2 Samuel 11:13
in 2 Samuel 11Then David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him, and he got Uriah drunk. And in the evening Uriah went out to lie down on his cot with his master’s servants, but he did not go home.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.
KJV
And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 11
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
to morrow I will let thee depart
on 2 Samuel 11:12-13
David tries once more, keeping Uriah another day and promising to let him depart tomorrow. At the meal David makes him drunk, hoping wine will loosen what conscience and loyalty held firm sober. Even drunk, Uriah goes out to sleep among the king's servants and still does not go down to his house. The soldier's self-command outlasts the king's own scheming, and the older commentators note the irony plainly, that David cannot out-drink a man's integrity.
This site's exposition
he got Uriah drunk
Adam Clarke says David got Uriah drunk so that he would drop his guard and hurry home to his wife. Matthew Henry calls pressing drink on a man the devil's work.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
We have taken up the task of writing an apology for the present style of the prophet David, not because he needs this gift, who has excelled in such great merits and flourished in virtues, but because many people, reading the sequence of his deeds without considering the power of the Scriptures or the hidden mysteries, wonder how such a great prophet did not avoid the contagion of adultery first and then of murder. Therefore, it was our desire to review the history itself, which seems to have been exposed to sin.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And when David had called him,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
He made him drunk - Supposing that in this state he would have been off his guard, and hastened down to his house.
The words behind it
18 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּקְרָא־ | vaiyikra'- | and he summoned | H7121 → | 733 times |
| ל֣וֹ | lo | <to> <the> him | ||
| דָוִ֗ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| וַיֹּ֧אכַל | vaiyokhal | and he ate | H398 → | 810 times |
| לְפָנָ֛יו | lefanav | <to> before him | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| וַיֵּ֖שְׁתְּ | vaiyeshet | and he drank | H8354 → | 217 times |
| וַֽיְשַׁכְּרֵ֑הוּ | vayshakerehu | and he made drunk him | H7937 → | |
| וַיֵּצֵ֣א | vaiyetze' | and he went out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| בָעֶ֗רֶב | vaerev | in the evening | H6153 → | 134 times |
| לִשְׁכַּ֤ב | lishkav | to lie down | H7901 → | 212 times |
| בְּמִשְׁכָּבוֹ֙ | bemishkavo | on bed his | H4904 → | 46 times |
| עִם־ | ʾim- | with | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| עַבְדֵ֣י | ʾavdei | [the] servants of | H5650 → | 799 times |
| אֲדֹנָ֔יו | ʾadonav | lord<s> his | H113 → | 333 times |
| וְאֶל־ | veel- | and to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בֵּית֖וֹ | beito | house his | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָרָֽד׃ | yarad | he went down | H3381 → | 381 times |
וַיִּקְרָא־and he summoned
vaiyikra'-H7121 →733 times
ל֣וֹ<to> <the> him
lo
דָוִ֗דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
וַיֹּ֧אכַלand he ate
vaiyokhalH398 →810 times
לְפָנָ֛יו<to> before him
lefanavH6440 →2123 times
וַיֵּ֖שְׁתְּand he drank
vaiyeshetH8354 →217 times
וַֽיְשַׁכְּרֵ֑הוּand he made drunk him
vayshakerehuH7937 →
וַיֵּצֵ֣אand he went out
vaiyetze'H3318 →1067 times
בָעֶ֗רֶבin the evening
vaerevH6153 →134 times
לִשְׁכַּ֤בto lie down
lishkavH7901 →212 times
בְּמִשְׁכָּבוֹ֙on bed his
bemishkavoH4904 →46 times
עִם־with
ʾim-H5973 →1050 times
עַבְדֵ֣י[the] servants of
ʾavdeiH5650 →799 times
אֲדֹנָ֔יוlord<s> his
ʾadonavH113 →333 times
וְאֶל־and to
veel-H413 →5510 times
בֵּית֖וֹhouse his
beitoH1004 →2046 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יָרָֽד׃he went down
yaradH3381 →381 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 20:1Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
it leads to
- Ephesians 5:18
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
- Hosea 4:11
Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
- Isaiah 28:7
These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling…
- 1 Corinthians 6:10
nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
- Proverbs 31:4
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink,
- Ephesians 5:18
Through
Habakkuk 2:15Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin until they are drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!
it leads to
- Jeremiah 51:7
Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad.
- Genesis 9:22
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside.
- Revelation 17:6
I could see that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus. And I was utterly amazed at the sight of her.
- Jeremiah 51:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Ambrose of Milan, Apology for the Prophet David, Chapter 1; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.