A verse by verse commentary on 2 SAMUEL 18 dealing with David's great mourning the death of his rebel son Absalom

1. 2 SAMUEL 18 COMMENTARY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Absalom's Death
1 David mustered the men who were with him and
appointed over them commanders of thousands and
commanders of hundreds.
CLARKE, "And set captains of thousands - By this time David’s small
company was greatly recruited; but what its number was we cannot tell. Josephus
says it amounted to four thousand men. Others have supposed that they amounted to
ten thousand; for thus they understand a clause in 2Sa_18:3, which they think
should be read, We are now ten thousand strong.
GILL, "And David numbered the people that were with him,.... Which
Josephus says (d) were four thousand; but one would think there should be more by
what follows:
and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them; he
divided his army into companies, which consisted some of a thousand and others of a
hundred; over each of which he set captains, to lead them on, direct, and command
them in battle.
HENRY, "Which way David raised an army here, and what reinforcements were
sent him, we are not told; many, it is likely, from all the coasts of Israel, at least from
the neighbouring tribes, came in to his assistance, so that, by degrees, he was able to
make head against Absalom, as Ahithophel foresaw. Now here we have,
I. His army numbered and marshalled, 2Sa_18:1, 2Sa_18:2. He had, no doubt,
committed his cause to God by prayer, for that was his relief in all his afflictions; and
then he took an account of his forces. Josephus says they were, in all, but about
4000. These he divided into regiments and companies, to each of which he appointed
proper officers, and then disposed them, as is usual, into the right wing, the left wing,
and the centre, two of which he committed to his two old experienced generals, Joab
and Abishai, and the third to his new friend Ittai. Good order and good conduct may
sometimes be as serviceable in an army as great numbers. Wisdom teaches us to
make the best of the strength we have, and let it reach to the utmost.
JAMISON, "2Sa_18:1-4. David reviewing the armies.
David numbered the people that were with him — The hardy mountaineers
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2. of Gilead came in great numbers at the call of their chieftains, so that, although
without money to pay any troops, David soon found himself at the head of a
considerable army. A pitched battle was now inevitable. But so much depending on
the life of the king, he was not allowed to take the field in person; and he therefore
divided his forces into three detachments under Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, the
commander of the foreign guards.
BENSON, “2 Samuel 18:1-3. David numbered the people that were with him —
Which had flocked to him thither, so as to make up a small army. And finding
himself sufficiently strong to go against the enemy, he resolved not to wait their
coming, but to give the assault; and accordingly marched his forces out of the
city, dividing them into three parts, and setting a captain over each, one of
whom, however, Joab, was, doubtless, also general of the whole army. I will
surely go forth with you myself also — Which he thought would be a great
encouragement to them, and cause them to fight the more valiantly. The people
answered, Thou shalt not go with us — They did not think it advisable that he
should hazard his life, on the preservation of which their common cause, in a
great measure, depended; signifying that if they should be routed, and half of
them slain, Absalom would not think himself a conqueror as long as David was
alive, who might raise new forces and give him battle again. Indeed it was
Absalom’s great error, and the utter ruin of himself and his cause, to go to battle
in his own person, an error into which he was drawn by a divine infatuation,
through Hushai’s craft. Now thou art worth ten thousand of us — Not only for
the dignity of thy person, but also for the importance of our common cause,
which, if thou art slain, is irrecoverably lost. It is better that thou succour us out
of the city — By sending us supplies of men and provisions of all sorts, together
with counsel and advice, as we shall have occasion; and by securing our retreat if
we be defeated.
HAWKER, "(1) ¶ And David numbered the people that were with him, and set
captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.
It is not said what numbers the whole army consisted of. In all probability, it
could not be very many. But Jonathan had before learnt that there is no restraint
on the LORD, to save by many or by few, 1 Samuel 14:6. Sweet thought to the
believer amidst all his warfare!
COFFMAN, "ABSALOM'S DISASTROUS DEFEAT AND DEATH
Absalom had crossed the Jordan River with an immense force of more than forty
thousand men, referred to as "all Israel" in the text. He was riding at the
forefront of this great army in royal style on a mule, probably the favorite mule
that belonged to David. He had abandoned the chariot with fifty young men
running before him and was riding in state anticipating the approaching
overthrow of David, whom he supposed to be hiding in terror within the walls of
Mahanaim. Strung out behind him for many miles were his soldiers. Absalom
had probably rushed on ahead in order to find a good camping place not too far
from Mahanaim, where his great army would pause and get ready for the final
and fatal assault upon David's headquarters. It is simply incredible how much of
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3. this procedure was an enactment of the fanciful vision of Hushai who had filled
Absalom's mind with this "victorious scenario," which was as utterly unrealistic
as anything ever imagined!.
Amasa, the general whom Absalom had placed in control of so vast a force, made
no effort whatever to guard against a surprise attack. Neither he nor Absalom
had supposed for a moment that David would dare to attack such a tremendous
military force as Absalom had brought together.
And what kind of military support had gathered around David? Josephus has
this comment on that. "But when David had numbered his men and found them
to be about four thousand, he resolved not to wait until Absalom attacked
him";[1] but he organized his forces under three commanders and launched a
devastating attack upon Absalom's army in such a manner that Absalom's forces
were taken by surprise and slaughtered with a great slaughter.
DAVID ORGANIZED AND MUSTERED HIS MEN UNDER THREE
COMMANDERS AND ORDERED THE ATTACK
"Then David mustered the men who were with him, and set over them
commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. And David sent forth
the army, one-third under the command of Joab, one-third under the command
of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one-third under the command
of Ittai the Gitate. And the king said to the men, "I myself will also go out with
you." But the men said, "You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care
about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten
thousand of us; therefore it is better that you send us help from the city." The
king said to them, "Whatever seems best to you I will do." So the king stood at
the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by
thousands. And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, "Deal gently for
my sake with the young man Absalom." And all the people heard when the king
gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom."
"One third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of
Abishai ... and one third under the command of Ittai" (2 Samuel 18:2). "It was
common war strategy in ancient times to divide the army into three bodies
(Judges 7:16; 9:43; 1 Samuel 11:11; 13:17; and 2 Kings 9:5-6)."[2] In this
particular case, however, there was another good reason. "Ittai had brought his
clan of foreigners with him, and they would have been reluctant to fight under
an Israelite commander, so David placed the foreigners under Ittai and the
native troops under his nephews Joab and Abishai."[3]
"It is better that you send us help from the city" (2 Samuel 18:3). The men of
David persuaded him not to go into battle for fear that his life might be taken
away, but Absalom's men had taken no such precaution upon his behalf. In fact,
it was Absalom's secret enemy Hushai who persuaded him to lead the army,
"Thus serving Absalom's pride better than his prudence."[4] The argument of
David's men here was that in case reinforcements were needed, David should
remain behind at Mahanaim in order to send them if the situation required it.
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4. "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom" (2 Samuel 18:5).
"Apparently, David still looked upon Absalom as merely a bad boy, and treated
his rebellion as a youthful escape which he could forgive rather easily."[5] David
seems not to have been able to understand that nothing on earth could resolve
the conflict except either his own death, or that of Absalom. "This order of
David put his military men in an impossible dilemma. How could they win the
victory for David, and at the same time deal gently with Absalom"?[6]
CONSTABLE, "The mustering of David's troops 18:1-5
The writer referred to David no less than five times in this section as "the king,"
leaving no doubt as to who was the legitimate ruler and who was really in
charge. Perhaps David instructed his three commanders to deal gently with
Absalom, not only because he was his son, but because God had dealt gently with
David for his sins.
"The truth was that David acted as a father but not as a king-as if he and
Absalom had had some minor domestic quarrel which could be put right by an
apology and a handshake. He failed to see Absalom as a traitor and a rebel,
whose actions had caused a great deal of harm to the stability and welfare of the
kingdom, to say nothing of the great loss of life in the civil war (2 Samuel 18:7).
Yet every parent will feel a good deal of sympathy with David's viewpoint."
[Note: Payne, p. 245.]
