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Uriah the Hittite's Character in 2 Samuel 11

Uriah the Hittite is presented in 2 Samuel 11 as a loyal and honorable soldier in King David's army, whose integrity stands in stark contrast to David's sin [10]. His story is primarily told in 2 Samuel 11-12, detailing David's plot to take Bathsheba, Uriah's wife, and then orchestrate Uriah's death.

Uriah was one of David's "mighty men," a group of elite commanders in the Israelite army [6, 7]. Although a Hittite, his name, meaning "light of Yahweh" or "the Lord is my light," and his manner of speech suggest he had adopted the Israelite religion [6, 7, 8]. He was married to Bathsheba, described as a woman of extraordinary beauty [6].

The narrative of 2 Samuel 11 begins with David sending for Uriah from the battlefield after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and she became pregnant [2, 3]. David's intention was for Uriah to go home to his wife, thereby making it appear that Uriah was the father of Bathsheba's child [16]. However, Uriah refused to go home, stating, "The ark, and Israel and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife?" [9]. This statement highlights Uriah's dedication to his military duty and his solidarity with his fellow soldiers and the ark of the covenant, which sometimes accompanied the army [9]. John Gill notes that Uriah's refusal served as an apology for his conduct, indicating his commitment to the war effort [9].

When David's initial plan failed, he resorted to a more sinister plot. He sent Uriah back to the front lines with a letter to Joab, the army commander, instructing Joab to place Uriah in the fiercest part of the battle and then withdraw, ensuring Uriah's death [11]. This plan was executed, and Uriah died in battle [1, 12]. The prophet Nathan later confronted David, explicitly stating, "You have struck Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon" [5].

Commentators emphasize Uriah's loyalty and the injustice he suffered. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown highlight the "cold-blooded cruelty" of David sending Uriah to his death with the letter in his own hand [11]. Adam Clarke describes Uriah as a "brave soldier, who cheerfully gave up his life for his king and his country," noting that Joab and his men retired from him during the assault [12].

Uriah's name appears again in 2 Samuel 23:39, where he is listed as one of David's thirty mighty men [4]. The placement of his name at the very end of this list in 2 Samuel, unlike in 1 Chronicles where it is placed more inconspicuously, is seen by some scholars as emphasizing his significance and the gravity of David's sin against him [10, 17]. This positioning underscores that Uriah was not merely an ordinary soldier but a loyal member of David's elite guard, making David's actions all the more egregious [10].

While most interpretations portray Uriah as a victim of David's sin, some traditions offer alternative views. The Babylonian Talmud, for instance, presents an opinion that Uriah was a rebel against the monarchy and thus liable to the death penalty, interpreting David's actions as not punishable, even by the laws of Heaven [13, 14]. This perspective is based on Uriah's statement to David, which some interpret as insubordination [13, 14]. However, this view contrasts sharply with the dominant biblical narrative and most traditional interpretations.

Augustine, in a more allegorical reading, suggests that "Uriah, Bersabee's husband, must, from the meaning of his name, be understood as representing the devil" [15]. This allegorical interpretation, however, is distinct from the historical and character analysis of Uriah within the narrative of 2 Samuel.

