2 Samuel
Chapter 15
Absalom’s Conspiracy
After this, Absalom got a chariot, horses, and fifty men to run before him.
Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the gateway. Whenever a man with a grievance came before the king’s tribunal, Absalom would call to him and say: “From which city are you?” Should he say: “Your servant is from such and such a tribe in Israel,”
Absalom would tell him: “Your cause is good and just, but there is no one to hear you on behalf of the king.”
Absalom added:“I wish I were a judge in the land! Then, every man with a grievance or cause could come to me, and I would give him justice.”
Whenever a man approached to pay him homage, he would stretch out his arms to hold and embrace him.
Absalom did this to all Israelites who came to the king’s tribunal, winning their hearts for himself.
After four years, Absalom said to the king:“Please allow me to go and fulfill the vow I have to pay to the Lord in Hebron.
For while I lived at Geshur in Aram, I made this vow: ‘If the Lord really brings me back to Jerusalem, I shall go there to worship him!’”
The king said to him: “Go in peace,” and he left for Hebron.
Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel with this instruction: “As soon as you hear the trumpet sound, proclaim: ‘Absalom is king in Hebron!’”
Two hundred men from Jerusalem had left with Absalom as invited guests. But nothing of his purpose dawned on them.
Absalom was offering the sacrifices, so he sent for Ahithophel, the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city, Giloh. In the meantime, the conspiracy grew strong, and the number of people with Absalom kept increasing.
David’s Flight
A messenger reported to David that the Israelites were siding with Absalom.
Then David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem: “Let us flee, for we cannot resist Absalom. Go quickly, lest he come hurriedly and overtake us. Surely, he will put the city to the sword if he can bring disaster upon us.”
The king’s servants answered: “Your servants are with you in whatever, my lord, the king decides.”
The king departed with all his household but left ten concubines behind to take care of the house.
The king left on foot, and the people followed him. They stopped at the last house of the city, and
his servants marched past him, as well as the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath and went ahead of him.
The king told the commander, Ittai, the Gittite: “Why are you also coming with us? Return to your king, for you are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland.
Are you setting out when you have just arrived? Shall I make you wander about with us? Return, take your brothers with you, and may the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.
Ittai answered the king: “As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether in life or death, there also will your servant be.”
Then David told Ittai: “Go then, march on.” So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and all the children who were with him.
Meanwhile, everyone in the countryside wept aloud as everyone passed by. Then the king crossed the brook Kidron, and everyone moved to the desert.
The priest Zadok came with all the Levites bearing the Ark of the Covenant of God. They set down the Ark of God where Abiathar stood until the people had all left the city;
after which the king said to Zadok: “Carry the Ark of God back into the city. If the Lord looks kindly on me, he will bring me back and allow me to see the Ark and its lodging place again.
But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ I am here; let him do to me what seems good to him.”
The king also told the priest Zadok: “See, better go back to the city in peace and take with you your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan, son of Abiathar.
I will wait in the desert fords until you send word for me.”
So Zadok and Abiathar carried the Ark of God back to Jerusalem and remained there.
David himself went up the Mount of Olives, weeping. He was barefoot and had his head covered, and all the people who were with him had their heads covered and wept as they went.
When David was informed that Ahithophel was among the conspirators with Absalom, he said: “O Lord, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into folly.”
When David reached the summit where God is worshiped, Hushai the Archite met him with his coat torn and dust strewn on his head.
David said to him: “If you come with me, you will be a burden to me.
It would be better for you to return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king! Just as I have been your father’s servant in the past, I will now be your servant.’ In that way, you will be useful to me in thwarting the counsel of Ahithophel.
The priests Zadok and Abiathar are there to help you. Report whatever you hear from the king’s house.
Both their sons are there, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son, and you shall report to me through them everything you hear.”
So David’s friend Hushai arrived in the city just as Absalom entered Jerusalem.
Commentaries
Absalom’s Conspiracy.
Absalom believes he is fully qualified to succeed and does not want to wait too long. He fears that if he lets events unfold naturally, he might lose his chance because the king could choose someone else. So, he begins preparing to take the throne. First, he travels in a chariot with escorts to impress the people. Second, he listens to ongoing disputes between the southern and northern tribes. Third, he promises to deliver justice in the courts. For four years, he has been campaigning for himself among the people. Feeling ready to act, he asks the king for permission to go to Hebron to fulfill a vow he made to the Lord. The king agrees and, unknowingly, gives his final words to his son: “Go in peace.” Hebron is a strategic choice because it’s where David began his reign, it’s the hometown of the prince, and Jerusalem has overshadowed it. It could still attract the clans of southern Judah. At the same time, Absalom ensures all the northern tribes rebel, surrounding both the capital and the king. Key figures expected to be involved were removed from the court and neutralized.
David’s Flight.
David recognizes the seriousness of the situation and faces it directly. Regarding the dynasty, fighting would only deepen division within his family and could lead to significant bloodshed. By fleeing, even if he loses the throne, he will still survive with Absalom. Concerning the capital, David knows how easily it can be defended, but a siege would cause great suffering to the residents. As for the Ark, it would stay safe inside the city.
Regarding the kingdom, civil war would only escalate tensions between the South and the North. David’s outlook on the future is unexpected. Prepared for anything, he does not lose hope completely. His confidence is rooted in the Lord. David, a hero in his prime, seeks redemption amidst his misfortune. He flees eastward, accompanied by quarrels and disputes. Ittai’s loyalty to the king is limited because he is a foreigner and has served only briefly; therefore, the king releases him from all duties. Since he cannot offer Ittai anything at the moment, he prays for God’s protection for him. Ittai is free to serve the new king, whom David calls Absalom. He sees himself as he once was—fleeing and lost—but now he is being chased by his son. From the hilltop, they get one last look at the capital. At this point, the narrator mentions the news of Absalom’s entry into Jerusalem.