Difference between revisions of "David and Batsheva/2"

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<approaches>
 
<approaches>
  
<category>Guilty of Adultery and Murder
 
<p>David sinned egregiously, committing both adultery and murder.</p>
 
<mekorot><multilink><a href="BavliYoma22b" data-aht="source">Bavli Yoma</a><a href="BavliYoma22b" data-aht="source">Yoma 22b</a><a href="Talmud Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RadakShemuelII11-2-4" data-aht="source">Radak</a><a href="RadakShemuelII11-2-4" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 11:2-4</a><a href="RadakShemuelII12-9-13" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 12:9-13</a><a href="R. David Kimchi (Radak)" data-aht="parshan">About R. David Kimchi</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RYosefKaraShemuelII12" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Kara</a><a href="RYosefKaraShemuelII11-3" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 11:1-15</a><a href="RYosefKaraShemuelII12" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 12:8-11</a><a href="R. Yosef Kara" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Kara</a></multilink>, <a href="AbarbanelShemuelII11" data-aht="source">Abarbanel</a></mekorot>
 
<point><b>"וַיִּשְׁלַח דָּוִד וַיִּדְרֹשׁ לָאִשָּׁה"</b></point>
 
<point><b>Batsheva's role</b></point>
 
<point><b>וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד לְאוּרִיָּה רֵד לְבֵיתְךָ</b></point>
 
<point><b>וַאדֹנִי יוֹאָב</b></point>
 
<point><b>Natan's parable</b></point>
 
<point><b>Punishment</b></point>
 
<point><b>חָטָאתִי לַי"י</b></point>
 
<point><b>רַק בִּדְבַר אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי</b></point>
 
<point><b>How can David stay married to Batsheva?</b></point>
 
<point><b>Why did he merit dynastic rule?</b></point>
 
</category>
 
 
<category>Not Guilty of Adultery or Murder
 
<category>Not Guilty of Adultery or Murder
<p>hough David's actions deserved a measure of censure, he did not violate the Biblical prohibitions of adultery or murder.&#160; </p>
+
<p>Though David's actions deserved a measure of censure, he did not violate the Biblical prohibitions of adultery or murder.&#160; </p>
 
<mekorot><multilink><a href="BavliShabbat56a-56b" data-aht="source">Bavli Shabbat</a><a href="BavliShabbat56a-56b" data-aht="source">Shabbat 56a-56b</a><a href="Talmud Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RidShemuelII12-4" data-aht="source">Rid</a><a href="RidShemuelII12-4" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 12:4</a><a href="R. Yeshayah of Trani (Rid)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yeshayah of Trani</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="MalbimShemuelII11" data-aht="source">Malbim</a><a href="MalbimShemuelII11" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 11</a><a href="MalbimShemuelII12" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 12</a><a href="R. Meir Leibush Weiser (Malbim)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Meir Leibush Weiser</a></multilink>,</mekorot>
 
<mekorot><multilink><a href="BavliShabbat56a-56b" data-aht="source">Bavli Shabbat</a><a href="BavliShabbat56a-56b" data-aht="source">Shabbat 56a-56b</a><a href="Talmud Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RidShemuelII12-4" data-aht="source">Rid</a><a href="RidShemuelII12-4" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 12:4</a><a href="R. Yeshayah of Trani (Rid)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yeshayah of Trani</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="MalbimShemuelII11" data-aht="source">Malbim</a><a href="MalbimShemuelII11" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 11</a><a href="MalbimShemuelII12" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 12</a><a href="R. Meir Leibush Weiser (Malbim)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Meir Leibush Weiser</a></multilink>,</mekorot>
 
<point><b>Uriah's death</b> – These sources absolve David of guilt in Uriah's death in various ways:<br/>
 
<point><b>Uriah's death</b> – These sources absolve David of guilt in Uriah's death in various ways:<br/>
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</ul></point>
 
