Pt2 David and the Sin of Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11-12 and in Psalms (Sanhedrin 107a)
This is the second and final part of a two-part series. Part 1 is here; the outline of the series can be found at Part 1.
Rava - Bathsheba was destined for David but came to him “through pain” - Psalms 38:18
דרש רבא:
מאי דכתיב:
״כי אני לצלע נכון
ומכאובי נגדי תמיד״?
ראויה היתה בת שבע בת אליעם לדוד מששת ימי בראשית,
אלא שבאת עליו במכאוב.
Rava taught:
What is the meaning of that which is written:
“For I am ready to stumble [le-tzela]
and my pain is always before me” (Psalms 38:18)?
Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, was designated as fit for David from the six days of Creation.
Rava interprets that the term le-tzela is referring to Eve, who was taken from the side [tzela] of Adam, the first man, and explains that she was destined for him, just as Eve was destined for Adam.
But she came to him through pain (מכאוב).
R’ Yishmael’s School - Bathsheba was “unripe fruit” (i.e. appropriate for David but mistimed)
וכן תנא דבי רבי ישמעאל:
ראויה היתה לדוד בת שבע בת אליעם,
אלא שאכלה פגה.
And likewise, the school of R’ Yishmael taught:
Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, was designated as fit for David,
but he partook of her unripe,1 before the appointed time.
David would have ultimately married her in a permitted manner after the death of Uriah.
Rava - David’s enemies mocked him during his downfall, yet he claimed that even if they tore his flesh, no blood would flow (due to his suffering) - Psalms 35:15
דרש רבא:
מאי דכתיב:
״ובצלעי שמחו ונאספו
נאספו עלי נכים
[ולא ידעתי]
קרעו ולא דמו״?
Rava taught:
What is the meaning of that which is written:
“And when I limped they rejoiced and gathered,
the wretched gather themselves together against me,
and those whom I know not;
they tore and did not cease [dammu]” (Psalms 35:15)?
אמר דוד לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא:
רבונו של עולם!
גלוי וידוע לפניך
שאם היו קורעין בשרי --
לא היה דמי שותת.
David said before God:
God!
It is revealed and known before you
that if my enemies were to tear my flesh --
my blood [dami] would not flow to the ground, due to excessive fasting (see II Samuel 12:16–17).
People mocked David during halakhic discourse, (sarcastically) asking him halachic questions about adultery
ולא עוד, אלא
בשעה שהם עוסקין בארבע מיתות בית דין,
פוסקין ממשנתן ואומרים לי:
דוד!
הבא על אשת איש —
מיתתו במה?
David continued: Moreover, my enemies torment me to the extent that
at the time when they are engaged in the public study of the halakhot of the four court-imposed death penalties2
they interrupt their study (משנתן) and say to me:
David!
concerning one who has sex with a married woman —
his death is effected with what form of execution?
… David replies: adulterer is executed by the court and has a share in the World-to-Come, while one who shames another in public has no share
אמרתי להם:
הבא על אשת איש — מיתתו בחנק,
ויש לו חלק לעולם הבא.
אבל המלבין פני חבירו ברבים
אין לו חלק לעולם הבא.
And I said to them:
Concerning one who has sex with a married woman before witnesses and with forewarning — his death is by strangulation (חנק),
and he has a share in the World-to-Come.
But one who humiliates another before the multitudes
has no share in the World-to-Come.
The transgression of those who humiliated David is clearly more severe than the transgression of David himself.
Rav Yehuda citing Rav - Even while sick, David was able to have sex with his 18 wives - Psalms 6:7
אמר רב יהודה, אמר רב:
אפילו בשעת חליו של דוד
קיים שמנה עשרה עונות,
שנאמר:
״יגעתי באנחתי
אשחה בכל לילה מטתי
בדמעתי ערשי אמסה״.
Rav Yehuda says that Rav says:
Even during the time of his illness
he fulfilled the mitzva of conjugal rights3 for 18 wives,4
as it is stated:
“I am weary with my groaning;
every night I speak in my bed;
I melt away my couch with tears” (Psalms 6:7).
Even when he was weary and groaning he still “spoke in his bed”, a euphemism for sex.
Rav Yehuda citing Rav - David contemplated idol worship - II Samuel 15:32; Daniel 2:32
ואמר רב יהודה, אמר רב:
בקש דוד לעבוד עבודה זרה,
שנאמר:
״ויהי
דוד בא עד הראש
אשר ישתחוה שם לאלהים״,
ואין ״ראש״ אלא עבודה זרה,
שנאמר: ״והוא צלמא רישיה די דהב טב״.
