In brief
Uriah the Hittite is one of David’s mighty men and the husband of Bathsheba. While he is fighting the Ammonites with Joab, David commits adultery with his wife. Called back to Jerusalem to cover the king’s sin, Uriah refuses to go home while the ark and the army are camped in tents. David then has him placed in the thick of the fighting, where he is killed. The prophet Nathan denounces this crime in the name of the Lord.
What does the name Uriah the Hittite mean?
Uriah is generally understood to mean the Lord is my light. This Hebrew name, borne by a Hittite, that is, a man of Hittite origin, suggests that he had attached himself to the God of Israel, but the Bible does not say so. He should not be confused with the prophet Uriah, son of Shemaiah (Jeremiah 26:20).
The story of Uriah the Hittite
One of David’s mighty men
2 Samuel 23:39Uriah the Hittite appears in the list of David’s mighty men, those warriors whose names the Bible preserves. He is part of the army sent with Joab against the Ammonites to besiege Rabbah, while David stays in Jerusalem. His wife, Bathsheba, is the daughter of Eliam. The account will reveal in him a man of honor.
A sin to cover up
2 Samuel 11:2-8One evening, from the roof of his palace, David sees a very beautiful woman: he is told she is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, wife of Uriah the Hittite. He sends for her and lies with her. When she tells him she is pregnant, David has Uriah brought back from the front and sends him to his house, to hide his sin.
A loyalty that confounds the king
2 Samuel 11:9-13Uriah sleeps at the door of the palace with the servants. When David questions him, he answers that the ark, Israel and Judah are staying in tents, his lord Joab and his lord’s servants are camping in the open field, and he should go to his house. Even when the king makes him drunk, he does not go down to his house.
The letter of death
2 Samuel 11:14-17The next morning, David writes a letter to Joab and sends it by Uriah himself, telling Joab to set Uriah in the front line of the fiercest fighting and withdraw from him so that he will be struck down and die. Joab places Uriah where the enemy’s best soldiers are. In a sortie by the besieged, several of David’s servants fall, and Uriah the Hittite is killed.
Bathsheba’s mourning
2 Samuel 11:18-27Joab has the king told of Uriah’s death. David replies that the sword devours now one, now another. Uriah’s wife hears that her husband is dead and mourns for him. After the mourning, David takes her into his house and she bears him a son. But the text concludes that the thing David had done displeased the Lord.
You are the man
2 Samuel 12:1-13The Lord sends Nathan, who tells the story of a rich man who took the one little lamb of a poor man. David is outraged, and Nathan tells him he is the man. He adds that David struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword. David confesses that he has sinned against the Lord. God forgives, but the consequences of the sin remain.
A name that remains
1 Kings 15:5Much later, Scripture sums up David’s life: he did what was right, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. And in the genealogy of Jesus, Matthew writes that David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah (Matthew 1:6). The Bible does not erase the victim’s name: it keeps the memory of his faithfulness and of the injustice he suffered.
What Uriah the Hittite teaches us
- Uriah’s faithfulness, as he refuses a comfort his companions do not have, is a model of integrity and solidarity.
- A hidden sin often leads to others: David’s adultery led to a cover-up, and then to murder.
- God sees the injustice done to the lowly and denounces it, even when the guilty one is a king.
- Sincere confession opens the way to God’s forgiveness, but it does not always erase the consequences of sin.
Key verses
Uriah refuses to go home while the ark, Israel and his comrades in arms live in tents. His loyalty contrasts with the conduct of the king who stayed in Jerusalem.
Nathan names the crime without detour: David struck down Uriah with the sword of the Ammonites and took his wife. God saw what the king thought he had hidden.
Scripture sums up David’s life in one sentence: he did what was right, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. Uriah’s name stays attached to the king’s great sin.
Sermons about Uriah the Hittite
- David, Bathsheba, and Nathan: "You Are the Man!"The sermon sees in Uriah’s answer, refusing to go home while the ark and the army camp in tents, a lesson in integrity given to the king by a simple soldier.
- Bearing Fruit for the HarvestThe message notes that Matthew presents Solomon as the son of Uriah’s wife: David took Uriah’s wife and had her husband killed, and yet God chooses those who are not worthy of it.
- Psalm 32: True Happiness Is Found in God's ForgivenessDavid learned through his falls, including his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah, that he could not know joy without turning to God to be forgiven.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Uriah the Hittite in the Bible?
Uriah the Hittite was one of David’s mighty men (2 Samuel 23:39) and the husband of Bathsheba. While he was fighting the Ammonites, David committed adultery with his wife, then had him placed in the thick of the fighting so that he would be killed (2 Samuel 11). The prophet Nathan then denounced this crime.
Why did Uriah refuse to go home?
Uriah explained his refusal himself: the ark, Israel and Judah were staying in tents, Joab and his comrades were camping in the open field, and he would not eat, drink and lie with his wife in the meantime (2 Samuel 11:11). His loyalty to his comrades foiled David’s plan.
Where can I find the story of Uriah the Hittite in the Bible?
His story is told in 2 Samuel 11, and 2 Samuel 12 records Nathan’s rebuke of David. Uriah also appears among David’s mighty men in 2 Samuel 23:39. 1 Kings 15:5 refers to the matter of Uriah the Hittite, and Matthew 1:6 mentions the wife of Uriah in the genealogy of Jesus.