Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

15:1 a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him. Absalom's self-exalting pride stands in contrast to David's humility (1 Sam. 26:9-11; 2 Sam. 7:18; 15:25-26). Later Adonijah behaves similarly, exalting himself, "saying ‘I will be king’" (1 Kings 1:5). See also 1 Sam. 8:11.

15:3 there is no man designated by the king to hear you. Absalom's statement must be somewhat of an exaggeration, for the widow of Tekoa got a hearing, and if it were known that there was no chance of a hearing, people would not have come.

15:4 Oh that I were judge in the land! Absalom is appealing to the tradition of the king as "judge" (cf. Prov. 31:9; Isa. 11:3-5), which is closely bound to the concept of the Lord as judge (Ps. 96:10; Isa. 33:22), not to the judgeships of the previous era (as seen in the book of Judges). Thus Absalom is saying, "Oh that I were king!" (see 1 Sam. 8:5). This is in line with his chariot and runners (2 Sam. 15:1). Since Absalom's conduct was public ("beside the way of the gate," v. 2), news of what he was doing must have quickly reached David, but he did nothing to stop it (see notes on 13:21; 14:24).

15:7 Hebron, the chief city of Judah, was where David ruled as king of Judah (2:4) and where Absalom was born (3:2-3).

15:10 The phrase the tribes of Israel sometimes refers to all of Israel, and at other times refers to Israel as opposed to Judah. Here, it refers to all of Israel, including Judah. It is clear that Judah participated in the rebellion. Absalom raises his revolt in Hebron, and his named associates--Ahithophel of Giloh (15:12; see Josh. 15:51) and Amasa, David's nephew (2 Sam. 17:25)--are both from Judah. Furthermore, in 19:11 David asks why the elders of Judah are reluctant to bring him back. In chs. 15-18, "Israel" usually means "Absalom's side," while David's side is referred to as "David's servants" or "the army."

15:12 These sacrifices were apparently part of a coronation ceremony (see 1 Sam. 11:14-15; 1 Kings 1:9-11) formally asserting Absalom's kingship (2 Sam. 15:10; 16:16).

15:18-20 The Cherethites and the Pelethites are David's bodyguard (8:18). The Gittites (i.e., men from Gath) are not likely David's own 600 men who had gone with him from Israel to Ziklag (1 Sam. 27:2), since they had come yesterday (2 Sam. 15:20), that is, recently, and could go back to their homes.

15:23 The brook Kidron runs just east of Jerusalem; the Mount of Olives (v. 30) is to the east of the brook.

15:24-37 Though David leaves the city, by the providence of God he is able to set up a messenger system--Hushai, to Zadok and Abiathar, to their sons (via a maid, 17:17), to David (15:36).

15:25-26 Carry the ark of God back into the city. David does not try to use the ark as some sort of "good luck charm," in contrast to the attitude of the elders in 1 Sam. 4:3. Perhaps he realizes that Absalom's rebellion is partly the result of his own sins (2 Sam. 12:10), and he does not know how far the Lord intends to punish him (let him do to me what seems good to him). His symbols of mourning and penitence and acceptance of malice (15:30; 16:10) are probably related to this. Since he also considers the rebellion wrong, however, he is willing to use prayer and the human opportunities God gives him (15:28, 31, 34; see Neh. 4:9).

15:27 Are you not a seer? Perhaps David is implying that Zadok does not know precisely what God will do about David (see note on vv. 25-26); or maybe he is indicating that Zadok, because the people hold him in honor as a seer, will be allowed to pass safely into the city, where he will be most useful to David.

15:28 The fords of the wilderness were at the west bank of the Jordan River.

15:30 Going barefoot and with his head covered were signs of mourning (cf. Est. 6:12; Isa. 20:2). weeping as he went. David had many reasons to weep: his own misfortunes and the dangers he now faced; the troubles now facing Israel and his own family, for which he was partly responsible; and the dishonor that would surely come to God as a result of all this.

15:31-32 Ahithophel was David's trusted counselor (v. 12; cf. 16:23), but now he was among the conspirators. This led David to pray, "O Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness." His prayer was answered in the very next verse by the arrival of Hushai, who would prove invaluable to him (see 16:15-17:23 and notes).

15:33-36 whatever you hear . . . tell. Although earlier David may have questioned Zadok's "seeing" (v. 27), it is clear that what Zadok and Abiathar "hear" from the undercover work of Hushai in Jerusalem (v. 34) will benefit David and his followers (vv. 35-36; cf. 17:15-16, 22).

