Uriah the Hittite was the husband of Bathsheba, and a soldier in David's army, whom David ordered killed after his affair with Bathsheba produced a pregnancy.

According to the biblical Second Book of Samuel, King David fell in love with Bathsheba upon seeing her bathe from his window. He brought her to his chambers, and had sex with her, producing a pregnancy. Informed of the identity of her husband as Uriah, David summons Uriah from battle to meet him, suggesting that he attend to his wife, in the hope that the pregnancy would be attributed to Uriah.

Uriah refused, claiming a code of honor with his fellow warriors while they were in battle. It was common for warriors in preparation for battle to abstain from sex, as a practice of discipline. David, concerned that his affair with Bathsheba be exposed, orders Joab to put Urias in the front of the battle where he would be killed.

Nathaniel's prophesy

The prophet Nathan soon after confronted David, by first telling him a story of a rich man and a poor man: The rich man had many sheep, while the poor man had only one little ewe, whom he cared for greatly. A traveller approached the rich man for food, whereby the man took the poor man's ewe and dressed to give to the traveller.

Hearing this story, David grew angry and replied: "As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die. And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity." Nathan replied:

"Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul. And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. KJV[1]

Nathan then informs David that his child with Bathsheba must die. In grief for their first child, David and Bathsheba produce Solomon.