Did King David rape Bath-sheba?

[Nope]

I don't know if you honestly missed v. 23-24 or are intentionally skipping over it, but it's more applicable, as it refers to the same situation but in a city. In such a case, the act is presumed to be consensual (and both parties punishable by death) unless there's reasonable evidence that it was rape, such as screams from the woman. By your own method of analyzing what we're not told, well, we're not told that she screamed, so it should be viewed as consensual.

I don't know if you honestly don't see how fucking disgusting this is or if you're just okay with it.
If a woman doesn't scream loud enough for someone to hear then it doesn't count as rape and she should be put to death (if married) or forced to marry her rapist. You seem to be misrepresenting the verse. I don't feel like looking it up, but from what I recall a woman raped within city limits is automatically guilty, then they tack on she didn't scream loud enough for a reason why she's guilty. I'm pretty sure.

Sometimes fear keeps a woman from screaming. When I was 16, a relative held me down and tried to rape me.There were other people in the house but I did not scream because I froze. He threatened to hit me. He was afoot ball player and I am a very small female who was even smaller at 16.

In Bathsheba's case, if she refused the king's advances, she and her family might have been killed; in which case, even if she went to his bed without complaining, she was still a victim of rape. On the other hand, it is also possible that she wanted his attention. Powerful people do attract admirers.The bible doesn't say whether the act was consensual or not so we don't know.

Another interesting layer to the story: One of David's son, Absalom had a sister named Tamar. David's other son, Amnon wanted to have sex with her but the girl was a virgin. He tricked her into tending to him while he was sick and raped her. Afterwards, the girl would have had no prospects for marriage

The bible reports that David was angry but did nothing to punish Annon. Later Absalom killed Amnon and temporarily took the kingdom from his father. During his reign, Absalom raped David's wives on the rooftop for the city to see.

My point is that David and his family appear to be a very screwed up group. David's son was not punished for rape which means that before he slept with Bathsheba, David probably already saw himself above the law. That does't mean that David raped Bathsheba but it does show that he is willing to ignore rules when they don't suit him.

* The story of Tamar can be found in 2 Samuel chapter 13

[strawdawg]

Bathsheba was young, black and apparently very beautiful. I Seriously doubt she was raped.

First off, why black and not middle eastern?

Songs of Solomon 1:5-6, Solomon describes himself as a black man, swarthy. David his father was a Hebrew which means he was on the order of an Obama...biracial, his mother (Bathsheba) had to be black.
The word swarthy is interpreted as dark skinned but in all the old languages like Old English and Germanic it is always interpreted as black which is correct.

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Strawdog, can you please stop necroposting?

Okay, will do.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

Just to add one thing that no one commented on - Bathsheba was taking a bath in a place where she must have known that she could be seen by the king and maybe others.

So she deserved it?

Your comment is no better than saying a girl who wears a short skirt deserves to be raped, you know.

Edit:necropost. Damn you strawdog.

[vorlon13]

Chance to boink the king would not be viewed with universal disgust by all women everywhere in the world throughout all of history.

[Anomalocaris]

Chance to boink the king would not be viewed with universal disgust by all women everywhere in the world throughout all of history.

Any disgust that might have been present had the whole thing not been made up in the first place certainly can't be allowed to be admitted in the foundation myth of a people who imagined themselve more chosen than anyone else in the world.

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First off, why black and not middle eastern?

Songs of Solomon 1:5-6, Solomon describes himself as a black man, swarthy. David his father was a Hebrew which means he was on the order of an Obama...biracial, his mother (Bathsheba) had to be black.
The word swarthy is interpreted as dark skinned but in all the old languages like Old English and Germanic it is always interpreted as black which is correct.

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Strawdog, can you please stop necroposting?

Okay, will do.

8th century BC Hebrews spoke old English and Germanic? Was the ark of covenant also a time machine?

[Wyrd of Gawd]

Bathsheba was young, black and apparently very beautiful. I Seriously doubt she was raped.

According to the Babylonian Talmud Bathsheba had her first child when she was six (6) years old.

[Minimalist]

Tells one all one needs to know about the fucking Talmud.

[Drich]

I'll let the Bible tell it:

And it came to pass at eventide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David send and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her (for she was purified from her uncleanness); and she returned unto her house. And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

Note that we are not informed that Bath-sheba consented to this. She was summoned by the king, who slept with her and sent her on home and thought nothing more of it until she informed him that she was with child.

David deals with this by summoning Uriah (Bath-sheba's husband, who is out fighting a war that David decided he was too busy to attend) and trying to get him to sleep with Bath-sheba so as to trick him into thinking that the child she bears is his. Uriah, however, seems to be a pretty loyal fellow, and refuses to enjoy even the basic comforts of home while his brothers-in-arms are on the battle front. David even tries getting him drunk, but even alcohol can't override Uriah's conscience. Note: the story does not involve Bath-sheba in any of this, so it's entirely possible that she is unaware of David's scheming or even that her husband is back. We cannot accuse her of complicity in the scheme, or of an unwillingness to come clean and explain to her husband what happened.

Finally, David realizes that Uriah is simply too good a person and does an appalingly cowardly thing-- he arranges for Uriah to be killed on the battle front. There is no ambiguity in his orders; he specifically explains that the reason he wants Uriah sent to the busiest part of the front is so he can be abandoned by his fellow soldiers and die at the hands of Israel's enemies. Upon being informed of her husband's death, Bath-sheba mourns him. David waits until her mourning period is over, then sends for her and takes her as a wife.

It is at this point that god decides to intervene. Uriah, had he not been treacherously set up to die in the field by the guy who had boned his wife, might have been a tad upset that god took so long to finally do something.

So... did David rape Bath-sheba? The case seems pretty strong. The story doesn't tell us how she reacts to being summoned to see the king, or what she said or did upon realizing what he wanted. Indeed, the story treats her as something of an afterthought; the prophet Nathan's moral fable treats her as the possession of another man, assuming it even refers to her at all. Nor is it that surprising, since the old testament god did not seem put off by rape. Yahweh is angry at David for setting up Uriah's death and for "taking" Uriah's wife; he's not particularly concerned with Bath-sheba aside from treating her as stolen goods.

The story implies that Uriah was a good man, loyal to his king and to his countrymen. His wife mourns his passing. If she consented to a one-night stand with the king, the story does not tell us. It doesn't say anything about her feeling guilty or being complicit in the act of adultery. And we cannot say that her guilt is established by the death of her child-- Yahweh specifically tells David that the child's death is punishment for the reproach that the king's actions brought upon god's name.

After being made to understand just how angry god was, and what he was going to have to suffer for his actions, David admits that he wronged... GOD. I guess Uriah and Bath-sheba don't mean anything to god, since he doesn't chastise David further for forgetting who it was he really mistreated. No, not at all! God immediately "puts away" David's sin and spares his life. Uriah stays dead. Bath-sheba remains the wife of the man who raped her, and will now bear a child that god himself has promised to kill. It's like JUSTICE ALL AROUND!!!

Except for a few tabloidish/baseless accusations I think you have captured the essence of what is being communicated here!

Over all I give you 7.5 (what the heck) 8 out of 10 exegetical points! Very good ton-ie (the tiger)