Bathsheba ( or ; he, בַּת־שֶׁבַע, ''Baṯ-šeḇaʿ'', Bat-Sheva or Batsheva, "daughter of Sheba" or "daughter of the oath") was the wife of

Uriah the Hittite Uriah the Hittite ( ''ʾŪrīyyā haḤītī'') is a minor figure in the Hebrew Bible, mentioned in the Books of Samuel, an elite soldier in the army of David, king of Israel and Judah, and the husband of Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam. While Uri ...

and later of

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, according to the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Solomon, who succeeded David as king, making her the

Gebirah In the Hebrew Bible, Gebirah (; he, , ''gəḇīrā''; feminine of , ''gəḇīr'', meaning 'lord') is a title ascribed to several queen mothers of Israel and Judah. Description Literally translated, the title means 'Great Lady' ("Lady" bei ...

(Queen mother). She is best known for the Biblical narrative in which she was summoned by King David, who had seen her bathing and lusted after her.

Biblical narrative

Bathsheba was the daughter of

Eliam David's Mighty Warriors (also known as David's Mighty Men or the Gibborim; ''hagGībōrīm'', "The Mighty Ones") are a group of 37 men in the Hebrew Bible who fought with King David and are identified in , part of the "supplementary information ...

(, Ammiel in ). An Eliam is mentioned in as the son of Ahithophel, who is described as the

Gilon Gilon ( he, גִּילוֹן) is a community settlement in northern Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee on Mount Gilon seven kilometres west of Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In it had a population of . Hi ...

ite. Bathsheba was the wife of

. David's first interactions with Bathsheba are described in , and are omitted in the

Books of Chronicles The Book of Chronicles ( he, דִּבְרֵי־הַיָּמִים ) is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Chronicles) in the Christian Old Testament. Chronicles is the final book of the Hebrew Bible, concluding the third sec ...

. David, while walking on the roof of his palace, saw a very beautiful woman bathing. He ordered enquiries and found out that she was Bathsheba, wife of Uriah. He desired her and later made her pregnant. David and Diana Garland regard David's action on Bathsheba as an example of

rape in the Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible contains a number of references to rape and other forms of sexual violence, both in the Law of Moses, its historical narratives and its prophetic poetry. History of scholarship Until well into the 20th century, most translat ...

. In an effort to conceal his sin, David summoned Uriah from the army (with whom he was on campaign) in the hope that Uriah would have sex with her and think that the child belonged to him. But Uriah was unwilling to violate the ancient kingdom rule applying to warriors in active service. Rather than go home to his own bed, he preferred to remain with the palace troops. David begehrt Batseba 17Jh

After repeated efforts to convince Uriah to have sexual intercourse with Bathsheba failed, king David gave the order to his general,

Joab Joab (Hebrew Modern: ''Yōʼav'', Tiberian: ''Yōʼāḇ'') the son of Zeruiah, was the nephew of King David and the commander of his army, according to the Hebrew Bible. Name The name Joab is, like many other Hebrew names, theophoric - de ...

, that Uriah should be placed on the front lines of the battle, where Uriah would be more likely to die. David had Uriah himself carry the message that led to his death (2 Samuel 11:6–15). After Uriah had been killed in the siege of Rabbah (2 Samuel 11:17), Bathsheba mourned Uriah, but then David took Bathsheba into his house and made her his wife, and she gave birth (2 Samuel 11:26–27). David's action was displeasing to the Israelite god

Yahweh Yahweh *''Yahwe'', was the national god of ancient Israel and Judah. The origins of his worship reach at least to the early Iron Age, and likely to the Late Bronze Age if not somewhat earlier, and in the oldest biblical literature he poss ...

