2 Samuel 11
The pages containing the Books of Samuel (1 & 2 Samuel) Leningrad Codex (1008 CE).
BookFirst book of Samuel
Hebrew Bible partNevi'im
Order in the Hebrew part3
CategoryFormer Prophets
Christian Bible partOld Testament
Order in the Christian part10

2 Samuel 11 is the eleventh chapter of the Second Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible or the second part of Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible.[1] According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the prophet Samuel, with additions by the prophets Gad and Nathan,[2] but modern scholars view it as a composition of a number of independent texts of various ages from c. 630–540 BCE.[3][4] This chapter contains the account of David's reign in Jerusalem.[5][6] This is within a section comprising 2 Samuel 9–20 and continued to 1 Kings 1–2 which deal with the power struggles among David's sons to succeed David's throne until 'the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon' (1 Kings 2:46).[5]

Text

This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 27 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).[7] Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls including 4Q51 (4QSama; 100–50 BCE) with extant verses 2–12, 15–20.[8][9][10][11]

Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint (originally was made in the last few centuries BCE) include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century).[12][lower-alpha 1]

Analysis

Chapters 11 and 12, which pertain to David, Bathsheba, and Uriah, form one episode that is concentrically structured in eleven scenes:[14]

A. David sends Joab and the army to attack Rabbah (11:1)
B. David sleeps with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah (11:2–5)
C. David and Uriah: David arranges Uriah's death (11:6–13)
D. David to Joab: Uriah must die (11:14–17)
E. Joab to David: Joab's news comes to David (11:18–25)
F. David ushers the wife of Uriah into his house. The Lord is displeased (11:26–27)
E'. Nathan to David: God's news comes to David (12:1–7a)
D'. Nathan to David: the child will die (12:7b–15a)
C'. David and the child: God ensures the child's death (12:15b–23)
B'. David sleeps with Bathsheba, his wife (12:24–25)
A'. Joab and David conquer Rabbah (12:26–31)[15]

The whole episode is framed by the battle against Rabbah, the Ammonite capital, beginning with David dispatching Joab and the army to besiege the city, then concluding by the capitulation of the city to David (A/A').[16] Both B/B' scenes recount that David slept with Bathsheba, who conceived each time. Scenes C and D recount the plot that got Uriah killed, whereas C' and D' report God's response to David's crime: the child would die. The E/E' sections contrast David's reaction to the death of Uriah to his reaction to the slaughter of a ewe lamb in Nathan's parable. The turning point in the episode (F) states the divine displeasure to these events.[16]

This episode of David's disgrace has a profound effect in the later memory of David's fidelity to the Lord: "David did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite” (1 Kings 15:5), while it is skipped it completely in the Books of Chronicles (see 1 Chronicles 20:1–2).[14]

David and Bathsheba (11:1–13)

Military activities in the Middle East generally started in the spring, after the end of the winter rains, and this was when the Israelite troops under Joab were dispatched in the continuation of the siege to Rabbah (from the last chapter, while David stayed behind (cf. 2 Samuel 10:7–14).[17] This turns to be the setting for David's downfall: providing him with an opportunity to see Bathsheba bathing and then to commit adultery with her.[17] David's misbehavior is reported openly and honestly, without any mitigation nor explanation for his motivation.[17]

Verse 3

And David sent and inquired about the woman.
And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”[18]

Verse 4

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.[25]
  • "Purified from her uncleanness": that is "purifying herself after menstruation"; after the passing of the seven days of ritual impurity (Leviticus 15:19).[17] This is considered as the best possible period for conception,[17] as attested in other ancient document.[26]

David arranged Uriah to be killed (11:14–25)

David realized his sin on sleeping with Bathsheba in the eyes of the law (Deuteronomy 22:22), so he tried to cast paternity of Bathsheba's pregnancy on Uriah.[17] Under the pretext of getting news about the battle against Ammon David called Uriah from the battleground; he then persuaded him to go home and 'wash your feet', a euphemism for 'having intercourse with his wife'.[17] Although on leave, Uriah maintained the ritual purity expected during battle (cf Deuteronomy 23:9–14; Joshua 3:5) — he claimed that it is wrong to enjoy comforts when the ark was 'in booths' and his fellow soldiers encamped— so he resisted the David's persuasion and efforts to make him drunk through food and wine.[17] Eventually, Uriah was commanded to carry a letter which would lead him to certain death: David's secret message to Joab to assign Uriah to the frontmost line.[17] Uriah apparently did not read the letter (presumably sealed). Joab executed David's wish by placing Uriah and some of his soldier under the city wall, an action which had proved fatal in the case of Abimelech (Judges 9:52–53) and here caused the death of Uriah, along with, according to the LXXL , eighteen other soldiers.[17] Thereafter, Joab sent a message to David conveying the news of the battle with a vital information about Uriah's death, and David sent back to Joab a hidden message of acceptance and encouragement.[17]

