2 Samuel 11:15

15 1He had written in the letter, saying, "Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, 2so that he may be struck down and die."

2 Samuel 11:15 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 11:15

And he wrote in the letter, saying
Giving the following orders to Joab:

set ye Uriah is the forefront of the hottest battle:
over against that part of the city where the enemy was strongest, and the battle the fiercest, and the stones and arrows were cast the thickest:

and retire ye from him;
leave him to himself to combat the enemy alone; who seeing him deserted, would sally out upon him, and the few that might be with him, and slay him:

that he may be smitten, and die;
thus he sought to add murder to adultery, and that in the basest manner, and which he accomplished; and this is often the case, that murder follows adultery, either by way of revenge for it, or in order to cover it, as here.

2 Samuel 11:15 In-Context

13 Now David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his lord's servants, but he did not go down to his house.
14 Now in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15 He had written in the letter, saying, "Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die."
16 So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he put Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men.
17 The men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David's servants fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Ecclesiastes 8:11; Jeremiah 17:9
  • 2. 2 Samuel 12:9

Footnotes 2

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