</ul></point>
 
<point><b>"וַיִּשְׁלַח דָּוִד וַיִּדְרֹשׁ לָאִשָּׁה"</b> – Malbim suggests that the phrase "וַיִּדְרֹשׁ לָאִשָּׁה" means that David was seeking to know not the identity of Batsheva, but her marital status (whether she was someone who had been given a divorce from her husband).</point>
 
<point><b>"וַיִּשְׁלַח דָּוִד וַיִּדְרֹשׁ לָאִשָּׁה"</b> – Malbim suggests that the phrase "וַיִּדְרֹשׁ לָאִשָּׁה" means that David was seeking to know not the identity of Batsheva, but her marital status (whether she was someone who had been given a divorce from her husband).</point>
 +
<point><b>"אֵשֶׁת אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי"</b> – According to Malbim, though Batsheva was not truly married to Uriah, the text refers to her as his wife since despite the divorce the two still viewed themselves as a couple nd hoped to resume the marriage after Uriah returned from war.</point>
 
<point><b>"וְהִיא מִתְקַדֶּשֶׁת מִטֻּמְאָתָהּ"</b> – Malbim asserts that the text shares that Batsheva was purifying herself to teach that David did not transgress the prohibition of sleeping with a woman while impure.&#160; He claims that had David committed adultery it would be senseless to point this out as the king would have been transgressing a far more severe prohibition.&#160; Thus, mention of the fact further supports the notion that David must not have committed adultery.<fn>See, though,&#160;<a href="RYosefKaraShemuelII11-3" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Kara</a> who explains that that the fact is mentioned only to clarify that the fetus could not be from relations with Uriah, and must have come from Batsheva's relations with David.</fn></point>
 
<point><b>"וְהִיא מִתְקַדֶּשֶׁת מִטֻּמְאָתָהּ"</b> – Malbim asserts that the text shares that Batsheva was purifying herself to teach that David did not transgress the prohibition of sleeping with a woman while impure.&#160; He claims that had David committed adultery it would be senseless to point this out as the king would have been transgressing a far more severe prohibition.&#160; Thus, mention of the fact further supports the notion that David must not have committed adultery.<fn>See, though,&#160;<a href="RYosefKaraShemuelII11-3" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Kara</a> who explains that that the fact is mentioned only to clarify that the fetus could not be from relations with Uriah, and must have come from Batsheva's relations with David.</fn></point>
 
<point><b>Rebuke via parable</b> – The Rid suggests that Natan's use of a parable to chastise David further supports this position.&#160; If the sin was one of adultery, Natan would have simply accused the king of sleeping with another's wife. The method of rebuke chosen proves that the crime was not self-evident.<fn>See R. Medan who elaborates on this point in his article, "".</fn></point>
 
<point><b>Rebuke via parable</b> – The Rid suggests that Natan's use of a parable to chastise David further supports this position.&#160; If the sin was one of adultery, Natan would have simply accused the king of sleeping with another's wife. The method of rebuke chosen proves that the crime was not self-evident.<fn>See R. Medan who elaborates on this point in his article, "".</fn></point>
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<point><b>Why do the verses present David as guilty?</b> Malbim, following Bavli Avodah Zarah, suggests that Hashem wanted to teach people about the power of repentance through David. If readers view him as having sinned greatly, but repented sincerely and see how his repentance was accepted, they will learn to similarly repent.</point>
 
<point><b>Why do the verses present David as guilty?</b> Malbim, following Bavli Avodah Zarah, suggests that Hashem wanted to teach people about the power of repentance through David. If readers view him as having sinned greatly, but repented sincerely and see how his repentance was accepted, they will learn to similarly repent.</point>
 