And Rav Yehuda says that Rav says:
David sought to engage in idol worship during Absalom’s coup,
as it is stated:
“And it came to pass
when David was at the top [rosh] of the ascent,
where he would bow to God” (II Samuel 15:32),
and rosh means nothing other than idol worship,
as it is stated: “As for that image, its head [reishei] was of fine gold” (Daniel 2:32).
Hushai rebukes David for this plan, David defends it as preferable to the chillul hashem of a righteous person being killed - II Samuel 15:32
״והנה לקראתו חושי הארכי
קרוע כתנתו
ואדמה על ראשו״.
אמר לו לדוד: יאמרו מלך שכמותך יעבוד עבודה זרה?!
אמר לו:
מלך שכמותי יהרגנו בנו?!
מוטב יעבוד עבודה זרה
ואל יתחלל שם שמים בפרהסיא.
It is written: “Behold Hushai the Archite came to meet him5
with his coat rent
and earth upon his head” (II Samuel 15:32).
Hushai said to David: Shall they say a king like you will engage in idol worship?!
David said to him:
Is it preferable that they say with regard to a king like me, known to be righteous, that his son6 will kill him?!
David continued, referring to himself in third person:
It is preferable that he shall engage in idol worship
and the name of Heaven shall not be desecrated in public through the murder of a righteous king in this manner.
Hushai critiques David’s marriage to the biblical law of a “beautiful woman” (יפת תואר - ‘yefat to’ar’), linking it to Absalom’s rebellion via the biblical law of “rebellious son” (בן סורר ומורה - ‘ben sorer u’moreh’) - Deuteronomy 21:10–18
אמר: מאי טעמא קנסיבת יפת תואר?
אמר ליה: יפת תואר רחמנא שרייה.
אמר ליה:
לא דרשת סמוכין?!
דסמיך ליה ״כי יהיה לאיש בן סורר ומורה״?
כל הנושא יפת תואר --
יש לו בן סורר ומורה.
Hushai said to him: What is the reason that you married ‘a beautiful woman’,7 the mother of Absalom?
David said to him: With regard to a beautiful woman, God permitted marrying her.
Hushai said to him:
But you did not interpret the juxtaposed8 verses,
as juxtaposed to the portion of the beautiful woman is the portion beginning: “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son”9 (Deuteronomy 21:18).
From that juxtaposition it is derived:
Anyone who marries a beautiful woman --
has a stubborn and rebellious son.
Therefore, even if Absalom kills you, there will be no desecration of God’s name, as the people will attribute his actions to his mother.
R’ Dostai of Biri - David compared to a Samaritan merchant, who keeps lowering his price; In 4 successive pleas, David asks forgiveness for various levels of sin, God forgives him for each - Psalms 19:13–14
דרש רבי דוסתאי דמן בירי:
למה דוד דומה?
לסוחר כותי.
R’ Dostai from Biri taught:
To what is David comparable?
He is comparable to a Samaritan merchant, who incrementally lowers the price until the buyer agrees to purchase the merchandise.
אמר דוד לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא:
רבונו של עולם!
״שגיאות מי יבין״!
אמר ליה:] שביקי לך.
״ומנסתרות נקני״!
שביקי לך.
״גם מזדים חשך עבדך״!
שביקי לך.
״אל ימשלו בי, אז איתם״, דלא לישתעו בי רבנן.
שביקי לך.
David said before God:
God!
“Who can discern his errors” (Psalms 19:13), i.e., forgive me for the unwitting sins that I committed.
God said to him: They are forgiven (שביקי) for you.
David asked more: “Cleanse me from hidden faults” (Psalms 19:13), i.e., pardon me for transgressions that I committed in private, even if I performed them intentionally.
God said to him: They are forgiven for you.
David requested: “Keep back your servant also from intentional sins” (Psalms 19:14).
God said to him: They are forgiven for you.
David requested: “Let them not have dominion over me, then I shall be faultless” (Psalms 19:14), i.e. that the rabbis will not speak of me and condemn me.
God said to him: They are forgiven for you.
God refuses to omit the narrative from Scripture--Even a single letter (‘yod’) was not forgotten; how much more a whole story - Numbers 13:16
״ונקיתי מפשע רב״,
שלא יכתב סרחוני.
אמר לו:
אי אפשר.
