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Pentecost Season · Proper 12 · Year B

2 Samuel 11:1-15

David and Bathsheba

July 25, 2027

Bathsheba at Her Bath, Rembrandt van Rijn
Bathsheba at Her Bath, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1654Musée du Louvre, Paris
Rembrandt's wife Hendrickje sat for it. Bathsheba holds the king's letter and is not reading it; the painting is entirely about what she is thinking.David sent messengers to get her: the reading is the beginning of the worst thing David did, and Rembrandt painted it from her side.Rembrandt van RijnRembrandt (1606-1669) painted scripture as if it had happened in a room he had been in, and returned to the same stories across forty years, changing his mind about them in public.Musée du Louvre, ParisA royal palace turned public museum by the Revolution in 1793, on the principle that what the king had owned now belonged to everyone.Musée du Louvre, Paris
Revised Common Lectionary
GospelJohn 6:1-21Jn 6:1-21
EpistleEph. 3:14-21Eph 3:14-21
Old Testament2 Sam. 11:1-152 Sm 11:1-15Alt. OT2 Kings 4:42-442 Kgs 4:42-44
PsalterPs. 14Ps 14Alt. PsalmPs. 145:10-18Ps 145:10-18

Overview & Insights

"Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die." (2 Samuel 11:15)

While his army is at war, David sends for Bathsheba and she conceives, and when his cover-up fails he arranges for her husband Uriah to be killed in battle. The chapter exposes the abuse of royal power.

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Commentary

2 Samuel 11:1-152 Sm 11:1-15 Working Preacher

A Luther Seminary commentary on David's abuse of power and the silence of God through the chapter.

2 Samuel 11:1-152 Sm 11:1-15 Center for Excellence in Preaching

A Reformed commentary tracing how one sin cascades into deception and murder.

2 Samuel 112 Sm 11 Enduring Word · David Guzik

A verse-by-verse evangelical commentary on David's fall with Bathsheba and the plot against Uriah.

2 Samuel 11 Commentary2 Sm 11 Commentary Precept Austin

A deep study page gathering word studies, cross-references, and many expositors on the chapter.

Classic commentaries on 2 Samuel 11Classic commentaries on 2 Sm 11 BibleHub

A classic aggregator stacking historic verse-by-verse commentary on the narrative.

Background & Word Study

II Samuel 11 in Hebrew, with Jewish commentary Sefaria

The Hebrew text with English translation and linked Jewish commentary for word-level study.

2 Samuel 11:1 interlinear2 Sm 11:1 interlinear BibleHub

A word-by-word Hebrew interlinear with parsing and Strong's numbers for close study of the text.

The Church Fathers

2 Samuel 11, patristic commentary2 Sm 11, patristic commentary Catena

A verse-linked catena of early church interpretation of 2 Samuel 11.

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