שמואל ב, פרק י״ב, פסוק כ״ד

After a painful period marked by sin, crisis, and the tragic loss of a child, a new chapter of reconciliation and divine grace begins. The birth of a new son represents the healing of the fractured relationship between David, Bathsheba, and God, bringing closure to their deep sorrow. David took it upon himself to comfort Bathsheba over the death of their first child [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. She had endured severe emotional turmoil after being passed from one man to another, and David sought to lift her spirits. He reassured her with a firm promise that if they were blessed with another son, that child would be the one to inherit the throne [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

At this turning point, Bathsheba's status is completely transformed. No longer referred to as the wife of her previous husband, she is now fully and legally recognized as David's rightful wife [רד״ק, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, an alternative tradition reads her title as a warning, suggesting the word means "his fire." This conveys the idea that taking another man's wife is akin to pulling fire into one's own chest [רד״ק].

The narrative details their physical union with a deliberate repetition of actions, which commentators explain in several ways. The primary approach among commentators is that this repetition indicates Bathsheba did not conceive immediately, but rather after multiple encounters. Another perspective suggests David intentionally repeated his actions based on a tradition that doing so increases the likelihood of having a male child, driven by his intense desire to produce a royal heir [אלשיך]. On a deeper, interpretive level, their coming together involved intense conversation and persuasion. Initially, Bathsheba refused David's advances, terrified that any future child would face public scorn because of their past sin. David had to appease her, proving that God had indeed forgiven him, and swearing an oath that this new son would be the future king [רד״ק, אברבנאל].

When the child was born, the act of naming him reflected a blend of divine and human intentions. A subtle textual variation suggests that God Himself chose the name, fulfilling a promise to David that his son's reign would be a time of peace [רד״ק, אברבנאל], or that David chose the name with God's full approval [מלבי״ם]. At the same time, the traditional reading indicates that Bathsheba was the one who named him, relying on the promises made by David and the prophet [רד״ק]. The name Solomon symbolizes the profound peace that had finally been achieved. In a practical sense, it marked the end of the suffering surrounding their first child, and in a spiritual sense, it served as a testament that peace was restored between David and God [אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. There is even a view that Bathsheba simultaneously gave the child two names: Solomon and the phrase "God loved him" [מצודת דוד].

The account concludes with a powerful declaration of divine grace, showing that God's love accompanied the child from the very moment of his conception [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The phrasing emphasizes a complete, harmonious approval from heaven. It reveals that the child was cherished not only by God's attribute of mercy, but that even His strict attribute of justice fully agreed and loved him as well [חומת אנך].