The eleventh episode of the third season of the Retelling the Bible Podcast is posted today (August 28, 2019). You can listen to the episode and subscribe to the podcast by following one of these links or by searching for the podcast on your favourite platform:

Show Notes

This episode is based on 2 Samuel 11:1-12:25 and 1 Kings 1:1-31in the Old Testament of the Bible. (Click the references to read the original texts). Any direct biblical quotations in the episode are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Here are a few of my thoughts on the episode:

Bathsheba’s Bad Reputation

Bathsheba has been slut-shamed for centuries. She has been blamed for leading David astray by taking her bath on the roof of her house, calculating that David would see her from his house and become totally helpless before her feminine whiles thus forcing him to murder her husband Uriah in order to possess her.

This is a typical depiction of Bathsheba as a temptress in the tradtion. Bathsheba at Her Bath, ca. 1700

Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari Italian

This idea of Bathsheba the temptress has flourished despite the fact that the Bible says none of that about her. She was bathing because she was required to do so at the completion of her monthly period. She was bathing in what was considered to be a private space within her home. It was David who was out of line and using his power and privilege to spy on his subjects. She was also in no position to refuse David’s summons when it came, nor could she resist anything that he might do to her once she had arrived in his bedchambers. David raped her; she was the victim of a crime and not at fault.

The reason why this notion that Bathsheba is to blame has endured is not because of what the Bible says about her. It has endured because of longstanding patriarchal ideas about women. Women have, for too long, been seen only as temptresses who lead men astray and whose sexuality is dangerous and sinister. It also springs from a strong tendency to blame victims for the crimes that are committed against them. This is especially true of rape victims who too often face irrelevant questions like, “What were you wearing?” “Why were you there at that time of night?” and “How many sexual partners have you had?” when they dare to make an accusation.

It seemed to me that the best way to confront this unfair portrayal of Bathsheba and her actions was to allow the story to be told from her point of view.

The women who went from a piece of property to become a mover and shaker

When Bathsheba is first introduced in the Bible, she is nothing but a piece of property belonging to her husband — a piece of property that is coveted by David. This position of Bathsheba is underlined by the parable that the Prophet Nathan tells the king to convince him of his guilt. In this tale, Bathsheba is compared to a ewe that belongs to a poor man and is stolen from him by his rich neighbour. This powerless position is behind everything that happens to her and absolutely limits her ability to control events.

By the end of her story in the Bible, however, Bathsheba’s position has clearly changed. She, with some help from Nathan, is able to determine the future course of the nation. One things that has allowed her to change her situation is the connection that she has formed with David — a connection that makes the birth of her second son, Solomon, possible and that extracts a promise from the king that Solomon will succeed him. Now, Bathsheba is hardly the first or the last woman in history to form a relationship with a man who abused her. Her story certainly leaves an open question: did she truly come to love him, or was she only cynically using him to get what she wanted? I don’t think I’ve answered that question with my story, I guess people will have to decide that one for themselves.

How did the story get in the Bible?

The story of the rise of David to the kingship over Israel and his foundation of the dynasty of Judah, is a remarkable tale. It is a story, it seems reasonable to assume, that was compiled and eventually written down in the courts of the kings who belonged to the House of David. If this is true, it is rather remarkable that the story that is told really does not hide any of David’s faults and shortcomings.

That is particularly true when it comes to the story of David and Bathsheba. David is a rapist and murderer in this story. There is really nothing redeeming about anything that he does, apart from the fact that he eventually confesses and repents when confronted. How is it that such a terrible story about the founder of the dynasty made it into the biblical account? I can only assume that the reason why it is there is because the scandal was too well-known. The biblical authors couldn’t have pretended not to know about it and so they included it and did their best to present David in the most positive light possible, which was pretty much an impossible task.

If you are interested in learning more

Here is another podcast that looks closely at the story of David and Bathsheba in the Bible:

Almost Heretical: 68 Yes, David Raped Bathsheba?

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE

“AhDah” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

“String Impromptu Number 1” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/