('the Lord'), who sent Nathan the prophet to reprove the king. After relating the parable of the rich man who took away the one little ewe lamb of his poor neighbor (), and exciting the king's anger against the unrighteous act, the prophet applied the case directly to David's action with regard to Bathsheba. Nathan noted that Yahweh would punish David's house for Uriah's murder and taking his wife, and would let someone close (רֵעַ rea) to David take away / seize (לָקַח laqach) all his wives and have him lie with / rape (שָׁכַב šākab) them in broad daylight for everyone to see (2 Samuel 12:9–12). King David at once confessed his sin and expressed sincere repentance. Shortly after Bathsheba's first (unnamed) child by David was born, Yahweh struck it with a severe illness (2 Samuel 12:15). David pleaded with God to spare his child, fasting and spending the nights lying in

sackcloth Sackcloth ( ''śaq'') is a coarsely woven fabric, usually made of goat's hair. The term in English often connotes the biblical usage, where the '' Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible'' remarks that haircloth would be more appropriate rendering of th ...

on the ground (2 Samuel 12:16–17), but after seven days the child died (2 Samuel 12:18). King David accepted this as his punishment, went to the house of Yahweh and worshipped him (2 Samuel 12:20–23). Bathsheba later gave birth to David's son Solomon. In David's old age, Bathsheba, based on David's promise, secured the succession to the throne by Solomon, instead of David's elder surviving sons by his other wives, such as Chileab (), Adonijah () and others (). David's punishment came to pass years later when one of David's much-loved sons, Absalom, led an insurrection that plunged the kingdom into

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Moreover, to manifest his claim to be the new king, Absalom had sexual intercourse in public with ten of his father's concubines, which could be considered a direct, tenfold divine retribution for David's taking the woman of another man in secret ().

Judaism

Relationship to Ahithophel

Several scholars see Bathsheba as the granddaughter of Ahitophel, as do passages in the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

. The argument is that she is called the daughter of Eliam in 2 Sam. 11:3, and 2 Sam 23:34 mentions an Eliam, the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, one of David's "

thirty 30 (thirty) is the natural number following 29 and preceding 31. In mathematics 30 is an even, composite, pronic number. With 2, 3, and 5 as its prime factors, it is a regular number and the first sphenic number, the smallest of the form ...

". The assumption is then that these two Eliams are the same person. However, in 1 Chronicles the names are very different: Bathsheba is called Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel in 1 Chronicles 3:5. And in the list of David's thirty in 1 Chronicles 11:36 we have Ahijah the Pelonite. Some have also questioned whether Ahithophel would have been old enough to have a granddaughter.

In rabbinic literature

Bathsheba was the granddaughter of Ahithophel, David's famous counselor. The

Aggadah Aggadah ( he, ''ʾAggāḏā'' or ''Haggāḏā''; Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אַגָּדְתָא ''ʾAggāḏəṯāʾ''; "tales, fairytale, lore") is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism ...

states that Ahithophel was misled by his knowledge of

astrology Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...

into believing himself destined to become king of Israel. He therefore induced Absalom to commit an unpardonable crime (), which sooner or later would have brought with it, according to Jewish law, the penalty of death; the motive for this advice being to remove Absalom, and thus to make a way for himself to the throne. His astrological information had been, however, misunderstood by him; for in reality it only predicted that his granddaughter, Bathsheba, the daughter of his son Eliam, would become queen. The

Midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...

portrays the influence of Satan bringing about the sinful relation of David and Bathsheba as follows: Bathsheba was bathing, perhaps behind a screen of wickerwork. Satan is depicted as coming in the disguise of a bird. David, shooting at the bird, strikes the screen, splitting it; thus Bathsheba is revealed in her beauty to David.

Christianity

In , "the wife of Uriah" is mentioned as one of the ancestors of Jesus. In medieval typology, Bathsheba is recognized as the antetype foreshadowing the role of Ecclesia, the church

personified Personification occurs when a thing or abstraction is represented as a person, in literature or art, as a type of anthropomorphic metaphor. The type of personification discussed here excludes passing literary effects such as "Shadows hold their ...

