‏ 2 Samuel 15

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.

‏ 2 Samuel 16

16:1  ^bb Ziba: See study note on 9:11; see also 9:1-13  ^bc; 19:24-30  ^bd.

• As Saul’s grandson (16:3  ^be), Mephibosheth was a potential rival for the throne.
Summary for 2Sam 16:3-4: 16:3-4  ^bf Ziba was lying to David for his own gain; Mephibosheth later set the record straight (19:24-30  ^bg).
16:5  ^bh Bahurim was in the territory of Benjamin east of the Mount of Olives on the way to the Jordan River. It is likely that many people from Benjamin, Saul’s tribe, harbored lingering resentment against David’s rule. In the case of Shimei, his loyalty to Saul was even stronger because he was from the same clan in the tribe of Benjamin.
Summary for 2Sam 16:7-8: 16:7-8  ^bi Shimei cursed David, holding him responsible for the violent death of Saul and his clan.
16:8  ^bj The Lord is paying you back: Shimei interpreted Absalom’s rebellion as the Lord’s retribution. However, David was innocent (see study notes on 1:4, 15-16).
16:9  ^bk Abishai was David’s nephew (1 Chr 2:13-16  ^bl) and evidently a member of his personal guard. He believed that no one should talk this way to the king and live to tell about it (cp. 2 Sam 19:21  ^bm). David was slower to judge (cp. 1 Kgs 2:8-9  ^bn).
16:10  ^bo If the Lord has told him to curse me: David felt it might have been punishment for past sins.

• David was—contrary to Shimei’s charges—reducing the violence that surrounded him.
Summary for 2Sam 16:11-12: 16:11-12  ^bp even more reason: David understood why a supporter of Saul might hate him.
16:16  ^bq Long live the king! Hushai’s words were deliberately ambiguous. He was in fact an agent of the true king—David was truly “the man ... chosen by the Lord” (16:18  ^br). Hushai avoided using the king’s name, leading Absalom to believe that Hushai was loyal to him rather than to David.
16:19  ^bs why shouldn’t I serve you? (literally and second, to whom will I do service? Not before his son?): The ambiguous language continues. Hushai phrased his profession of loyalty as a question rather than as a commitment. His intent, lost on Absalom, was to serve David while fooling Absalom into thinking that he had changed sides. Similarly, just as I was your father’s adviser, now I will be your adviser! is literally, as I served before your father, so I will [serve your father] before you.
16:21  ^bt Go and sleep with your father’s concubines: A usurper took a predecessor’s harem to assert or strengthen his claim to the throne (see 3:7  ^bu). Absalom’s action was in violation of Deut 22:30  ^bv.
16:22  ^bw Absalom intended to show the people that he had assumed the throne with its royal prerogatives. His shameful act echoed David’s adultery with Bathsheba, which also began on that roof (11:2-4  ^bx); the episode fulfilled Nathan’s prophecy (12:11-12  ^by).
16:23  ^bz from the mouth of God: Cp. 17:14  ^ca.

‏ 2 Samuel 17

Summary for 2Sam 17:1-14: 17:1-14  ^cb Ahithophel proposed a quick surprise strike against David with a small force (12,000 men, 17:1  ^cc), which would give David no time to organize and fight back. Then David’s double-agent Hushai suggested taking more time to mobilize the entire army of Israel (17:11  ^cd). This plan would supposedly give them an insurmountable numerical advantage and prevent David from engaging in guerilla tactics. Because the Lord was working against Absalom, he rejected Ahithophel’s good strategy and accepted Hushai’s bad advice (17:14  ^ce; cp. 1 Kgs 12:1-15  ^cf).
17:3  ^cg as a bride ... you seek: The Hebrew text has the loyalty of all the people depend on the death of David. The Greek version pictures a young wife who returns to her husband after a short quarrel.
17:11  ^ch The nationwide military conscription from ... Dan to Beersheba (the northern and southern limits of Israel) was intended to produce an overwhelmingly superior fighting force.
17:14  ^ci Ahithophel’s strategy was actually better. However, Hushai had the psychological and rhetorical advantage as well as the Lord’s purpose, so he won Absalom’s favor.

• the Lord had determined to defeat: Despite early advances, Absalom’s power grab was doomed from the start.
17:17  ^cj Jonathan and Ahimaaz: See 15:27  ^ck, 36  ^cl.

