2 Samuel 15 Study Notes

15:1 By gathering chariots, horses, and men, Absalom took steps to enhance his position in the eyes of the people.

15:2 The city gate was the site of the city’s important business transactions.

15:3 Absalom listened to the petitions that citizens planned to take to the king. He ostensibly sympathized with them over the fact that the king did not have anyone to help them with these concerns.

15:4 Absalom used the word judge, but he really intended for the people to think of him as “king.” He insisted he would dispense justice better than his overburdened father.

15:5-6 Absalom prevented people from bowing to him, and he greeted them with a kiss (almost as equals). This stole the hearts of the men of Israel, many of whom began to believe that Absalom understood their problems better than David did.

15:7 Some manuscripts read “forty years” instead of four years while others read “forty days,” but the CSB reading seems most likely.

15:8-9 The law urged prompt fulfillment of a vow (Dt 23:21), so the passage of four years since Absalom’s vow (2Sm 15:7) could have raised questions in David’s mind. On the other hand, Hebron, located nineteen miles south of Jerusalem, was Absalom’s birthplace.

15:10 The sound of the ram’s horn across the land, combined with Absalom’s messengers shouting Absalom has become king in Hebron, would enable news of Absalom’s assuming the throne to spread quickly. Absalom probably hoped he could get to Jerusalem and take power before David could prepare to defend himself. It was in Hebron that David had been proclaimed king over Judah (2:4).

15:11-12 David’s adviser Ahithophel was one of the king’s wisest men, making the conspiracy of Absalom even more strong.

15:13-14 David summoned his servants with him in Jerusalem and insisted they all needed to flee at once. He knew Absalom and his forces would head straight for the capital and attack it if necessary.

15:15-16 David’s decision to leave behind ten concubines provided the occasion for part of Nathan’s judgment oracle to come true (16:20-23).

15:17 David and his officials stopped at the last house (perhaps the house at the edge of Jerusalem), probably to get organized for their flight eastward.

15:18 On Cherethites and Pelethites, see note at 8:18. David’s influence among the Philistines had gained him the loyalty of six hundred men from Gath.

15:19 Ittai of Gath was an exile from Philistia who had cast his lot with David, perhaps during David’s flight from Saul (1Sm 18-31).

15:20-22 David excused Ittai from accompanying him, but Ittai swore by the Lord and the king that he would stay with David whether it meant life or death for him. David’s integrity still garnered respect.

15:23 The Kidron Valley skirted Jerusalem’s eastern edge, separating the city from the Mount of Olives. Once David and his associates reached the top, they could travel the road that leads to the wilderness, most likely the ascent of Adummim that connected Jerusalem with Jericho in the Jordan Valley.

15:24 The ark of the covenant of God was probably brought to ensure God’s presence and as a mark of David’s legitimate right to reign. Zadok and Abiathar (see note at 8:17) stood by the king who had endorsed their respective ministries and the ministries of the Levites (6:12-18).

15:25-26 David determined that the ark of God properly belonged in Jerusalem, God’s city. It would remain there, and it was up to God to either restore David to his throne in Jerusalem or not. The king was content to leave the matter in God’s hands.

15:27 David created a spy network that included Zadok, Abiathar, and their respective sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan.

15:28 The fords of the wilderness were shallow places where the Jordan River could be crossed.

15:29 Absalom would probably assume David’s supporters had fled. He may not have suspected Zadok and Abiathar of siding with his father.

15:30 Covering the head and walking barefoot were signs of deep personal anguish.

15:31 The news that Ahithophel had joined the conspirators with Absalom was a blow to David’s cause. The king’s prayer for God to turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness was a prayer of great faith because Ahithophel’s advice was taken to be like a word from the Lord (16:23).

15:32-35 Hushai would end up being the answer to David’s prayer (v. 31). Hushai’s role was to counteract Ahithophel’s counsel (no small task in light of 16:23) and to report everything to Zadok and Abiathar (see 17:5-16).

15:36 Ahimaaz and Jonathan would then relay any information they received from their fathers directly to David.

15:37 Hushai and Absalom arrived in Jerusalem at the same time. The decisive moment when Absalom had to choose between Hushai’s counsel and Ahithophel’s counsel is delayed by 16:1-14 and resumes at 16:15.