2 Samuel 11:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king 's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.

NIV: One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,

NASB: Now at evening time David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance.

CSB: One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.

NLT: Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath.

KJV: And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

NKJV: Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.

In both the ancient and modern Middle East, house rooftops provide additional living space. When the sun recedes, the roof becomes an ideal place to escape the heat inside the house and enjoy cooler breezes. David is walking on his roof in the late afternoon or early evening in the springtime following a nap on his couch. Such naps are another common way to avoid the hottest part of the afternoon.

From his rooftop, David sees an exceptionally beautiful woman bathing. The text never said where she was, despite the traditional claim that she was on her rooftop. The Hebrew words used for "beautiful," tobat mar'eh, emphasize how a person looks. This is different from the word often used for "beautiful," yapah, which describes more of the whole person (1 Samuel 25:3).

David doesn't have a palace, yet; the order of the events in 2 Samuel isn't completely chronological. But his house would probably have been on the north, higher end of the City of David, giving it a commanding view of the neighborhood. Despite traditional claims otherwise, nothing in the text suggests that Bathsheba is intentionally trying to catch David's eye. In fact, Scripture never portrays her as anything but innocent (2 Samuel 12:2–4). Rooftops are considered private space, though hers is visible to David's roof.

Bathsheba is performing a Mikveh: immersion in natural water for ceremonial cleansing. If so, she is following the Mosaic law about bathing after her menstrual period so she can participate in society once more (2 Samuel 11:4; Leviticus 15:19–24). After the Babylonian captivity, Jerusalem will have designated pools for ceremonial bathing.

Second Samuel 11:1–5 describes David's sin against Bathsheba. Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, is at war against the Ammonites with Joab and Israel's army. David sees Bathsheba bathing from the uncleanness of her menstruation and has her brought to him. He has sex with her, and she becomes pregnant. To hide his sin, David first tries to trick Uriah into sleeping with his wife. When Uriah refuses, David has Uriah murdered (2 Samuel 11:6–25). We aren't told the story from Bathsheba's point of view, but the text never faults her or condemns her of sin. First Chronicles 20:1 describes the battle.

In 2 Samuel 11, David commits grievous sins. Joab and the Israelite army, including the warrior Uriah, are finishing the battle against the Ammonites. Back in Jerusalem, David takes notice of Uriah's wife and impregnates her. When she informs David of the pregnancy, David recalls Uriah. The king expects the soldier to sleep with his wife and claim the child. Uriah's intense loyalty and integrity prevent him from even visiting his house while the others are still at war. David tells Joab to have Uriah killed in battle. God sends Nathan to confront David. David sincerely repents, but God takes the child (2 Samuel 12).

Second Samuel 11 begins the account of David's greatest sins. David sleeps with and impregnates a soldier's wife, Bathsheba. To hide his sin, David has the soldier killed in battle. God tells Nathan to rebuke David, and David repents fully. But God still takes the life of the baby boy (2 Samuel 12; Psalm 51). The story reveals two things about God. First, He is willing to restore His relationship with us when we repent from even the most horrible sin. And second, He has no interest in shaming vulnerable victims of powerful people.

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.