2 Samuel 11:15

¹³ Then David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him, and he got Uriah drunk. And in the evening Uriah went out to lie down on his cot with his master’s servants, but he did not go home.

¹⁴ The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.

In the letter he wrote: “Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle; then withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and killed.”

¹⁶ So as Joab besieged the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he saw the strongest enemy soldiers.

¹⁷ And when the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of David’s servants fell, and Uriah the Hittite also died.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: In the letter he wrote: “Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle; then withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and killed.”
KJV: And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
WEB: He wrote in the letter, saying, “Send Uriah to the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck and die.”
ASV: And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
DARBY: And he wrote in the letter saying, Set Urijah in the front of the thickest fight, and withdraw from him, that he may be smitten and die.
BLB: And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah at the front of the strongest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.”

ÅB: Og i brevet skrev han slik: Sett Uria lengst fram, der hvor striden er hårdest, og dra dere tilbake fra ham, så han blir slått og dør!
OTB: Han hadde skrevet i brevet og sa, "Sett Uria på frontlinjen av det heftigste slaget, og trekk dere tilbake fra ham, så han kan bli slått og dø."
B1930: Og i brevet skrev han således: Sett Uria lengst frem, der hvor striden er hårdest, og dra eder tilbake fra ham, så han blir slått og dør!

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

2 Samuel 12:9
Why then have you despised the command of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You put Uriah the Hittite to the sword and took his wife as your own, for you have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites.
Read in context
Psalms 51:4
Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.
Read in context
2 Samuel 11:17
And when the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of David’s servants fell, and Uriah the Hittite also died.
Read in context
Psalms 51:14
Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.
Read in context
1 Samuel 18:21
“I will give her to David,” Saul thought, “so that she may be a snare to him, and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “For a second time now you can be my son-in-law.”
Read in context
Jeremiah 20:13
Sing to the LORD! Praise the LORD! For He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.
Read in context
1 Samuel 18:25
Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king desires no other dowry but a hundred Philistine foreskins as revenge on his enemies.’” But Saul intended to cause David’s death at the hands of the Philistines.
Read in context
1 Samuel 18:17
Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage. Only be valiant for me and fight the LORD’s battles.” But Saul was thinking, “I need not raise my hand against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
Read in context