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The Seduction of David

Question

Did Bathsheba try to seduce David?

Answer

There is a Midrash (in Ginzei Schechter, vol.1, p.166) that says that Bathsheba, who knew she was destined to have a son by David, used to adorn herself and stand in front of David so he would notice her and be attracted to her; but when she saw that this wasn’t working, she bathed on her roof in a place where he would see her. The Midrash Tehilim 3:3 refers to Bathsheba’s carriage passing before David; this too may allude to her wanting David to notice her, though the commentators interpret it differently. On the other hand, the Gemara (Sanhedrin 107a) says that when David challenged G-d to test him, Satan took the form of a bird and flew in front of David; David shot an arrow at the bird, and it knocked down a screen behind which Bathsheba was bathing. According to this version of the story, David’s temptation wasn’t intentional on Bathsheba’s part.