Story · 25 · The Soldier
A foreign soldier more loyal than his king
David impregnates Bathsheba and summons her husband Uriah from the front, hoping he'll sleep with her. Uriah refuses: how can he enjoy home while the army camps in the field?
The story is a critique of power, not just adultery.
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Uriah is a Hittite, a non-native, and more devoted to Israel than its king. David has him placed where the fighting is fiercest. The story exposes a state that sustains itself through sacrificial deaths for royal ambition.
Bible reference: 2 Samuel 11
Source: Why the Bible Began, pp. 393–394
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