2 Samuël 13:34

34 Absalom nu vluchtte; en de jongen, die de wacht hield, hief zijn ogen op, en zag toe, en ziet, er kwam veel volks van den weg achter hem, aan de zijde van het gebergte.

2 Samuël 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 Samuël 13:34 In-Context

32 Maar Jonadab, de zoon van Simea, Davids broeder, antwoordde en zeide: Mijn heer zegge niet, dat zij al de jongelingen, des konings zonen, gedood hebben; maar Amnon alleen is dood; want bij Absalom is er op toegelegd, van den dag af, dat hij zijn zuster Thamar verkracht heeft.
33 Zo neme nu mijn heer de koning de zaak niet in zijn hart, denkende: al des konings zonen zijn dood; want Amnon alleen is dood.
34 Absalom nu vluchtte; en de jongen, die de wacht hield, hief zijn ogen op, en zag toe, en ziet, er kwam veel volks van den weg achter hem, aan de zijde van het gebergte.
35 Toen zeide Jonadab tot den koning: Zie, de zonen des konings komen; naar het woord uws knechts, alzo is het geschied.
36 En het geschiedde, als hij geeindigd had te spreken, ziet, zo kwamen de zonen des konings, en hieven hun stemmen op en weenden; en de koning ook en al zijn knechten weenden met een zeer groot geween.
The Dutch Staten Vertaling translation is in the public domain.