Who Was Uriah in the Bible? The Loyal Soldier Betrayed by King David

Uriah the Hittite was a soldier in King David's army and the husband of Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:3). While Uriah was away at war, David slept with his wife, and when she became pregnant, David arranged for Uriah to be killed in battle (2 Samuel 11:1-27). Uriah is remembered for his loyalty to his fellow soldiers, and his name appears in Scripture as a lasting reminder of David's sin (1 Kings 15:5).

He is also listed among David's mighty warriors (2 Samuel 23:39). Several other men in the Old Testament share the name Uriah (sometimes spelled Urijah in older translations), and they are covered briefly below.

Quick Facts About Uriah

Fact	Details
Name meaning	Usually understood as "the LORD is my light"
Testament	Old Testament (named in the New Testament in Matthew 1:6)
Key books	2 Samuel 11-12; 2 Samuel 23:39; 1 Kings 15:5
Time period	Reign of King David, about 1000 BC (traditional dating)
Family	Husband of Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam (2 Samuel 11:3)
Known for	Refusing to go home while the army was in the field; being killed on David's orders

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Who Was Uriah in the Bible? A Hittite in Israel's Army

The Bible calls him "Uriah the Hittite" each time it gives his full name (2 Samuel 11:3, 11:6; 1 Kings 15:5). The Hittites were among the peoples living in Canaan before Israel settled there. Centuries earlier, Abraham bought a burial cave from Ephron the Hittite (Genesis 23:10-20).

Although identified by this foreign background, Uriah carries a Hebrew name that honors the LORD. He served in Israel's army and was counted among the Thirty, David's elite group of mighty warriors. His name closes that list in 2 Samuel 23:39 and appears again in 1 Chronicles 11:41.

His house was in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 11:8-10). From the palace roof, David saw a woman bathing, and he was told she was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11:2-3).

David and Bathsheba

The events took place in the spring, the season when kings went out to war. David sent Joab and the army to fight the Ammonites and besiege the city of Rabbah, but David himself stayed in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 11:1).

David sent messengers to bring Bathsheba to the palace, and he slept with her. She later sent word to David that she was pregnant (2 Samuel 11:4-5). Uriah was with the army at Rabbah during all of this.

Uriah Refuses to Go Home

David sent for Uriah and asked him how Joab, the soldiers, and the war were doing (2 Samuel 11:6-7). Then he told Uriah to go down to his house and wash his feet, and sent a gift after him (2 Samuel 11:8). David's plan was for Uriah to spend the night with his wife so the pregnancy would appear to be his.

Uriah did not go home. He slept at the entrance to the palace with the king's servants (2 Samuel 11:9). When David asked why, Uriah answered:

"The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!" (2 Samuel 11:11)

David kept him in Jerusalem another day. He invited Uriah to eat and drink with him and made him drunk. Even so, Uriah slept on his mat among the king's servants and did not go home (2 Samuel 11:12-13).

The Letter and Uriah's Death

The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah (2 Samuel 11:14). Uriah carried the order for his own death. The letter said:

"Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die." (2 Samuel 11:15)

Joab placed Uriah where he knew the strongest defenders were. When the men of the city came out to fight, some of David's soldiers fell, and Uriah the Hittite died with them (2 Samuel 11:16-17).

Joab sent a messenger to report to David. He expected the king might be angry that the soldiers had gone so close to the wall and might ask about Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth, who was killed when a woman dropped a millstone on him from the wall at Thebez (2 Samuel 11:18-21). Abimelek was the son of Gideon, also called Jerub-Baal (Judges 8:31; 9:53). Joab told the messenger to add that Uriah was dead.

David replied that Joab should not be upset, since the sword kills one man as well as another, and told him to press the attack (2 Samuel 11:25).

After Uriah's Death

When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning, David brought her to his house, she became his wife, and she bore him a son (2 Samuel 11:26-27). The chapter ends by stating that what David had done displeased the LORD (2 Samuel 11:27).

Nathan Confronts David

God sent the prophet Nathan to David with a story about a rich man who took a poor man's only lamb (2 Samuel 12:1-4). David was angry and said the rich man deserved to die. Nathan told him, "You are the man!" (2 Samuel 12:1-14).

