Alternative Views of Bathsheba in the David and Bathsheba Story

Review of the previous post

The previous post, post number 22 of 23, discussed how Bathsheba’s proactive participation in this event as well as later events changed the course of history.

Preview of the present post

The present post, post number 23 of 23, is the last post in this series and presents some thoughts on the meaning of this episode.

VIII. Questions

1. The Jews in the Holocaust

Of course, if one does not have any of the above-discussed options (Abel did not have any of the options when he was the victim of Cain), one is truly a victim. This definition clearly fits the Jews who were slaughtered in the Holocaust. While some Jews had some of the above options, most did not and were truly victims under the definition used in this essay. Given the Bible’s apparent bias for those who take proactive steps in their own defense, one wonders what God felt for those victims? Attention is directed to the essay “Exodus and the Holocaust.”

1. David was a metaphor

Another way of looking at this story is to view David as a metaphor for Israel and Bathsheba as a metaphor for the countries invaded and conquered by David, with Nathan chastising David for his aggressiveness towards other countries^[1].

The reader is invited to consider the questions presented in the post ALTERNATIVE VIEWS OF BATHSHEBA AND DAVID AND THE BATHSHEBA STORY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS.

^[1] See “Israel is Real” by Rich Cohen (New York, NY Farar, Straus and Giroux  2009 paperback), page 330.