Bathsheba Wasn’t the Temptress

“Bathsheba Wasn’t the Temptress — She Was the Victim, and God Still Wrote Redemption Through Her”

For generations, Bathsheba has been framed as the woman who tempted King David.

A seductress.

A cautionary tale.

A footnote in David’s failure.

But that story says far more about how people read Scripture than about what Scripture actually says.

The Bible never says Bathsheba tempted David.

Not once.

What it does say is this: she was bathing as part of her regular purification, following the law, while her husband Uriah was away at war—faithfully serving the same king who would later betray him. Bathsheba wasn’t on a rooftop. She wasn’t calling for attention. She was doing what the law required of her.

David was the one who looked.

David was the one who summoned.

David was the one with power.

Bathsheba had none.

Yet somehow, history made her the villain.

That misreading matters—because it reveals how quickly people blame women for the sins of powerful men. Bathsheba didn’t pursue David. David pursued her. And when a king calls, refusal isn’t simple. Power changes everything.

But here’s where the story gets even more uncomfortable—and more beautiful.

God did not discard Bathsheba.

After betrayal.

After loss.

After grief.

After sin that was never fully hers to begin with.

God elevated her.

Bathsheba became the mother of Solomon.

The queen mother of Israel.

A woman whose name is intentionally listed in the genealogy of Jesus.

Let that sit.

The lineage of Christ passes through a story that began in abuse of power and sin—not to excuse it, but to proclaim something louder: God redeems what humanity breaks.

This wasn’t God approving David’s actions. Scripture is clear—David was judged. Consequences followed. But Bathsheba was not erased. She was restored. Honored. Remembered.

Her story isn’t about seduction.

It’s about injustice, survival, and redemption.

And maybe that’s why it’s been misunderstood for so long.

Because a God who redeems victims, exposes misuse of power, and brings salvation through broken stories is far more threatening than a simple morality tale.

Bathsheba wasn’t the temptation.

She was the woman God chose to carry the royal line that would lead to Jesus Christ.

And that changes everything.