Uriah

Biblical Account

Uriah was a Hittite, a member of a people outside Israel. His name appears in the list of David's mighty men (2 Samuel 23:39; 1 Chronicles 11:41).

According to 2 Samuel 11, while the Israelite army was besieging Rabbah of the Ammonites, David lay with Uriah's wife, Bathsheba. When Bathsheba became pregnant, David summoned Uriah from the battlefield and urged him to go home. Uriah refused, saying that the ark of the covenant and his fellow soldiers were encamped in the open fields, and he slept at the door of the king's house instead (2 Samuel 11:11). The next night, even after David had made him drunk, he still did not go home.

David then sent Uriah back carrying a letter to Joab. The letter instructed Joab to set Uriah in the forefront of the fiercest fighting and then withdraw from him so that he would be killed. Uriah died in battle, and David took Bathsheba as his wife.

In chapter 12, the prophet Nathan rebuked David with the parable of the poor man's little ewe lamb. He exposed David's sin, declaring, "thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword" (2 Samuel 12:9).

Significance Within Scripture

1 Kings 15:5 records that David did what was right all the days of his life, "save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite." This shows that the episode came to be remembered as the most notable failing of David's life.

In the New Testament, Uriah is named in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:6. The King James Version renders the verse, "David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias." This wording, which refers to Bathsheba as the wife of Uriah rather than by name, is commonly interpreted as a reminder of David's sin.

Interpretations and Points of Debate

• Uriah's intentions: The text does not say whether Uriah knew what had happened with his wife. Many interpreters read his conduct as wartime self-restraint and loyalty. Some suggest that he may have suspected something, but this is conjecture without support in the text.
• Jewish tradition: The Talmud contains an account of a custom whereby soldiers going to war wrote a conditional certificate of divorce. On this basis, a view has reportedly been handed down that explains David's actions differently. This is a later interpretation not found in the text of 2 Samuel.
• Uriah the foreigner: Many commentaries emphasize the contrast between Uriah, a man of foreign origin, and the king of Israel, noting that Uriah acted more faithfully. His name is commonly interpreted to mean "The LORD is my light."

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, Uriah appears chiefly in sermons on David's sin and repentance, which are often accompanied by a reading of Psalm 51. Preachers frequently contrast David, who had left the battlefield, with Uriah, who held his post to the end, presenting Uriah as an example of loyalty and integrity. In Sunday school, teaching often centers on Nathan's rebuke and David's repentance rather than on the adultery itself.