2 Samuel 18:5

5 Entonces el rey les dio esta orden a Joab, a Abisai y a Itai:
—Por consideración a mí, traten con bondad al joven Absalón.
Y todas las tropas escucharon que el rey daba esta orden a sus comandantes.

2 Samuel 18:5 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 18:5

And the king commanded Joab, and Abishai, and Ittai
His three generals, to whom he had committed his army divided into three parts:

saying, [deal] gently for my sake with the young man, [even] with
Absalom;
he does not call him his son, being in rebellion against him, but the young man, who was young, and rash, and foolish, and so to be pitied; his request is, that they would spare him, and not take away his life, when in their power; that they would not aim at him, and push him hard, and fall upon him with wrath and fury; but if he fell into their hands, to take him alive, and bring him away, and not put him to death. This flowed from a natural affection to him, and a concern for the welfare of his soul, that he might not die in this sin; and also from a consciousness that it was for his own sins that he was raised up to rebel against him; and he seems to speak as if he was certain that the battle would go for him, and against Absalom; and which he might conclude from the answer of prayer he had in defeating the counsel of Ahithophel:

and all the people heard when he gave all the captains charge
concerning Absalom;
not only the three generals, but all the captains of hundreds and thousands, and this was heard by the common soldiers as well as by the people of the city that were spectators on this occasion, see ( 2 Samuel 18:12 ) .

2 Samuel 18:5 In-Context

3 Pero sus hombres se opusieron terminantemente e insistieron:
—No debe ir. Si tenemos que salir en retirada y huir, aunque maten a la mitad de nosotros no cambiaría nada para las tropas de Absalón; es a usted al que buscan. Usted vale por diez mil de nosotros.
Es mejor que se quede aquí en la ciudad y nos envíe ayuda si la necesitamos.

4 —Si ustedes piensan que ese es el mejor plan, lo seguiré —respondió el rey.
De modo que se quedó al lado de la puerta de la ciudad mientras las tropas marchaban en grupos de cientos y de miles.

5 Entonces el rey les dio esta orden a Joab, a Abisai y a Itai:
—Por consideración a mí, traten con bondad al joven Absalón.
Y todas las tropas escucharon que el rey daba esta orden a sus comandantes.

6 Así que comenzó la batalla en el bosque de Efraín,

7 y los hombres de David rechazaron los ataques de las tropas israelitas. Aquel día hubo una gran matanza, y veinte mil hombres perdieron la vida.