Uriah

 •  1 min. read  •  grade level: 11
Listen from:
(light). (1) A Hittite (2 Sam. 11:33And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? (2 Samuel 11:3)), and commander of one of the thirty divisions of David’s army (2 Sam. 23:3939Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all. (2 Samuel 23:39); 1 Chron. 11:4141Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, (1 Chronicles 11:41)). He was husband of the beautiful Bathsheba whom David coveted, and with whom he had committed the crime of adultery (2 Sam. 11:4-54And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. 5And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child. (2 Samuel 11:4‑5)). In order to conceal his crime and procure her for a wife, he ordered Joab, commander-in-chief, to place Uriah and his forces in the hottest part of the battle with Ammon, and then to desert him, leaving him to be overwhelmed and slain by superior numbers (2 Sam. 11:15-1715And 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. 16And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were. 17And 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. (2 Samuel 11:15‑17)). (2) A high priest in the reign of Ahaz (Isa. 8:22And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah. (Isaiah 8:2)), and probably the same as Urijah (2 Kings 16:10-1610And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof. 11And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus. 12And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon. 13And he burnt his burnt offering and his meat offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, upon the altar. 14And he brought also the brazen altar, which was before the Lord, from the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of the Lord, and put it on the north side of the altar. 15And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king's burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brazen altar shall be for me to inquire by. 16Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded. (2 Kings 16:10‑16)). (3) A priest of the family of Hakkoz, in time of Ezra, and head of the seventh priestly course (Ezra 8:3333Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites; (Ezra 8:33)); written Urijah (Neh. 3:4,214And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz. And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel. And next unto them repaired Zadok the son of Baana. (Nehemiah 3:4)
21After him repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah the son of Koz another piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib. (Nehemiah 3:21)
).