Speaking for the LORD, Nathan reminded David that God had anointed him king and delivered him from the hand of Saul (2 Samuel 12:7). He then named the sin directly: David had struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and taken his wife (2 Samuel 12:9). God said the sword would never depart from David's house (2 Samuel 12:10).

David confessed that he had sinned against the LORD. Nathan replied that the LORD had taken away his sin and David would not die, but the child would die (2 Samuel 12:13-14). The child became ill and died on the seventh day (2 Samuel 12:15-18). Bathsheba later gave birth to Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24). Rabbah, the city where Uriah died, was later captured (2 Samuel 12:26-29).

How the Bible Remembers Uriah

Uriah's name continues to appear long after his death. When the book of 1 Kings summarizes David's life, it says David did what was right and kept the LORD's commands all his life, with one exception: the case of Uriah the Hittite (1 Kings 15:5).

In the New Testament, Matthew's genealogy of Jesus does not name Bathsheba. It says David was the father of Solomon, "whose mother had been Uriah's wife" (Matthew 1:6).

Other Men Named Uriah

• Uriah the priest under King Ahaz. He built an altar in Jerusalem copied from one Ahaz saw in Damascus (2 Kings 16:10-16). The prophet Isaiah called on a Uriah the priest as a reliable witness (Isaiah 8:2).
• Uriah son of Shemaiah. A prophet from Kiriath Jearim who spoke the same message as Jeremiah. King Jehoiakim had him brought back from Egypt and put to death (Jeremiah 26:20-23). Older translations spell his name Urijah.
• Uriah the father of Meremoth. His son Meremoth was a priest who received the temple silver and gold after the return from exile and later repaired a section of Jerusalem's wall (Ezra 8:33; Nehemiah 3:4).

Key Lessons From Uriah's Life

• Integrity can expose the guilty. Uriah's refusal to enjoy comfort while the army was in the field stood in contrast to the king who stayed home (2 Samuel 11:1, 11:11).
• Hidden sin tends to grow. David's adultery led to deception and then to murder (2 Samuel 11:4-15).
• God sees what people try to hide. The chapter closes by saying the LORD was displeased, and God sent Nathan to name the sin (2 Samuel 11:27; 12:1-9).
• Forgiveness does not remove every consequence. David was forgiven, yet the child died and trouble followed his household (2 Samuel 12:10-14).

Where Uriah the Hittite Appears in the Bible

• 2 Samuel 11: David and Bathsheba, Uriah's refusal to go home, and his death at Rabbah
• 2 Samuel 12: Nathan's parable and the judgment on David
• 2 Samuel 23:39 and 1 Chronicles 11:41: Listed among David's mighty warriors
• 1 Kings 15:5: The one exception in David's record
• Matthew 1:6: Named in the genealogy of Jesus

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Uriah in the Bible?

Uriah the Hittite was one of King David's mighty warriors and the husband of Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:3; 23:39). David slept with Bathsheba and then arranged for Uriah to be killed in battle against the Ammonites (2 Samuel 11:14-17).

Why did Uriah not go home to his wife?

Uriah said he could not eat, drink, and sleep with his wife while the ark, the army, and his commander Joab were camped in the field (2 Samuel 11:11). He stayed at the palace entrance with the king's servants instead.

How did Uriah die?

David sent a letter to Joab, carried by Uriah himself, ordering that Uriah be placed where the fighting was fiercest and then left alone (2 Samuel 11:14-15). Uriah was killed at Rabbah when the city's defenders attacked (2 Samuel 11:17).

Was Uriah an Israelite?

The Bible calls him Uriah the Hittite, identifying him with one of the peoples of Canaan (2 Samuel 11:3). He served in Israel's army, lived in Jerusalem, and bore a Hebrew name that honors the LORD.

Is Uriah mentioned in the New Testament?

Yes. Matthew's genealogy of Jesus identifies Solomon's mother as the woman who had been Uriah's wife, without naming Bathsheba (Matthew 1:6).