Wife of Uriah the Hittite with whom David committed adultery (the story is told pricipally in 2 Sam 11:1-12:24). While the child conceived out of the affair died, she had another child by David, i.e., Solomon. While the casual reading of the story suggests that Solomon was the first surviving child out of their marriage, 1 Chron 3:5 names Shammua, Shoba and Nathan, in addition to Solomon, as her children (possibly older than Solomon, since his name comes last). We do not the necessary details to sort out the puzzle. 2 Sam may have chosen simply to focused on the most important son as part of its narrative plot, because "The Lord loved him; and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah [which means loved by the Lord]" (12:24-25).
Bathsheba disappears from the rest of 2 Sam and reappears in the early chapters of 1 Kings where she became involved in Nathan's stratagem to get Solomon on the throne when—taking advantage of David decepitude—Adonijah attempt to make himself king. She was last reported agreeing—rather naively—to speak to Solomon on Adonijah's behalf about letting the latter marry Abishag the Shunammite (1 Ki 2:13ff). With the failure of that mission, she disappears from the pages of Israel's annals.
Intriguingly, Bathsheba is predicated as "daughter of Eliam" in 2 Sam 11:3 and "daughter of Ammiel" in 1 Chron 3:1. There need not be an error since ancient Israelites are notorious for having two names, and Eliam and Ammiel very likely refer to the same person (both names mean the same thing, "God's people"). If this is the case, it may help us to understand another interesting puzzle in the events of David's life. When Absalom revolted against his father, David's advisor Ahithophel (whose advice was "like that of one who enquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel's advice," 2 Sam 16:23) went over to Absalom's side and his counsel to the usurper prince created terrible humiliation for David. It has always puzzle commentators why Ahithophel decided to do that. 2 Sam 23:34 states that a certain Eliam was "son of Ahithophel." If Ahithopel's son was the same person as Bathsheba's father, then the puzzle becomes less puzzling. Ahithophel would therefore be Bathsheba's grandfather, and his actions on behalf of Absalom could then be understood as his revenge on David for bringing shame on to the family by the king's adultery with her granddaughter.
☰ Open David's family-tree (Gen 12)
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