writersoul:
You are correct that David is not listed as one of those who never sinned: ??? ???? ????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ??? ??? ???? ??? ??? ????? ?? ??? (Bava Basra 17a) Although the Gemara there does say ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ???… ??? ?????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ??? ????? whatever that means (see Tosafos for example).
Regarding the other Gemara (Shabbos 56a) which says ?”? ????? ??
????? ??? ?’ ????? ?? ????? ??? ??? ???? ??? ????, I don’t think thechoiceismine was applying the quote to David’s entire life. I think he/she that we can’t necessarily take the literal story at face value. The statement of the Gemara is not saying that David didn’t do anything wrong; it’s saying that it wasn’t eishes ish.
Interestingly, it would seem from the Gemara in Kesubos (9a-9b) that David did literally sin with an eishes ish. The Gemara asks ??? ????
???? ???? ???? ?? ?? ????? and answers ??? ???? ???. The Gemara then gives an alternative answer that ?? ????? ?????? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ???? ????? in which case Batsheva would not be considered an eishes ish. But according to the first answer, it seems that she was. The Chelkas Mechokek (11:10) in fact (in discussing the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch about an eishes ish about whom eidim testify that she was mezaneh) writes: ????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ?? ????’ ?? ???? ????? ????? ???? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?? ????? ??”? ???? ????? (?????? ?”? ?”?) ??? ??? ???? ????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ?? ????’ ?????’ ???? ???”? ????? ??? ??? ????? ??? ???”? ?? ?????? ???? ????? ?”? ????? ?????? ?”? ??? ????? ???’ ??????? ???? ??”? ??”? ?????? ?? ?? ?? (??”? ?????? ?? ?? ???’ ??”? ?????? ??? ??? ?? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ????? ???? ??”? ????? ???’ ??”?) ???? ????? ??????? ??? ????? ???? ??? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ?? ????? ????? which seems to be understanding the Gemara’s first answer as I wrote above – that Batsheva was actually an eishes ish.
Additionally, the Gemara itself (back in Shabbos 56a) says ??? ?? ??? ???? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ???? which could indicate that the limud zechus is not so simple. Indeed this is one of the Abarbanel’s justifications for stridently rejecting the statement ?? ????? ??? ??? ???? ??? ????. He claims that David actually sinned with Batsheva as an eishes ish and that the gemara is ???? ????? ???? ?? ????? ????? and that the defense provided for David is ?? ??? ????. (I would quote it in its entirety but it’s a bit too long – it’s in Samuel 2 in the beginning of chapter 11.) It must be noted thought that the Abarbanel is a major daas yochid in this and the Malbim already somewhat castigated him for this in his comments to verse 3:
??? ???? ?? ???? ??”? (??? ?? ?) ????? ?????? ??????
ayyen sham.
Also, the Abarbanel does not bring the Gemara in Kesubos as a proof, and I have yet to see any mefaresh who does.