Bathsheba
10th c. BCE
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As told in the Old Testament, Bathsheba, when left alone while her husband Uriah the Hittite was at war, bathed naked on her roof. There she was spotted by King David, who asked for her to be sent to him. They slept together, and Bathsheba soon discovered she was pregnant.
To cover the adultery, David asked to have her husband Uriah sent from the front lines. He refused out of loyalty to his fellow soldiers, so David to have Uriah killed in battle. With Uriah dead, David married Bathsheba, who bore a son.
Rembrandt, Bathsheba at Her Bath, 1654
The prophet Nathan visited the King and told him he would suffer the consequences of his actions, though he repented. As a result, their infant son died. Soon, they have another, Solomon, and Bathsheba vowed to make him the future king.
Bathsheba conspired with Nathan to block the succession of David’s son Adonijah. She lied and told David he’d made an oath to God that Solomon would be the next king, which Nathan repeated. Thus, Bathsheba fulfilled her promise, as her son was made king.
Misogynistic interpretations suggest the miscarriage was God’s punishment for Bathsheba’s indiscretion; after all, in “The Conjuring,” Bathsheba is the witch who sacrificed her infant son to the devil. However, the story is considered one of redemption.