Then Joab sent ,.... Messengers to David, as soon as Uriah was killed: and told David all the things concerning the war ; how the siege had been carried on; what success they had had, good or ill; what their advantages and disadvantages; what men they had lost, and especially in one sally of the enemy upon them, for the sake of which the express was sent. read more
And charged the messenger ,.... Gave him a particular direction and instruction what he should say at the close of his narrative, according as he should observe the king's countenance to be: saying, when thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king ; giving an account of all the events that happened since the siege was begun to that time. read more
And if so be that the king's wrath arise ,.... Which might be seen in his countenance, or expressed in his words: and he say, wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight ? as to expose the king's troops to the enemy on the wall, who by stones or darts greatly annoyed them, or sallied out on them, and killed many of them: knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall ? they must have known that, and therefore should have kept out of the reach of their shot. read more
Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth ?.... The same with Jerubbaal, who was Gideon, Judges 6:32 ; Baal, one part of his name, was the name of an idol, and sometimes called Bosheth or Besheth, which signifies shame, being a shameful idol; Gideon had a son called Abimelech, who was smitten, and it is here asked, by whom? did not a woman cast a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez ? which should have been a warning not to go too near the wall of an enemy; the... read more
If - the king ' s wrath arise - It is likely that Joab had by some indiscretion suffered loss about this time; and he contrived to get rid of the odium by connecting the transaction with the death of Uriah, which he knew would be so pleasing to the king. read more
( RABBAH .) Complicity in sin. Here are three men: David, a great but sinful king, bent on the destruction of a faithful servant; Uriah, a brave but injured soldier, sent unconsciously to his doom; and Joab, an able but unscrupulous general ( 2 Samuel 3:22-30 ), become a willing agent and ready accomplice in his execution "with the sword of the children of Ammon" ( 2 Samuel 12:9 ). 1 . There is seldom wanting a suitable accomplice in effecting a sinful purpose, however... read more
Then Joab sent. Joab now performs another act in this iniquitous drama, and goes through the form of sending the king a report of the disaster which had followed upon his approaching too near the walls. With well-feigned hypocrisy, he makes the messenger believe that David will be displeased at the loss of life, and will blame him for his want of caution. But it is curious that the messenger is instructed to mention the death of Uriah only after the king has given utterance to his anger.... read more
Complicity in evil. The facts are: 1 . Joab, having executed the wicked commission, sends word to David as to the progress of the war. 2 . He furnishes the messenger with a means of appeasing the probable wrath of David on his learning that the conflict was more serious than either he or Joab looked for, namely, an announcement of Uriah's death. 3 . The messenger carefully describes the seriousness of the engagement with the enemy, and concludes by referring to the death of... read more
Jerubbesheth ; in 6:32 called Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon. (On the substitution of Besheth, or more correctly Bosheth, for Baal, see notes on 2 Samuel 2:8 ; 2 Samuel 9:6 .) It is remarkable that the LXX ; Vulgate, and Syriac all read here Jerubbaal, though, like the Hebrew, they have Ishbosheth and Mephibosheth. Probably the change, which was not made until after the days of Jezebel, was only gradually carried out by the scribes. read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Samuel 11:14-27
When David's project of fathering the child upon Uriah himself failed, so that, in process of time, Uriah would certainly know the wrong that had been done him, to prevent the fruits of his revenge, the devil put it into David's heart to take him off, and then neither he nor Bath-sheba would be in any danger (what prosecution could there be when there was no prosecutor?), suggesting further that, when Uriah was out of the way, Bath-sheba might, if he pleased, be his own for ever. Adulteries... read more