ומה יוד --
שנטלתי משרי
עומד וצווח כמה שנים,
עד שבא יהושע
והוספתי לו,
שנאמר: ״ויקרא משה להושע בן נון יהושע״.
כל הפרשה כולה –
על אחת כמה וכמה!
David requested: “And I shall be clear from great transgression” (Psalms 19:14),
meaning that my transgression (סרחוני) with Bathsheba and Uriah will not be written in the Bible.
God said to him:
That is impossible.
And just as the letter yod --
that I removed from the name of Sarai, wife of Abraham, when I changed her name to Sarah,
was standing and screaming several years over its omission from the Bible
until Joshua came
and I added the yod to his name,
as it is stated: “And Moses called Hosea, son of Nun, Joshua [Yehoshua]” (Numbers 13:16);10
the entire portion of your transgression, which is fit to be included in the Bible --
all the more so it cannot be omitted.
David accepts afflictions as atonement after hearing Solomon will say adultery has unavoidable consequences - Proverbs 6:27–29
״ונקיתי מפשע רב״.
אמר לפניו:
רבונו של עולם!
מחול לי על אותו עון כולו!
אמר:
כבר עתיד שלמה בנך לומר בחכמתו:
״היחתה איש אש בחיקו, ובגדיו לא תשרפנה?!
אם יהלך איש על הגחלים, ורגליו לא תכוינה?!
כן הבא על אשת רעהו -- לא ינקה כל הנגע בה״.
The verse states: “And I shall be clear from great transgression” (Psalms 19:14).
David said before God:
God!
pardon me for that entire sin.
God said to him:
Your son Solomon is already destined to say with his wisdom:
“Can a man take fire in his lap, and his garments not be burned?!
Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?!
So too one who lies with his neighbor’s wife -- anyone who touches her shall not go unpunished” (Proverbs 6:27–29).
אמר ליה: כל הכי נטרד ההוא גברא?!
אמר לו: קבל עליך יסורין.
קבל עליו.
David said to Him: Will that man, David, be expelled (נטרד) for that entire transgression, with no remedy?!
God said to David: Accept upon yourself afflictions (יסורין), and that will atone for your sins.
He accepted afflictions upon himself.
Rav Yehuda citing Rav - David suffered 6 months of tzara’at, separation from Shekhina and the Sanhedrin - Psalms 51:9, 51:14, 119:79
אמר רב יהודה, אמר רב:
ששה חדשים
נצטרע דוד,
ונסתלקה הימנו שכינה,
ופירשו ממנו סנהדרין.
Rav Yehuda says that Rav says:
For six months
David was afflicted with tzara’at (נצטרע)
and the Shekhina abandoned (נסתלקה) him
and the members of the Sanhedrin dissociated themselves from him.
נצטרע –
דכתיב:
״תחטאני באזוב ואטהר
תכבסני ומשלג אלבין״.
נסתלקה הימנו שכינה –
דכתיב:
״השיבה לי ששון ישעך
ורוח נדיבה תסמכני״.
ופרשו ממנו סנהדרין –
דכתיב: ״ישובו לי יראיך וגו׳״.
He was afflicted with tzara’at,
as it is stated:
“Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalms 51:9), indicating that he required purification like a metzora.
The Shekhina abandoned him,
as it is stated:
“Restore me to joy of Your salvation;
and uphold me with a willing spirit” (Psalms 51:14).
And the members of the Sanhedrin dissociated themselves from him,
as it is stated: “Let those who fear You turn to me, and those who have known Your testimonies” (Psalms 119:79).
Appendix - the interpretations in the sugya, organized in the order of Biblical verses
Deuteronomy
Deut. 21:10–18 – Yefat To’ar → Ben Sorer u’Moreh
Hushai’s derashah: The juxtaposition of the laws shows: “Whoever marries a yefat to’ar will have a rebellious son.” Applied to David: His marriage to a yefat to’ar leads to Absalom’s rebellion.
Numbers
Num. 13:16 – The ‘Yod’ Protest
God refuses David’s request to erase the Bathsheba episode from Scripture: even a single yod removed from Sarai “cried out” until reassigned to Yehoshua; certainly an entire narrative cannot be deleted.
II Samuel
II Sam. 11:2–4 – Bathsheba Episode as Divinely Announced Trial
God notifies David: the ordeal will be sexual temptation, specifically involving a married woman.
David’s attempt to pre-empt desire (sex by day) is based on a mistaken understanding of human sexuality (“starve it—satiated; feed it—hungry”).
