2 Samuel 11:15
New International Version
In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.”

New Living Translation
The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.”

English Standard Version
In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.”

Berean Standard Bible
In the letter he wrote: “Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle; then withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and killed.”

King James Bible
And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

New King James Version
And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.”

New American Standard Bible
He had written in the letter the following: “Station Uriah on the front line of the fiercest battle and pull back from him, so that he may be struck and killed.”

NASB 1995
He had written in the letter, saying, “Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die.”

NASB 1977
And he had written in the letter, saying, “Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And he had written in the letter, saying, “Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die.”

Amplified Bible
He wrote in the letter, “Put Uriah in the front line of the heaviest fighting and leave him, so that he may be struck down and die.”

Christian Standard Bible
In the letter he wrote: Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest fighting, then withdraw from him so that he is struck down and dies.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
In the letter he wrote: Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest fighting, then withdraw from him so that he is struck down and dies.

American Standard Version
And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he wrote to him: “Put Uriah at the front of the army of the battle, and turn yourselves from behind him that he will be wounded and he will die”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he wrote in the letter, saying, Station Urias in front of the severe part of the fight, and retreat from behind him, so shall he be wounded and die.

Contemporary English Version
The letter said: "Put Uriah on the front line where the fighting is the worst. Then pull the troops back from him, so that he will be wounded and die."

Douay-Rheims Bible
Writing in the letter: Set ye Urias in the front of the battle, where the fight is strongest: and leave ye him, that he may be wounded and die.

English Revised Version
And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
In the letter he wrote, "Put Uriah on the front line where the fighting is heaviest. Then abandon him so that he'll be struck down and die."

Good News Translation
He wrote: "Put Uriah in the front line, where the fighting is heaviest, then retreat and let him be killed."

International Standard Version
In the message, he wrote: "Assign Uriah to the most difficult fighting at the battle front, and then withdraw from him so that he will be struck down and killed."

JPS Tanakh 1917
And he wrote in the letter, saying: 'Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.'

Literal Standard Version
and he writes in the letter, saying, “Place Uriah in front of the face of the most severe battle, and you have turned back from after him, and he has been struck, and has died.”

Majority Standard Bible
In the letter he wrote: “Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle; then withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and killed.”

New American Bible
This is what he wrote in the letter: “Place Uriah up front, where the fighting is fierce. Then pull back and leave him to be struck down dead.”

NET Bible
In the letter he wrote: "Station Uriah in the thick of the battle and then withdraw from him so he will be cut down and killed."

New Revised Standard Version
In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, so that he may be struck down and die.”

New Heart English Bible
He wrote in the letter, saying, "Send Uriah to the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck, and die."

Webster's Bible Translation
And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the front of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

World English Bible
He wrote in the letter, saying, “Send Uriah to the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck and die.”

Young's Literal Translation
and he writeth in the letter, saying, 'Place ye Uriah over-against the front of the severest battle, and ye have turned back from after him, and he hath been smitten, and hath died.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David Arranges Uriah's Death
14The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15In the letter he wrote: “Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle; then withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and killed.” 16So as Joab besieged the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he saw the strongest enemy soldiers.…

Cross References
2 Samuel 11:16
So as Joab besieged the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he saw the strongest enemy soldiers.

2 Samuel 12:9
Why then have you despised the command of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You put Uriah the Hittite to the sword and took his wife as your own, for you have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites.

1 Kings 15:5
For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not turned aside from anything the LORD commanded all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

Ecclesiastes 8:11
When the sentence for a crime is not speedily executed, the hearts of men become fully set on doing evil.

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?


Treasury of Scripture

And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set you Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire you from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

Set ye

2 Samuel 11:17
And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

1 Samuel 18:17,21,25
And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD'S battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him…

Psalm 51:4,14
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest…

hottest [heb] strong

2 Samuel 12:9
Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

Jump to Previous
Battle Care Death Die Died Draw Fighting Forefront Front Hardest Letter Over-Against Overcome Retire Smitten Struck Turned Uriah Uri'ah Urijah Violent Withdraw Writeth Written Wrote
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Battle Care Death Die Died Draw Fighting Forefront Front Hardest Letter Over-Against Overcome Retire Smitten Struck Turned Uriah Uri'ah Urijah Violent Withdraw Writeth Written Wrote
2 Samuel 11
1. While Joab besieges Rabbah, David commits adultery with Bathsheba
6. Uriah, sent for by David to cover the adultery, would not go home.
14. He carries to Joab the letter of his death
18. Joab sends the news thereof to David
26. David takes Bathsheba as his wife














(15) Retire ye from him.--This part of David's orders was not carried out. Perhaps Joab thought it would make the stratagem too evident, or perhaps it was impracticable. At all events, the consequence was that others were slain with Uriah, and thus a larger blood-guiltiness fell upon David.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
In the letter
בַּסֵּ֖פֶר (bas·sê·p̄er)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5612: A missive, document, writing, book

he wrote:
וַיִּכְתֹּ֥ב (way·yiḵ·tōḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3789: To grave, to write

“Put
הָב֣וּ (hā·ḇū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 3051: To give, to put, imperatively, come

Uriah
אֽוּרִיָּ֗ה (’ū·rî·yāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 223: Uriah -- 'flame of Yah', the name of a Hittite and of two Israelites

at
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the front
מוּל֙ (mūl)
Preposition
Strong's 4136: Abrupt, a precipice, the front, opposite

of the fiercest
הַֽחֲזָקָ֔ה (ha·ḥă·zā·qāh)
Article | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 2389: Strong, stout, mighty

battle;
הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ (ham·mil·ḥā·māh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4421: A battle, war

then withdraw
וְשַׁבְתֶּ֥ם (wə·šaḇ·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

from him,
מֵאַחֲרָ֖יו (mê·’a·ḥă·rāw)
Preposition-m | third person masculine singular
Strong's 310: The hind or following part

so that he may be struck down
וְנִכָּ֥ה (wə·nik·kāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5221: To strike

and die.”
וָמֵֽת׃ (wā·mêṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill


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OT History: 2 Samuel 11:15 He wrote in the letter saying Set (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 11:14
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