2 Samuel 11:24 kjv
And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and some of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
2 Samuel 11:24 nkjv
The archers shot from the wall at your servants; and some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also."
2 Samuel 11:24 niv
Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead."
2 Samuel 11:24 esv
Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also."
2 Samuel 11:24 nlt
the archers on the wall shot arrows at us. Some of the king's men were killed, including Uriah the Hittite."
2 Samuel 11 24 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:9-10 | Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil... Uriah... you have struck down with the sword... the sword shall never depart from your house. | Nathan's rebuke of David, confirming divine judgment for Uriah's death. |
| 1 Kgs 15:5 | David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything... except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. | A historical summary of David's reign, highlighting the significance of this singular transgression. |
| Gen 4:10-11 | What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground... you shall be a fugitive. | The consequence of Cain's murder of Abel, foreshadowing God's response to spilled innocent blood. |
| Deut 19:10, 13 | that innocent blood may not be shed in your land... showing no pity... purge the guilt of innocent blood. | Laws against shedding innocent blood and the community's responsibility to cleanse guilt. |
| Exod 20:13 | You shall not murder. | The Sixth Commandment, directly violated by David's actions leading to Uriah's death. |
| Prov 6:16-17 | These six things the LORD hates... hands that shed innocent blood... | Highlights God's hatred for shedding innocent blood, condemning David's act. |
| Ps 51:1-4 | Have mercy on me, O God... Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity... Against you, you only, have I sinned. | David's heartfelt prayer of repentance after Nathan's rebuke, acknowledging the depth of his sin against God regarding Bathsheba and Uriah. |
| Rom 6:23 | For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. | The theological principle of sin leading to death, exemplified by Uriah's physical death due to David's sin and the spiritual death of David's peace. |
| Jas 1:14-15 | But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. | Describes the progression from desire to sin and finally to death, mirrored in David's journey from lust to murder. |
| Heb 4:13 | No creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. | God's omniscience, contrasting with David's attempt to cover up his sin from human eyes. |
| Num 32:23 | But if you fail to do this... behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out. | A warning that hidden sin will inevitably be exposed, a truth that proved accurate for David. |
| Prov 28:13 | Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. | David's initial concealment brought disaster; his eventual confession brought mercy. |
| Ps 9:15-16 | The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught... The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; by the work of his own hands the wicked is snared. | Poetic justice where the wicked are caught in their own devices, reflecting how David's plan ensnared him in guilt. |
| 1 John 3:15 | Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. | David's plot to kill Uriah stemmed from a hatred/desire to remove an obstacle, making him morally a murderer. |
| 2 Sam 1:16 | Your blood be on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have slain the LORD's anointed.' | David's prior action as king ensuring swift justice for one who claimed to have killed Saul, demonstrating his own failure here. |
| 1 Chr 20:1 | In the spring of the year... David remained at Jerusalem. And Joab led forth the army... But David remained at Jerusalem. | Recounts the start of the Ammonite war where David was absent, setting the stage for his temptation and fall. |
| Judg 9:53 | A certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull. | An example of death by defensive action from a wall, similar in context though different in agency. |
| Jer 1:3 | In the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah... to the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. | Indirect connection, noting the specific details of a historical timeline, similar to how Joab's report is very specific to time/event. |
| Ecc 8:11 | Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. | David might have felt impunity initially, leading him further into sin. |
| Josh 2:15 | Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she lived on the wall. | Shows proximity and interaction with city walls as significant elements in ancient warfare and life. |
| 2 Sam 12:11 | Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own house.' | The direct consequence promised by God to David due to his sin, highlighting the immediate and severe judgment that follows. |
| Matt 5:21-22 | You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment... | Jesus' deepening of the understanding of murder to include anger and hatred, indicating David's state of heart that led to Uriah's death was condemned. |
2 Samuel 11 verses
2 Samuel 11 24 Meaning
This verse reports to King David the immediate outcome of the battle for Rabbah, specifically confirming the deaths of some of his soldiers, most notably Uriah the Hittite. It serves as a stark message of Joab's success in executing David's deliberate plan to eliminate Uriah and cover up his own grave sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent plot to kill her husband.
2 Samuel 11 24 Context
This verse is part of the infamous account of David's sin with Bathsheba and Uriah, found in 2 Samuel chapter 11. David, the King of Israel, while his army was engaged in warfare against the Ammonites at Rabbah, remained in Jerusalem. From his rooftop, he saw Bathsheba bathing, committed adultery with her, and when she became pregnant, orchestrated a elaborate plot to cover his sin. His initial attempts involved bringing Uriah home from the battlefront, hoping he would sleep with Bathsheba and thereby appear to be the child's father. However, Uriah's unwavering loyalty to his fellow soldiers and the ark of God prevented him from returning home to his wife. Frustrated, David then escalated his crime by sending Uriah back to the battlefield with a letter to Joab, the commander, instructing him to place Uriah in the fiercest part of the battle where he would surely be killed. Verse 24 is a segment of Joab's report back to David, deliberately highlighting that Uriah's death, among other casualties, was achieved as instructed.
