Bible Strands
2 Samuel 11:12
“Stay here one more day,” David said to Uriah, “and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — David speaks to Uriah in Jerusalem immediately after Uriah refuses to visit his wife while the army remains in the field. The exchange occurs at the precise moment David attempts to keep Uriah in the city to conceal his adultery.
The words — The Hebrew verb שֵׁ֥ב (shev) commands Uriah to "remain" or "stay" in the current location. David reinforces this with גַּם־ הַ/יּ֖וֹם (gam-hayyom), literally "also this day," explicitly extending the stay through the following twenty-four hours.
The thread — This sequence of concealed guilt and failed concealment runs parallel to the prophetic warnings in Jeremiah 2:22 and Jeremiah 2:37, where ritual washing cannot remove moral stain and trusting in broken alliances leads to rejection.
Why it lands — The text records David’s calculated delay and Uriah’s continued loyalty, establishing the factual basis for David’s subsequent murder plot. It requires the reader to acknowledge that administrative authority and social pressure cannot erase moral culpability.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 2:22 Although you wash with lye and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before Me,” declares the Lord GOD.
- Jeremiah 2:37 Moreover, you will leave that place with your hands on your head, for the LORD has rejected those you trust; you will not prosper by their help.”