Why Was David Killing Uriah the Hittite Darker than You Think?
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There is no question that David is one of the Old Testament’s most prominent figures and among the most important characters in Israel’s history. Regarded as “a man after God’s own heart,” David’s character has been praised, his leadership emulated, and his many worship songs cherished by believers for centuries.
Nevertheless, David was a flawed man in many ways. Of course, one of the greatest stains upon his character was his adulterous relationship with a woman named Bathsheba.
Yes, God would forgive David and bless Bathsheba with a son who would eventually inherit David’s throne. Nevertheless, David’s sin would impact him and his family for many years.
However, another key player existed in the drama of David and Bathsheba. He is arguably the biggest victim of David’s adultery and deception. Who is he? His name was Uriah the Hittite.
Most readers will recognize Uriah as the husband of Bathsheba, who suffered an incredible injustice at the hands of his king. But who was Uriah really, and what should we know about him?
When Does the Bible First Mention Uriah the Hittite?
Uriah the Hittite first appears in David’s story in 2 Samuel 11. Unfortunately, Uriah’s name is brought forward after David had already set in his heart to pursue Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba.
As the story goes, one spring, when the kings went to battle, David remained in Jerusalem. From the rooftops of his palace, he looked out and saw a beautiful woman bathing. When the king inquired about her, his servants told him, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” (2 Samuel 11:3)
Unfortunately, the report of Bathsheba’s marital status did nothing to discourage or dissuade the lustful king. The Bible then tells us that David “sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her home” (2 Samuel 11:4).
Bathsheba conceived after her encounter with the king. Upon receiving news of Bathsheba’s pregnancy, David did what many men in his position would do: He panicked.
David summoned Bathsheba's husband back to Jerusalem to cover up his transgression and conceal his shame. Uriah, a soldier, had been away at war with the rest of Israel’s forces. When Uriah returned to Jerusalem, the king feigned interest in the state of the war. He then “encouraged” Uriah to return home to be with his wife, hoping that Uriah might sleep with Bathsheba. In doing so, David could pass Bathsheba’s pregnancy off as Uriah’s child.
Uriah, however, refused to go home and be with his wife while the other soldiers were at war. Commit to his duty as a soldier, Uriah instead “slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house” (2 Samuel 11:10). Realizing his cover-up plan had failed, David then tried to get Uriah drunk to weaken his resolve. Uriah remained faithful to his station as he had previously told the king, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing.” (2 Samuel 11:11)
With Uriah’s integrity intact and his resolve unflappable, David took extreme measures to cover up the affair.
Why Is It Important that Uriah Was a Hittite?
When Uriah is mentioned in the Bible, he is often called Uriah the Hittite. The biblical authors included this detail of his heritage for a reason. But why is this important to know? Maybe the question we should be asking is: who were the Hittites from which Uriah came?
As his name suggests, Uriah, “the Hittite,” would have begun his life as an outsider to Israel. Unlike his king or fellow soldiers, he was not a native Jew. Rather, Uriah descended from a group believed to have occupied present-day Syria and eastern Turkey. The Hittites are mentioned in the Old Testament over 50 times; their roots go back to Heth, the son of Canaan and the great-grandson of Noah (Genesis 10:15).
Generations after the Great Flood, Abraham frequently encountered the Hittites. It is written that he purchased a cave from the Hittites as a burial site for his wife, Sarah (Genesis 23). Esau, Abraham’s grandson, also took wives from the Hittites (Genesis 26:34).
When the Israelites, under Joshua’s leadership, entered the Promised Land, God instructed His people to destroy the inhabitants of Canaan to purge the Promised Land of their pagan practices. Understandably, God did not want the idolatry and depraved religion of groups like the Hittites to infiltrate and influence God’s people.
Did this mean that no outsider was ever allowed to become a part of Israel?
Actually, no, it did not. The Law of Moses had already established provisions for God’s people to treat foreigners, strangers, and immigrants. The key, however, was for outsiders to assimilate into Israel’s culture, not vice versa. Unfortunately, that was not always the case. The marriages of kings like Solomon and Ahab to foreign wives proved just how dangerous it was for outsiders to be allowed to bring their pagan practices, religion, and rituals into Israel. These unassimilated individuals often turned the hearts of kings, families, and even the entire nation away from God.
