2Sa 15 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 2Sam 15:1-19: 15:1-19 Absalom revolted against David eleven years after Amnon violated Tamar (cp. 13:23 , 38 ; 14:28 ; 15:7 ), approximately the twenty-fifth year of David’s thirty-three-year reign in Jerusalem. 15:1 a chariot and horses, and ... fifty bodyguards: These three items, distinct signs of kingship, were also the first items that Samuel said the king would take from the people (1 Sam 8:11 ). Another of David’s sons, Adonijah, collected the same items when he coveted the throne (1 Kgs 1:5 ).

Summary for 2Sam 15:1-19: 15:1-19 ^a Absalom revolted against David eleven years after Amnon violated Tamar (cp. 13:23 ^b, 38 ^c; 14:28 ^d; 15:7 ^e), approximately the twenty-fifth year of David’s thirty-three-year reign in Jerusalem. 15:1 ^f a chariot and horses, and ... fifty bodyguards: These three items, distinct signs of kingship, were also the first items that Samuel said the king would take from the people (1 Sam 8:11 ^g). Another of David’s sons, Adonijah, collected the same items when he coveted the throne (1 Kgs 1:5 ^h).
15:5 ⁱ To bow before ... Absalom was, in effect, to honor him as king (see 14:33 ^j).
15:6 ^k stole the hearts: Absalom’s accessibility and false pretense of care for the people gained their loyalty.
15:7 ^l After four years: Hebrew reads forty years, which would put Absalom’s uprising in David’s last year as king and create many chronological difficulties with events that happened afterward (also see study note on 15:1-19). The Greek and Syriac reading is much more likely.

• fulfill a vow: Unlike the freewill offering of devotion and gratitude that a worshiper promised to God, this type of offering was to fulfill a promise to God (see Gen 28:20-22 ^m; Judg 11:30-31 ⁿ; 1 Sam 1:11 ^o). Absalom was probably lying (cp. 1 Sam 20:28-29 ^p).
15:8 ^q Geshur in Aram: After killing Amnon, Absalom had sought refuge in the homeland of his mother (also see study notes on 13:34-39, 37).

• The perfect place for Absalom to turn his grassroots popularity into a full-fledged revolt against David was in Hebron, David’s first capital.
15:12 ^r Ahithophel was Bathsheba’s grandfather (cp. 11:3 ^s; 23:34 ^t); years later, he might still have been angry over what David did to his granddaughter.

• Giloh was located in the region of Hebron (Josh 15:51 ^u, 54 ^v).
Summary for 2Sam 15:15-16: 15:15-16 ^w Possibly David left ten of his concubines behind because he believed his exile would be short-lived. See 16:21-22 ^x.
15:18 ^y 600 men from Gath: This alliance went back to David’s relationship with the Philistines in Saul’s day (1 Sam 21:10-15 ^z; 27:1-12 ^aa; 29:1-11 ^ab).

• the king’s bodyguard: See study note on 2 Sam 8:18.
15:19 ^ac Ittai, a Philistine from Gath, was associated with Gibeah in Benjamin (23:29 ^ad; 1 Chr 11:31 ^ae); the Philistines had established a garrison in Gibeah at the beginning of Saul’s career (1 Sam 10:5 ^af; 13:3 ^ag).

• David was stepping aside for King Absalom, who had successfully swayed the loyalty of Israel.
15:23 ^ah The Kidron Valley, east of Jerusalem, separated the City of David from the Mount of Olives.
15:24 ^ai Zadok was one of two priests who served David (8:17 ^aj). He later anointed Solomon (1 Kgs 1:39 ^ak) and became the high priest after Abiathar was deposed (1 Kgs 2:26-27 ^al).
15:25 ^am take the Ark of God back: People fleeing invasion normally took their idols to avoid having the items fall into an enemy’s hands. The capture of a god could be interpreted by rebel elements to mean that the gods had abandoned the ruling dynasty. However, the Ark was not a mere idol or talisman (cp. 1 Sam 4:3-11 ^an; 5:6–6:9 ^ao). It was the central object in the sanctuary and represented the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel (see Exod 40:34-35 ^ap). David intentionally permitted the Ark to fall into Absalom’s hands, trusting God’s grace and promises (2 Sam 15:26 ^aq; see 7:8-16 ^ar) whether or not the Ark was with him.
15:27 ^as Ahimaaz and Jonathan supported David during Absalom’s coup d’etat by serving as his secret messengers (see 15:36 ^at; 17:17-22 ^au).
15:31 ^av let Ahithophel give ... foolish advice: David also sent a double-agent, Hushai, to confound Ahithophel’s advice (15:32-37 ^aw; 17:1-14 ^ax).
15:32 ^ay At this point in Israel’s history, people worshiped God at multiple altars across the land. The Tabernacle as it had existed from the time of Joshua and Samuel was gone and the Temple was yet to be built.

• An Arkite was possibly a non-Israelite from the region south of Bethel (Josh 16:2 ^az).
15:34 ^ba While David was confident that God’s providence was at work behind the scenes, he also took strategic action to further his own cause.