It seems to me that you have it backwards William. Nephis admonition that we liken the scriptures unto ourselves can be spiritually dangerous if we are likening ourselves to partial truths or false truths. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. The lesson is whatever you do might affect many lives. Search results for: 'bathsheba' David and Bathsheba David and Bathsheba - Uriah's Fidelity David and Bathsheba - the Rooftop Bathsheba's Bath David and Bathsheba - Remorse Bathsheba and David David watching Bathsheba bathing. So I believe he did promise and was being reminded indirectly by Bathsheba and Nathan the prophet. So is he who goes into his neighbors wife;None who touches her will go unpunished. There are, in fact, many naked Bathshebas, including the famous one now in the Louvre painted by Rembrandt in 1654. Bathsheba is the daughter (bat) of Eliambat is the same Hebrew word used in 2 Samuel 12:3and she is Uriahs wife (ishshah) (2 Sam. What did it mean for a woman to pray in penitence, O Lord, do not rebuke me, while looking at this bathing woman? Thats the Biblical verse that immortalized this event. [2] Sometimes they bathe with clothes on, or with a cloth or sarong wrapped around their bodies so that they are never completely naked.[3]. In last weeks post (Allusions to Rachel in 1 Samuel), I noted how intertextuality (sometimes referred to as typology) can be a fruitful avenue that allows Scripture to interpret Scripture. And so Uriah is exposed to the enemy and killed (2 Sam. Eliam is mentioned in the list of Davids Thirty warriors, as is Uriah (2 Samuel 23:24-39, See 2 Sam. Ultimately, Jesus was born through David and Bathshebas lineage. And can you offer a source on Solomons wisdom deriving from Egyptian civil servants? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Would you like to support my ministry of encouraging mutuality and equality between men and women in the church and in marriage? They both seem to have recognised that she had diplomatic skill and influence with theking. So much has been read into the text that isnt there. Sure, the disastrous, violent family strife around Absaloms rebellion is part of Davids punishment for his sin with Bathsheba. David marries the widowed Bathsheba and she gives birth to a baby boy, but the baby becomes dangerously ill. David fasts and prays, hoping that God will spare the boys life, but seven days later the boy dies. In Matthews genealogy, four women are mentioned, three by name: Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth. From a couple of these proverbs, we can see that Solomon respected the teaching of his mother (Prov. In the first scene of the Bathsheba narrative, David, who remains in the palace while his troops are deployed in war, spies a woman bathing from his rooftop after a late afternoon siesta. By denying her subjectivity. Not sure if that was the law at the time of David. And she was the wife of Uriah, also one of the Thirty (2 Samuel 23:39). I dont believe David was illegitimate. So, lets just take a brief look at each of those stages. The text gives no support to the idea that she was a seductress. Bathsheba is not mentioned by name in the second half of 2 Samuel chapter 11, rather she is referred to as the wife of Uriah. This has the effect of distancing her from Davids schemes, crimes, and his guilt. Todays Western culture has also made any evaluation of Bathsheba, an extremely sensitive issue. He is responsible for his actions, as are we all. I include this quotation because of the unsupported claim that respectable Israelite or Jewish women did not bathe at night for ritual purification. I imagine this idea comes from observing what people do in similar cultures. It is the beginning of the fulfillment of the Lords word of judgment in 2 Samuel 12:11: Behold I will raise up evil against you from your own house (my translation). Nabal commits a foolish act potentially leading to his death at the hands of David, but Abigail intercedes and saves him thus saving David from shedding innocent blood. Reub 1.3740; cf. I strongly dislike how the author disrespects people he disagrees with. Bourdichons Bathsheba bathes alone. For example, it is the lamb that is slaughtered and Uriah that is slaughtered, so a straight comparison between Batsheba and the lamb is too direct. Bathsheba | Description & Biblical Account | Britannica But these things are not Gods perfect will for humanity. ~ Clement of Alexandria makes a reference to Dion, a contemporary of Plato, who had commented on the modesty of two women. ], Dowry: Verses 28-29 If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay her father fifty shekels of silver. The Conjuring True Story - Real Bathsheba Witch, Real Perron Family . Women In The Bible: What Did They Really Look Like - BookPleasures.com It is imperative that we let go of Bathsheba as adulteress! This may conceivably be a measure of her helplessness before the power of the king ( there was definitely a power differential there ). Then 10 of his concubines was forced to have sex with Absalom. She may have been helpless. When Uriahs wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she mourned for her husband. ~ In the Book of Susanna, which is part of the Septuagint, two elders lust after the