King David and Bathsheba 

Basic Info

2 Samuel 11:1—12:25

David already had a few wives. One night though, David was attracted to a woman named Bathsheba when he saw her bathing outside the walls. He had her brought to him, seduced her, and she became pregnant. David called her husband, Uriah, back from the front and tried to get him to sleep with her so Uriah would think it was his child. However, Uriah didn’t think it would be good for the morale of his troops if he got to go home when the rest of them didn’t, so he didn’t go to Bathsheba. Then David ordered another general to send Uriah to the very front of a battle and then pull back without telling him about the retreat so that Uriah would be killed. David married Bathsheba after he had Uriah killed this way.

Shortly after David married Bathsheba and their first son was born, God sent Nathan to David to challenge his behavior. Nathan did so by a clever parable about a man who had many sheep but took the only sheep of a poor man for a big dinner he was hosting. Nathan asked David what should be done to the man. David condemned the wealthy man for taking advantage of the poor man. Nathan told David that he was the wealthy man and Uriah was the poor man. David realized his sin and repented. The first son Bathsheba bore David died young as punishment. Solomon was the second; he eventually succeeded David as king.

The art tradition sometimes paints this story for the sake of the beauty of the two lovers. Artworks often omit the Uriah thread and focus on the love story.

What to Look For

• Bathsheba’s physical appearance
• David’s physical appearance
• The relationship between them (looks, gestures, expressions, etc.)

Questions to Focus a General Interpretation

Does this artwork focus on an exploration of David’s sin, or does it emphasize the love story between the two?

If the artwork is of Bathsheba while she is bathing, does the artwork focus on the power of temptations of the flesh?

Questions to Guide a Personal Interpretation

Does this artwork offer any wisdom about adultery and / or love for today?

Questions to Suggest a Historical Interpretation



What is the attitude toward adultery and love in the artist’s time and place? Does this factor into the artwork’s depiction of this instance of adultery and / or love?

What is the attitude toward women and temptation in the artist’s time and place (there are those who would excuse David and say it was all Bathsheba’s doing)? Is this attitude reflected in the artwork?