2 Samuel 11:14
ESV
In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
NIV
In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.
NASB
So in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
CSB
The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.
NLT
So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver.
KJV
And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
NKJV
In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
What does 2 Samuel 11:14 mean?
The Israelite army, under the command of Joab, is battling the Ammonites. While they're away, David sleeps with the wife of Uriah, one of his greatest fighters, and gets her pregnant. David is scrambling, trying to cover his sin. He called Uriah back to Jerusalem, but the good soldier would not accept the comforts of home while his brothers-in-arms sleep on the ground. David is stuck. If Uriah won't sleep with his wife, he'll know someone else did when he returns to a baby (2 Samuel 11:1–13).David assumes his only option is to admit the baby is his, but that's impossible while Uriah still lives. Not only would the great fighter challenge David, but the entire army would also realize they can't trust their king around their wives. The only way David can claim the baby is if everyone knows he had a legitimate reason for sleeping with Bathsheba. That can only happen if she and David are married. And the only way that can happen is if Uriah's dead.
To complete his betrayal, David sends Uriah back to the front lines with instructions to Joab. Joab is to put Uriah near the base of the walled city and pull the rest of the army back. The Ammonites will have a clear shot and take care of David's problem (2 Samuel 11:15–16). The fact that David can trust Uriah to deliver the sealed message without opening it only adds to David's guilt.
King Saul tried a similar tactic against David. Saul was jealous that David was so good in battle and had won the people's hearts. Saul tempted David with the offer of marrying a royal princess, if David proved he killed a hundred Philistines. Saul thought David the Philistines would kill David. Instead, David killed two hundred and lived to claim his prize (1 Samuel 18:21–29). Uriah won't be so fortunate (2 Samuel 11:17).