Sources

  1. II Samuel “II Samuel 11:17 (Rotherham) — And forth sallied the men of the city, and fought with Joab, and there fell some of the people, of the servants of David,—then died also, Uriah the Hittite.”
  2. II Samuel “II Samuel 11:6 (BSB) — At this, David sent orders to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent him to David.”
  3. 2 Samuel “2 Samuel 11:6 (NASB) — Then David sent to Joab, saying, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." So Joab sent Uriah to David.”
  4. 2 Samuel “Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all. -- 2 Samuel 23:39”
  5. 2 Samuel “Why have you despised Yahweh’s word, to do that which is evil in his sight? You have struck Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. -- 2 Samuel 12:9”
  6. Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Uriah — (light of Jehovah). + One of the thirty commanders of the thirty bands into which the Israelite army of David was divided. (1 Chronicles 11:41; 2 Samuel 23:39) Like others of David's officers he was a foreigner--a Hittite. His name, however and his manner of speech (2 Samuel 11:11) indicate that he had adopted the Jewish religion. He married Bath-sheba a woman of extraordinary beauty, the daughter of Eliam--possibly the same as the son of Ahithophel, and one of his brother officers, (2 Samuel 23:34) and hence, perhaps, Uriah's first acquaintance with Bath-sheb”
  7. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Uriah — The Lord is my light. (1.) A Hittite, the husband of Bathsheba, whom David first seduced, and then after Uriah's death married. He was one of the band of David's "mighty men." The sad story of the curel wrongs inflicted upon him by David and of his mournful death are simply told in the sacred record (2 Sam. 11:2-12:26). (See [649]BATHSHEBA; [650]DAVID.) (2.) A priest of the house of Ahaz (Isa. 8:2). (3.) The father of Meremoth, mentioned in Ezra 8:33.”
  8. Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Uriel — same as Uriah”
  9. 2 Samuel (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 2 Samuel 11:11: And Uriah said unto David,.... As an apology for this conduct: the ark, and Israel and Judah, abide in tents; meaning not the people of Israel and Judah in the land of Canaan; for they did not now dwell in tents, though indeed the ark of the Lord did, Sa2 7:2, which some think is here referred to; but the armies of Israel and Judah besieging Rabbah, with whom it seems the ark was, which sometimes was carried with them when they went out to war, Sa1 4:4, though Abarbinel thinks this was not the ark in which were the two tables of stone, and therefore is not called”
  10. 2 Samuel (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 2 Samuel 23:39: 23:39 The very last name mentioned is Uriah the Hittite. There is an earlier reference to his father-in-law, Eliam, father of Bathsheba (23:34; see 11:3). By contrast, the Chronicler, who never mentioned David’s sins against Bathsheba and Uriah, placed Uriah’s name inconspicuously in the middle of the list of David’s mighty men (1 Chr 11:10-47). This author not only described the sins (2 Sam 11:1-27) but puts emphasis on Uriah’s name by placing it at the end of this list. Uriah was no ordinary conscript but a loyal member of David’s elite guard, which makes Dav”
  11. 2 Samuel (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 2 Samuel 11:14: URIAH SLAIN. (Sa2 11:14-27) David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah . . . Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle--The various arts and stratagems by which the king tried to cajole Uriah, till at last he resorted to the horrid crime of murder--the cold-blooded cruelty of despatching the letter by the hands of the gallant but much-wronged soldier himself, the enlistment of Joab to be a partaker of his sin, the heartless affectation of mourning, and the indecent haste of his marriage with Bath-sheba--have left an in”
  12. 2 Samuel (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 11:17: Uriah the Hittite died also - He was led to the attack of a place defended by valiant men; and in the heat of the assault, Joab and his men retired from this brave soldier, who cheerfully gave up his life for his king and his country.”
  13. Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 43a.12: And the other opinion, i.e., the first tanna , who holds that the one who appoints the killer is exempt, explains the verse as follows: Behold this killing is for you like the sword of Ammon. Just as you are not punished for those killed by the sword of Ammon in the course of the war, so too you are not punished for the death of Uriah the Hittite, not even according to the laws of Heaven. What is the reason for this? Uriah was a rebel against the monarchy and was consequently liable to the death penalty, as he said to King David: “And my lord Joab, and the ”
  14. Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 165a.85:12: And the other opinion, i.e., the first tanna , who holds that the one who appoints the killer is exempt, explains the verse as follows: Behold this killing is for you like the sword of Ammon. Just as you are not punished for those killed by the sword of Ammon in the course of the war, so too you are not punished for the death of Uriah the Hittite, not even according to the laws of Heaven. What is the reason for this? Uriah was a rebel against the monarchy and was consequently liable to the death penalty, as he said to King David: “And my lord Joab, and ”
  15. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 4: Augustine — Anti-Manichaean, Anti-Donatist — BOOK XXII. (part 82): the saying of the apostle: "Bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."(14) The Church becomes a well of satisfaction by this gift of the Spirit, the number seven denoting its spirituality; for it is in her a fountain of living water springing up unto everlasting life, and he who has it shall never thirst.(15) Uriah, Bersabee's husband, must, 308 from the meaning of his name, be understood as representing the devil. It is in union to the devil that all are bo”
  16. 2 Samuel (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 11:6: Uriah, we may suppose, had now been absent from his wife some weeks, making the campaign in the country of the Ammonites, and not intending to return till the end of it. The situation of his wife would bring to light the hidden works of darkness; and when Uriah, at his return, should find how he had been abused, and by whom, it might well be expected, 1. That he would prosecute his wife, according to law, and have her stoned to death; for jealousy is the rage of a man, especially a man of honour, and he that is thus injured will not spare in the day of vengeance”
  17. 2 Samuel (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 23:39: Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all - To these the author of Ch1 11:41 adds Zabad son of Ahlai. Ch1 11:42 - Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a captain of the Reubenites, and thirty with him. Ch1 11:43 - Hanan the son of Maachah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite, Ch1 11:44 - Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jehiel the sons of Hothan the Aroerite, Ch1 11:45 - Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, Ch1 11:46 - Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, Ch1 11:47 - Eliel, and Obed, and Jasi”
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