2 Samuel 18:9

9 Soothly it befelled, that Absalom, sitting on a mule, came against the servants of David; and when the mule had entered under a thick oak, and great, the head of Absalom cleaved to the oak; and when he was hanged betwixt heaven and earth, the mule, on which he sat, passed (forth). (And it befell, that Absalom, sitting on a mule, came toward David's men; and when the mule had entered under a great thick oak, Absalom's head got caught in the branches; and while he hung in the air above the ground, the mule, on which he sat, went forth.)

2 Samuel 18:9 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 18:9

And Absalom met the servants of David
When his army was routed, he was in such a fright that he knew not which way to flee, and instead of flying from David's men, he fled in the way of them; but none of them attempted to slay him, nor even to stop him, but let him pass by them, knowing David's charge concerning him:

and Absalom rode upon a mule;
as was common for great personages to do in those days, ( 2 Samuel 13:29 ) ;

and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak;
and running full speed, Absalom could not guide him, nor stop, nor divert him from going under it:

and his head caught hold of the oak;
either the hair of his head was twisted and entangled in the thick boughs of the oak; or rather his head was jammed into a forked branch of the oak:

and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth;
hung in the air between both, as unworthy to live in either:

and the mule that [was] under him went away;
and left him hanging in the oak.

2 Samuel 18:9 In-Context

7 And the people of Israel was slain there of the host of David, and a great slaughter of twenty thousand was made in that day. (And many Israelites were killed there by David's army, yea, there was a great slaughter of twenty thousand that day.)

8 And the battle was scattered there upon the face of all the land, and many more were of the people which the forest wasted, than they which the sword devoured in that day. (And the battle there was scattered over all the countryside, and the forest killed many more people that day, than they whom the sword devoured.)

9 Soothly it befelled, that Absalom, sitting on a mule, came against the servants of David; and when the mule had entered under a thick oak, and great, the head of Absalom cleaved to the oak; and when he was hanged betwixt heaven and earth, the mule, on which he sat, passed (forth). (And it befell, that Absalom, sitting on a mule, came toward David's men; and when the mule had entered under a great thick oak, Absalom's head got caught in the branches; and while he hung in the air above the ground, the mule, on which he sat, went forth.)

10 And some man saw this, and told it to Joab, and said, I saw Absalom hanged on an oak (and said, I saw Absalom hung up in an oak).

11 And Joab said to the man that told to him, If thou saw him, why piercedest thou not him through to the earth, and I should have given to thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle? (And Joab said to the man who told him this, If thou saw him thus, why didest thou not pierce him through to the ground, and then I would have gladly given thee ten silver shekels, and a girdle.)