• The location of En-rogel is uncertain, but it cannot have been too far east of Jerusalem.
Summary for 2Sam 17:18-20: 17:18-20  ^cm Bahurim was the home of Shimei, the pro-Saul Benjaminite (16:5  ^cn; 19:16  ^co). Shimei’s cursing of David at Bahurim reflected David’s decline, while the escape of Ahimaaz and Jonathan pictured the hope of David’s resurgence.
17:23  ^cp hanged himself: Ahithophel foresaw David’s victory and Absalom’s undoing, and he preferred to die by his own hand rather than by David’s.
17:24  ^cq Mahanaim, once the capital city of Ishbosheth and Abner (2:8  ^cr, 12  ^cs, 29  ^ct), became David’s base of operations.
17:25  ^cu According to 1 Chr 2:15-16  ^cv, Abigail and Zeruiah were David’s sisters. But since Abigail is called the daughter of Nahash, she and Zeruiah were apparently David’s half sisters (Nahash was probably their father; his widow would then have married Jesse and given birth to David and his brothers).
17:27  ^cw Shobi was probably the brother of Hanun, who had humiliated David’s messengers after the death of Nahash (ch 10  ^cx; see study note on 10:1-5).

• Makir was Mephibosheth’s host before David summoned him (9:4-5  ^cy).

• Barzillai of Gilead was probably not the same as Barzillai from Meholah (21:8  ^cz).

‏ 2 Samuel 18

18:3  ^da You are worth 10,000 of us: Although David’s men flattered him, their insistence that he stay behind might actually suggest David’s advancing frailty (see 21:15-17  ^db).
18:5  ^dc Joab violated David’s order to deal gently with young Absalom (18:11-15  ^dd). This was the second time Joab killed someone against David’s wishes (see 3:22-37  ^de).
18:6  ^df The forest of Ephraim was an area east of the Jordan settled by the tribe of Ephraim.
18:8  ^dg more men died because of the forest: The topographical conditions of the forest apparently took away the numerical advantage of Absalom’s forces.
18:9  ^dh Absalom, who took such pride in his hair, died because of it. He who had built “a monument to himself” (18:18  ^di) was then thrown into a pit after his death (18:17  ^dj) and denied the dignity of a proper burial. These ironies highlight the difference between Absalom’s aspirations and his destiny.
18:11  ^dk Perhaps a hero’s belt was a sword belt that decorated a soldier for bravery and courage in battle (cp. 1 Sam 18:4  ^dl).
18:14  ^dm plunged them into Absalom’s heart: Earlier, Joab had played the role of reconciler between David and Absalom (ch 14  ^dn). It is possible Joab believed that allowing Absalom to live would only invite ongoing trouble for David and for himself. (Absalom had appointed Amasa, Joab’s first cousin, to fill Joab’s position as commander of Israel’s army; see 17:25  ^do.)
18:15  ^dp surrounded ... and killed him: Perhaps Joab had his armor bearers finish the job so that he could make the case to David that he himself had not killed Absalom.
18:17  ^dq all Israel fled to their homes: Absalom’s supporters (17:11  ^dr) knew their lives were in danger (cp. 19:8  ^ds). They had backed a usurper whose coup d’etat had been thwarted.
18:18  ^dt I have no son: See study note on 14:27. In the absence of a lineage, Absalom hoped a monument would preserve his name and memory.

• to this day: The narrator was probably writing during Solomon’s reign; the monument’s location is now unknown.
18:19  ^du Zadok: See study note on 15:24.
18:21  ^dv a man from Ethiopia: Joab thought it would be better to send a foreigner to tell the king of Absalom’s death. If David overreacted, the loss of a foreigner was not as critical as the loss of a priest’s son.
18:25  ^dw If he is alone, he has news: A solitary runner was usually a courier.
Summary for 2Sam 18:28-29: 18:28-29  ^dx Everything is all right! (Hebrew shalom): David then asked, “Is it shalom with the young Ab-shalom?” (What about young Absalom? ... Is he all right?). Even though Absalom was David’s rival, he was also David’s son. David was more concerned about his son’s fate than the well-being of his fighting servants (19:5-6  ^dy).
18:33  ^dz David was not afraid to show his emotions openly, whether engulfed by rapturous joy (6:14-19  ^ea) or crushed by sadness. His feelings for Absalom were real, not theatrical.