That was not the case with Uriah the Hittite.
At some point in his life, Uriah converted to Judaism and became a God-fearing, God-worshipping soldier in Israel’s army and a key ally of King David. He was even given a new Hebrew name, which means “the Lord is my light,” and eventually allowed to marry a Jewish woman named Bathsheba.
We do not know how Uriah met Bathsheba, just as we do not know what first brought him into the services of Israel’s army. However, given that Uriah had served alongside Bathsheba’s father, Eliam, he may have proven himself worthy of her hand while fighting alongside her father.
In any case, Uriah’s loyalty to Israel, Bathsheba, and David was probably more by choice than actual birth since he was not a native Israelite.
Did Uriah Know David Before David Slept with Bathsheba?
The fact that David, a married man, had knowingly chosen to have an affair with a married woman would have been sinful on its own. However, when we peel back the layers of this transgression, we find that David’s sin was even more despicable than we may realize.
For one thing, Uriah was on the frontlines fighting for his king and adopted nation. And while Uriah risked his life for Israel, David was sleeping with his wife.
In any era, that would be an injustice of the highest order.
Most men would be crushed to find out their wives were cheating on them while they were away at war. Imagine how one might feel if their king and commander-in-chief had decided to reward their many years of service by having his way with their wife?
However, David’s treachery goes even further. Uriah was more than a common foot soldier in Israel’s army. The Bible tells us that Uriah belonged to David’s elite fighting force. Uriah was one of the renowned 30 mighty men described in 2 Samuel 23:24-39 and 1 Chronicles 11:26-47.
Who were David’s mighty men exactly?
Heralded for their courage and skill in battle, David’s mighty men were an elite group of fighting men who had assembled for David in the caves of Adullam after he fled from King Saul (2 Samuel 22:1-2). Some were members of David’s own family. Others had fought alongside him when he was in Saul’s army. Many more were ruffians, mercenaries, and outsiders to Israel.
Alone, they were notorious killers. Together, they would become the land's most feared and effective fighting force, proving themselves loyal to David for the rest of his life.
When David’s son Absalom later tried to usurp his father’s throne, one of David’s advisors (Hushai) warned Absalom not to attack his father and the small contingent who’d fled with him, stating, “You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men and they are fierce, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field, and your father is an expert in warfare” (2 Samuel 17:8). Hushai would then say of the mighty men, “even the one who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will completely lose heart; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with are him are valiant men.” (2 Samuel 17:10)
Given his position, Uriah the Hittite was well-known not just in the army but also by his king. This makes David’s adultery and treatment of Uriah that much more personal.
Why Does David Kill Uriah Over Bathsheba’s Pregnancy?
After David realized that Uriah would not be persuaded to sleep with his wife, he sent him back to the army. He then ordered his commander Joab to place him on the next battle’s frontlines. As the battle raged, Joab would retreat, leaving Uriah alone to fend for himself.
In the following battle, Joab did as commanded; Uriah was killed (2 Samuel 11:14-25).
Did Bathsheba ever learn that David had ordered her husband’s death? We do not know. All we know is that David had murdered one of his most loyal servants and brothers-in-arms to conceal his sin.
The Bible tells us that “when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. When the mourning was over, David sent her to his house, and she became his wife; then, she bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Samuel 11:26-27).
David may have thought he had gotten away with it. God, however, was fully aware of what he had done and later confronted him via the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 12).
God, in His grace, eventually forgives and restores David. Nevertheless, David’s lust, adultery, betrayal, deceit, and murder cost him, his family, and the nation for many years to come. David may be regarded as “a man after God’s own heart.” Still, in this story, the integrity, loyalty, and honor of Uriah the Hittite, an outsider to Israel, far overshadow the lust and betrayal of Israel’s greatest king.
Photo Credit: Public domain portrait by Pieter Lastman via Wikimedia Commons.
This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul.
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