Meaning of the Name Bathsheba
From the Hebrew name Bat-Sheva, explained as 'daughter of the oath' or 'daughter of seven'; which is correct is debated. The first element, bat, means 'daughter'; the second, sheva, is linked both with 'seven' and with 'oath', and 'seven' is sometimes read as abundance. Turkish translations also write Bat-Şeva or Bat-Şeba, and in Chronicles the same woman is called Bath-shua.
Origin
The name Bathsheba is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Bathsheba in the Bible?
Bathsheba is the wife of Uriah the Hittite; King David sleeps with her and arranges her husband's death in battle. After the prophet Nathan confronts David, Bathsheba, now David's wife, gives birth to Solomon. In David's last days she plays a decisive role in bringing Solomon to the throne, and Matthew's genealogy mentions her as the wife of Uriah.
The story of Bathsheba in the Bible
Bathsheba's story begins where the Bible tells a king's sin without hiding it. While Israel's army is at war, King David sees from his palace roof a woman bathing; she is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite. David has her brought to the palace, and she becomes pregnant. David first tries to cover it up; when that fails he arranges for Uriah to die at the front line, and after the time of mourning he takes Bathsheba as his wife. The prophet Nathan confronts David with the parable of a rich man who takes a poor man's only lamb, and David confesses his sin. The child dies; David comforts Bathsheba, and their second son, Solomon, is born, whom the LORD loves. Years later, when David is old and his son Adonijah tries to make himself king, Bathsheba goes with Nathan before David and reminds him of his promise that Solomon would reign; Solomon is anointed king. As queen mother she is described sitting on a throne at Solomon's right hand. Matthew's genealogy of Jesus mentions her not by name but as the wife of Uriah, recalling the painful side of her story.
Is Bathsheba mentioned in the Quran?
The name Bathsheba does not appear in the Quran. In the Bible, Bathsheba is David's wife and Solomon's mother, whose story is told in the books of Samuel and Kings.
Verses where Bathsheba appears
- 2 Samuel 11:3 —
David sent and inquired after the woman. One said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
- 2 Samuel 12:24 —
David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her, and lay with her. She bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Yahweh loved him;
- 1 Kings 1:11 —
Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Haven’t you heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith reigns, and David our lord doesn’t know it?