, as David was the antetype for Jesus. As a queen and mother, she was also associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary as

Queen of Heaven Queen of Heaven ( la, Regina Caeli) is a title given to the Virgin Mary, by Christians mainly of the Catholic Church and, to a lesser extent, in Anglicanism, Lutheranism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. The Catholic teaching on this subject is express ...

. Bathsheba's son, King Solomon, rises to greet her, bows down in veneration, and furnishes her a seat at his right hand. This demonstrates her exalted status and share in the royal kingdom. Bathsheba acts as intercessor for her subjects, delivering their petitions to the King: "Pray ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife".Kirwin, George F. ''The Nature of the Queenship of Mary'', 1973.Rossier, Francois. ''L'intercession entre les hommes dans la bible hebraique by Francois Rossier'', 1997.

Islam

In Islam,

is considered to be a prophet, and some Islamic tradition views the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

story as incompatible with the principle of infallibility (

Ismah ''‘Iṣmah'' or ''‘Isma'' ( ar, عِصْمَة; literally, "protection") is the concept of incorruptible innocence, immunity from sin, or moral infallibility in Islamic theology, and which is especially prominent in Shia Islam. In Shia theolo ...

) of the prophets. A

hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...

quoted in Tafsir al-Kabir and

Majma' al-Bayan Majma‘ al-Bayan fi-Tafsir al-Qur'an ( ar, مجمع البيان في تفسير القرآن) is a tafsir by the 12th century Imami scholar and author Shaykh Tabarsi. This commentary is a comprehensive classical tafsir. Tabarsi was a man of g ...

expresses that Ali ibn Abi Talib said: "Whoever says that David, has married Uriah's wife as the legends are narrate, I will punish him twice: one for qazf (falsely accusing someone of adultery) and the other for desecrating the prophethood (defamation of prophet David)". Another hadith narrated from

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mo ...

scholars states that

Ali Al-Ridha Ali ibn Musa al-Rida ( ar, عَلِيّ ٱبْن مُوسَىٰ ٱلرِّضَا, Alī ibn Mūsā al-Riḍā, 1 January 766 – 6 June 818), also known as Abū al-Ḥasan al-Thānī, was a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the ...

, during the discussions with the scholars of other religions about prophets' infallibility, asked one of them, "What do you say about David?" he said "David was praying, when a beautiful bird appeared in front of him, and David left his prayer and went after the bird. While David was walking on the roof of his palace, he saw Bathsheba having a bath... so David placed her husband in the front lines of the battlefield, in order to get killed, so that he could marry Bathsheba."

got upset and said: " Inna Lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un, you assign sluggishness in prayer to the prophet of God, and then accuse him of unchastity, and then charge him with the murder of an innocent man!" He asked "so what is the story of Uriah?" and Ali Al-Ridha said "At that time, women whose husbands passed away or got killed in the war would never get married again (and this was the source of many evils). David was the first person to break this tradition. So after Uriah was incidentally killed in the war, David married his wife, but people could hardly accept this anomalous marriage (and subsequently legends were made about this marriage.)

Critical commentary

Bathsheba's name appears in spelled "Bath-shua", the form becomes merely a variant reading of "Bath-sheba". The passages in which Bath-sheba is mentioned are , and —both of which are parts of the oldest stratum of the books of Samuel and Kings, part of that court history of David, written by someone who stood very near the events and who did not idealize David. The material contained in it is of higher historical value than that in the later strata of these books. Budde later connected it with the Jahwist document of the Hexateuch.Morris Jastrow, Jr., Morris et al. "Bath-sheba", ''Jewish Encyclopedia'', 1906
/ref> The only interpolations that concern the story of Bathsheba are some verses in the early part of the twelfth chapter, that heighten the moral tone of Nathan's rebuke of David. According to

Karl Budde Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austrian ...

the interpolated portion is 12: 7, 8, and 10–12; according to

Friedrich Schwally Friedrich Zacharias Schwally (10 August 1863 – 5 February 1919) was a German Orientalist with professorships at Strasbourg, Gießen and Königsberg. He held the degrees of PhD, Lic. Theol., Dr. Habil., and the Imperial honour of the Order of th ...

and H. P. Smith, the whole of 12: 1–15a is an interpolation, and 12:. 15b should be joined directly to 11: 27. This does not directly affect the narrative concerning Bathsheba herself. 1 Chronicles omits all reference to the way in which Bathsheba became David's wife, and gives only the names of her children in —Shimea, Shobab,

Nathan Nathan or Natan may refer to: People *Nathan (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name *Nathan (surname) *Nathan (prophet), a person in the Hebrew Bible * Nathan (son of David), biblical figure, son of King David an ...

