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Uriah
One of David’s mighty men, whose loyalty shamed the king who wronged him.
Old and New Testament · c. 1000 BC · 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, Matthew · Also known as Uriah the Hittite, Urias
About Uriah
Uriah the Hittite was one of David’s mighty men and the husband of Bathsheba. While he fought in David’s army, the king took his wife. David called Uriah home and urged him to go to his house, but Uriah refused: "The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab... are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink...? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing." David then sent him back to Joab carrying a letter that arranged his death in battle. The prophet Nathan confronted David: "thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword." Scripture remembers David as faithful "save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite."
This guide speaks about Uriah, not as him, out of care. Though a Hittite by origin, his name means "the LORD is my light," and he served Israel’s God and king faithfully. The contrast between his integrity and David’s sin is the point of the chapter. Matthew’s family line of Jesus names him.
The story
One of the mighty men
Uriah is listed among David’s finest warriors: "Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all." In the spring, "when kings go forth to battle," David sent Joab and the army to besiege Rabbah, "but David tarried still at Jerusalem."
2 Samuel 23:39; 11:1
Thou art the man
The prophet Nathan told David of a rich man who took a poor man’s only lamb, then said, "Thou art the man... thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife." Long after, Scripture says David did right "all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite."
2 Samuel 12:1-13; 1 Kings 15:5
Key moments
- Among David’s mighty men: "Uriah the Hittite." (2 Samuel 23:39)
- Called home from battle: Refuses to go to his house. (2 Samuel 11:9-11)
- Carries his own death warrant: David’s letter to Joab. (2 Samuel 11:14)
- Dies in battle: At Rabbah. (2 Samuel 11:17)
- Remembered in Jesus’ family line: "Her that had been the wife of Urias." (Matthew 1:6)
Questions about Uriah
Why wouldn’t Uriah go home?
Loyalty. "The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink...? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing." While God’s ark and his comrades were in the field, he would not take comfort. His integrity exposed the king’s lack of it.
Who was Uriah the Hittite?
A soldier of foreign descent, a Hittite, yet his name means "the LORD is my light," and he served Israel’s God and king. He was one of the elite warriors listed as David’s mighty men. Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus remembers him too: "David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias."
Connected people
Read it yourself
Start with 2 Samuel 11; 12:1-9.