CONSTABLE, "The end of Absalom 18:1-18
"In the overall structure of 2 Samuel 15:1 to 2 Samuel 20:22, the story of
Absalom's death (2 Samuel 18:1-18) provides a counterpoise to that of Shimei's
curse (2 Samuel 16:5-14 ...). Just as in the earlier narrative an adversary of
David (Shimei) curses him (2 Samuel 16:5, 2 Samuel 16:7-8, 2 Samuel 16:13), so
also here an adversary of David (Absalom) opposes him in battle (2 Samuel
18:6-8); just as in the earlier account David demands that Shimei be spared (2
Samuel 16:11), so also here David demands that Absalom be spared (2 Samuel
18:5; 2 Samuel 18:12); and just as in the earlier episode a son of Zeruiah
(Abishai) is ready to kill Shimei (2 Samuel 16:9), so also here a son of Zeruiah
(Joab, 2 Samuel 18:2) is ready to kill Absalom-and indeed wounds him, perhaps
mortally (2 Samuel 18:14-15)." [Note: Youngblood, p. 1017.]
LANGE, "2 Samuel 18:1 sq1) The mustering of the whole body of people with
David, which had been constantly growing by reinforcements from the country
east of the Jordan; 2) the division into smaller bodies of hundreds and
thousands; 3) the organization of the whole army in three grand divisions under
Joab, Abishai and Ittai the Gittite, comp. 2 Samuel 15:29. He “gave them into the
hand” (Vulg.), that Isaiah, put them under the command of Joab and the others
[Eng. A. V. not so well: “sent forth under the hand”].
PULPIT, "And David numbered. The verb really means that he organized his
army, and arranged it in companies and divisions. As Absalom gathered all
Israel to him, there would be some delay; and David, like a wise general, made
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5. use of it for training the brave but undisciplined men who had joined him,
chiefly from Gilead. Besides these, he had with him numerous veterans, whose
skill and experience would be invaluable in such service. The result was that
when the rebels came to close quarters, they had a vast body of men, but David a
disciplined force, which, under skilful generalship, scattered Absalom's raw
levies with ease. The arrangement into thousands and hundreds was in
accordance with the civil divisions (Exodus 18:25), both being, in fact, dictated
by nature as multiples of our hands.
K&D, "Preparation for war. - 2Sa_18:1-2. David mustered the people that were
with him, and placed over them captains of thousands and hundreds, and divided
them into three companies, under the generals Joab, Abishai, and Ittai the Gathite,
who had given such decided proofs, according to 2Sa_15:21-22, of his fidelity to
David. ‫ד‬ַ‫י‬ ְ ַ‫ח‬ ֵ ִ‫,שׁ‬ to leave to the hand of a person, i.e., to his power, is used here in the
sense of placing under his direction. The people opposed in the most decided manner
the wish of the king to go with them to the war, saying (2Sa_18:3), “Thou shalt not go
out: for if we flee, they will take no heed of us (i.e., attach no importance to this); and
if half of us die, they will take no heed of us: for thou art as ten thousand of us (we
must evidently read ‫ה‬ ָ ፍ for ‫ה‬ ָ ַ‫,ע‬ and ‫ה‬ ָ ַ‫ע‬ has merely got into the text in consequence
of ‫ה‬ ָ ַ‫ע‬ְ‫ו‬ following): and now it is good that thou be ready to give us help from the city”
(the Chethib ‫יר‬ִ‫ז‬ ְ‫ע‬ ַ‫,ל‬ inf. Hiphil for ‫יר‬ִ‫ז‬ ֲ‫ע‬ ַ‫ה‬ ְ‫,ל‬ is not to be disputed). David was to stay
behind in the city with a reserve, that he might be able to come to their relief in case
of need.
BI 1-17, "And David numbered the people that were with him.
The fatal fight
This chapter is a narrative of that fatal fight wherein Absalom the son, fought with
David his father for the kingdom of Israel.
I. The antecedents of the battle.
1. David mustered all his forces, which Josephus reckons but four thousand, yet
Comestor computes them to be seven thousand (2Sa_18:1), but ‘tis probable they
were many more from these cogent reasons.
(1) David’s army must needs be greatly augmented by the two tribes and half
beyond Jordan, who, living far distant from Absalom’s court at Jerusalem,
had not been corrupted with that usurper’s flatteries, nor alienated in their
affections to David, whom they knew to be a good king, and made now
miserable only by an unnatural rebellious son, therefore out of compassion,
as well as out of loyalty, they could not but flock to him in great numbers.
(2) Had they been so small a number as Josephus saith, David needed not to
have been so exact in setting captains over them by hundreds, and by
thousands, and in dividing them into three battalions, and committing them
to the conduct of three generals, as it is expressly recorded in 2Sa_18:12,
though the number be not, etc.
(3) That expression, “Thou art worth ten thousand of us” (2Sa_18:4) doth
imply that this number was but the one-half of the army, beside a fourth part
of it left behind to garrison Mahanaim.
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6. (4) ‘Tis certain they were such a considerable army as therewith David durst
venture to take the field, and rationally commit his righteous cause to the trial
of a pitched battle.
(5) David’s prospect of his victory, whereof he was so confident, that he
giveth charge to his army not to kill Absalom, but only to take him prisoner.
Though victory doth not, indeed, depend upon the multitude of armies, yet
David knew well he ought not to tempt the Lord, and to expect a conquest by
a miracle (which God had not promised), but by the use of probable means.
2. David’s offering himself to hazard his royal person with his army in the field-
battle (2Sa_18:2.)
3. The armies’ refusal of his royal offer (2Sa_18:3), which they did not out of any
contempt of the king to cross his kingly power and pleasure, but out of the
highest veneration to his royal person, which made them so careful and
conscientious for his personal preservation, and they grounded their laudable
refusal of his offer upon solid reasons:
(1) Thou art the main mark the rebels aim at, and should they know that thou
art in the field they would bend all their forces against thee, as (1Ki_22:31)
the Syrians did.
(2) The slaughter of thee (whom only the rebels resolve to ruin) would rejoice
them more than the slaughter of ten thousand of us thy subjects, for then
have they their end, to set up Absalom in thy throne (2Sa_17:2.)
(3) The dignity of thy person exalts thee above ten thousand of us, and
therefore thy ruin by the rebels would do ten thousand times more damage to
the state of Israel.
(4) But if thou be kept alive, though the rebels rout us, yet mayst thou recruit
a new and another army, and so disappoint them still from accomplishing
their design.
4. David’s prudence to the people, and his indulgence to his rebellious son (2Sa_
18:4-5.)
(1) From his natural, affectionate disposition, always a fond father to his
children, full of clemency, insomuch that be spared Saul his enemy when in
his power once and again (1Sa_24:1-22; 1Sa_26:1-25.) No wonder, then, if he
were for sparing his eldest son.
(2) He doth not call him my son, because that would have aggravated his
crime, but Hebr. the boy, or young man, imputing his heinous rebellion to the
heat of his youth, which makes men heady, high-minded, and inclinable to
evil counsels and practices; but if he might be spared and live till he were
older, age and experience would make him wiser.
(3) David was conscious to himself that he was the meritorious and procuring
cause of this rebellion, and that Absalom was given up of God to punish
David’s sins (2Sa_12:11-12), and therefore pitied him.
(4) This pious father would not have his impious son to die in his sin, without
repentance, for then soul and body perish for ever.
(5) Peter Martyr makes David a type of Christ,, who prayed for his crucifiers,
as David did here, for a rebel son against his father.
II. Now come we to The concomitants of this fatal fight.
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7. 1. The place where the battle was fought, ‘tis called the wood of Ephraim (verse
6), though it was certainly beyond Jordan, so not in that tribe, but called so either
because it was over against Ephraim, or because of forty thousand Ephramites
lost their lives there (Jdg_12:5-6).
2. David’s victory: (verse 7) The battle was soon determined. Absalom’s army
(consisting of raw, inexperienced men in martial matters) stood not the first
shock of David’s old soldiers.
3. “The wood devoured more than the sword” (verse 8.):Behold, here David’s
policy and Absalom’s infatuation to fight in so fatal a place as the wood of
Ephraim which had been so fatal to Oreb and Zeeb in Gideon’s time (Jdg_7:25;
Jdg_8:3), and to the Ephramites also (Jdg_12:5-6.) The routed rabble, running
from death, ran to it while they ran into the wood to hide themselves; some fell
upon stubs that did beat the breath out of their bodies when they had spent the
most of it by their hasty running away; some for haste plunged themselves into
pits and ditches which were in the wood (verse 17), and which either they saw not
(being covered with the rubbish of the wood), and so their violent flight hurried
them in at unawares. So dreadful a thing it is to provoke the Lord of Hosts, who
call arm all things to destroy us, etc.
4. Absalom was hanged by the neck upon the forked bough of an oak in this same
wood (verse 9).
