Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Samuel 11

After the year was expired. —Literally, as in the margin, at the return of the year. This refers back to 2 Samuel 10:14.

Joab had spent the winter or rainy season at Jerusalem; now he returns to Ammon. David had evidently hurried his campaign against Hadarezer to prevent the junction of his foes, and Joab had probably been sent at first with only a small force to hold the Ammonites in check.

With the speedy and successful close of David’s own operations, he returned to Jerusalem, while the bulk of the army was sent to join Joab. By the curious insertion of a letter, the Hebrew text reads “when angels (or messengers) go forth”. It is corrected in the margin.

Destroyed the children. — 1 Chronicles 20:1 explains wasted the country of the children. After the custom of ancient warfare, while the army was besieging Rabbah, foraging parties were sent out to lay waste the country and cut off any stragglers. Compare to 1 Samuel 13:17–18.

In the late afternoon. —Late in the afternoon, when David had taken the siesta customary in Eastern countries, he rose from his couch and walked on the roof of his palace. In the cool of the day, this was the pleasantest part of an eastern house. This palace was on the height of Mount Zion and looked down upon the open courts of the houses in the lower city. In one of these, he saw a beautiful woman bathing. It was common to have a basin of water in the courts of these houses, and the place was probably entirely concealed from every other viewpoint except the roof of the palace, from which no harm was suspected.

David’s grievous fall resulted from his long course of uninterrupted prosperity and power, which had somewhat intoxicated him and thrown him off his guard. It is not the plan of Scripture to cover up or excuse the sins of even its greatest heroes and saints. This sin was followed by the deepest repentance and by Divine forgiveness; nevertheless, its punishment overclouded all the remaining years of David’s life. His fall, as St. Augustine has said, should put those who have not fallen on guard, and save from despair those who have.

Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam. —Her name is spelt in Chronicles Bath-shua, and her father’s name is said to be Ammiel. Ammiel and Eliam are the same name with its component parts transposed, as Scripture names are often varied: God’s people and the people of God.

Wife of Uriah the Hittite. —His name appears (2 Samuel 23:39) in the list of David’s thirty chief heroes, and the whole story represents him as a brave and noble-minded soldier. David had now given rein to his guilty passion so far that the knowledge of Bath-sheba’s being a married woman, and the wife of one of his chief warriors, does not check him.

Sent messengers, and took her. — This does not imply the use of violence. Bath-sheba, however beautiful, appears from the narrative of 1 Kings 2:13–22, to have been a woman of little discretion, and now yielded to David’s will without resistance, perhaps flattered by the approach of the king.

For she was. — Read, and she was. Under the Law she was unclean until the evening. She therefore remained in David’s palace until that time, scrupulous in this detail while conscious of a capital crime and a high offence against God. David, nevertheless, was a far greater offender.

Sent and told David. —Because her sin must now become known, and by the Law (Leviticus 20:10) adulterers must both be punished with death.