15:37 David's friend. "Friend" may be a title because it is not the normal word for "friend" and it seems to be one kind of royal official described in 1 Kings 4:5. David is called the friend of Hushai in 2 Sam. 16:17, however, so it also expresses a relationship.

16:1-4 Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth (the disabled grandson of Saul, whom David had taken into his care; see ch. 9), arrives with provisions for David and his people. Ziba implies that the gifts are entirely his idea, and that Mephibosheth himself sees David's plight as an opportunity to reclaim the kingdom (Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father). Mephibosheth will later present a somewhat different version of the situation (19:24-29). As the next section and ch. 20 show, some Benjaminites still felt animosity toward David, so David may have been very unsure about Mephibosheth's loyalty. Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours. David judged too quickly, without opportunity to hear a defense from the accused Mephibosheth. Cf. notes on 13:21 and 14:24. The list of food items in 16:1 is similar to the list in 1 Sam. 25:18.

16:5 Shimei is apparently a prominent man (19:16). Bahurim is a Benjaminite town on the north side of the Mount of Olives, though it did have inhabitants who supported David (17:18). Shimei will act very differently the next time he meets David (19:16).

16:8 Shimei was probably blaming David for the deaths of Abner (3:26-30) and Ish-bosheth (ch. 4), and possibly for the deaths of Saul's sons and grandsons (21:1-9) or even that of Saul himself, though he is not necessarily accusing David of actual complicity in the deaths. Since the writer of Samuel goes to great lengths to absolve David from complicity, one can surmise that some people harbored ill will toward David because of the house of Saul, even at the time 1-2 Samuel was written.

16:9 As always, Abishai is ready to act (cf. 1 Sam. 26:8). Cursing a ruler is forbidden in Ex. 22:28.

16:10 What have I to do with you? David's point is that he and Abishai do not see things the same way, and it would be disastrous for him to take Abishai's advice.

16:11 let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. David expresses his trust in God's providence (cf. 15:25-26; 16:12). He still wonders whether all this opposition is the Lord's just punishment for his sin, and he humbly endures the abuse.

16:12 It may be . . . that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today. Cf. the opposite perspective in Prov. 24:17-18: "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls . . . lest the Lord see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him" (cf. Prov. 26:2; also 1 Pet. 2:19-23; 3:9).

16:14 arrived weary at the Jordan. The journey was 21 miles (36 km) from Jerusalem to the Jordan, and the road descended about 3,500 feet (1,067 m).

16:15-17 As the rebellious Absalom arrives in Jerusalem, Ahithophel, who has deserted to him from David (see note on 15:31-32), comes with him. Soon Hushai, a friend of David (see notes on 15:31-32; 15:37), arrives as well, proclaiming "Long live the king!" Why did you not go with your friend? (i.e., David; cf. 15:37). Understandably, Absalom questions the sincerity of Hushai's greeting.

16:18-19 No . . . I will serve you. Hushai probably knows it will be hard to convince Absalom that he has forsaken David and is now supporting Absalom.

16:21-22 Following Ahithophel's advice, Absalom publicly had sexual relations with several of David's concubines who had been left behind to "keep the house" (15:16). Such an outrageous action would indeed have strengthened . . . the hands of Absalom's followers, as he made it clear that he was claiming the throne. Nathan had prophesied such an event (cf. in the sight of all Israel with "in the sight of this sun," 12:11), and the rooftop of 16:22 may have been the very rooftop from which David had seen Bathsheba (11:2).

16:23 The high estimation of Ahithophel's advice suggests that Hushai has a difficult task before him, in which he can succeed only with the help of the Lord.

17:1-23 This chapter presents the crucial contest between Ahithophel and Hushai before Absalom and the elders of Israel (vv. 4, 14). Ahithophel makes the very sound proposal to attack and kill David immediately. With no one else to turn to, he says, the whole country would embrace Absalom. If this "good counsel" (v. 14) had been followed, it is likely that David, whose large group was indeed weary and discouraged (v. 2; see 16:14), would have been defeated. Absalom, however, decides to hear the opinion of Hushai. He trusts him enough to hear him but, sensibly, not enough to invite him to take part in the deliberations of the war council (Call Hushai, 17:5). Hushai gives a vivid, time-consuming speech full of similes, making a proposal that is flattering to Absalom as leader of all Israel (v. 11), but that will let David regroup and choose his own time and place of battle with his experienced, trained force. Hushai apparently then withdraws while the council considers the proposals. Hushai knows that if Ahithophel's advice is accepted, there will be no time to lose, so even before he hears the results of the deliberations he sends word to David that he should at least cross the Jordan River (vv. 15-16). The council rejects Ahithophel's good counsel in favor of Hushai's deceptive and wrong counsel. The writer specifically says that this rejection was the work of the Lord: for the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel (v. 14). The poor decision seals Absalom's doom. When Absalom finally gathers his army and goes after David (v. 24), David is already in Mahanaim in Gilead, with the forest of Ephraim (18:6) between him and Absalom.