(1) Absalom met David’s soldiers, and they, according to David’s command,
spared him, and gave him an opportunity to escape, but Divine vengeance
would not spare him.
(2) The great God directed the branch of the oak, as he rode under it, to catch
hold of his long hair that was loosely dishevelled upon his shoulders, and
there hangs him up by the neck betwixt heaven, and earth, as one rejected of
both, and not fit to live in either of them.
(3) Some do wonder how Absalom came here among the thickets of the
wood, where there was no way, especially for riders? Sanctius wittily observes
that seeing it is said, “Absalom met David’s servants by chance,” it seems he
rather peeped upon them (fighting in the battle) out of some safe and secret
place than fought against them in the front of the fight; this was a chief leader
and general likely to conquer. However, this is beyond doubt that when he
saw his rabble were routed, a dreadful fright fell upon him, and fleeing, left
the common road and rode among the thickets, till caught by his long locks
(such as Samson had, Jdg_16:13) in a crotch of the oak.
(4) He being held fast there by the hair of his head, “his mule that was under
him went away,” which might easily happen, because, being in flight, the mule
passed along very swiftly. As this mule lurched, his master, so will worldly
wealth lurch worldlings at their death, however: and so will false grounded
hopes lurch hypocrites (Job_8:13; Job_11:20), whereas a lively hope (1Pe_
1:3), a daughter of the faith of God’s elect (Tit_1:1) rightly grounded on God’s
promises will not lurch us, no, not at death (Pro_14:32), but will do to us
what Bucephalus, Alexander’s great horse, did to him, which (as Aulus Gellius
reporteth), though deeply wounded in both neck and sides in a battle, yet
carried his master with great speed out of danger of the enemy, and when he
had set his master down in safety then himself fell down and died: So true
hope lands us in glory, then expectation dies into fruition, etc. This unnatural
wretch was unworthy to be slain by the sword, but he must be hanged on a
tree, and so die that cursed death (Deu_21:23, Gal_3:13.) His haughty mind
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8. resolved to be on high, right or wrong, though he made his own too
affectionate father’s carcase a stepping-stone whereon to step up to the
highest throne; and now is he hanged up on high, anti his ambitious head is
in its proper exaltation. He is hanged by that very head wherewith he had
been plotting the worst sort of high treason, against so good a father. His hair,
wherein he had so much prided himself, God made an halter to hang him
with: The instrument of his vainglory became the instrument of his death and
ignominy. So perilous it is to pride ourselves in any habiliments either of
nature or of fortune, seeing the matter of our pride may be the means of our
ruin.
5. The dialogue between General Joab and the soldier that first saw Absalom
hanged in an oak (verse 10, 11, 12, 13.)
(1) It seems Absalom did hang some time before he was seen, being in a by-
path and blind place, this long and lasting colour was far more intolerable
than had he been hanged outright m a halter.
(2) This soldier that first saw him durst not dispatch him, though Absalom
might desire him to do it, to put him out of his pain, as Saul had desired his
armour-bearer on the like account (1Sa_31:4.)
(3) Joab, when he told him what he had seen, chides him for not doing it, and
if he would still go back and do it he would give him a rich reward (verse 11).
Though Joab was desirous that such a public pest were slain, yet would he
rather have it to be done by another hand than by his own, for fear of David’s
displeasure. Politicians, like the ape, pull nuts out of the fire with the paw of a
eat.
(4) The soldier answers (verse 12) I dare not do it for a thousand shekels, for
the king commanded to the contrary (verse 5), it would be as much as my life
is worth, which is of more value to me than all thy thousand shekels, and belts
and badges of valour. What mad men are many, that for a few paltry shillings
play away their precious souls, which this soldier durst not do.
(5) Should I have done it, saith he, I should have been false to myself (verse
13) in betraying myself to David’s revenge, or should I do it now, and then
deny it to save my life by a lie, the king is so wise he would soon discover it,
and then inflict a double punishment upon me not only for my foul fact in
doing it, but also for my falsehood in denying it.
(6) And thou thyself (saith he) wouldst set thyself against me, that is, thou
wouldst become my adversary, or satan, and wouldst be the first that would
accuse me to the king’s court, for doing that which thou now wouldst, draw
me to do against the king’s command. Thus the devil deals with tempted
souls, as Joab would have dealt with this soldier, first he tempts them to sin,
and then he accuses them for sin, as he is the accuser of the brethren (Rev_
12:10, Job_1:9.)
6. Joab’s slaughter of Absalom (verses 14, 15.)
(1) Daring Joab, saith, as his vale or farewell to the soldier.
(2) Behold here the just judgment of God upon this vilely vicious, ambitious
Absalom: He will needs be a new king before his time, and now hath here this
oak for his throne, his twisted hair about the bough for his crown, three darts
in his heart for his sceptre, his proud heart is darted through, and Joab’s ten
armour-bearers for his royal guard, for defiling David’s ten concubines. Thus
God writ his sin upon his punishment, that little breath still left in him these
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9. ten did beat out of his body (verse 15). So here’s ten to ten in both cases.
(3) Joab’s killing of Absalom contrary to the king’s command some condemn,
but others justify and commend it; Peter Martyr and Grotius do canvas this
controversy pro and con, etc. (C. Ness.)
The battle and its issue
1. Before the battle, David does not bear prosperity well. He shines best in trial.
He is greater when fleeing from Saul than when in the palace. His flight without
his crown reveals his real kingliness. Surely David is in much communion with
God. He is pressed with sorrow, but then his character like as myrrh is most
fragrant. He is most restful. Fear has gone. He pillowed his head on the truth,
that ever drives fear away. Such a calm restfulness would be sure to give
indications of God’s nearness, and we find many signs of Divine guidance. How
discreet he is! How they are blundering at Jerusalem! How wise to make
Mahanaim his headquarters, though most probably his choice was made all
unconscious of its splendid adaptability to the necessities of the hour. He was led
by a “Hand Divine.” Did David pray for wisdom? Surely such quiet restfulness in
God’s guidance is ever accompanied by prayerful fellowship! The Father of light
gives to those who ask: how far wiser should we be if we asked! Was it this
hallowed experience at Mahanaim which evoked his impressive charge to
Solomon? (1Ch_22:12; 1Ki_3:9.) So passed the week before the battle.
2. Concerning the battle itself, as to details of conflict, we know little. Probably
Absalom has been three months king. According to the counsel of Hushai, he
heads the army. The first shock decided the fortunes of the day, as indeed is still
common in Eastern warfare, and Absalom’s army flees in confusion. David’s
army is victorious, and ere the evening came all Israel and Judah knew that David
had conquered.
3. After the battle. David is sitting between the two gates (2Sa_18:24) waiting for
the news. The watchmen upon the wall are gazing anxiously, and yet more
anxious is the expectation of the king. All is so graphically told. His hope when he
hears the bearer is Ahimaaz, the parent-heart asking for his son amid the news of
victory, the falsity of the messenger when face to face with the agitated king
(2Sa_18:29), the quickened hope so bluntly quenched by the less cautious Cushi,
and then the wail, that has been echoed from so many hearts since: “O my son
Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
(1) An entire absence of resignation to God’s will. Strange, is it not, that
which is so prominent in all his other times of trial is prominent by its
absence here! He abandons himself uncontrolledly to his feelings. Unless
those in public places of honour sink their private feelings in public duty, why
are they there? David’s heart is lacerated now. His own sins make his grief the
heavier. We note too—
(2) His petulant wish and foolish complaint. Had he died in place of
Absalom, what would have become of Israel with such a king, and where the
promise of God to him? On public grounds David’s utterance can find no
justification, and Joab is right when he arouses him from his selfish grief.
Better for David had he sought, in the early days of his son’s life, by prayer
and holy conduct, to have lived for his children than wished to die for them.
We need to learn it is better to live for our children than wail a wish to die
over characters we have helped to form. Still, we can but admire him as a
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10. father! Does love first ruin and then pray? We can, however, understand the
wail of David if he was thinking of the eternal interests. This was agony time
might mitigate and soften but never obliterate. Before the mysterious in the
dealings of God with him, he bowed in an agony Joab could not understand.
That surely is one of the sad penalties of declension from the ways of God.
Grief was borne by him and not carried to God. Hence for a while David’s
character is clouded again. (H. E. Stone.)
David and Absalom
1. The first thing that strikes us in chap. 18, is the “reward of faithfulness” in the
appointment of the three captains. (Luk_22:28-30.)
