Reconsidering Bathsheba’s Story from an Asian Perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand the story of Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11 from an Asian perspective. To do so, it attempts a comparative study between the biblical story and similar folktales in Asia, including the folktale of Domi and the narrative of Hanbing, after reviewing three interpretations of the story, according to which Bathsheba is considered as a victim, a seducer, or an ambiguous person. Criticizing the other two interpretations, it develops the perspective that she was the victim of the king’s adultery. This comparative study makes us understand the biblical story from the perspective of the powerless who produced and retold such folktales in the situation in which social injustice caused by the king’s misuse of power was prevalent. It is argued that Bathsheba’s story itself belongs to the narrative type of the king taking a married woman from a powerless man, in which the king is considered as wicked, whereas the victim is just. That is, David is described as an immoral king, whereas Bathsheba and Uriah are presented as being just. As such Asian narratives are considered as a reflection of the immorality and injustice of the king and his society, the biblical story can be also considered as an implication of David’s wickedness and his kingdom’s immorality, as its following narratives show. In this regard, it is not simply gossip dealing with the king’s private adultery, but a pivotal story within the “Court Narrative,”which reveals the injustice of the king and his kingdom.