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In 2 Samuel 12, Nathan warns David, with strong language, that the sword will never leave his house for taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite. 1 Kings significantly downplays this moment, instead only giving it a very brief mention.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
2 Samuel 12:10
Hebrew Bible
9 Why have you shown contempt for the Lord’s decrees by doing evil in my sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and you have taken his wife to be your own wife! You have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 So now the sword will never depart from your house. For you have despised me by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite as your own!’ 11 This is what the Lord has said: ‘I am about to bring disaster on you from inside your own household! Right before your eyes I will take your wives and hand them over to your companion. He will go to bed with your wives in broad daylight!
1 Kings 15:5
Hebrew Bible
4 Nevertheless for David’s sake the Lord his God maintained his dynasty in Jerusalem by giving him a son to succeed him and by protecting Jerusalem. 5 He did this because David had done what he approved and had not disregarded any of his commandments his entire lifetime, except for the incident involving Uriah the Hittite. 6 Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other throughout Abijah’s lifetime. 7 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. Abijah and Jeroboam had been at war with each other.
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Notes and References
“... On the other hand, this matter of Uriah the Hittite, so quickly disposed of in 1 Kings 15, has a far more significant influence on David’s life and house in 2 Samuel 12, where God tells David, “Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife” (verse 10). The single exception to David’s righteousness in 1 Kings 15 burdens David’s house with perpetual punishment in 2 Samuel 12. Moreover, not only will David’s sin continue to hover over his house like a dark cloud, the vaunted righteousness of two other kings of Judah almost overshadows David’s. ...”
Polzin, Robert
David and the Deuteronomist: A Literary Study of the Deuteronomic History, Part Three: 2 Samuel
(p. 89) Indiana University Press, 1993
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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