2. The charge concerning Absalom (v. 5; Rom_12:19; Gal_6:1)—a lesson for us in
our treatment of others. The Lord is ever saying, “Deal gently with my rebels.”
“The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” We are too like Joab,
so indignant against the sinner that we forget our own weakness, and yet he
followed Adonijah! And we too generally find when we are very indignant against
soma one else, we are pretty sure to go away and commit the same sin.
3. The fate of Absalom. Two things are said to have contributed to his fate—his
ostentation in going into battle on a mule instead of on foot, as David and all
warriors did, and his vanity in wearing his hair long (though it does not follow
that this caused his death, as we are only told that he was caught by his head,
probably his helmet). The heap of stones—disgrace. (Jos_7:26.)
4. The king’s grief. (Luk_19:41; Rom_5:7.) A beautiful contrast between type and
antitype “Would God I had died.” “I lay down my life for the sheep.” (R. E.
Faulkner.)
Absalom: a character study
I. The first suggested point in this Old Testament character study is, that of a royal
father and son in deadly antagonism. The ground of this antagonism was Absalom’s
attempt to usurp the throne. He sought by intrigue to dethrone his father, and to
seize the kingdom and crown for himself. There is another antagonism of a more
momentous character raging to-day between the Royal Father in heaven and the
rebel Absaloms in our midst. An antagonism spiritual in its nature, gigantic in its
proportions, fearful in its tendencies, tremendous in its issues. It is hostility between
the creature and his Creator, the subject and his Sovereign, the recreant son and his
loving, all-compassionate Father. Wonder, O heavens, and be astonished, O earth!
Can the finite contend with the Infinite? Can the worm: strive with his Maker? Can
man fight with God? “Woe unto him,” says the prophet, “that striveth with his
Maker.” “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel but not of
Me, and that cover with a covering but not of My spirit, that they may add sin to sin.”
“The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man. He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war.
He shall cry yea, roar. He shall prevail against His enemies.”
II. The second practical suggestion of this Old Testament character study is, that the
means used to escape from the king’s servants brought defeat and death. Absalom
depended on the fleetness of his mule for safe and speedy flight, which, had it been
on the unobstructed highway instead of the untrodden, perilous forest path, might in
all human probability have been accomplished. As it was, the fleeter the animal, the
greater the danger of becoming entangled among the trees of the wood. So it is to-day
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11. with the modern Absaloms who have formed conspiracies against goodness, purity,
justice, right; who are subtly or openly assailing the kingdom of truth, the throne of
God, the kinghood of the Nazarene, doing their utmost to wrench the sceptre of
authority from His grasp, and to dash the diadem of divinity from His kingly head,
they are getting the worst of the contest. Absalom-like, they are trying to evade the
King’s army, to escape the King’s pursuing servants, but ere long they will find the
giant oak of Divine retribution in the way, which will grasp them between its mighty
arms, while their fleet-footed “mules” will go suddenly from under them.
1. Some have mounted the “mule” of intellectual pride, and are posting off into
the wood of scepticism, rationalism, deism, agnosticism, secularism, atheism.
Much learning is generally conceit, and conceit is turning men intellectually and
morally insane. “Advanced thought” is but the synonym for advanced alienation
of the heart from the living God, and “advanced thought” is only the modern form
of unbelief. Pseudo-philosophy is weaving a shroud for the burial of truth. Men
to-day glory in what they do not rather than in what they do know. Ignorance
seems bliss. Doubting is emphasised and glorified. Believing and knowing are
childish. Thus the advocates of doubt, the spastics of unbelief, the boastful know-
nothings, have exiled from their little world the Creator, and enthroned blind
chance or arrogant-reason. They have struck out from their sky the blazing sun of
truth, and are groping their way amid the shadows and uncertainties of a
scholarly scepticism or an ignorant know-nothingism! In a word, they have
mounted the mule of intellectual vanity, imagining thereby to escape God, who
pursues them on the line of their intuitions, moral instincts, inner consciousness,
and crushed but not extinguished spiritual nature, not knowing that there is a
mystic tree of judgment, whose giant branches shall seize their haughty heads
and swing their spirits back to the God who gave them.
2. Again, there are others who are trying to escape from their convictions of right,
duty, and personal responsibility to humanity and God on the “mule” of alcohol.
Such foolish Absaloms I have known. Some of them men of broad intellect, wide
reading, and splendid parts, but weak on one side of their nature in more senses
than one. For years there has been hostility to God, the will running counter to
the Divine Will, the actions contrary to the Divine Commands, the heart opposite
to the Divine Spirit. They have defied the Divine Almightiness, trampled in the
dust the Divine Law, and flung insult and injury on the Divine Heart of Love.
Thus have they tried to get away from conscience, remorse, God! But what folly.
True, they may drown conviction for a time, but only for it to come back with
tenfold force. I can conceive of no infatuation greater than that of a man resorting
to drink in order to drown trouble, quell fear, or quiet conscience. As well attempt
to extinguish debt by burning the creditor’s bills, or to ease pain by plunging the
hand into the fire, as to evade trouble, remorse, God, by fleeing to the gin palace
or the beershop. In reality this method is only adding fuel to the fires of
conscience, poignancy to the stings of remorse, terror to the recurring thought of
God and eternity. It is heaping up wrath against the day of wrath. Absalom never
intended riding rote the jaws of death, but he got there. Once seized by the iron
grip of the drink appetite, and it clutches a man most insidiously but surely; there
is little or no chance of release from its fatal consequences.
3. Once more, others in society to-day are making the effort to escape from their
convictions of right, duty, God, on the “mule” of absorbing worldliness. They
have plunged into business, and are, driving bargains and speculations furiously.
They have invested all their capital, their energies, talents, attention, interests,
being, with its wealth of possibilities, in pushing trade to a golden success.
Principle has to do homage to policy, morality to bow to fraud or the ordinary so-
11

12. called “tricks of trade” in order to pile up a pyramid of gold and to rank as
merchant princes. It is business, nothing but business; bargains, nothing but
bargains; the muck-rake of mammon and nothing else, until they become walking
icebergs of materialism. But conscience lifts up its thunderous voice and pours
forth a whole valley of warnings, threatenings, alarms. Its voice is unpleasant. Its
constant speakings are distracting and offensive. To get beyond its condemnatory
voice they spur on their “mule” into the denser wood, the more perilous forest of
worldliness, oblivious of the Nemesis of retribution which will seize their sordid
soul, and swing them into eternal poverty with a Dives and a rich fool.
4. Another, as the representative of a large class, has saddled the “mule” of
worldly pleasure. He rides in search of carnal amusement, delight of the senses,
spurning religion which holds the true secret of abiding happiness by fixing itself
within the man. He hurries hither and thither, seeking job: from without, rootless
joy, and all he gets proves false, precarious, brief. Like gathered flowers, though
fair and fragrant for awhile, it speedily withers and becomes offensive. Whereas
joy from within, rooted in God, is akin to drinking in aroma from the rose on the
tree; it becomes more sweet and beautiful; it is enduring; it is immortal. To live in
the realm of sense is to die in the realm of sorrow I Believe me, there is no
pleasurist of this world without his Eve, no Eve without her serpent, and no
serpent without its sting. “The wages of sin is death.” “The sting of death is sin.” I
tell you, you cannot get away from all God’s servants. If you escape pinching
poverty, blasting pestilence, drivelling insanity, torturing affliction, painful
bereavement, there is one servant that will overtake you, “the pale horse and his
rider.” That horse of untiring strength and unpausing celerity is teeter of foot
than your “mule.” (J. O. Keen, D. D.)
Bush warfare
This district appears to have resembled the bush of Australia and the jungle of India.
It was not a dense forest, but consisted of rocky ground covered with prickly shrubs
and tangled underwood, having stout oaks and other trees as well as precipitous
glens to increase its terrors and perils. Such a place of thickets and thorns was called
in Bible times “yaar,” and now is known as “waar.” It would give a certain advantage
to a smaller force of experienced warriors like David’s in resisting the onset of a
larger but less disciplined array such as followed Absalom. Probably, too, many of the
latter were more accustomed to the bare wadies (or valleys) and limestone rocks of
Western Palestine, while the loyalists were not unfamiliar with bush warfare, British
troops have often had to encounter difficulties and dangers similar to those which
aided to defeat Absalom on this occasion. During the war of 1755, several of King
George’s best regiments were nearly annihilated in a thick wood near Pittsburgh, in
Pennsylvania. Embarrassed by the brushwood and irregular trees, they could not
perceive their Indian foes, who, keeping out of sight, discharged their muskets, with
horrible yells more disconcerting than the weapons. (Sunday Companion.)