, and Solomon. The father of Bathsheba was Eliam ("Ammiel" in ). As this was also the name of a son of Ahithophel, one of David's heroes (), perhaps Bathsheba was a granddaughter of Ahithophel and that the latter's desertion of David at the time of Absalom's rebellion was in revenge for David's conduct toward Bathsheba.

Kenneth E. Bailey Kenneth E. Bailey (November 24, 1930 – May 23, 2016) was an American author, professor of theology, and linguist. Life Bailey was born in Bloomington, Illinois. He spent 40 years (1955–1995) teaching in Egypt, Libanon, Lebanon, Palestine, Isra ...

interprets the passage from a different perspective: he says that David's Jerusalem was tightly packed and Bathsheba's house may have been as close as twenty feet away from David's rooftop; people in ancient times were exceptionally modest about their bodies, so he suggests that Bathsheba displayed herself deliberately, so that instead of being an innocent victim, it was actually she who seduced David in order to rid herself of Uriah, and move in with King David. David summoned Bathsheba for sex. Lawrence O. Richards states that the biblical text supports the innocence of Bathsheba, that David took the initiative to find out her identity and summon her, and that she was alone at the time and had no way to refuse the requests of a King. David J. Zucker writes that " e is a victim of 'power rape'". Andrew J. Schmutzer stated that "David's 'taking' Bathsheba makes him responsible for her coming to him." Antony F. Campbell states "The 'violation of Bathsheba' may be the least unsatisfactory terminology, especially given the ambivalence of the text's storytelling." According to Michael D. Coogan, the faulting of David is made clear in the text from the very beginning: "It was springtime, the time when kings go forth to war... but David remained in Jerusalem" (); if David had been away at war, the incident would not have taken place. The Bathsheba incident leads to a shift in the book's perspective; afterwards David "is largely at the mercy of events rather than directing them". He is no longer able to control his family, and ends up being overthrown by Absalom. And in the story of David's son

Amnon Amnon ( he, אַמְנוֹן ''’Amnōn'', "faithful") was, in the Hebrew Bible, the oldest son of King David and his second wife, Ahinoam of Jezreel. He was born in Hebron during his father's reign in Judah. He was the heir apparent to the th ...

's rape of his sister Tamar, told so soon after the incident of Bathsheba, seems to draw a parallel between the sexual misconduct of father and son.

Cultural references

Art – Bathsheba in her bath

Artemisia Gentileschi - Bathsheba - WGA08558

Along with

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

, Bathsheba was almost the only female whose nude depiction could easily and regularly be justified in

Christian art Christian art is sacred art which uses subjects, themes, and imagery from Christianity. Most Christian groups use or have used art to some extent, including early Christian art and architecture and Christian media. Images of Jesus and narrati ...

, and she is therefore an important figure in the development of the nude in medieval art. Though sometimes shown clothed at other points in her story, the most common depiction, in both medieval and later art, was ''Bathsheba at her Bath'', the formal name for the subject in art showing Bathsheba bathing, watched by King David. This could be shown with various degrees of nudity, depending on the pose and the placing of clothes or towels. One of the most common placements in the 15th century, perhaps surprisingly, was in miniatures illustrating a book of hours, a personal prayer book, that overtook the psalter as the most popular devotional book for laypeople. This was especially the case in France. In art the subject is one of the most commonly shown in the

Power of Women The "Power of Women" (german: Weibermacht) is a medieval and Renaissance artistic and literary topos, showing "heroic or wise men dominated by women", presenting "an admonitory and often humorous inversion of the male-dominated sexual hierarc ...