17:1 Ahithophel suggests that he himself lead the force against David.

17:7-13 my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you . . . and that you go to battle in person (v. 11). Hushai appeals to Absalom's pride and suggests that Absalom, not Ahithophel, should gather even more support and then personally lead the forces against David (v. 11). Hushai also stresses the undisputed facts of the bravery of David and his men and David's reputation as a soldier among all Israel.

17:13 Cities were often attacked by pulling down the walls by means of ropes attached to grappling hooks. Since cities were usually built on high places, they were hard to rebuild once the stones of their walls had been dragged into the valley. For attacking an entire city in order to get one person who had fled there, cf. 1 Sam. 23:7-13; 2 Sam. 20:14-22.

17:17 En-rogel, now known as "Job's Well," is just south of where the Kidron Valley joins the Hinnom Valley, on the boundary between Judah and Benjamin (Josh. 15:7; 18:16). It would have been dangerous for the priests' sons, apparently known supporters of David (2 Sam. 17:18), to be seen in Jerusalem. Therefore, a necessary link in the chain from Hushai to David is the female servant, probably a maid in the household of one of the priests whose normal duties took her to the water.

17:23 He set his house in order and hanged himself. Ahithophel is wise enough to realize that the rejection of his advice means the defeat of Absalom and his own ruin, for God is with David, not Absalom.

17:24 As Hushai suggested (v. 11), Absalom gathers all the men of Israel and goes after David.

17:25 For Absalom's cousin Amasa, see note on 2:13.

17:27 Mahanaim, a city in the deep canyon of the Jabbok River, is where Ish-bosheth had his capital. Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites apparently was the brother of Hanun, the king of Ammon (10:2). David had probably set him on the throne in place of his brother (12:30). It is remarkable that he did not try to revolt at this time. Machir had sheltered Mephibosheth in his childhood (9:4). Barzillai later accompanies David on his trip back to Jerusalem (19:31-39). The fact that these people came from a distance suggests that David had real support in the area of Gilead.

18:2-3 Ittai was mentioned in 15:19. David's men believe that the success or failure of the rebellion depends on whether Absalom can kill David, an opinion that was also expressed by Ahithophel (17:3).

18:5 Deal gently . . . with . . . Absalom. Why did David make this request? Was it out of pure fatherly love, or also a feeling of guilt toward Absalom?

18:6-8 The forest of Ephraim was actually not in Ephraim, but east of the Jordan in Gilead. Gilead was apparently known for its forests (Jer. 22:6). Here David's experienced army could effectively attack a much larger force, most of whom were apparently unable to move around effectively in a forest (the forest devoured more people . . . than the sword).

18:9 Mules were the normal mounts of the king's sons (13:29). his head caught fast in the oak. Most take this to mean that the specific part of Absalom's head that got tangled in the tree was his hair (cf. 14:26). In God's providence, the source of his pride became the cause of his downfall.

18:14 The narrator stresses repeatedly (vv. 5, 12) that David had ordered all the troops to spare Absalom. Joab probably worries that Absalom, who had risen from disgrace once before, even using Joab himself (14:1-24), might be able to cause problems again.

18:17 every one to his own home. See note on 1 Sam. 4:10.

18:18 I have no son. See note on 14:27. The author contrasts the memorial pillar with Absalom's actual tomb, a big pile of rocks (18:17; cf. Josh. 7:26; 8:29). The "Absalom's Tomb" now seen in the Kidron Valley in Jerusalem is a Hellenistic or Roman-period structure.

18:19-23 today you shall carry no news, because the king's son is dead. Joab does not seem to be trying to hide anything from David (Go, tell the king what you have seen). But he apparently wants to protect Ahimaaz, son of Zadok the priest, from having to deliver the bad news to David. Then Ahimaaz . . . outran the Cushite. It may be that the Cushite took a direct road over the mountains, while Ahimaaz took the longer but easier way along the plain.

18:24 The two gates are the outer gate and the inner gate of the gate complex.

18:25 A man running alone would be a messenger; a group would probably be men fleeing.

18:29 a great commotion. Ahimaaz may have been trying to break the news gently. He must have known Absalom was dead, or else he would have just said he did not know anything.

