2 Samuel 11:2–5
From the roof David sees a woman, asks about her, sends for her, and she becomes pregnant
Study it word by word2And it happened, at the time of evening, that David rose from his bed and was walking about on the roof of the king’s house; and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance.
3David sent and inquired about the woman, and someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
4David sent messengers and took her; she came to him, and he lay with her (she was sanctifying herself from her uncleanness), and she returned to her house.
5The woman conceived; and she sent and reported it to David, and said, “I am pregnant.”
In its context
1And it happened, at the turn of the year, at the time when the kings go out, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem.
…
6David sent to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David.
7When Uriah came to him, David asked about the welfare of Joab and the welfare of the people and the welfare of the war.
Its words in the original
- יְהִיyehi· be, become, happen
Be, exist; also "become" or "happen". It is the verb of "there was", "it was" and "it came to pass".
- עֵתet· time
Time, moment, season; "now".
- עֶרֶבerev· evening
Evening, when the sun goes down. Each day of Genesis 1 is counted "evening and morning"; so in Israel the day begins at sunset.
- יָּקָםyakam· rise, stand, establish
Rise, stand up; also stand firm, establish or fulfill something. "Rise against" is to attack.
- דָּוִדdavid· David
David, youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem; the second king of Israel. The name means "beloved."
- מִשְׁכָּבmishkav· bed
Bed, place where one lies down.
- יִּתְהַלֵּךְyithalech· go, walk
Go, walk, come. Figuratively, the way one lives ("walk with God").
- גַּגgag· roof, top
Roof, the flat top of a house; the top of something.
- בֵּיתbet· house, household
House. Also the family that lives in it ("the house of Noah") and someone's descendants ("the house of David"); also a temple, "the house of God".
- מֶּלֶךְmelech· king
King: the ruler of a city, a people or a kingdom.
- יַּרְאyar· see
See. Also look, observe, notice, consider; in some forms, "appear" or "show".
- אִשָּׁהisha· woman, wife
Woman; with a possessive ("his woman"), wife. In Hebrew it is "ishah", which sounds like "ish", man.
- רֹחֶצֶתrochetset· wash
Wash; wash oneself, bathe.
- טוֹבַתtovat· good
Good in the widest sense: pleasant, beautiful, useful, right, of good quality. As a noun, "good", "good things", "well-being".
- מַרְאֶהmare· appearance, sight
What is seen: the look or appearance of something; also a vision.
- מְאֹדmeod· very, much
Very, greatly, exceedingly; a word that strengthens what goes with it. As a noun, strength, might.
- יִּשְׁלַחyishlach· send, stretch out
Send; stretch out (the hand); let go, send away, set free.
- יִּדְרֹשׁyidrosh· seek, inquire
Seek earnestly; inquire; require an account. Turned toward God, consult him or seek him.
- יֹּאמֶרyomer· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- בַּתbat· Bathsheba
Bathsheba: wife of Uriah the Hittite and then of David; mother of Solomon (2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 1). It means "daughter of the oath."
- בַּתbat· daughter
Daughter; also granddaughter. In the plural, also the women of a people or place ("daughters of Canaan"); "daughter of Zion" stands for a city and its people.
- אֱלִיעָםeliam· Eliam
Eliam, the father of Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:3); also one of David's mighty men, son of Ahithophel (2 Samuel 23:34). It means "God of the people".
- אוּרִיָּהuriya· Uriah
Uriah: the name of several men; the best known is the Hittite, one of David's mighty men and husband of Bathsheba, whom David had killed in battle (2 Samuel 11). It means "my light is YHWH."
- חִתִּיchiti· Hittite
Hittite: a descendant of Heth, one of the peoples of Canaan.
- מַלְאָכִיםmalachim· messenger, angel
Messenger: someone sent with a task. It can be a human being or one sent by God, that is, an angel. "The angel of YHWH" is a messenger who speaks in God's name, and in several passages the text treats him as God himself (Genesis 16:13; Exodus 3:2-6).
- יִּקָּחֶyikache· take
Take: seize, take along, receive. Also "take a wife" (marry).
- תָּבוֹאtavo· come, go in, bring
Come, arrive, go in, enter. In the causative form, "bring" or "carry in". "Go in to" a woman is to have marital relations with her.
- יִּשְׁכַּבyishkav· lie down
Lie down: to sleep, or for sexual relations ("lie with"). "Lie down with one's fathers" is to die.
- מִתְקַדֶּשֶׁתmitkadeshet· consecrate, be holy
Set something apart for God, declare it holy; be holy. God set apart the seventh day as a day different from the others.
- טֻּמְאָתָtumata· uncleanness
Uncleanness: the state of someone who cannot come near what is holy until he is cleansed; also, in other passages, moral filthiness.
- תָּשָׁבtashav· return, turn back
Turn back, return. Also turn away; in the causative form, bring back, give back, answer. Figuratively, turn back to God (change course). Often adverbial: "again".
- תַּהַרtahar· conceive
Become pregnant, conceive; figuratively, conceive a plan.
- תַּגֵּדtaged· tell, declare
Tell, make known, report, declare; also explain.
- הָרָהhara· pregnant
Pregnant, with child.