Rethinking Bathsheba Part 1: Adultery or Power, Privilege, and Sexual Assault?
It was Adultery, right?
Throughout my lifetime, I’ve always heard from preachers and read in commentaries about David and Bathsheba as an adulterous situation. However, what if we’re wrong? What if it wasn’t adultery, but rather a sexual assault?
Power Differential
Twitter has been abuzz over the last year bringing to light allegations of sexual abuse of women in the evangelical church at the hands of prominent men.
In reading comments on stories about the abuse, it was striking to me the lack of awareness of how someone will abuse (by manipulation, lies, coercion, threats, etc.) their position of power to get what they want. There are reasons laws exist in states like Alabama, where I live and practice law, that prohibits teachers having sex with students who would normally be considered “of age” to consent, why correctional officers are prohibited from having sex with inmates, and why prosecutors are allowed to use a broad approach to sex crimes against children when perpetrated by adults in authority over them. There are federal laws against sexual harassment in the workplace because of the historical abuse of power by supervisors or bosses.
Whenever there is a power imbalance, the person with “lesser” power (or prominence) may not feel they can say no or reject the person with the power. The person with power can influence the actions of the person with less power and can also influence those whom that person might seek out for help. With that knowledge, we need to take a look at the story of David and Bathsheba.
Who was on the Roof?
Bathsheba was minding her own business, taking a bath, most likely, standing in her own yard pouring water over herself. The Bible notes that she was purifying herself after her monthly menstruation, something she was required to do by Jewish law. READ: she was following the religious ritual required of her, following what her religion taught her to do. She was obedient to the law.
King David was on his roof. (2 Samuel 11:2) Read that again, he was on HIS roof. Bathsheba was not on her roof, despite what you may have been told or led to believe. I grew up believing Bathsheba was on her roof, and I know many others were taught that as well. But, read the Bible account again. He was walking around on the roof of his house looking down upon the city when he saw Bathsheba purifying herself. She was not on her rooftop bathing to be seductive and get David’s attention. She was in her own yard - obeying Jewish law - and David looked down and saw her.
Could Bathsheba Have Said NO?
David, the King, sent for her. Now, David is obviously a very powerful man. He’s the King of Israel for crying out loud. Do you think Bathsheba could say no? Is it even remotely possible she could tell the King she didn’t want to have sex with him? What could she have done?
This occurred a few millennia before the #MeToo movement and laws that protected victims of sexual assault. It was thousands of years before we began to recognize women as humans and not property. We still, today, see women who don’t speak up about a boss’ sexual advances because of the power differential. Consequently, to think that a woman at that time in history could have rejected a King’s advances is ludicrous.
Adulterer, Seductress, or Victim?
We don’t have to look at current laws, though, to understand what really happened between David and Bathsheba. A reading of 2 Samuel 11 and 12 and Nathan’s words to David lead to the conclusion that this encounter was not “adultery” as we’ve called it for centuries. Even as I’ve read commentaries on this verse as I’ve worked on this blog, time and again it’s called “adultery.” However, at no point do we read that Bathsheba went willingly. Furthermore, Bathsheba is not called a seductress here. The Bible calls out “seductresses” such as Potiphar’s wife and Tamar (Gen 38). That is not how Bathsheba is treated.
In fact, 2 Samuel 11:4 states, “So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. Then she returned to her house.” (ESV, emphasis mine). The messengers took her. We don’t know what the messengers said to her or what they did. Perhaps there was some subterfuge about why they were taking her to see the King. The Bible doesn’t give us all of the details.
Oh, that Nathan!
However, we do learn a little more from the prophet Nathan. Nathan doesn’t pull any punches. He calls it like it is - and I think you’ll be surprised as to what he says. Take time to re-read these Biblical accounts before I post Part 2. Maybe do you own study.