2 Samuel 18:10

10 One of David's men saw what had happened. He told Joab, "I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree."

2 Samuel 18:10 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 18:10

And a certain man saw [it]
Saw him in the above posture, one of David's soldiers:

and told Joab, and said, behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak;
caught by the neck in one, out of which he could not disengage himself, but there he hung, though alive.

2 Samuel 18:10 In-Context

8 The fighting spread out over the whole countryside. But more men were killed in the forest that day than out in the open.

9 Absalom happened to come across some of David's men. He was riding his mule. The mule went under the thick branches of a large oak tree. Absalom's head got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in the air. The mule he was riding kept on going.

10 One of David's men saw what had happened. He told Joab, "I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree."

11 Joab said to the man, "What! You saw him? Why didn't you strike him down right there? Then I would have had to give you four ounces of silver and a soldier's belt."

12 But the man replied, "I wouldn't lift my hand to harm the king's son. I wouldn't do it even for 25 pounds of silver. We heard the king's command to you and Abishai and Ittai. He said, 'Be careful not to hurt the young man Absalom. Do it for me.'