Who is Bathshua in the Bible?

The Bible mentions two different women named Bathshua. Genesis describes the first as the daughter of a Canaanite man and the mother of Judah’s three sons (Genesis 38:2). Later in the Old Testament, a genealogy in 1 Chronicles uses the name Bathshua as an alternative to Bathsheba, the name of David’s wife, the mother of Solomon (1 Chronicles 3:5).

Judah’s story in Genesis introduces the first Bathshua: “He saw a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua, and he married her” (Genesis 38:2, NLT). The name Bathshua comes from the text’s identification of the woman as “Shua’s daughter.” The name Bathshua combines Bath-, meaning “daughter of,” with Shua, the name of her father. A genealogy of Judah’s descendants is the only other place in the Bible that refers to this woman: “These three were born to him by a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua” (1 Chronicles 2:3).

Approximately 700 years after the first Bathshua, an Israelite woman had the same name. Some modern English translations such as the ESV translate her name as “Bath-shua,” while others like the NIV use the more common version of her name, “Bathsheba.”

The Bible contains minor variations regarding the name of her father. In 2 Samuel 11:3, Bathshua/Bathsheba is called the daughter of Eliam, while 1 Chronicles 3:5 says she is the daughter of Ammiel. The solution to this discrepancy is understanding that Eliam and Ammiel are the same name in Hebrew. The difference lies in the order of the parts of the name. Eliam is El + Am (“God” + “people”), and Ammiel is the reverse, Am + El (“people” + “God”). Name reversals like this are not rare in Hebrew.

Other passages provide more description of the second Bathshua, or Bathsheba. According to 2 Samuel 11:3, she was “the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Uriah was a valiant soldier in David’s army, and, even though he was a Hittite, he was deeply committed to the nation of Israel (see 2 Samuel 11:11).

The Bible also mentions Bathsheba’s beauty (2 Samuel 11:2) in the context of David’s attraction to her in the events leading up to their adultery (2 Samuel 11; Psalm 51). After their sin, David arranged for the death of Uriah on the battlefield (2 Samuel 11:14–17). David then married Bathshua/Bathsheba. Their illicit affair resulted in a son who died shortly after birth (2 Samuel 12:14–23). Later, David and Bathshua had four other sons: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon (2 Samuel 5:14; 1 Chronicles 3:5).

Bathsheba continued to play a significant role in the royal household, as evident in the story of Solomon’s succession to the throne. With the help of the prophet Nathan, she prevented Adonijah’s illicit power grab, thereby keeping him from taking the throne from Solomon (1 Kings 1:11). Later, Adonijah attempted to fool Bathsheba, but her son, King Solomon, prevented his devious plan from succeeding (1 Kings 2:13).

Non-biblical writings may offer further insight about the second Bathshua. Some Jewish and Christian traditions attribute the authorship of Proverbs 31 to Solomon, who wrote it in honor of his mother. While the chapter doesn’t name Bathshua/Bathsheba, some interpretations identify her as the “mother of King Lemuel”—which some believe is a pen name of Solomon—in Proverbs 31:1. If this is true, the passage may reflect the kind of instruction she gave Solomon, warning him against lusting after women, poor judgment, and unjust leadership.

The New Testament doesn’t mention the first Bathshua and only mentions the second one once. Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus refers to Bathsheba but doesn’t use her name. The description reads, “David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife” (Matthew 1:6).

The two women named Bathshua in the Bible each played a role in Israel’s history, even though they lived centuries apart.