2 Samuel 11 24 Word Analysis
- And the archers (וְהַיֹּרִים - v'hayyorim): "Yorim" (shooters, archers) signifies those actively engaged in shooting. In ancient siege warfare, archers on city walls were crucial defensive units, showering attackers with arrows. Their action here is a standard part of battle, but manipulated by Joab's strategic positioning of Uriah.
- shot (יָרוּ - yaru): From the root "yarah," meaning to throw, shoot, cast. This verb indicates a direct and forceful act of missile projection, lethal in its intent and execution.
- from the wall (מֵעַל הַחוֹמָה - me'al hakhomah): "Chomah" refers to a city wall, a fortified barrier. Attacking close to a city wall during a siege was inherently dangerous due to concentrated enemy fire, a fact Joab exploited to fulfill David's wicked design.
- at your servants (אֶל עֲבָדֶיךָ - el avadeikha): "Avadim" are servants or subjects. The phrase implies an attack on David's own loyal forces. Joab's report strategically frames the deaths as a military mishap affecting David's "servants," masking the intentional targeting of one.
- and some of the king's servants are dead (וַיָּמֻתוּ מֵעֲבָדֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ - vayyamutu me'avadei hammelekh): "Vayyamutu" means "and they died." This casual mention of multiple deaths normalizes Uriah's specific demise, making it appear as typical battle casualty. It serves as a necessary preamble to discreetly deliver the main news David was waiting for.
- and Uriah the Hittite (וְגַם אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי - v'gam Uriyyah haChitti): "V'gam" means "and also," emphasizing the specific, sought-after casualty. Uriah's identity as "the Hittite" (Ha-Chitti), a foreigner assimilated into Israel and known for his exceptional loyalty and integrity (as demonstrated in 2 Sam 11:11), stands in stark contrast to the Israelite king who orchestrated his death. His precise name highlights the cruel targeting.
- also is dead (גַּם מֵת - gam met): "Met" (dead, deceased). The repetition of "also" ("v'gam...gam met") adds a solemn and definitive emphasis to Uriah's fate, confirming the success of David's dark plot.
- "And the archers shot from the wall at your servants": This phrase describes a common and dangerous military maneuver: attacking a fortified city. Joab deliberately placed Uriah in the most exposed and deadly position, where the natural action of the enemy defense (archers shooting from the wall) would ensure his death, making it appear accidental.
- "and some of the king's servants are dead, and Uriah the Hittite also is dead": This construct cleverly hides the premeditated murder within the acceptable casualties of war. The specific mention of Uriah, appended to a general statement of loss, is the critical, implicit confirmation to David that his dark command was carried out. It signals Joab's understanding and execution of the true purpose of the high-casualty attack.
2 Samuel 11 24 Bonus Section
The contrast between Uriah's resolute character and David's moral failure is accentuated by this verse. Uriah, the foreign soldier, displays exemplary loyalty to his king and military oath even to his death (2 Sam 11:11). David, the "man after God's own heart," abuses his supreme authority to commit adultery and then cold-bloodedly orchestrate murder, a heinous act directly against God's law. Joab's role as the instrument of David's evil also highlights the dangers of unquestioning, cynical obedience to a morally corrupt leader, showcasing a professional soldier's willingness to betray righteousness for expediency or loyalty to a fallen king. This event irrevocably marks the beginning of severe internal troubles for David's household and reign, foreshadowing the rebellions and violence that plague his family in subsequent chapters.
2 Samuel 11 24 Commentary
2 Samuel 11:24 encapsulates the dark outcome of David's carefully plotted sin. It is a laconic, yet chilling, report that signifies the success of a capital crime disguised as a military incident. Joab, discerning David's unspoken, murderous intent, engineered Uriah's death by placing him and his most loyal men in a militarily reckless position directly under the wall, vulnerable to archers. The casual inclusion of "Uriah the Hittite also is dead" within the broader context of war casualties confirms that David's explicit instruction to dispatch him to a dangerous spot (v.15) had achieved its wicked aim. This verse marks a turning point; with Uriah dead, David's cover-up plan is complete, allowing him to take Bathsheba as his wife. However, this human "success" sets the stage for immediate divine confrontation and judgment through the prophet Nathan (2 Sam 12), illustrating that no sin, especially murder and deception, can be hidden from God. It highlights the profound moral corruption that consumed David, previously known as a man after God's own heart.