In spring when kings go out to war, David stays in Jerusalem while Joab besieges Rabbah; from his roof David sees beautiful Bathsheba bathing, summons her, and lies with her though she is Uriah the Hittite's wife. When she reports she is pregnant, David recalls Uriah from battle, hoping he will go home to his wife, but Uriah sleeps at the palace gate, refusing to enjoy home comforts while the army is in the field. David makes Uriah carry his own death warrant to Joab, instructing that Uriah be placed in the hottest fighting and abandoned. Uriah dies with other soldiers; after Bathsheba mourns, David takes her as wife. But the thing David had done was evil in the LORD's sight.
Read 2 Samuel Chapter 11 Summary
Original
Characters in This Chapter
David
King of Israel whose reign is chronicled with both triumphs and failures
Bathsheba
Woman with whom David committed adultery, later mother of Solomon
Nathan
Prophet who confronted David about his sin and delivered God's covenant
Absalom
David's son who rebelled and tried to take the throne
Joab
David's military commander, loyal but sometimes ruthless
Judah
Son of Jacob, Ancestor of David and Christ
Places in This Chapter
Position in Book
David's Rise to PowerChapters 1-5
David's TriumphsChapters 6-10
David's Sin and ConsequencesChapters 11-20
Sin with Bathsheba, Nathan's rebuke, death of the child, Absalom's rebellion and death.
EpilogueChapters 21-24