Bathsheba was David's last wife (at least the last one mentioned in the Bible) and probably his most famous. David then married Abigail, and she had a son named Daniel. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Our sin nature gravitates toward selfishness and self-pleasure. [1] He was a younger brother of Shammuah (sometimes referred to as Shammua or Shimea), Shobab, and Solomon. How many wives did King David have? Your number, names and stories Why did David need Abishag to keep him warm when he had wives and The source for everything happening at Amazing Facts. (Actually, Saul promised David his older daughter Merab, hoping the Philistines would kill David. Our sins always affect future generations. Saul also had other concubines that are not included in this list. Michals husband Paltiel trails behind her, weeping (2 Samuel 3:13-17). We dont know. He lost four children. Though He will not always reverse the consequences of our poor decisions, with genuine repentance we may return to Him. Lets take a look at what the Bible tells us about them. Sauls hopes of David falling by the hand of the Philistines is once again thwarted because David killed 200 Philistines and gave double the agreed-upon dowry. Nathan calmly told the king: "You are the man," meaning that God had revealed to the prophet the truth of David's adultery, deceit, and murder of Uriah. Clearly, a liaison with her would violate the seventh commandment against adultery, and a king of Israel was supposed to be a religious leader as well as a political leader. But his pursuit of righteousness was a family trait. The primary evidence for David's career consists of several chapters in the books 1 . Article Images Copyright . David flew into a rage, demanding to know who the man was so that he could exact judgment on him. Access to our entire media library in one easy-to-use and easy-to-search location. Why did God punish David and Bathsheba's innocent child with death? 10. They are: David's remaining children that we know of were born in Jerusalem to unnamed wives. David and Bathsheba Bible Story and 10 Important Lessons In 2020, he won First Prize for Best Feature Story in a regional contest by the Colorado Press Association Network. Twenty-eight generations later, Jesus was born as Davids descendant. The story of Bathsheba and David has proved so enduring that religious commentators still debate the quality of the sin involvedand its plot has been borrowed for countless romance novels, movies, and daytime dramas. It is likely David had even more sons and daughters that the Bible does not record since we know he had several more unnamed wives and perhaps even more concubines through which he fathered children (1 Chronicles 3:9). In verse 15, David is described writing a letter to his general, Joab, telling him to put Uriah on the front lines where the fighting is fiercest, and then to withdraw, leaving Uriah undefended. Bathsheba and David's Adultery Led Him to Greater Sins. We only know that David could do whatever he wanted to do. As a result, Bathsheba became pregnant with their illegitimate child and told David he was the father. Bathsheba, also spelled Bethsabee, in the Hebrew Bible (2 Samuel 11, 12; 1 Kings 1, 2), wife of Uriah the Hittite; she later became one of the wives of King David and the mother of King Solomon. Solomon was known for his many foreign wives, who were able to turn his heart away from God to foreign gods (1 Kings 11). Though several of David's most loyal followers, including Joab and Abiathar, threw their support behind Adonijah, David turned to Nathan (the prophet), Benaiah (the mighty man), and Zadok (the priest) to establish Solomon as the rightful king of Israel. This site is a proud member of the Salem Web Network, a subsidiary of, Copyright 2023, Crosswalk.com. To consummate his insurrection, Absalom slept with his father's concubines in public for everyone to see (2 Samuel 16:20-23). After this, the Lord struck Nabal and took his life. David refused to discipline Amnon, so Tamars brother Absalom killed Amnon in revenge and fled to escape punishment (2 Samuel 13). So, they were at least on speaking terms later in life. Comments containing URLs outside the family of Amazing Facts websites will not be approved. He recalled Uriah from the front, supposedly to give him a report on the battle, and then told him to take some leave and visit his wife. King David and His Wives - David married many women in the course of He won King Saul's daughter . Bathsheba mourned the death of her husband and David took her as his wife after her time of mourning. He gave them Solomon, whose name means "Peace.". Davids confession in 2 Samuel 12:13 is beautiful and simple: I have sinned against the Lord. First and foremost, our sin is always against God, so its his forgiveness we must seek first. Witness to friends and family with these powerhouse