11:3-5
David sends someone to find out who the woman was. She is described as the daughter of Eliam and the wife of “Uriah the Hittite”. There is an Eliam mentioned in 2 Sam 23:34 in the list of David’s Mighty Men, and Uriah is also included there. David sent for Bathsheba, she came to him and he slept with her. As noted above, David is presented as the guilty partner, with Bathsheba being a passive partner. The “monthly uncleanness” was her period (Lev 15:19). The significance here is that there is no way she was pregnant by Uriah, it could only have been David. The reference to Bathsheba as “The woman” is consistent with David being the focus of the account, and the one whose guilt the Bible is concerned with. She finds that she is pregnant and sends word to David.
11:6-9
David is now in real trouble, the fact of his sin will now be found out, so he tries to cover up the matter. He does this first of all by recalling Uriah from the battle. Joab sends Uriah back. David meets Uriah and inquires as to how the battle is going (it was probably a siege). He then tells Uriah to go to his house. David’s hope is that Uriah will go home and sleep with his wife and so assume that the child is his. However, Uriah is a more honourable man than David and remained with the servants.
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