II Sam. 11:2–4 – Satan Appears as a Bird
Satan’s bird-form leads David to shoot an arrow, revealing Bathsheba.
II Sam. 15:32 – David Contemplates Idol Worship
David considers idolatry to prevent the chilul Hashem of being slain by his son Absalom.
Hushai rebukes him and debates the halakhic implications.
Psalms
Psalm 6
Ps. 6:7 – “I melt my bed with tears” = conjugal relations even in illness
Interpreted as David fulfilling marital sexual obligations with 18 wives, even while sick.
Psalm 11
Ps. 11:1 – “Flee like a bird”
David asks God to forgive him so people won’t mock him by saying a bird caused his downfall.
Psalm 17
Ps. 17:3 – Regret Over Request for Trial
David laments: he wishes his mouth had been “muzzled” so he would never have asked to be tested.
Psalm 19
Ps. 19:13–14 – Four-Stage Plea for Forgiveness
David asks pardon for:
unwitting sins,
hidden sins,
willful sins,
communal disgrace.
God forgives each.
Ps. 19:14 – Request to Erase His Sin from Scripture
God refuses (see Num. 13:16 above).
Psalm 26
Ps. 26:2 – David’s Request for a Divine Ordeal
David’s plea “Examine me, O God” triggers the test he later fails.
Psalm 35
Ps. 35:15 – Enemies Mock David Mercilessly
David claims that due to fasting and suffering, even if they tore his flesh, no blood would flow.
Psalm 38
Ps. 38:18 – “La-tzela” = Destined Mate
Rava: Bathsheba was destined for David from Creation but arrived “through pain”.
School of R. Yishmael: David ate “unripe fruit” (i.e. right woman, wrong time).
Psalm 51
Ps. 51:6 – “Against You alone have I sinned”
David says he knowingly sinned so people would not claim he overpowered God’s test.
Ps. 51:6 + Prov. 6 – Consequences of Adultery
God cites Solomon’s future teaching: adultery always leaves scars; David must accept afflictions.
Ps. 51:9, 14 – David’s Six-Month Punishment
Tzara’at, loss of Shekhina, and distancing by the Sanhedrin.
Psalm 119
Ps. 119:79 – Sanhedrin’s Withdrawal
“Let those who fear You return to me” = prayer that the Sanhedrin will again associate with him.
Proverbs
Prov. 6:27–29 – Adultery as Inescapably Damaging
Used by God to teach David that his sin’s consequences cannot be erased; only afflictions can atone.
Daniel
Dan. 2:32 – “Head of gold” (rosh)
Demonstrates that rosh can denote an idolatrous “statue-head,” supporting the interpretation of II Sam.
פגה.
On this metaphor, see my two-part series “Fig Metaphors and Female Development: Puberty, Maturity, and Majority (Niddah 47a-b)“.
See especially ibid.:
Part 1, section “Metaphor comparing the development of a fig tree to the three stages of a woman’s maturation: childhood, maidenhood, and adulthood“, and my etymological note there.
Part 2, section “Three Stages of a Woman’s Development, Compared to Figs“, sub-section ““Unripe” (פגה) = Girl (תנוקת)“
I also discuss these passage in the intro to my “Pt1 Talmudic Elaboration of Sexuality and Love in Biblical Narratives“.
See Wikipedia, “Onah“, section “The onah commandment“:
The term “mitzvat onah” (a mitzvah performed at a set time period) refers to a husband’s conjugal obligations toward his wife and is also used as a halachic euphemism for marital relations.
On David having 18 wives, see Sanhedrin.21a.9-10:
הני שמונה עשרה —
מנלן?
§ As for those eighteen women that the king may marry (see the Mishnah, Sanhedrin.21a.3) —
from where do we derive that number?
דכתיב:
״ויולדו לדוד בנים בחברון
ויהי בכורו
אמנון
לאחינעם היזרעאלית.
ומשנהו
כלאב
לאביגיל אשת נבל הכרמלי
והשלישי
אבשלום
בן מעכה
והרביעי
אדניה
בן חגית
והחמישי
שפטיה
בן אביטל.
והששי
יתרעם
לעגלה אשת דוד
אלה ילדו לדוד בחברון״.
The Talmud responds: As it is written:
“And to David sons were born in Hebron;
and his firstborn (בכורו)
was Amnon,
from Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;
and his 2nd (משנהו),
Chileab,
from Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite;
and the 3rd,
Absalom,
son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur;
and the 4th,
Adonijah,
son of Haggith;
and the 5th,
Shephatiah,
son of Abital;
and the 6th,
Ithream,
of Eglah, David’s wife.
