Four Levels of King David’s Crime || Ancient Tales || Bcis Notes

Four Levels of King David’s Crime (From the Holy Bible)

1. Literal Comprehension

In the text, “King David’s Crime” King David lives in his palace in Jerusalem. A big battle is going on around Israel. One night when the King is strolling around his balcony, he sees a very beautiful woman taking a bath near the palace ground. She seems very attractive, so he asks his servant about her. He finds out that she is Bath’-she ba, the daughter of Eli’am, the wife of U-ri’ah the Hittie. He sends someone to call her to the palace and both of them sleep together. After that, she purifies herself by taking a bath and goes back home. After some period of time, King gets the message that Bath’-she ba is with a pregnant.

As soon as he hears that he calls back U-ri’ah from the battlefield. They both have great dinner in the palace. Then, David asks U-ri’ah to go to his wife and have some rest. The next morning David finds U-ri’ah sleeping on his doorsteps. When asked why he is there, he replies that relaxing with his wife while all of his brothers are getting killed on the battlefield is not something excepted from a warrior. He denies going to his house even the next day. After a few days of the same episode, David writes a letter to the Commander on the battlefield ordering him to keep U-ri’ah on the frontline of all the burning battle. U-ri’ah goes back with the letter to the battlefield and gets placed on the frontline.

Then, after some time a great war befalls upon them, sure the men win against their enemy but the warrior U-ri’ah the Hittie also dies. When U-ri’ah’s wife hears about her husband’s death she weeps and mourns for sometimes. After she is done mourning, she is fetched by the King to be his wife and bare his son. The ending seems to be happy but the god is displeased with what David has done.

2. Interpretation

This story ‘King David’s Crime’ might be trying to tell us that everyone is a victim of power or more precisely victim of abuse of power. The King can do anything because of the power vested on him because of the position whereas the people with true love for his country get played like a puppet by the one with greater power.

Similarly, this text is also highlighting the condition of women in that particular society, Bath’-she ba is being dragged here and there like some kind of pet without any consideration of her feelings or opinions.

Even though we sometimes think that no one is watching while we are committing something wrong, there will always be someone watching us.

3. Critical Thinking

This is a beautifully philosophized story extracted from the “Bible” ending with the message that God is always watching us and will be displeased with the wrong deeds we do. But I have something that I don’t understand.

• I’ll seriously like to question the morals of King David; a person sitting with the supreme power of leading the people.
• Is sleeping with a married woman and getting one of the most loyal warriors killed, what a King does?
• Calling a warrior back home after sleeping with his wife so that the child gets the name of the Lady’s husband instead of his real father, what kind of a cowardly act is this?
• Isn’t King’s core duty to support his people to grow and help them?

4. Assimilation

This story ‘King David’s Crime’ reminds me of a heartbreaking thing going on around. A 15-year-old girl gets raped and murdered but even after months of her death, there has been no justice provided to her. Not even a single evidence brought forward, except some misleading facts trying to hush down the whole crime down. Government, the one with the supreme power in the country is silent while the girl’s dad isn’t yet tired of crying for justice even after being admitted for a mental disorder. This silence of the government has led the general people to believe the involvement of the one’s in power as even the police seemed to be hiding the pieces of evidence. I don’t think one should be allowed to have the power if one doesn’t know the thin line between what the power should be used for and whatnot.

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