Right Words

In 2 Sam. 11:3 we’re told that Bathsheba was the daughter of Eliam, but we don’t learn anything more about Eliam until 23:34, where he is listed as one of David’s mighty men five verses before Uriah (23:49). So these two men were fellow soldiers and likely good friends. A few other things to note:

1. Eliam was the son of Ahithophel, who sided with Absalom against David (15:31). One can see why, since David was responsible for the death of Ahithophel’s grandson by marriage.
2. If the parable in 2 Sam. 12 has point-by-point applications, Uriah may have been a widower with children (v. 3) and married Bathsheba when he was older and she was younger (v. 3). To me this is plausible, since he and Eliam her father were likely a similar age.

One takeaway from this study for me is a reminder of how much lies beneath the surface of the Bible hidden from superficial reading. God expects us to be Bible students not Bible surfers, and as the old saying goes, you get out of it [Bible study] what you put into it!