''topos''. As an opportunity to feature a large female nude as the focus of a history painting, the subject was popular from the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

onwards. Sometimes Bathsheba's maids or the "messengers" sent by David are shown, and often a distant David watching from his roof. The messengers are sometimes confused with David himself, but most artists follow the Bible in keeping David at a distance in this episode. Paintings with articles include: *'' Bathsheba'',

Hans Memling Hans Memling (also spelled Memlinc; c. 1430 – 11 August 1494) was a painter active in Flanders, who worked in the tradition of Early Netherlandish painting. He was born in the Middle Rhine region and probably spent his childhood in Mainz. He ...

, c. 1480 * ''Bathsheba at Her Bath'' (Rembrandt),

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, the most famous painting of the subject. * ''Bathsheba at her Bath'' (Veronese), 1575,

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon The Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon (french: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon) is a municipal museum of fine arts in the French city of Lyon. Located near the Place des Terreaux, it is housed in a former Benedictine convent which was active during the 1 ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Atypically, Bathsheba is clothed in this. *

Bathsheba (painting) ''Bathsheba'' is a 1636-37 painting by the Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi, with contributions by Viviano Codazzi (who painted the architecture at the top left of the painting) and Domenico Gargiulo (who painted the landscape). It shows th ...

, Artemisia Gentileschi (and

Viviano Codazzi Viviano Codazzi (c. 1604 – 5 November 1670) was an Italian architectural painter who was active during the Baroque period. He is known for his architectural paintings, capricci, compositions with ruins, and some ''vedute''. He worked in Na ...

Domenico Gargiulo Domenico Gargiulo called Micco Spadaro ( – ) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, mainly active in Naples and known for his landscapes, genre scenes, and history paintings. Life Domenico Gargiulo was the son of a sword maker. T ...

, 1637 * ''Bathsheba at her Bath'' (Ricci), 1720s,

Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest The Museum of Fine Arts ( hu, Szépművészeti Múzeum �seːpmyveːsɛti ˈmuːzɛum is a museum in Heroes' Square, Budapest, Hungary, facing the Palace of Art. It was built by the plans of Albert Schickedanz and Fülöp Herzog in an eclecti ...

*'' Bathsheba at the Fountain'', Rubens, c. 1635. Bathsheba receives David's letter

Literature

* 1588 ''

David and Bethsabe ''The Love of King David and Fair Bethsabe'' is a play by George Peele, based on the biblical story of David, Bathsheba, and Absalom in 2 Samuel. Probably written in the early 1590s, it was entered into the Stationers' Register on 14 May 1594 an ...

'', a play by George Peele * 1874 The story of Bathsheba, David and Uriah is echoed in Thomas Hardy's novel '' Far from the Madding Crowd''. * 1893 The Sherlock Holmes story ''

The Adventure of the Crooked Man "The Adventure of the Crooked Man", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazin ...

'' uses the David/Bathsheba story as its main structure. * 1984 The tragicomedic novel '' God Knows'' written by

Joseph Heller Joseph Heller (May 1, 1923 – December 12, 1999) was an American author of novels, short stories, plays, and screenplays. His best-known work is the 1961 novel ''Catch-22'', a satire on war and bureaucracy, whose title has become a synonym for ...

. Narrated by king David, purports to be his deathbed memoirs; however, not recounted in a straightforward fashion, the storyline is often hilariously fractured, exploring David's childhood herding sheep, the prophet Samuel, Goliath, King

Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered t ...