PINK, “The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but
for a moment" (Job 20:5)—often so even when measured by human and
temporal standards: how much more so in the light of eternity! Alas, that our
hearts are so little affected by that unspeakably solemn consideration—a never-
ending future: enjoyed under the blissful approbation of God, or endured
beneath His frightful curse. What are the smiles and honors of men worth, if
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13. their sequel be the everlasting frown of the Almighty? The pleasures of sin are
but "For a season" (Heb. 11:25), whereas the pleasures which are at God’s right
hand are "for evermore" (Ps. 16: 11). Then what shall it profit a man if he
should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Yet how many, like Esau of
old, place more value upon a mess of pottage than the blessings of heaven. How
many, like Ahab, will sell themselves to do evil in order for a brief moment of
pleasure or fame.
"The triumphing of the wicked is short." Yes, and so it proved with David’s wretched
son. Absalom had laid his plans carefully, executed them zealously, and bad carried
them out without any compunction (2 Sam. 15:1, 2, 5). He had taken a mean
advantage of his father’s indisposition and had stolen the hearts of many of his
subjects from the king. He aspired to the kingdom, and now determined to seize the
throne for himself (15:10). He had assembled his forces at Jerusalem, and had the
powerful Ahithophel to counsel him. He had ruthlessly determined that his father’s
life must be sacrificed to his ambition, and had now gone forth at the head of the army
to accomplish his death (17:24). His triumph seemed to be assured, but unknown and
unsuspected by himself, he was going forth to meet his own tragic but fully merited
doom.
"And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands
and captains of hundreds over them" (2 Sam. 18:1). As Ahithophel had foreseen, the
delay of Absalom had afforded David the opportunity to greatly augment his forces.
Though considerable numbers had joined the rebel, yet there must have been many
scattered throughout Israel who still remained loyal to David, and as the news of the
insurrection spread abroad, no doubt hundreds of them took up arms and went forth to
assist their fugitive king. That his army had, by this time, been greatly strengthened, is
clear from the terms of this verse. David now proceeded to muster and marshal his
reinforcements so that they might be used to the best advantage. He girded on the
sword with some of the animation of early days, and the light of trustful valor once
more shone in his eyes.
It seems quite clear that, by this time, David had no fear of what the outcome would
be of the coming conflict. He had committed his cause to God, and looked forward
with confidence to the issue of the impending battle. The striking answer which God
had given to his prayer that the counsel of Ahithophel might be turned to foolishness,
must have greatly strengthened his faith. His language at the close of Psalms 42 and
43 (composed at this period) witness to his hope in the living God. Yet let it be duly
noted that strong faith did not produce either sloth or carelessness, David acted with
diligence and wisdom: marshalling his forces, putting them in good order, dividing
them to best advantage, and placing them under the command of his most experienced
generals. In order to insure success, our responsibility is to employ all lawful and
prudent means. Declining to do so is presumption, and not faith.
"And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third
part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and a third part
under the hand of Ittai the Gittite" (v. 2). How true it is that there is nothing new under
the sun. Military tactics were conducted along the same lines then as they are now:
David disposed his forces into a central army, with right and left protecting flanks.
"And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also" (v. 2).
David was not lacking in courage, and was ready and willing to share any danger with
his men. Yet we believe there was something more than bravery evidenced by these
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14. words: was he not anxious to be on the spot when the crisis arrived, so that he could
protect his wayward son from the fury of his soldiers! Yes, we see here the father’s
heart, as well as the king’s nobility.
"And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also." His
desire was still upon Absalom, judging that his presence might help to shield him, for
he was of too soft a heart to disown the feelings of a father, even toward one who had
risen up in rebellion against him. Yet it seems to us that there was something of a
deeper character which prompted David at this time. He would feign go forth himself
because he realized that it was his sin which had brought all this trouble upon the
land, and he was far too noble minded to let the risks of battle find any in the
foreground but himself. Let not the reader forget what we pointed out several times in
the preceding chapters, namely, that it is as the humble renitent David is to be viewed
throughout this connection: this it is which supplies the key to various details in these
incidents,
"But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not
care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art worth ten
thousand of us, therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city" (v. 3).
This is indeed beautiful. David had shown his affection for his faithful followers, and
now they evidence theirs for him. They would not hear of their beloved king
adventuring himself into the place of danger. How highly they esteemed him! and
justly so: he was not only possessed of qualities which could well command, but of
those which held the hearts of those who knew him best. The deep veneration in
which he was held comes out again at a later date, when he was hazarding his life in
battle with the Philistines: his men sware to him saying, "Thou shalt go no more out
with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel" (21:17). He was their "light":
their leader, their inspirer, their joy, the honored and loved one, in favor with God and
man.
"And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by
the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands" (v. 4). "He
might be more serviceable to them by tarrying in the city, with a reserve of his forces
there, whence he might send them recruits—that may be a position of real service,
which yet is not a position of danger. The king acquiesced in their reasons, and
changed his purpose. It is no piece of wisdom to be stiff in our resolutions, but to be
willing to hear reason, even from our inferiors, and to be overruled by their advice,
when it appears to be for our own good. Whether the people’s prudence hid an eye to
it or no, God’s providence wisely ordered it, that David should not be in the field of
battle; for then his tenderness had certainly interposed to save Absalom’s life, whom
God had determined to destroy (Matthew Henry).
Personally, we regard the king’s acquiescence as another indication of his chastened
heart. There is nothing that more humbles and meekens the soul than a spirit of
genuine repentance, as nothing more tends to harden and swell with self-importance
than the absence of it. He who is blind to his own faults and failings, is unprepared to
listen to the counsels of others: an unbroken will is self-assertive and impervious to
either the feelings or wishes of his fellows. But David was sorrowing over his past
sins, and that made him tractable and in a condition to yield to the desire of his men.
As he stood at the gate, watching his army go forth to the battle of the wood of
Ephraim, victory or defeat would be much the same to him. Whatever the outcome,
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15. the cause must be traced back to his own wrong doing. He must have stood there with
a sad remembrance of that other battle, in which a devoted servant had fallen, as one
murdered by his own hand (2 Sam. 11:24).
"And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake
with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave
all the captains charge concerning Absalom" (v. 5). So great was David’s love for his
wayward son that, even now, he sought to deliver him from the stroke of death. He
knew that Absalom was an excuseless rebel, who sought his life and throne, who had
proven himself to be the very incarnation of iniquitous ingratitude, of unfeeling
cruelty, of unadulterated wickedness, of Satanic ambition. He was guilty of treason of
the vilest sort, and his life by every law of justice was entirely forfeited; yet in spite of
all, the heart of David remained steadfast unto him. There is nothing recorded in Holy
Writ which exhibits so vividly the depth and power of human affection, nothing which
displays so touchingly love for the utterly unworthy. Therefore, is it not designed to
turn our thoughts unto a higher and purer Love!
Yes, see this aged parent, driven from his home, humiliated before his subjects,
stricken to the very depths of his heart by the murderous hatred of the son whom he
had forgiven and honored, loving this worthless and devil-driven youth with an
unchanged devotion, that sought to save him from his just and impending doom. Yet
wonderful as this was, it provides only a faint shadow of the amazing love of Christ,
which moved Him to set His heart upon "His own," even while they were totally
depraved, utterly corrupt, dead in trespasses and sins. God commended His love
toward us by the death of His Son (Rom. 5:8), and it was for the rebellious and the
ungodly that He was crucified. Nor can anything ever separate us from that love: no,
"Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end" (John
13:1). Verily, such love "passeth knowledge."
"So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of
Ephraim" (v. 6). This statement has presented quite a problem to the commentators,
some going so far as to (irreverently) say there was a slip of the historian’s pen. As we
have seen, both David and Absalom had crossed the Jordan and were now "in the land
of Gilead" (17:22, 26), which was on the eastward side of the river; whereas their
territory lay wholly on the west of it. How, then, ask the skeptics, could this battle be
said to have taken place in "the wood of Ephraim"? Did the narrator err in his
geography? Certainly not: it is the critics who display their ignorance of sacred
history.