<point><b>"חָטָאתִי לַי"י"</b></point>
 
<point><b>"חָטָאתִי לַי"י"</b></point>
 +
</category>
 +
<category>Guilty of Adultery and Murder
 +
<p>David sinned egregiously, committing both adultery and murder.</p>
 +
<mekorot><multilink><a href="BavliYoma22b" data-aht="source">Bavli Yoma</a><a href="BavliYoma22b" data-aht="source">Yoma 22b</a><a href="Talmud Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RadakShemuelII11-2-4" data-aht="source">Radak</a><a href="RadakShemuelII11-2-4" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 11:2-4</a><a href="RadakShemuelII12-9-13" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 12:9-13</a><a href="R. David Kimchi (Radak)" data-aht="parshan">About R. David Kimchi</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RYosefKaraShemuelII12" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Kara</a><a href="RYosefKaraShemuelII11-3" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 11:1-15</a><a href="RYosefKaraShemuelII12" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 12:8-11</a><a href="R. Yosef Kara" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Kara</a></multilink>, <a href="AbarbanelShemuelII11" data-aht="source">Abarbanel</a></mekorot>
 +
<point><b>Uriah's death:"אֵת אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי הִכִּיתָ בַחֶרֶב"</b> – This position reads Natan's accusation simply to mean that David was responsible for Uriah's death.&#160; Even though elsewhere the rule "אין שליח לדבר עבירה" (there is no messenger for transgressions) applies, David's position as king made it impossible for others to defy his orders, putting the responsibility for the death fully on his shoulders.</point>
 +
<point><b>"וְאֹתוֹ הָרַגְתָּ בְּחֶרֶב בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן"</b> – Abarbanel further blames David for having killed Uriah ignobly, via the enemies of Israel. Moreover, having Uriah killed in war required that many others in Israel died alongside him.<fn>See Midrash Shemuel 25.</fn>&#160; Their deaths, too, were David's fault.<fn>One might argue that David actually tells Yoav to abandon Uriah on the battlefield, precisely so as to prevent others from being killed. It is Yoav who veers from the plan, thereby causing other deaths.&#160; However, one might respond that David's plan was not realistic.&#160; Yoav could never tell his men to simply abandon an elite soldier in battle; his men would lose all faith in their general and never agree.</fn></point>
 +
<point><b>"וְאֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ לָקַחְתָּ לְּךָ לְאִשָּׁה"</b> – Abarbanel claims that this rebuke of Natan's refers both to the initial adulterous action, and the fact that David married Batsheva so soon after her husband died.</point>
 +
<point><b>"אֵשֶׁת אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי"</b> – The text refers to Batsehva as the wife of Uriah, because the two were fully married when david had relations with her.</point>
 +
<point><b>Batsheva's role</b> – It is unclear from the verses whether Batsheva was taken against her will, or whether the act was consensual.<fn>The verses clearly speak of David "taking" Batsheva, and his position as king would make it impossible for her to decline, absolving her of any guilt.&#160; On the other hand, the words "וַתָּבוֹא אֵלָיו" in verse 4 are superfluous and might be included to hint that she willingly came to David and played a part as well.</fn> In other words, it is possible that david's sins included not only adultery but rape as well.</point>
 +
<point><b>וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד לְאוּרִיָּה רֵד לְבֵיתְךָ</b></point>
 +
<point><b>וַאדֹנִי יוֹאָב</b></point>
 +
<point><b>Natan's parable</b></point>
 +
<point><b>Punishment</b></point>
 +
<point><b>חָטָאתִי לַי"י</b></point>
 +
<point><b>רַק בִּדְבַר אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי</b></point>
 +
<point><b>How can David stay married to Batsheva?</b></point>
 +
<point><b>Why did he merit dynastic rule?</b></point>
 
</category>
 
</category>
 
<category>Guilty of Murder but not Adultery
 
<category>Guilty of Murder but not Adultery
<p>Ralbag</p>
+
<mekorot><multilink><a href="RalbagShemuelII12-7" data-aht="source">Ralbag</a><a href="RalbagShemuelII12-7" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 12:7</a><a href="RalbagShemuelII12-25" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 12:25</a><a href="RalbagShemuelIIToalot11" data-aht="source">Shemuel II Toalot 11</a><a href="RalbagShemuelIIToalot12-5" data-aht="source">Shemuel II Toalot 12:5</a><a href="R. Levi b. Gershom (Ralbag, Gersonides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Levi b. Gershom</a></multilink></mekorot>
 
