2 Samuel 11:2

And it came to pass in an eveningtide,.... Some time in the afternoon, when the sun began to decline; not in the dusk of the evening, for then the object he saw could not have been seen so distinctly

And it came to pass in an eveningtide, 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 washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

From off his bed; where he had lain and slept for some time; being possibly disposed to sleep after dinner, by reason of some excess committed in eating or drinking; and indulging himself in his lazy humour, which may seem very improper for so great a prince and captain, who had so many and great burdens upon his shoulders, especially in a time of war; and therefore such practices have been condemned by heathens; and Homer will not allow a general and great counsellor to sleep all the night, much less to take any part of the day for it. And therefore this is thought to be David’ s first error, and the occasion of his following fall. Walked upon the roof; which was plain, after the manner, . Washing herself, to wit, in a bath, which possibly was in her garden, or in some room near to the king s palace, where she might wash herself divers ways, and for different ends; either for health, or coolness, or to cleanse herself from some kind of legal impurity; where also, the windows being open, and she careless, David might espy her.

2 Samuel 11:2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, 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 washing herself; and the woman [was] very beautiful to look upon.Ver. 2. And it came to pass in an evening tide.] When David should have been at his devotions, as his wont was. But now, belike, the devil had caused him to come from his trench, and then did presently wound him. While Joab is busy in laying siege to Rabbah, Satan is to David, and far sooner prevailed. That David arose from off his bed.] Somno et cibo pastas distentusque ideoque in Venerem proclivis; full feeding and being idle, two of Sodom’ s sins, disposed him to the other of lust and uncleanness. The rankest weeds grow out of the fattest soil. The water that hath been heated, soonest freezeth: the most active spirit soonest tireth with slacking. The earth standeth still, and is all dregs; the heavens ever move and are pure. Beware of ease and idleness: here began David’ s downfall. Say not of this, as Lot did of Zoar, Is it not a little one? The parvity of a sin taketh not away the pravity of it: and a less maketh way for a greater, as wedges do in wood cleaving. Pompey desired that all his soldiers might come into a certain city; when that was denied, he said, Let my weak and wounded soldiers come in; they did, and then soon opened the gates to all the army. “ Principiis obsta. ” And from the roof he saw a woman.] This was another occasion of David’ s foul fall, curiosa circumspectatio. His eyes had no sooner the sleep rubbed out of them, than they roved to wanton prospects. He had once prayed, "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity"; and should have still continued his suit: that as he might keep a door in God’ s house, so God would keep the doors and windows of his, - those, otherwise, windows of wickedness, and loopholes of lust, the eyes; through which the old serpent easily windeth himself into the heart, and maketh himseff master of the whole man. This made good Job to step from a prayer to a vow. Yea, from a vow to an imprecation, as knowing the danger of irregular glancing, or inordinate gazing. Those who abuse the outward eye, are worthy to have the inward eye darkened, saith Gregory. David’ s eye became an inlet of lust into his soul: let them look to it who think they may look at liberty, et se illis spectaculis non moveri. Nunquid tu fortior Davide, Solomone, sapientor? saith Augustine. Art thou stronger than David, wiser than Solomon? See therefore to thy cinque-ports, to thy senses: for of looking cometh lusting, and contemplative wickedness. Valerius fitly calleth the eyes the spies, that lie in ambush for the undermining of other men’ s marriages.

(2) In an eveningtide.—Late in the afternoon, when David had taken the siesta customary in Oriental countries, he rose from his couch and walked on the roof of his palace, which in the cool of the day was the pleasantest part of an eastern house. This palace was on the height of Mount Zion, and looked down upon the open courts of the houses in the lower city. In one of these he saw a beautiful woman bathing. In the courts of the houses it was common to have a basin of water, and the place was probably entirely concealed from every other point of observation than the roof of the palace, from which no harm was suspected. David’s grievous fall was consequent upon his long course of uninterrupted prosperity and power, which had somewhat intoxicated him and thrown him off his guard. It is no part of the plan of Scripture to cover up or excuse the sins of even its greatest heroes and saints. This sin was followed by the deepest repentance and by the Divine forgiveness; nevertheless its punishment overclouded all the remaining years of David’s life. His fall, as St. Augustine has said, should put upon their guard those who have not fallen, and save from despair those who have.

Verse 2. In an evening-tide - David arose] He had been reposing on the roof of his house, to enjoy the breeze, as the noonday was too hot for the performance of business. This is still a constant custom on the flat-roofed houses in the East. He saw a woman washing herself] How could any woman of delicacy expose herself where she could be so fully and openly viewed? Did she not know that she was at least in view of the king's terrace? Was there no design in all this? Et fugit ad salices, et se cupit ante videri. In a Bengal town pools of water are to be seen everywhere, and women may be seen morning and evening bathing in them, and carrying water home. Thus David might have seen Bath-sheba, and no blame attach to her. Ver. 4 shows us that this washing was at the termination of a particular period.

2–5. David’s adultery with Bath-sheba It is one object of Holy Scripture to paint sin in its true colours. No friendly flattery, no false modesty, draws a veil over this dark scene in David’s life. It is recorded as a warning (1 Corinthians 10:11-12), that even holy men may yield to temptation and fall into gross sin; that one sin almost inevitably leads to others; that sin, even when repented of, brings punishment in its train. With stern simplicity the inspired prophet-historian describes how “the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is full grown, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15). The king who but a few years before had sung of “clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalms 24:4), and vowed to exclude from his palace all workers of deceit (Psalms 101:7) is dragged by his passion into meanness, ingratitude, dissimulation, treachery, murder. “These things were written for our admonition … Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12). But if the history is a stern record of the enthralling power and the inevitable consequences of sin, it is no less a testimony to the liberating power of repentance. “Sicut lapsus David cautos facit eos qui non ceciderunt, sic desperatos esse non vult qui ceciderunt” (Augustine on Psalms 51): or in the words of Bishop Hall: “How can we presume of not sinning, or despair for sinning, when we find so great a saint thus fallen, thus risen.” It is the necessary key to the history of the rest of David’s reign. It explains the sudden overclouding of his life; the change from triumph and prosperity to sorrow and failure. See further in the Introduction, ch. VI. § 10, p. 36, and § 16, p. 41. This narrative is altogether omitted in the Book of Chronicles, for reasons which are explained in the Introduction, ch. III. p. 22.

An eveningtide - The evening began at three o’clock in the afternoon.

2. In an evening-tide — That is, towards evening, after having taken his mid-day rest.