We do not have to go outside of the Scriptures in order to discover the solution to this
"serious difficulty." If we turn back to Judges 12, we discover that an attack was made
by "Ephraimites" upon Jephthah in the land of Gilead, under pretense of a wrong
being done them when they were not invited by the latter to take part in his successful
invasion of Ammon. Jephthah sought to soothe his angry assailants, but in vain. A
battle was fought near "the passages of the Jordan" (Judges 12:5), and Ephraim met
with fearful slaughter: in all forty-two thousand of their men being put to death. Now
an event so fearful was not likely to pass away without some memorial, and what
more natural than to name their grave, the Aceldama of their tribe, by this name "the
wood of Ephraim" in the land of Gilead!
For a short while the battle was furious, but the issue was not long left in doubt: the
rebels suffering a heavy defeat: "The people of Israel were slain before the servants of
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16. David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men, For the
battle was here scattered over the face of all the country: and the wood devoured more
people that day than the sword devoured" (vv. 7, 8). "Now they smarted justly for their
treason against their lawful prince, their uneasiness under so good a government, and
their base ingratitude to so good a governor; and found what it was to take up arms for
an usurper, who with his kisses and caresses had wheedled them into their own ruin.
Now where are the rewards, the preferment’s, the golden days, they promise
themselves from him? Now they see what it is to take counsel against the Lord and
His anointed, and to think of breaking His bands asunder" (Matthew Henry).
Most evident was it on which side the Lord was. All was confusion and destruction in
the ranks of the apostate. The anointed eye may discern the hand of God as manifest
here as, on a former occasion, it has been at Gideon: as there the "hailstones," so here
the "wood" devoured more than the sword. No details are given so it is useless to
conjecture whether it was pits and bogs or the wild beasts that infested those forests:
sufficient that it was God Himself who fought against them—conquering them by a
much smaller force than their own, and then, their being pursued by His destructive
providences when they sought to escape the sword. Nevertheless, such wholesale
slaughter of Israel—in view of their surrounding enemies—was a serious calamity for
David’s kingdom.
And meanwhile, what of the arch-traitor himself? Ah, he is dealt with separately, and
that, in a manner which still more conspicuously displayed God’s hand: he was "made
a show of openly." "And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the
thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up
between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away" (v. 9).
Those boughs, like the hands of a giant, gripped him, holding him fast either by his
neck or by his luxuriant hair (2 Sam. 14:26). His beast continued its progress, leaving
him there, as though glad to be rid of such a burden. There he was suspended, between
heaven and earth, to intimate he was fit for neither. Behold the striking providence of
this: "Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Gal. 3:13)! There he hung as an
object of shame, filled with terror, incapable of delivering himself, unable to either
fight or flee. He remained in this direful situation for some considerable time,
awaiting with horror his merited doom.
Full opportunity was now afforded him to meditate upon his crimes and make his
peace with God. But, alas, so far as the sacred record informs us, there was no
contrition on his part, nothing to intimate that he now felt unfit to either live or die. As
God declared of Jezebel "I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she
repented not" (Rev. 2:21), so the life of Absalom was spared a few more hours, but no
hint is given us that he confessed his fearful sins to God before being summoned into
His holy presence. No, God had no place in his thoughts; as he had lived, so he died—
defiant and impenitent. His father’s love, tears and prayers were wasted on him.
Absalom’s ease presents to us one of the darkest pictures of fallen human nature to be
met with in the whole of God’s Word.
A more melancholy and tragic spectacle can scarcely be imagined than Absalom
dangling from the boughs of that tree. Deserted by his fellows, for they had one and
all left him to his fate; abandoned by God, now that the cup of his iniquity was filled;
a prey to remorse, for though utterly heartless and conscienceless, his thoughts now
must have been of the gloomiest nature. Quite unable to free himself, he was
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17. compelled to wait, hour after hour, until someone came and put an end to his wretched
life. What an unspeakably solemn object lesson is this for the young people of our
day! how clearly the fearful end of Absalom demonstrates the Lord’s abhorrence of
rebellion against parents! God’s Word tells us that it is the fool who "despiseth his
father’s instruction" (Prov. 15:5), and that "whoso curseth his Father or his mother, his
lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness" (Prov. 20:20); and again, "The eye that
mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall
pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it" (Prov. 30:17).
The sands of his hour glass had now almost run out. "And a certain man saw it, and
told Joab, and said, Beheld, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak" (v. 10). This man had
beheld Absalom’s tragic plight, but had made no effort to extricate him: instead, he
went and reported it to the general. "And Joab said unto the man that told him, And,
behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I
would have given thee ten shekels of silver and a girdle. And the man said unto Joab,
Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put
forth mine hand against the king’s son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and
Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom" (vv. 11,
12). And here we must stop. Amidst so much that is revolting, it is a welcome contrast
to behold the obedience of this man to his royal master.
NISBET, "TWO ROYAL PRINCES—A CONTRAST
‘The young man Absalom.’
2 Samuel 18:1-2
‘Jonathan, the son of Saul.’
1 Samuel 19:1
It may impress the lesson of warning from the story of Absalom if we contrast it with
that of Jonathan, all the more that in things outward the two were so much alike, while
in character they were wide as the poles asunder. Looking, then, at the life of
Absalom, we notice:—
I. His advantages.—As a prince of the royal house he had the highest position in the
land next to the king; and though he had been banished for a time for a criminal
offence, he had been pardoned and restored, and was in the full enjoyment of his
father’s favour and affection at the time our story begins. Like Jonathan, he was
princely in appearance, of such charm indeed that it was said that ‘in all Israel there
was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot
even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.’ Add to this those winning
manners which made it so easy for him to steal the hearts of the people, and that
ability which was afterwards so conspicuous in the skilful organising of the
conspiracy. Think what a young man of this kind might have made of his life if only
he had been a man of character! And think how all this made his ruin the greater in the
end. Let us learn from this to make comparatively little of that which is outward,
however showy and attractive, and everything of that ‘hidden man of the heart,’ which
is in the sight of God, and ought to be in our sight, of great price.
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18. II. His sin.—The root of it all was selfish ambition. In Jonathan we have a most
beautiful example of unselfishness. Instead of envying David, and hating him as a
rival, he loved him as his own soul, and did all he could to keep him safe in time of
peril, and help him in time of need, and that once and again at the risk of his own life;
and though his father treated him at times with great cruelty he remained faithful to
him to the last. How different the heart of Absalom! He had no regard whatever for
the feelings of his father, thought only of furthering his own ambitious projects.
Instead of using the gifts which had been so lavishly bestowed upon him in the service
of God and for the good of his fellow-men, he used them solely for his own selfish
advantage. He made a great show of interest in the grievances of the people, not to
help them, or to relieve his father, but again for his own selfish ends. And he stooped
even so low as to kiss those who came to him, for no other purpose than to steal their
hearts. See the meanness and hatefulness of all this, especially as contrasted with the
noble conduct of Jonathan, which so lately filled us with admiration. See, too, how,
one sin leading on to another, he descended to the meanest kind of hypocrisy—the
pretence of religious earnestness. It is most pathetic to see how unsuspicious his father
was while all this was going on, and how readily he believed his son when he
pretended to have the very highest motives in that contemplated journey to Hebron by
which he consummated his treason.
III. His fate.—At first the wicked designs of Absalom seemed greatly to prosper. He
was clever enough to carry the dark plot through to a successful issue, to rally a strong
army round him in Hebron, and with it to advance with such threatening force on the
capital as to compel his father to flee for his life. But when wickedness is successful,
it is only for a time; it always fails in the end; and, accordingly, in the next lesson, we
shall find the cause of Absalom ruined, his army defeated, and himself ignominously
slain. (See Psalms 37, a powerful application of this Lesson.)
IV. The main practical lessons.—
(1) The hatefulness of selfishness.—Recall the picture of Absalom; make a
photograph of him in your fancy; see how noble he looks; what a splendid specimen
of humanity! Yet what a wreck, what a ruin, what a waste of vitality and power, what
a hateful memory! All because he was so selfish, all because he had not love as the
controlling motive of his life. Therefore flee selfishness as the plague; follow after
love as a star, as the sun!
(2) The misery which is sure to follow on the track of sin.—We see this in the case of
Absalom; we see it also in the case of the father. If you follow his family history, you
can trace all this trouble which came upon him back to the great sin against Uriah, a
sin against family purity and peace. Nathan the prophet had given him faithful
warning: ‘Thus saith the Lord, Behold I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own
house.’ The sin had been forgiven; but the forgiveness of sin does not necessarily set
aside the consequences which follow in this life. David felt that he deserved it all, and
18

19. could expect nothing else, as is evident from the way in which he bore himself during
his flight, as for example, when Abishai wished to put Shimei to death for his
shameless insolence to the aged king. Our one great enemy is sin; let us hate it and
fear it, and give it no foothold in our life, no harbour in our hearts.
