Author: Administrador

The lectionary gives us only the terse conclusion to the lengthy and dramatic episode preceding Nathan’s parable. Second Samuel 11:26-27 does provide a useful summary of the relevant events: Uriah dies, his wife mourns him, David marries Uriah’s wife when her mourning is over, and she gives birth to a son. Missing from this sliver … Continue reading “2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-15 Commentary by Cameron B.R. Howard”

In last Sunday’s semi-continuous First Lesson (2 Samuel 11:1-15), we learned about David’s adultery with Bathsheba, the pregnancy that followed, and David’s attempt to get Bathsheba’s husband Uriah to sleep with her and thus cover up the crime. The intervening verses between that First Lesson and this one tell how David sent Uriah back to … Continue reading “2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a Commentary by Ralph W. Klein”

2 Samuel 12 is one of the most compelling stories of injustice uncovered. The story actually starts in the last few verses of 2 Samuel 11:26-27 with Bathsheba crying bitterly when she heard about the death of her husband Urijah.  But then life moves along at a brisk pace with David marrying the newly widowed … Continue reading “2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-15 Commentary by Juliana Claassens”

The preacher needs to plan carefully how to allocate the segments of the David and Bathsheba narrative over the next two weeks. It is hard to imagine preaching on 2 Samuel 11:1-15 without moving to Nathan’s (and God’s!) confrontation in the next chapter. The consequences of David’s action extend to the death of Bathsheba’s son … Continue reading “2 Samuel 11:1-15 Commentary by Richard W. Nysse”

Every week, a small group of seminarians and professors meet at a local watering hole here in Dubuque to talk theology and enjoy a beer. The forum is open. Topics have included sacramental theology, doctrinal issues, and textual problems. On the night I visited, the professor facilitating the conversation queried the group for that evening’s … Continue reading “2 Samuel 11:1-15 Commentary by Robert Hoch”

Author’s Note: The explicit nature of the biblical text calls for an equally explicit conversation about the text and, I argue, that includes from the pulpit. Second Samuel 11 tells the story of David’s rape of Bathsheba. The Church has equivocated on calling David’s action rape, some charging her with adultery. Having to prove to … Continue reading “2 Samuel 11:1-15 Commentary by Wil Gafney”

David wishes to build a temple-house, but instead, God builds a greater dynasty-house. One of most frequented destinations in Israel is the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, the remaining extant portion of the wall that surrounded the Temple Mount, and the actual temple during the time of Jesus. The wall stands at … Continue reading “2 Samuel 7:1-17 Commentary by Roger Nam”

This key text of the “Davidic Covenant,” is similar to an airport or a train station insofar as one can go all kinds of places from here. For example, this chapter gives the reason why the united kingdom of Israel is divided into the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah in 1 Kings 11-12; because … Continue reading “2 Samuel 7:1-17 Commentary by Sara Koenig”

The opening clause of 2 Samuel 7 sets up a tension that is explored throughout the chapter. The king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies. We often read the second as the cause of the former, but theologically, it can be a slippery slope. What … Continue reading “2 Samuel 7:1-14a Commentary by Richard W. Nysse”

“I am living in a house of cedar, but the Lord lives in a tent.” David’s determination to build God a suitable house is, according to Walter Brueggemann, part royal-aggrandizement and part genuine piety.1 Self-aggrandizement is an understandable if not laudable reason for wanting to improve the Lord’s living quarters. Understandable because David has come … Continue reading “2 Samuel 7:1-14a Commentary by Robert Hoch”