2 Samuel 13:34

34 Or Absalom s'était enfui. Et le jeune homme qui était en sentinelle, leva les yeux et regarda; et voici que par la route opposée une grande troupe s'avançait sur le flanc de la montagne.

2 Samuel 13:34 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 13:34

But Absalom fled
He who promised his servants protection could not protect himself, and who no doubt fled with him; he knew what he had done was death by law, and that there was no city of refuge for such sort of murder as this, and he had no reason to hope the king would suffer so foul a crime as this to pass unpunished:

and the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked:
to the way that led from Absalom's house to Jerusalem, to see if he could spy any other messenger on the road from thence:

and, behold, there came much people by the way of the hill side behind
him;
that is, behind the watchman, who, looking round him, saw them; these people were the king's sons and their attendants, who, being at some distance, the young man could not discern who they were; they did not come the direct road from Absalom's house, but came a round about way, for fear, as R. Isaiah rightly conjectures, lest Absalom should pursue, or send pursuers after them, and slay them; though others, as Kimchi, think this refers to the hill, and that the sense is, that the watchman saw them coming from the way which was behind the hill, and began to see them when they came to the side of it, which was the way that led to the city, surrounded by mountains, see ( Psalms 125:2 ) .

2 Samuel 13:34 In-Context

32 Et Jonadab, fils de Shimea, frère de David, prit la parole et dit: Que mon seigneur ne dise point qu'on a tué tous les jeunes gens, fils du roi; car Amnon seul est mort; et c'était là le dessein d'Absalom depuis le jour où Amnon outragea Tamar sa sœur.
33 Maintenant donc, que le roi mon seigneur ne prenne point la chose à cœur, en disant: Tous les fils du roi sont morts; car Amnon seul est mort.
34 Or Absalom s'était enfui. Et le jeune homme qui était en sentinelle, leva les yeux et regarda; et voici que par la route opposée une grande troupe s'avançait sur le flanc de la montagne.
35 Et Jonadab dit au roi: Voici les fils du roi qui viennent; la chose est arrivée comme ton serviteur a dit.
36 Et comme il achevait de parler, on vit arriver les fils du roi, et ils élevèrent la voix et pleurèrent. Le roi aussi et tous ses serviteurs pleurèrent abondamment.
The Ostervald translation is in the public domain.