Illustrations
(1) ‘There is danger in a fine outward appearance entirely dissociated from good
principles. Beauty of person is very attractive; and all the more so when conjoined
with courtly manners. But when the fair outside covers a rotten heart, it is doubly
dangerous.’
(2) ‘At a meeting of the American Prison Discipline Society it was stated, as the result
of the examinations made by that institution into the history and career of the various
criminals confined in the prisons of the United States, that in almost all cases their
course of ruin began in being rebellious to parents. The statement was made by the
secretary of the society, the Rev. Louis Dwight, whose opportunity for observation has
certainly been very great.’
(3) ‘What a pathos there is, and what a tragedy, in the death of Absalom! His sun went
down at noonday. His glory was suddenly quenched in night! The sinner ruins
himself. For him there is no life of virtue and usefulness here. For him there is no
brightness or peace in the hour when “the pulse beats low and the eyes wax dim.” For
him there is no abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdom. He has sown the
wind, and he reaps the whirlwind. And the sinner destroys many others beside
himself. In Absalom’s folly Israel was tempted to share, and in Absalom’s fall Israel
suffered. No man lives to himself alone. And the sinner defrauds and cheats his God.
He was made to glorify Him. He was intended to help His kingdom, and to commend
His grace, and to win new subjects to His sceptre. And, instead, he runs counter to His
purposes, and wounds His heart, and filches from Him that which is His due.’
2 David sent the troops out-a third under the
command of Joab, a third under Joab's brother
Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the
Gittite. The king told the troops, "I myself will surely
march out with you."
BARNES, "A third part - This seems to have been a favorite division with the
19

20. Hebrew commanders (see Jdg_7:16; Jdg_9:43; 1Sa_11:11; 2Ki_11:5-6) and with the
Philistines also 1Sa_13:17.
GILL, "And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of
Joab,.... Very likely that which made the centre of the army, since Joab was the
general of the army; though this distribution was made when David thought to have
headed the army himself, and so made with respect to that:
and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's
brother; who was next to Joab in the army, and fought with him against the Syrians
and Ammonites, 2Sa_10:10,
and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite; of whom see 2Sa_15:19;
of these two parts consisted the right and left wings of the army:
and the king said unto the people; the soldiers, and particularly the officers:
I will surely go forth with you myself also; in which he seemed very resolute
and peremptory; and this he proposed to do, not merely to animate the soldiers with
his presence, and to show that he was willing to hazard his life with them, but chiefly
for the sake of Absalom, to preserve his life, if possible.
HENRY 2-4, "II. Himself over-persuaded not to go in person to the battle. He was
Absalom's false friend that persuaded him to go, and served his pride more than his
prudence; David's true friends would not let him go, remembering what they had
been told of Ahithophel's design to smite the king only. David showed his affection to
them by being willing to venture with them (2Sa_18:2), and they showed theirs to
him by opposing it. We must never reckon it an affront to be gain-said for our good,
and by those that therein consult our interest. 1. They would by no means have him
to expose himself, for (say they) thou art worth 10,000 of us. Thus ought princes to
be valued by their subjects, who, for their safety, must be willing to expose
themselves. 2. They would not so far gratify the enemy, who would rejoice more in
his fall than in the defeat of the whole army. 3. He might be more serviceable to them
by tarrying in the city, with a reserve of his forces there, whence he might send them
recruits. That may be a post of real service which yet is not a post of danger. The king
acquiesced in their reasons, and changed his purpose (2Sa_18:4): What seemeth to
you best I will do. It is no piece of wisdom to be stiff in our resolutions, but to be
willing to hear reason, even from our inferiors, and to be overruled by their advice
when it appears to be for our own good. Whether the people's prudence had an eye to
it or no, God's providence wisely ordered it, that David should not be in the field of
battle; for then his tenderness would certainly have interposed to save the life of
Absalom, whom God had determined to destroy.
HAWKER 2-4, "(2) And David sent forth a third part of the people under the
hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah,
Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king
said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also. (3) But the
people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care
for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art worth ten
thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city. (4)
20

21. And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king
stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by
thousands.
Every one perfectly well knew the personal courage of David; but beside the
reasons here given on both sides for David staying at home, there was in David's
breast, a secret cause to keep him back. How unnatural soever Absalom's
conduct was towards his father, yet David's heart, as the sequel proved, loved
this unnatural child too well to fight against him.
PULPIT, "2 Samuel 18:2
A third part. Armies are usually divided into three divisions: a centre and two
wings when drawn up for battle; a van, the main body. and a rearguard when on
the march. But the Israelites had no settled rule upon the point, and. when
occasion required, Joab divided his army into two parts (2 Samuel 10:9, 2
Samuel 10:10). The reason of the threefold division in this case was that Ittai had
brought his clan, or taf, with him, and as these would certainly not have fought
under an Israelite leader, nor the Israelites under Ittai, David placed all
foreigners under his command, while he gave his own nephews the command of
the native troops. He thus avoided all jealousies; and Ittai's men, honoured by
being made a distinct portion of the army, would feel their reputation at stake,
and would rival the Israelites in valour.
3 But the men said, "You must not go out; if we are
forced to flee, they won't care about us. Even if half
of us die, they won't care; but you are worth ten
thousand of us. It would be better now for you to give
us support from the city."
BARNES, "Succour us out of the city - David, with a reserve, would hold the
city, and either support the bands in case of need, or receive them within the walls
should they be compelled to flee.
CLARKE, "Succour us out of the city - David, with a reserve, would hold the
city, and either support the bands in case of need, or receive them within the walls
should they be compelled to flee.
GILL, "But the people answered, thou shalt not go forth,.... They were as
21

22. resolute as David:
for if we flee away, they will not care for us; to pursue after us:
neither if half of us die, will they care for us; they will make no account of the
victory; but if they could slay David, or get him into their hands, it would be more to
them than if the whole army was routed:
but now thou art worth ten thousand of us; not only in our own esteem, but in
the account of the enemy, who had rather thou shouldest fall into their hands than
ten thousand of us; and as the advantage to them, so the loss to us would be more
than ten thousand men:
therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city; either by
sending them provisions or recruits, that might be there in reserve, if necessary; or
by being ready to receive them into it should they be repulsed; or rather by his
prayers to God for them; so the Targum,"now it is better that thou pray for us out of
the city;''that is, that the Lord would help us; and so most of the Jewish
commentators understand it of helping them by his prayers and counsels.
ELLICOTT, "(3) Now thou art worth ten thousand of us.—The Hebrew text
reads now, but without thou, and as it stands must be translated, now there are
ten thousand like us; but the change of a single letter alters the word now into
thou, and this change should unquestionably be made in accordance with the
LXX. and Vulg., followed by the English. The people urge truly that David is the
very centre of their whole cause, and suggest that, even while avoiding
unnecessary exposure, he may yet be equally helpful by keeping a reserve in the
city to help them in case of need.
LANGE, "2 Samuel 18:3-4. David’s attitude in respect to the impending battle.
1) David’s declaration that he would himself go into the fight; 2) the declaration
of the people that they were unwilling to this, since the point was to secure his
safety for the benefit of the whole people in the battle. “Thou[FN1] art as we ten
thousand,” that Isaiah, equal to ten thousand of us. David was to remain behind
with a reserve-corps, in order in case of need to come to their help from the city,
whence it may be inferred that Mahanaim was a strong place, where a stand
might be made. The king agreed to this prudent proposition,[FN2] and stood at
the gate-side, while the army filed out before him.
PULPIT, "2 Samuel 18:3
It is better that thou succour us out of the city. David thought it to be his duty to
go out with the men who were risking their lives in his cause, but they felt not
only how painful it would be for a father to fight against his son; but also that
there would certainly be a picked body of men who would try to bring the battle
to a rapid end by slaying David. But while they partly urge personal
considerations, their chief argument is that David would be of more use if, posted
with a body of troops at the city, he held himself in reserve to succour any
division that might be in danger. And David, seeing how earnest their wish was,
22

23. yielded to this representation, feeling that it would give steadiness to his men if
they knew that so experienced a general was watching the fight, and was ready to
succour them if they needed aid. As the people say that it would not matter "if
half of us die," and that David "is worth ten thousand of us," Ewald draws the
reasonable conclusion that their whole number was about twenty thousand men.