virtuous Susanna when they see her walking alone in her husbands private garden (Susanna 1:78). David tells Bathsheba, As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued me from every trouble, regarding what I swore to you by the Lord, Israels God, Your son Solomon will certainly succeed me; he will sit on the throne after meIll see that it happens today (1 Kings 1:29b-30 CEB). It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the kings house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. The most powerful man in a monarchial society saw a woman he wanted, sent other men to bring her to him, vaginally penetrated her with his penis, then murdered her husband to avoid being found out.. [12] With the removal of Adonijah, Solomons kingdom is now established (c. 968 BCE). Yes, I think there are pointers that David exerted a kind of pressure on her to warrant the accusation of rape, and I dont say that because I think the act couldnt be consensual given the power dynamics at play. Bathsheba's role in these few terse lines reveals very little of her feeling or character. He is hoping that Uriah will take responsibility for the pregnancy. Yet God used each and every one of them in spite of their record of sin. It is safe to assume that David sent someone(s) capable of overcoming Bathshebas resistance when he took her. Beware the leaven of the scribes. It does not tell us about how God views his daughters. Mary and the Women in Matthews Genealogy of Jesus, Abigail: A Bible Women with Beauty and Brains, The Disturbing Story of Davids Ten Concubines, King Lemuels Mother: The other Proverbs 31 Woman, Leading Together in the Home: Honour Your Mother and Your Father, Bathshebas other David: The Marginalization of Women and Christ as Answer. : A Gospel Perspective on Imperfect Families, The Telling Responses of 19th Century Saints; Unexpectedly Called to Serve Missions, Meridians Come, Follow Me Podcast (New Testament Episodes). Sign up for Meridians Free Newsletter, pleaseCLICK HERE. [A married woman is guilty of adultery with or without consenting to the sex. Despite the illustrations of breadth and complexity, such as with Hagar, interpreters assume a wife unless explicitly told otherwise. But the Bible doesnt just leave us with pointers and I think this just needs to be said before we stop. 3) In Nathans parable, I would not use the word compared to describe the relation between the ewe lamb and Bathsheba, as the parable was meant to describe the situation in a cloaked way, so that Davids own words would condemn him. 2) Going into a mikveh does not imply being naked; if she was this implies she thought no one was watching. 17:6; 19:15). [7] Cheryl Exum makes an interesting comment on Bathshebas difficult situation: Whether David rapes Bathsheba is a moot question . Chapter 11 finishes with a succinct update on the situation and a frightening insight into Gods view of what David had done. David waits the requisite mourning period and then summons her to become his wife. In an era when so many women are coming forward with their own stories of sexual abuse and assault, Queen Bathsheba offers a path forward towards the reclamation of self and female power, and David, in his own way, offers a model of accountability and repentance. We could ask another question: What does bathing mean? Bathshebas washing was a faithful and personal act of devotion to God. Some think she was taking a ritual bath (Hebrew, mikveh) after her menstrual period (citing 2Sam 11:4), but neither text nor archaeology offer clear support. Bathsheba doesnt seem to have had a problem with Adonijahs request. Today, a few centuries after the invention of privacy and indoor plumbing, it is easy for Westerners to assume that Bathsheba was bathing nakedand, because she was visible, some might argue that she was doing so inappropriately. For those who think Bathsheba was a political opportunist, it is important to note that she acted on Nathans advice here and not from her own initiative. Many an interpreter has held Bathsheba to be at fault for showing herself naked to the kingfor seducing him. Many years pass. Anyway Marg you knew which verse I meant. Bathsheba is called, Uriahs woman, which is routinely changed to read Uriahs wife. Yet any careful reading of the remarks by the Prophet Nathan, plus Gods words of formal conviction of David, indicates that Bathsheba was never the wife of Uriah. (1 Thessalonians 2:57). This may well be the case. David, feeble with old age, does not know that his son, Adonijah, the presumptive heir, has set himself up as king. Thanks. Mens lust was the problem. [4] If the cleansing in 11:4 b is before David had sex with her, then we are meant to understand that Bathsheba has had her period and that, when she does become pregnant, the baby cannot be her husband Uriahs. The point here is to demonstrate the insights that can be gained from investigating texts with similar themes, motifs, and words. Someone who has a problem with what Ive written even holds Bathsheba responsible for Uriahs death. The Bible depicts both as men of valour and honour. This was also the color that symbolized sin. And then he dumps her, sends her home. Today's Western culture has also made any evaluation of Bathsheba, an extremely sensitive issue. Speaking of the commandments and teachings of ones parents (which ultimately derive from the Lord), Proverbs 6:22 states, When you walk they will lead you; when you lie down they will watch over you (ESV). What was it about his analogy that felt so off? 2:5). Bathsheba is now pregnant and widowed, and she mourns for her murdered husband. 