David married Bathsheba (11:26–27)

After the mourning period of Uriah's death was over, David took Uriah's widow, Bathsheba, to be his wife and in the course of time she gave birth to a son.[17] David's actions were not explained, but the last statement of the passage (11:27b) clearly states that David's behavior was unacceptable to God.[17]

Verse 27

And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son.
But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.[27]
  • "The mourning": refers to the customary seven-day period of mourning for death (1 Samuel 31:13; Genesis 50:10),[17] such as with Abigail in 1 Samuel 25:39–42.[19]
  • "Displeased God" or "was evil in the eyes of God", because according to the law (Leviticus 20:10), both David and Bathsheba should have been put to death.[28]

See also

  • Related Bible parts: Leviticus 20, Deuteronomy 22, 2 Samuel 23, 1 Kings 15

Notes

  1. ↑ The whole book of 2 Samuel is missing from the extant Codex Sinaiticus.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Halley 1965, p. 184.
  2. ↑ Hirsch, Emil G. "SAMUEL, BOOKS OF". www.jewishencyclopedia.com.
  3. ↑ Knight 1995, p. 62.
  4. ↑ Jones 2007, p. 197.
  5. 1 2 Jones 2007, p. 220.
  6. ↑ Coogan 2007, p. 459 Hebrew Bible.
  7. ↑ Würthwein 1995, pp. 35–37.
  8. ↑ Ulrich 2010, pp. 301–302.
  9. ↑ Dead sea scrolls - 2 Samuel
  10. ↑ Fitzmyer 2008, p. 35.
  11. ↑ 4Q51 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library
  12. ↑ Würthwein 1995, pp. 73–74.
  13. ↑  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Codex Sinaiticus". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  14. 1 2 Morrison 2013, p. 135.
  15. ↑ Morrison 2013, pp. 135–136.
  16. 1 2 Morrison 2013, p. 136.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Jones 2007, p. 221.
  18. ↑ 2 Samuel 11:3 ESV
  19. 1 2 3 4 Barnes, Albert. Notes on the Bible - 2 Samuel 11. James Murphy (ed). London: Blackie & Son, 1884. Reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998.
  20. ↑ Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. 2 Samuel 11. Accessed 28 April 2019.
  21. ↑ Sara M. Koenig (8 November 2011). Isn't This Bathsheba?: A Study in Characterization. Wipf and Stock Publishers. pp. 81–82. ISBN 978-1-60899-427-4.
  22. ↑ Ronald L. Eisenberg (14 September 2012). Essential Figures in the Bible. Jason Aronson. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-7657-0940-0.
  23. ↑ Blunt, "Undesigned Coincidences", p. 135 ff.; apud Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. 2 Samuel 11.
  24. ↑ Poole, Matthew, A Commentary on the Holy Bible. "Matthew 1". Accessed 22 Agustus 2019.
  25. ↑ 2 Samuel 11:4 KJV
  26. ↑ Aristotle. Hist. Animal. l. 7. c. 2. apud Gill's Exposition to the Entire Bible. 2 Samuel 11.
  27. ↑ 2 Samuel 10:19 ESV
  28. ↑ Gill, John. Exposition of the Entire Bible. "2 Samuel 11". Published in 1746-1763.

Sources

Commentaries on Samuel

  • Auld, Graeme (2003). "1 & 2 Samuel". In James D. G. Dunn and John William Rogerson (ed.). Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802837110.
  • Bergen, David T. (1996). 1, 2 Samuel. B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 9780805401073.
  • Chapman, Stephen B. (2016). 1 Samuel as Christian Scripture: A Theological Commentary. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1467445160.
  • Collins, John J. (2014). "Chapter 14: 1 Samuel 12 – 2 Samuel 25". Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures. Fortress Press. pp. 277–296. ISBN 978-1451469233.
  • Evans, Paul (2018). Longman, Tremper (ed.). 1-2 Samuel. The Story of God Bible Commentary. Zondervan Academic. ISBN 978-0310490944.
  • Gordon, Robert (1986). I & II Samuel, A Commentary. Paternoster Press. ISBN 9780310230229.
  • Hertzberg, Hans Wilhelm (1964). I & II Samuel, A Commentary (trans. from German 2nd edition 1960 ed.). Westminster John Knox Press. p. 19. ISBN 978-0664223182.
  • Morrison, Craig E. (2013). Berit Olam: 2 Samuel. Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0814682913.
  • Steinmann, Andrew (2017). 2 Samuel. Concordia commentary: a theological exposition of sacred scripture. Concordia Publishing House. ISBN 9780758650061.

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