Military activities in the Middle East generally started in the spring, after the end of the winter rains, and this was when the Israelite troops under Joab were dispatched in the continuation of the siege to
Rabbah (from the
last chapter, while David stayed behind (cf. 2 Samuel 10:7–14). This turns to be the setting for David's downfall: providing him with an opportunity to see Bathsheba bathing and then to commit adultery with her. David's misbehavior is reported openly and honestly, without any mitigation nor explanation for his motivation.
Verse 3 :
And David sent and inquired about the woman. :
And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” • "
Eliam":
Bathsheba's father, identified in
2 Samuel 23:34 as the son of
Ahitophel. The fact that Bathsheba was the granddaughter of David's advisor Ahitophel of Gilo, (as also noted in the
Talmud) could explain Ahitophel's advices to
Absalom (
2 Samuel 15:12) as an act of revenge for the seduction of his granddaughter and the murder of her husband. • "
Uriah the Hittite": Bathsheba's husband, one of '
David's Mighty Warriors'. In 4QSam, he is said to be
Joab's armorbearer. The appellation 'the Hittite' may denote the family origin of someone born in Israel, as the divine
'Yah' element in his name suggests. In
Matthew 1:6, "the wife of Uriah" is mentioned as one of the
ancestors of Jesus.
Verse 4 :
And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. • "Purified from her uncleanness": that is "purifying herself after menstruation"; after the passing of the seven days of ritual impurity (Leviticus 15:19). This is considered as the best possible period for conception, as attested in other ancient document. ==David arranged Uriah to be killed (11:14–25)==