18:33 O Absalom, my son, my son! David is overcome with grief. He has lost another son whom he loved. First he lost Absalom's love and loyalty, and now he has lost Absalom's life and all hope of reconciliation. It is possible that David is beginning to see how God's punishment for his sin with Bathsheba (prophesied by Nathan in 12:10-11) has tragically come to pass; but his grief is clouding his sight of his duties toward his loyal troops (19:1-8).

19:2 So the victory that day was turned into mourning. David lets his own grief overcome not just his kingly responsibilities but even his gratitude to God for saving the nation.

19:4-6 Because David has covered his face with grief, he has covered with shame the faces of his loyal servants. you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. The words for "love" and "hate" here can mean "be loyal" and "be disloyal."

19:8 David makes peace with his men, behaving as king and sitting in the gate. Kings and elders are often described as sitting at the gate (Deut. 25:7; Ruth 4:11; 1 Kings 22:10; Jer. 39:3); at the excavations at Dan, what appears to be a canopy base has been found within the Iron Age gate. In the wake of Absalom's failed rebellion, David will have to work at reuniting the nation.

19:8b-15 The whole country finally agrees to bring David back, but even this creates problems as it shows the division between Judah and the rest of Israel. Israel (in this chapter referring to the northern tribes) had spoken with David about coming back to Jerusalem, but David has to make a special appeal to Judah. So a Judean contingent accompanies David back, apparently without consultation with the other tribes. However, Israel and Judah argue over the ceremony of David's triumphal return to his capital (vv. 41-43).

19:10-11 why do you say nothing? The question highlights the factions that developed within both Israel and Judah concerning the validity of David's return to the throne. David uses the support he is getting from Israel to motivate Judah to action.

19:13 commander of my army. It seems shocking to demote the victorious loyal general Joab in favor of the soundly defeated rebel general Amasa (17:25). Perhaps David pointed out that Joab had disobeyed his specific order about Absalom (18:5). He probably could have added that, if Joab claimed it had been necessary to kill Absalom, he (David) was also doing what was necessary to reunite the nation.

19:15 Gilgal was an important religious center near Jericho and the Jordan River (Josh. 4:19; 5:10; 1 Sam. 10:8; 11:14; 13:12; 15:21), but its location is uncertain.

19:16-23 At the Jordan (see v. 15), David meets various people he had encountered during his flight from Jerusalem. The first of these is Shimei, who had cursed him as he fled (16:5-13). Now that the Lord has repaid David with good for his patience under Shimei's cursing (16:12), Abishai thinks Shimei should be put to death as he deserves. But David wants this to be a day of rejoicing, not retribution. However he apparently did not fully forgive Shimei (cf. 1 Kings 2:8-9, 36-46).

19:24-30 David also met Mephibosheth the son of Saul. Mephibosheth was actually Jonathan's son (4:4) and Saul's grandson. But here the narrator emphasizes that Saul's rightful heir (9:1-3) is submitting to David. Mephibosheth tells David that Ziba was lying when he said Mephibosheth had chosen to stay in Jerusalem (16:3). The narrator does not directly state which one is telling the truth--after all, he may not have had direct information--but the sorrow evidenced in 19:24 suggests that he believes Mephibosheth, and Mephibosheth's gracious humility in v. 30 also supports this view. In a city facing invasion, when even the king's household was grateful for two donkeys (16:1), it is not surprising that Mephibosheth, who was lame (19:26), was stuck when his own donkey was taken by Ziba.

19:25 To Jerusalem implies that Mephibosheth "came down" (v. 24) from his home and arrived in Jerusalem to meet the king, and that this event occurred later, after David had come to Jerusalem.

19:31-40 As he crossed the Jordan (see v. 15), David also met Barzillai, who had helped him in Mahanaim (v. 32; cf. 17:27). I will provide for you with me in Jerusalem. David wanted to repay Barzillai's kindness, but Barzillai, who was eighty years old, preferred to return home, that I may die in my own city. David never forgot Barzillai's help (1 Kings 2:7).

19:41-43 Apparently David left Mahanaim and came to the Jordan without allowing time for all the northern tribes to come and accompany him. They resent this, being the larger group and considering themselves more loyal to David (vv. 9-11) than Judah, which they accuse of "privatizing" the king. The men of Judah retort that David did not favor his own tribe with grants (unlike Saul in 1 Sam. 22:7). In making Jerusalem his capital and bringing the ark there, David seems to have made an effort to be an Israelite king, not a Judahite king ruling Israel. But he was not able to overcome the division. We, our, and us in 2 Sam. 19:42-43 are singular--"I," "my," and "me"--in the Hebrew, suggesting the acrimony of the debate.