</category>
 
</category>
 
</approaches>
 
</approaches>
 
</page>
 
</page>
 
</aht-xml>
 
</aht-xml>

Version as of 12:40, 21 March 2017

David and Batsheva

Exegetical Approaches

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

Not Guilty of Adultery or Murder

Though David's actions deserved a measure of censure, he did not violate the Biblical prohibitions of adultery or murder. 

Uriah's death – These sources absolve David of guilt in Uriah's death in various ways:
  • Rebellious – According to the Bavli, Uriah was considered a rebel against the king due to his referring to Yoav as "my master".1 Malbim instead claims that the rebellion lay in Uriah's refusal to return home after David told him, "רֵד לְבֵיתְךָ וּרְחַץ רַגְלֶיךָ".‎2  According to either reading, Uriah was deserving of death.  David's sin lay not in killing him, but only in doing so outside of proper judicial procedure.
  • Legitimate casualty of war– The Rid asserts that a king has a right to endanger his men in the front line, and can not be held accountable if they die there.  This, though, ignores the fact that David did not simply send Uriah to war but told Yoav to abandon him with the intention that he be killed.
  • No messenger for transgressions – It is also possible to suggest that David was not held accountable since he did not personally act against Uriah; it was Yoav's fault that Uriah was forsaken to be killed in battle (אין שליח לדבר עבירה).3
Batsheva was not legally married – According to this position, David did not commit adultery since Batsheva did not have marital status when he slept with her.  There are two variations of the approach:
  • Divorced – R. Yonatan in the Bavli (followed by many sources) asserts that in David's era those who went to battle divorced their wives so as to prevent them from becoming "chained women" (עגונות) if the soldier was not to return from war.4  The sources disagree regarding the nature of the divorce:
    • Full divorce – According to R. Tam,5 marriages were fully dissolved when the husband left to war.  If so, when David approached Batsheva she was no longer a married woman and there was no possible issue of adultery.  The sin lay in the fact that David knew that the divorce was given only for technical reasons and that under other circumstances the couple would have stayed married.
    • Conditional –  According to Rashi and the Rid, in contrast, the divorces were conditional on the husband not returning home.  As such, when David slept with Batsheva her status was unknown, and it was only after Uriah's death that she was retroactively considered divorced. This understanding absolves David of technical guilt, but leaves his actions as still very problematic from a moral perspective.
  • Illegitimate marriage – Alternatively, this approach could posit that Uriah was not Jewish as his title "the Hittite" implies. If so, Batsheva was never legally married to him and David was not committing adultery when he had relations with her.
"וַיִּשְׁלַח דָּוִד וַיִּדְרֹשׁ לָאִשָּׁה" – Malbim suggests that the phrase "וַיִּדְרֹשׁ לָאִשָּׁה" means that David was seeking to know not the identity of Batsheva, but her marital status (whether she was someone who had been given a divorce from her husband).
"אֵשֶׁת אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי" – According to Malbim, though Batsheva was not truly married to Uriah, the text refers to her as his wife since despite the divorce the two still viewed themselves as a couple nd hoped to resume the marriage after Uriah returned from war.
"וְהִיא מִתְקַדֶּשֶׁת מִטֻּמְאָתָהּ" – Malbim asserts that the text shares that Batsheva was purifying herself to teach that David did not transgress the prohibition of sleeping with a woman while impure.  He claims that had David committed adultery it would be senseless to point this out as the king would have been transgressing a far more severe prohibition.  Thus, mention of the fact further supports the notion that David must not have committed adultery.6
Rebuke via parable – The Rid suggests that Natan's use of a parable to chastise David further supports this position.  If the sin was one of adultery, Natan would have simply accused the king of sleeping with another's wife. The method of rebuke chosen proves that the crime was not self-evident.7
"וַיִּקַּח אֶת כִּבְשַׂת הָאִישׁ הָרָאשׁ" – R. Medan8  asserts that Natan's parable does not contain a direct parallel to the sin of adultery, focusing instead on the taking advantage of a poor man by taking his lamb.  He points to this as further evidence that David's sin lay in taking advantage of another, rather than in sleeping with a married woman.
"וְאֹתוֹ הָרַגְתָּ בְּחֶרֶב בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן" – According to the Bavli, Natan is not chastising David for the killing itself,9 but the fact that he did so via "the sword of Amon" rather than via the Sanhedrin.
"וְאֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ לָקַחְתָּ לְּךָ לְאִשָּׁה" – R. Yaakov Fidanque claims that when Natan speaks of "taking Batsheva as a wife" he does so only after mentioning the death of Uriah, suggesting that he is not referring to the initial relations (which were permitted) but only of David's marrying her afterwards (which was improper).
How can David stay married to Batsheva? This question is one of the main motivations behind this position's reading of the story.  Had David committed adultery, Batsheva should have been prohibited to him.  It would have been meaningless for him to repent while staying married to her.  Moreover, it would mean that Shelomo, the next king, was illegitimate. Thus, their continuous marriage is the strongest proof that Batsheva had not been forbidden to David.
"וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד לְאוּרִיָּה רֵד לְבֵיתְךָ" – This approach must explain why David attempted to have Uriah sleep with his wife. If Batsheva had no married status, then David should not have felt the need to cover anything up.  On the other hand, if her status was in doubt due to the conditional nature of the divorce, then would not inviting Uriah to sleep with his wife ensure that she was in fact married retroactively?10
Punishment – This approach must explain why David's punishment is so severe if he was not actually guilty.  The sources could explain that despite technically being innocent, David was still morally wrong to act as he did.  In addition, Hashem often acts stringently with the righteous.
Why do the verses present David as guilty? Malbim, following Bavli Avodah Zarah, suggests that Hashem wanted to teach people about the power of repentance through David. If readers view him as having sinned greatly, but repented sincerely and see how his repentance was accepted, they will learn to similarly repent.
"חָטָאתִי לַי"י"

