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David and Bathsheba, How old was their son when he died?

The question: Can you tell me the age of the infant son of David and Bathsheba from their adultery when he died?

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Bethsheba

Answer: No. All we know is that Nathan the prophet was sent to David after the child was born but we do not know how long it was after he was born. We also know that the child was struck ill on that day and lived for seven days. The history is found in 2 Samuel Chapters 11-12. It is interesting that during the entire nine months until the birth of the child and Nathan’s visit David did not write any new psalms. Also, it’s interesting to me that David and Bathsheba’s fifth son, born after the death of their first, is named Nathan.

An excellent discourse on these chapters including repentance, forgiveness, the effects of sin on those around us and more can be found in Matthew Henry Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible

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9 thoughts on “David and Bathsheba, How old was their son when he died?

  1. Could this child have died in the womb?

  2. No, the child did not die in the womb, but on the 7th day of his life. This would be one day before “the day of circumcision” which was to be on the 8th day. That is important information from God in that he died before becoming a child of the covenant of Abraham AND YET DAVID SAID ALL HIS CRYING AND FASTING COULD NOT BRING HIM BACK TO HIM, BUT HE WOULD GO TO HIM (when David would die, he would see his baby in heaven – because he was sure of eternal life). Read 2 Samuel Chapters 11and 12. Very comforting words to a grieving heart.

    1. How could the child have died at seven days.?
      Can a women have sex seven days after giving birth to a child?
      The Bible states that after the child died he Dusted himself off, anointed him self and ate and lay with his wife

  3. I too had this question initially but soon realized the child did not die in the womb .. 2 Sam 12:14 .. “the child also that is BORN unto thee shall surely die”. I am still wondering however when the child actually took sick…. we see David fasting and laying all night seeking God’s mercy for the child up until the seventh day when the he eventually died! So I can only reason he became sick at the time of his birth. I do appreciate the insight into the Abrahamic covenant which leads me to ask.. why we never knew the name of the child (or do we)? Is he still considered the first of Davids sons to Bathsheba, even though he died ? Is he listed anywhere as Their Son in David’s genealogy?

  4. I am most interested to know if the child had a name before his death on the seventh day.
    Is he still considered as the first son of David with bathsheba since he was not initiated into the Abrahamic covenant by circumcision.

    1. Numbers chapter 3 states that firstborn sons under the age of 30 days were not redeemed. This implies that they’re not considered to be a firstborn until that time, likely due to high infant mortality rates.

  5. We Gerald and Edward from Kenya East Africa, have proved right that the child had to remain nameless, because he had not reached the threshold of 30 days, as confirmed in Numbers 3:15 the children of Levi (priest hood)

    1. Why then Jacob, Esau, John the baptist etc. received their names straight after birth?

  6. I’m eager to know, can God punish generation of today for sinning like David? Killing, disrespecting marriages, making babies with married people deliberately?

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