These were born to David in Hebron” (II Samuel 3:2–5).
In these verses, a total of 6 wives are mentioned.
וקאמר ליה נביא:
״אם מעט,
ואסיפה לך כהנה וכהנה״.
״כהנה״ –
שית,
״וכהנה״ –
שית,
דהוו להו תמני סרי.
And the prophet Nathan said to King David in his rebuke:
“And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your bosom and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that were too little,
then I would add to you like these and like those” (II Samuel 12:8).
“Like these”;
this is referring to the wives enumerated above, meaning another 6.
“And like those”;
this is referring to another 6,
so that all together there are 18 he would be permitted to marry.
See Wikipedia, “Hushai“:
Hushai (hus’-sha-i) or Chusai (Hebrew: חוּשַׁי or חוּשַׁי הָאֲרְכִּי ‘Hushai the Archite’) was a friend of David and a spy according to the Hebrew Bible.
During Absalom’s rebellion, as described in the Second Book of Samuel, he agrees to act as an advisor to Absalom to sabotage his plans while secretly sending information to David.
It was on his advice that Absalom did not immediately pursue the retreating David, thus giving David time to regroup and gather his forces.
Hushai’s sabotage helped to ensure Absalom’s rapid defeat.
I.e. Absalom.
Compare the sugya of Absalom in my “ ‘My Son Absalom!’: The Pride, Punishment, and Aftermath of Absalom in II Samuel 14-19 (Sotah 10b-11a)“.
יפת תואר.
This is a technical term, see Wikipedia, “Beautiful captive woman“:
Beautiful captive woman (Hebrew: אשת יפת תואר, romanized: ʾēšet̲ yəp̄at̲ toʾar) is a term used in the Hebrew Bible for a female prisoner of war.
Deuteronomy 21:10–14 affirms the right of an Israelite soldier to have sexual intercourse with and to marry such a prisoner providing he follows the prescribed regulations.
סמוכין.
On this hermeneutical method, see my appendix here, “Appendix - Juxtaposition as Justification: David’s Flight from Absalom and Saul (Berakhot 10a)“.
Note that the homily here and the one there are unrelated; the fact that both relate to Absalom and David is seemingly a coincidence.
On this phrase that later became a technical term, see Wikipedia, “Ki Teitzei“, section “In classical rabbinic interpretation“, sub-section “Deuteronomy 21:18–21—the wayward son“:
Chapter 8 of tractate Sanhedrin in the Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of the “wayward and rebellious son” (בֵּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה, ben sorer umoreh; see the Hebrew article regarding the terminology) in Deuteronomy 21:18–21
On this name change, compare my “Pt2 The Story of the Spies in Numbers 13-14 in the Talmud (Sotah 34b-35a)“, section “Joshua and Caleb’s Differing Paths of Loyalty (Numbers 13:16, 14:24): Joshua’s Protection Through Moses’ Prayer; Caleb’s Change Over Time; Joshua’s Steadfast Opposition“, where I summarize:
The Talmud explains that Joshua did not need to seek protection at the graves of the forefathers because Moses had already prayed for him.
This is indicated by Moses renaming him from “Hoshea” (הושע) to “Yehoshua” (יהושע), implying “God (יה - “YH”) will save you (יושיעך)” from the spies’ scheme.
And compare also my “Pt1 The Temptation and Trial of Joseph in Genesis 39: From Potiphar’s House to the High Priest’s Ephod (Sotah 36a-b)“, section “R’ Yitzḥak - How the Ephod Contained 50 Letters for the Tribal Names (Psalms 81:6, Genesis 35:18): Question of Letter Count; name of Joseph or Binyamin lengthened by adding a letter“, where I summarize:
The Talmud questions a baraita that claims the names of the 12 tribes inscribed on the ephod totaled 50 letters. However, the Talmud says that a count yields only 49.
R’ Yitzḥak suggests that the name of Joseph was lengthened by adding the letter ‘heh’, changing it from “Yosef” to “Yehosef” (יהוסף). He cites Psalms 81:6, where the name appears in its expanded form.
Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak challenges this, arguing that the names must follow the wording “according to their birth,” and “Yehosef” was not Joseph’s birth name.
Instead, he proposes that the name “Binyamin” was spelled in full—with a second letter ‘yod’—on the ephod. Although usually written without it, Genesis 35:18 describes Benjamin’s naming with the extra yod.
And see my note there.