Guilty of Adultery and Murder

David sinned egregiously, committing both adultery and murder.

Uriah's death:"אֵת אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי הִכִּיתָ בַחֶרֶב" – This position reads Natan's accusation simply to mean that David was responsible for Uriah's death.  Even though elsewhere the rule "אין שליח לדבר עבירה" (there is no messenger for transgressions) applies, David's position as king made it impossible for others to defy his orders, putting the responsibility for the death fully on his shoulders.
"וְאֹתוֹ הָרַגְתָּ בְּחֶרֶב בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן" – Abarbanel further blames David for having killed Uriah ignobly, via the enemies of Israel. Moreover, having Uriah killed in war required that many others in Israel died alongside him.11  Their deaths, too, were David's fault.12
"וְאֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ לָקַחְתָּ לְּךָ לְאִשָּׁה" – Abarbanel claims that this rebuke of Natan's refers both to the initial adulterous action, and the fact that David married Batsheva so soon after her husband died.
"אֵשֶׁת אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי" – The text refers to Batsehva as the wife of Uriah, because the two were fully married when david had relations with her.
Batsheva's role – It is unclear from the verses whether Batsheva was taken against her will, or whether the act was consensual.13 In other words, it is possible that david's sins included not only adultery but rape as well.
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד לְאוּרִיָּה רֵד לְבֵיתְךָ
וַאדֹנִי יוֹאָב
Natan's parable
Punishment
חָטָאתִי לַי"י
רַק בִּדְבַר אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי
How can David stay married to Batsheva?
Why did he merit dynastic rule?

Guilty of Murder but not Adultery