, Jonathan (and homosexual innuendoes), Bathsheba and Uriah, the

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

, the treachery of Absalom, Solomon, with even the occasional display of David betraying a knowledge of the future and Heaven. * 2000 The

biblical commentary Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretations ...

anthology ''Really Bad Girls of the Bible'' by Liz Curtis Higgs contains a contemporary-setting story based on the first part of 2 Samuel 11, then discusses the biblical story in the following commentary segment. * 2011 Jill Eileen Smith's ''Bathsheba: A Novel (The Wives of King David),'' * 2015 The life of King David, as narrated by the prophet

, and including the story of Uriah and Bathsheba, is the subject of the novel ''

The Secret Chord ''The Secret Chord'' (2015) is a novel about King David by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks. Plot summary Told from the point of view of the prophet Nathan, this book follows the life of biblical King David. Factual backgr ...

'' by Geraldine Brooks. *2015 Angela Hunt's ''Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty (A Dangerous Beauty Novel)'' * 2018 Jenifer Jennings's ''A Stolen Wife'' * 2020 Elizabeth Cook's novel ''Lux'' compares David and Bathsheba to Henry VIII and

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

though the eyes of Thomas Wyatt. *2022 Amanda Bedzrah's novel ''Becoming Queen Bathsheba''

Film

Bathsheba has been portrayed by: * Susan Hayward in the 1951 film ''David and Bathsheba'' *

Rosalind Elias Rosalind Elias (March 13, 1930 – May 3, 2020) was an American mezzo-soprano who enjoyed a long and distinguished career at the Metropolitan Opera. She was best known for creating the role of Erika in Samuel Barber's '' Vanessa in'' 1958. Early ...

in the TV premier of

Ezra Laderman Ezra Laderman (29 June 1924 – 28 February 2015) was an American composer of classical music. He was born in Brooklyn. Biography Laderman was of Jewish heritage. His parents, Isidor and Leah, both emigrated to the United States from Poland. Thou ...

's opera/cantata ''And David Wept'' (1971) *

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne ...

in the 1976 TV film ''

The Story of David ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' (1976). *

Alice Krige Alice Maud Krige (; born 28 June 1954) is a South African actress and producer. Her first feature film role was in '' Chariots of Fire'' (1981) as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon. She played the dual role of Eva Galli/Alma Mobley i ...

in the 1985 film ''King David'' *

Melia Kreiling Melia Kreiling (born ) is an actress. She is known for her roles on television series such as ''Tyrant'' and ''The Last Tycoon'', and for her starring role as Alycia in the second season of the CBS summer series ''Salvation''. She also has a bri ...

in the 2013 TV miniseries ''The Bible''.

Musical

* David, and Bathsheba (who is unnamed), are referenced, in the

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

song "Hallelujah" (released 1985) ("you saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you"). * The song "Dead" from the 1989 album ''Doolittle'' by the

Pixies A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...

depicts David's lust for Bathsheba, the pregnancy resulting from their adultery, and Uriah's demise. Bathsheba and Uriah are mentioned by name. * "Mad About You", a song on Sting's 1991 album ''

The Soul Cages ''The Soul Cages'' is the third full-length studio album released by English musician Sting. Released on 21 January 1991 it became Sting's second No. 1 album in the United Kingdom. This was Sting's first album to feature guitarist Dominic Mille ...

'', explores David's obsession with Bathsheba from David's perspective * "David and Bethsheba" from the Brown Bird album ''Bottom of the Sea'' is a retelling of the story from David's perspective.

References

Citations

Sources

* * * *

Bibliography

* Kristin De Troyer, "Looking at Bathsheba with Text-Critical Eyes," in Nóra Dávid, Armin Lange, Kristin De Troyer and Shani Tzoref (eds), ''The Hebrew Bible in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls'' (Göttingen, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2011) (Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments, 239), 84–94.

External links

Askmoses.com
, "Was King David guilty of murder and adultery?" by Rabbis Mendy Gutnick and Avrohom Wineberg {{Authority control 11th-century BCE Hebrew people 10th-century BCE Hebrew people 10th-century BC women 11th-century BC women Biblical figures in rabbinic literature Cultural depictions of David Iconography Jewish royalty Solomon Queens consort of Israel and Judah Queen mothers Wives of David Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy) 11th-century BC people