruler over all Israel receives the majority of the focus in the first ten chapters of 2 Samuel. David is depicted as wise, caring, and above all faithful to God -- and for all this he is rewarded with God's favor and promises.

However, in chapter 11, in which David lies with Bathsheba and has her husband placed at the front lines where he is sure to die, 2 Samuel shows that David is by no means a perfect man. Chapter 11 ends with Samuel noting God's displeasure regarding David's actions towards Bathsheba and Uriah. The rest of the book deals with how David's actions impact Israel -- for he is no longer simply responsible for his own life but for all the Jews of the nation as well. To show the level of David's responsibility, God sends Nathan to David to tell him that the Lord is going to punish him and Israel in response to David's willful transgressions. David's acceptance of this rebuke and his subsequent repentance recast him back into the familiar role of celebrator of God's divine goodness -- and David goes on to raise Solomon, who will inherit the kingdom after Absalom revolts against David. The book's final war-torn chapters reflect the ravages that the soul endures when it turns away from God, but David's faithfulness perseveres and his kingdom is restored to him.

Thus, the function of chapter 11 is to represent the need for devotion and faithfulness at all times for all men, because -- as David shows -- it is so easy for anyone to slip, fall and bring harm to his own household, even for one who is after God's own heart. Chapter 11 both humanizes David to a considerable degree and serves to illustrate that the House of David is, too, in need of saving. 2 Samuel 11, in this sense, operates as a transition stage in the overall narrative of David -- moving the story from David's purity in youth through his transgressions as an adult and into the coming chapters which depict his repentance. What is depicted in this chapter is essentially the "fall" of David and correlates with the transgressions of earlier...

David's "fall" in 2 Samuel 11 prepares the stage for the coming scenes of retribution, repentance and a new covenant being given.
Major Idea

The major idea conveyed in the narrative of 2 Samuel 11 is that David is a sinner. The narrative describes the events of David's sin, beginning with his desire to have Bathsheba (2 Sam 11:2-4), and then on with the actions he takes place to first try to trick Uriah into going home to sleep with Bathsheba (so that he will think he is the father of David and Bathsheba's child) (2 Sam 11:8, 13). When Uriah refuses to lie with his own wife while his own master is fighting a war to save the kingdom, Uriah's own nobility shines more brightly than David's and David further debases himself by plotting to again to trick Uriah. When that fails, he contrives to have Uriah left alone on the battlefield so that he may be killed by the enemy (2 Sam 11:15).

At every step of the way, David moves further and further into sin instead of stopping, reflecting, assessing his actions, remembering his Lord (in the same way that Uriah remembers his), and amending his ways. While an either/or critical approach to the character of David, as depicted by Bosworth, who notes the tendency of scholars to fall into one of two camps -- the camp that views David as the pious shepherd who becomes pious king, and the camp that views David as a murderer and schemer who usurps the throne -- is limited to the extent that such critics are missing the main idea conveyed in the David narrative.[footnoteRef:2] David is not an emblem of humanity's tendency to virtue or vice but rather a man, whose own heart runs the gamut of human experience. Chapter 11 is but one chapter of many in the life of David and to represent the man as only sinner would be to ignore the chapters that follow. To represent him as the pious and always pure king would be to ignore this chapter. 2 Samuel 11 conveys the main idea that David is a human being, who leaves the righteous path momentarily. [2: David Bosworth, "Evaluating King David: Old Problems and Recent Scholarship," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, vol. 68, no. 2 (April 2006), 191.]

Indeed, as Calvin indicates in his commentaries, the idea behind the recounting of David's transgressions in 2 Samuel 11 is to establish the fact that he "was born guilty" as the Psalmist declare (Psalm 51:5). Calvin's interpretation of the character of David is consistent with the idea that all men inherit sin, passed down to them from Adam and Eve through the Fall. David's actions in chapter 11 indicate that he too was "born guilty" and that guilt is manifested in his callous and careless behavior with regard to Uriah (Calvin does not comment on David's lying with Bathsheba): but the point is clear -- David is completely consumed with himself and puts off the spirit of the Lord. Calvin uses David's sin to show that he was "entirely depraved" and thus in need of God's sanctifying grace[footnoteRef:3] -- and he points to the Psalm to indicate that this depravity was the result of Original Sin not of any new defect brought about by his own actions. The transgression in chapter 11 is merely the manifestation of Original Sin -- and the confession that follows is, as Calvin points out, a model example of how one should reconcile with the Lord.[footnoteRef:4] The chapter establishes the theme of retribution that dominates the latter chapters of Samuel 2, especially with regard to those who do not turn back from their wicked ways and repent (such as Absalom).[footnoteRef:5] [3: John Calvin, Commentary on the Book of Psalms (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1949), 290.] [4: David Bartlett, Barbara Taylor, Feasting on the Word (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), 10.] [5: Alberto Soggin, Introduction to the Old Testament (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1987), 216.]

The Meaning of the Narrative to the Original Reading Audience

The original reading audience of 2 Samuel 11 would have perceived the many qualities of David's character as a result of engaging with the text in the 6th century BC -- especially as the narrative is described with such intimate, first-hand knowledge…