3:5). The New Testament is replete with warnings against a worldly use of authority. Through out the. The parenthetical aside about her purifying herself may refer back to the roof bath as a ritual cleansing at the end of her period, which would affirm Davids paternity. This custom continued into the Christian era, and still today, in some cultures, womens names are not spoken. This came up in context of a woman who was impregnated by a rapist. [13] Did Bathsheba experience grief by witnessing Solomons foolish foreign marriages and later idolatry (1 Kings 11:113 cf. The Bible says nothing about guilt on her part. Many accounts suggest that Bathsheba was a Satan-worshipping witch and was related to Mary Eastey, a woman who was hanged in the "Salem Witch Trials". Though David confesses and repents, he suffers the consequences of his sins: the sword will never leave his house and another man will possess his wives in public. I have a delicate Bible question I have been thinking about for a long time about the misuse of a woman. A Sympathetic Look at Bathsheba - Marg Mowczko She bathes before she prays, and the text uses the word kathara, which can simply mean clean, but is used in the context of purification in the Septuagint (cf. Which might notmatter so much if her location werent used elsewhere to indicate that she was complicit in her rape. He didnt trick her. Unlike what it says in Deuteronomy 22:23: 28 David say that the Lord has chosen Davids son Solomon. Moreover, it is likely that in his deep remorse he used some exaggeration or poetic license in his song. Note these two contrasting posts I discovered on the internet (David, Bathsheba, and Woke Exegesis, and Bathsheba Naked). Its well worth a read. Several Hebrew stories in the Bible are coy about sexuality, especially where sexuality is used by a woman. Bathsheba was married to Uriah the Hittite, a soldier in David's elite corps known as the Thirty. David treated Bathsheba as a powerless, voiceless pawn. And can a man who has perpetrated an offense of this kind ever find the Balm of Gilead if he is constantly running from his own guilt? 27:33). Margaret Mowczko 2014 This recognition creates yet another link between the stories of Abigail and Bathsheba. 12:3: Uriah bought Bathsheba. He saw a woman bathing, and she was beautiful. PDF Bathsheba's Story: Surviving Abuse and Loss - Baylor University And what is this higher law exactly? Marg did not turn King David into a rapist; David, as a powerful, head-removing king abused his power over his subjects and sinned against the Lord. The mother refuses, and the man kidnaps the girl. 15:19), then this proves the child was Davids, as she was not already pregnant before she went to the palace and was in the middle of her cycle, the optimum time for getting pregnant. It starts with Jesus, it goes to Paul the apostle, it goes to the elders of the churches, and it goes to husbands and indeed, it goes to all Christians, because all Christians are influential one way or the other, and they can be influential in harmful ways or influential in helpful ways. As with all women, what biblical women wore was connected not only to modesty, but had a variety of symbolic meanings. I see no evidence that David loved Michal. 3:5)[6]. However, if the story of Judith is anything to go by, respectable Jewish women, at least sometimes, did bathe ritually at night. After a royal summons that brought about a wretched entrance into palace life, Bathshebas circumstances improved to the point that she had her own royal throne in the palace. (Source) Almost all the images of Bathsheba on the internet were of a totally nude woman, some were very stark. I have written about honor-shame culture and customs of identification in my article The Shame of the Unnamed Women in the Old Testament. His implication nagged at me for months. Im guessing David thought it was okay to have Uriah killed since he was fighting a war. Hey, you know people die in battle except David wanted Uriah to be killed. Likewise, I see real repentance in Davids oath. ~ In Callimachuss version of the myth of Actaeon, the Greek goddess Artemis turns Actaeon into a stag after he happens to see her bathing naked in the woods. However, it is likely she believed that David had gone to war with his fighting menmen who included her husband (2 Sam. But Uriah doesnt do as David hoped. Most Bible scholars I read today leave this situation more vague and simply say David committed adultery with her, leaving her volition ambiguous, maybe even suggesting that she was a willing participant in the sin. Some assume Bathsheba was hoping to attract the kings attention and that she bathed in a seductive manner. But, as the history of biblical interpretation shows, it may also be a matter of morality: the answer to the question may be used to shift blame for the kings adultery from David to Bathsheba.
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