2 Samuel 15:30

30 David went on up the Mount of Olives crying; he was barefoot and had his head covered as a sign of grief. All who followed him covered their heads and cried also.

2 Samuel 15:30 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 15:30

And David went up by the ascent of [Mount] Olivet
So called from the olive trees that grew upon it, which is often mentioned in the New Testament, and where our Lord Jesus Christ, the antitype of David, often was, in his state of humiliation, ( Matthew 26:30 ) ( Mark 14:26 ) ( Luke 22:39 ) , and from whence he ascended to heaven after his resurrection, ( Acts 1:12 ) ; it was about a mile from Jerusalem, to the east of it:

and wept as he went up;
thinking perhaps of the wickedness and rebellion of his son, of his own hard case, to be obliged to quit his metropolis and palace, and make his flight afoot; and perhaps also of his own sins, which were the cause of his calamities:

and had his head covered;
with his mantle, with which he enwraped himself as a mourner, ( 2 Samuel 19:4 ) ; so the Egyptians used to cover their heads in mourning, and the Romans in later times ^F17; so Megara in sorrowful circumstances is represented as having her head covered with a garment ^F18:

and he went barefoot;
in token of mourning also, and like one forlorn, and going into captivity, see ( Isaiah 20:2 ) ( Micah 1:8 ) ;

and all the people that [was] with him covered every man his head;
as David did, and in imitation of him, and sympathizing with him; and which was sometimes done when men were ashamed and confounded, ( Jeremiah 14:3 Jeremiah 14:4 ) ;

and they went up, weeping as they went up;
the mount of Olivet, grieved for their king, and the distresses and calamities that were coming upon them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 Vid. Solerium de Pileo, sect. 2. p. 14, 19.
F18 Senec. Hercul. furens, act. 2.

2 Samuel 15:30 In-Context

28 Meanwhile, I will wait at the river crossings in the wilderness until I receive news from you."

29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the Covenant Box back into Jerusalem and stayed there.

30 David went on up the Mount of Olives crying; he was barefoot and had his head covered as a sign of grief. All who followed him covered their heads and cried also.

31 When David was told that Ahithophel had joined Absalom's rebellion, he prayed, "Please, Lord, turn Ahithophel's advice into nonsense!"

32 When David reached the top of the hill, where there was a place of worship, his trusted friend Hushai the Archite met him with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head.