resources on a wide variety of biblical topics. David had four wives whose names we knowAhinoam, Abigail (2 Samuel 2:2), Eglah (2 Samuel 3:5), and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:27)and possibly others such as Absalom's mother Maakah. He didn't trick her. He cant sleep (maybe because hes not fulfilling his purpose? Why Was David Allowed to Take so Many Wives (and Who Were They)? When David couldn't get Uriah to sleep with his wife Bathsheba (and therefore conceal David's adultery), he . She and her husband Shane are launching a podcast called Stress Test: the heartbeat of healthy leadership in late April, 2023. Depending on the length of a woman's period, this seven-day injunction before purification virtually guarantees that a woman will most likely be ovulating, or close to ovulating when she resumes having sex. As parents, sometimes we must rebuild and repair this foundation when cracks begin to form. Did David rape Bathsheba? | GotQuestions.org It may be shocking to suggest King David had sexual issues, but its not out of the question. God explicitly prohibited polygamy. (2 Samuel 11:2-4) "David didn't invite Bathsheba. Bad decisions have lasting consequences. Claim: David "power raped" Bathsheba. God makes the ultimate mockery of sin by taking our wicked decisions and using them for His good purposes (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28). A lack of integrity in one area always seeps into a lack of integrity in other areas. The Bible doesnt outright say which of Davids wives he favored the most, nor does it give us enough information to guess. God in His grace restored David back to a healthy spiritual relationship with Him. Despite Joab's action, Uriah and other officers were killed. He won King Sauls daughter Michal for killing 400 Philistines and cutting off their foreskins. Their later marriage seems to have been close ( 2 Samuel 12:24) and loyal ( 1 Kings 1:28-31 ). Eventually, Joab killed Absalom. Absalom was later killed by David's commander Joab, against David's wishes (2 Samuel 18). The story of David and Bathsheba is not a love story or at least it didn't start that way. We dont know about five of his wives other than which sons they bore. However, these lists only mention the wives that David had sons with, and the 1 Chronicles list ends with these were the sons of David, not including his sons born to concubines (1 Chronicles 3:9). He is the writer of a special Scripture study/reflection addendum to Someplace to Be Somebody, authored by his wife, Lisa Loraine Baker (End Game Press Spring 2022). Whereas Saul lacked sufficient self-confidence to lead the nation appropriately, David was ever sure of himself [an important component of true trust in Gd] yet knew to repent in an instant and keep his teshuvah alive . Products that will appeal to the young and young at heart. Abitalmarried David while he was in exile, and had a son named Shephatiah. None of this is necessary and it can be avoided if Christians take their studies of the Scripture seriously instead of shying away from difficult passages in the Bible. What Can Galileo Teach Us about Science and Faith? Her future child(ren) would be raised within a context of sexual misconduct, manipulation, competition, cover-up, and violence just as Nathan predicted. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. Learn Religions. Abital(1 Chr 3:3)(2 Sam 3:4) No matter how active we are in our children's lives, our children grow up and must one day choose for themselves whether they will serve the Lord or go their own way. 'ChristianityToday.com, 'Why It's Easier to Accept David as a Murderer Than a Rapist'. Nathan (son of David) - Wikipedia David, as well as kings which followed (including his son Solomon who had 700 wives and 300 concubines: 1 Kin 11:3 ), disobeyed . Davids character influenced his childrens character. The Rabbis are concerned with the causes and harsh consequences of David's sin, but completely disregard Bathsheba's . These were born to David in Hebron" (2 Samuel 3:2-5 and 1 Chronicles 3:1-3). Remember that David did suffer terribly because of his sin with Bathsheba. After Bathsheba mourns for her deceased husband, David sends for and marries Bathsheba. Listen to all of Amazing Facts audio programming whenever and wherever you go. See how your gifts made a lasting difference recently. When presented with the polygamous lifestyle of David (or anyone else for that matter) it is essential for us to keep several overarching truths in mind. Saul reneged and gave him Michal instead because she was infatuated with David and Saul thought he could use her to get to David (1 Samuel 18:17-20). Does it mean you cannot be forgiven or saved? David had eight named wives, others unnamed, and an unknown number of concubines. We learn more about Michal, Abigail, and Bathsheba, but not much about how David related to them over time.