2 Samuel 15:1-10

1 After this, Absalom provided a chariot and horses for himself, and an escort of fifty men.

2 He would get up early and go and stand by the road at the city gate. Whenever someone came there with a dispute that he wanted the king to settle, Absalom would call him over and ask him where he was from. And after the man had told him what tribe he was from,

3 Absalom would say, "Look, the law is on your side, but there is no representative of the king to hear your case."

4 And he would add, "How I wish I were a judge! Then anyone who had a dispute or a claim could come to me, and I would give him justice."

5 When the man would approach Absalom to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out, take hold of him, and kiss him.

6 Absalom did this with every Israelite who came to the king for judgment, and so he won their loyalty.

7 After four years Absalom said to King David, "Sir, let me go to Hebron and keep a promise I made to the Lord.

8 While I was living in Geshur in Syria, I promised the Lord that if he would take me back to Jerusalem, I would worship him in Hebron."

9 "Go in peace," the king said. So Absalom went to Hebron.

10 But he sent messengers to all the tribes of Israel to say, "When you hear the sound of trumpets, shout, "Absalom has become king at Hebron!' "

2 Samuel 15:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 15

This chapter relates how that Absalom by various artful methods stole away the hearts of the people of Israel, 2Sa 15:1-6; that pretending a vow he had made, he got leave of the king to go to Hebron to perform it, 2Sa 15:7-9; where he formed a considerable conspiracy, 2Sa 15:10-12; of which David having information, thought it advisable to depart from Jerusalem, both for his own safety, and the good of the city, which he did with his family, and guards, and much people, 2Sa 15:13-18; though he would have persuaded Ittai the Gittite to have returned, but could not prevail upon him, 2Sa 15:19-23; however, he sent back the priests and the Levites with the ark, lest any harm should come to that, 2Sa 15:24-29; and as he and the people went up the mount of Olives weeping, it was told him that Ahithophel was among the conspirators, on which he put up a prayer that his counsel might be infatuated, 2Sa 15:30,31; and Hushai the Archite coming to him at that juncture, he sent him back to Jerusalem to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, and to send him word by the priests what he should hear there from time to time, 2Sa 15:32-37.

Footnotes

• [a]. [Some ancient translations] four; [Hebrew] forty.
• [b]. [One ancient translation] in Hebron; [Hebrew does not have these words.]