The Hebrew literally is, "For now ('attah) as us are ten thousand," which might
mean, "There are ten thousand such as we are, but no one like thee." But the
Septuagint and Vulgate read, "But thou (attah) art as ten thousand of us." The
Syriac, however, like the Hebrew, reads "now."
4 The king answered, "I will do whatever seems best
to you."
So the king stood beside the gate while all the men
marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands.
GILL, "And the king said unto them, what seemeth you best I will do,....
Which was an instance of great condescension in him; and it was his wisdom and
prudence to yield to them at such a time as this, and especially as their sentiments
were founded on affection and loyalty to him:
and the king stood by the gate side; of the city of Mahanaim:
and all the people came out by hundreds, and by thousands; and passed by
him, to whom no doubt he gave his blessing and best wishes; and, as Abarbinel
thinks, now it was he composed and said the twentieth psalm, "The Lord hear thee in
the day of trouble", &c. Psa_20:1.
K&D, "The king gave his consent to these proposals, and went to the side of the
gate, whilst the people went out by hundreds and thousands; but in the hearing of all
he commanded the principal generals, “Mildly for me (i.e., deal gently for my sake)
with the boy Absalom.” ‫ט‬ፍ ְ‫ל‬ is not the imperative of ‫ט‬ፍ ָ‫,ל‬ to cover over, which would
not suit the connection, and could not be construed with ְ‫,ל‬ but an adverb from ‫ט‬ፍ, as
in Isa_8:6; 1Ki_21:27; Job_15:11.
ELLICOTT, "(4) What seemeth you best.—David was nothing loth to avoid the
personal encounter with his son, and readily yielded, He, however, encouraged
the troops by reviewing them as they passed out, and improved the opportunity
to give his generals special and public charge concerning Absalom. He speaks of
him tenderly as “the young man” (2 Samuel 18:5; comp. 2 Samuel 18:29; 2
Samuel 18:32), to imply that his sin was a youthful indiscretion.
23

24. PETT, "The Final Battle (2 Samuel 18:4-17). (4b-17)
Some time would by now necessarily have passed since the rebellion began, even
if only in order to give Absalom the time to gather together ‘all Israel’, and in
fact, of course, many loyal men in Israel would have slipped away to join David.
Not all were disaffected or dazzled. Meanwhile we have been told nothing of the
initial skirmishing between the opposing forces, nor of the gathering of people in
general to both sides. The concentration is now all to be on the final, decisive
encounter, and Absalom’s defeat and death. Thus the whole process which began
when David’s forces marched out of Mahanaim (2 Samuel 18:2-5) and went out
into the countryside against Israel (2 Samuel 18:6), will come to its conclusion in
the forest of Ephraim. We are, as so often, told nothing of what happened in
between.
The site of this final battle was the forest of Ephraim. If this was fought in
Gilead, and not far from Mahanaim, the forest of Ephraim may have been so
named after earlier activities in Gilead by the Ephraimites whose land was in the
main on the west of the Jordan rift valley (the Arabah). It may, for example have
been named ‘the forest of Ephraim’ because it was the place where the
Ephraimites had been decisively defeated by Jephthah (Judges 12:1-5). Or it may
have arisen as the result of a jibe whereby the Ephraimites looked on parts of
Gilead as in a sense belonging to them. Note the close connection of
Ephraim/Manasseh with Gilead as indicated by the very jibe ‘you fugitives of
Ephraim’ in Judges 12:4, where they are then called ‘Gileadites in the midst of
Ephraim and of Manasseh’. Thus Gilead had in different ways Ephraimitic
associations in men’s minds, and names are regularly decided in men’s minds
rather than by geographical association. Furthermore parts of Gilead were
thickly forested.
Some have, however, argued for ‘the forest of Ephraim’ as being in the hill
country of Ephraim on the west side of Jordan (where there were certainly thick
forests - Joshua 17:17-18), and as simply being the place where the final action
took place after earlier action had taken place in Gilead east of Jordan and then
on the west side of Jordan. But in those days both sides of the Jordan were well
forested, so that from that point of view either could be possible. In the end it is a
question of little importance, apart from the geographical implications, for what
is seen as mattering is what happened, and Who brought it about. Where it
happened is considered to be secondary.
Analysis.
a And the king stood by the gate-side, and all the people went out by
hundreds and by thousands. And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and
Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom.”
And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning
Absalom (2 Samuel 18:4-5).
b So the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was in
24

25. the forest of Ephraim, and the people of Israel were smitten there before the
servants of David, and there was a great slaughter there that day of twenty units
(thousands) of men, for the battle was there spread over the face of all the
country, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
(2 Samuel 18:6-8).
c And Absalom chanced to meet the servants of David. And Absalom was
riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and
his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between heaven and earth,
and the mule which was under him went on (2 Samuel 18:9).
d And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, “Look, I saw Absalom
hanging in an oak.” And Joab said to the man who told him, “And, behold, you
saw it, and why did you not smite him there to the ground? And I would have
given you ten pieces of silver, and a girdle” (2 Samuel 18:10-11).’
e And the man said to Joab, “Though I should receive a thousand pieces of
silver in my hand, yet would I not put forth my hand against the king’s son, for
in our hearing the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘Beware that
none touch the young man Absalom’ ” (2 Samuel 18:12).
d “Otherwise if I had dealt falsely against his life (and there is no matter
hidden from the king), then you yourself would have set yourself against me” (2
Samuel 18:13).
c Then Joab said, “I may not dally thus with you.” And he took three
javelins in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was
yet alive in the midst of the oak, and ten young men who bore Joab’s armour
gathered round about and smote Absalom, and slew him (2 Samuel 18:14-15).
b And Joab blew the ram’s horn, and the people returned from pursuing
after Israel, for Joab held back the people (2 Samuel 18:16).
a And they took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and
raised over him a very great heap of stones, and all Israel fled every one to his
tent (2 Samuel 18:17).
Note that in ‘a’, David’s forces went out to battle and David pleaded that during
the battle his generals would ensure that Absalom was treated gently, and in the
parallel, far from being treated gently, Absalom was hurled into a great pit in the
forest which was covered with stones, while the rebels fled each to his home. In
‘b’ the great slaughter of the Israelites is described, and in the parallel Joab, once
he was sure that Absalom was dead, called an end to that slaughter and held his
men back from it. In ‘c’ Absalom’s head and hair were caught up in the
branches of an oak tree so that, as his mule continued on, he was left there
hanging by his head or hair, and in the parallel Joab and his men slew him while
he was still entangled and alive in the oak. In ‘d’ a man brought to Joab the news
of Absalom’s entanglement in the oak, and was asked why he had not slain him,
and in the parallel he points out that had he done so he doubted whether Joab
would have been very stout in defending him. Centrally in ‘e’ the man declared
that in view of the king’s command he would not have slain the king’s son for
even a thousand pieces of silver.
25

26. 2 Samuel 18:4 b (e-Sword Note: For commentary on 18:4b, see the commentary
on 2 Samuel 18:3)
‘And the king stood by the gate-side, and all the people went out by hundreds
and by thousands.’
Having been advised by his people not to go with his troops because of his
importance to them, the king stood by the gate in order to see them off to battle,
and no doubt saluted them as they marched by in their units ready for what lay
ahead. They would be a magnificent sight, and while possibly not as numerous as
Absalom’s forces, were undoubtedly more experienced and skilled in the arts of
war. They would be a fearsome sight, for David’s army included not only his
own highly trained troops, ‘his men’ (experienced in forest warfare), and the
unique band described as his ‘mighty men’ (23:8-39), but also the Gittite
mercenaries who had come from Philistia with Ittai. These were all used to
fighting in all conditions and circumstances. unlike Absalom’s troops who were
mainly farmers called up for active service.
5 The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, "Be
gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake."
And all the troops heard the king giving orders
concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.
CLARKE, "Deal gently - with the young man - David was the father of this
worthless young man; and is it to be wondered at that he feels as a father? Who in his
circumstances, that had such feelings as every man should have, would have felt, or
acted otherwise?
GILL, "And the king commanded Joab, and Abishai, and Ittai,.... His three
generals, to whom he had committed his army divided into three parts:
saying, deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom;
he does not call him his son, being in rebellion against him, but the young man, who
was young, and rash, and foolish, and so to be pitied; his request is, that they would
spare him, and not take away his life, when in their power; that they would not aim at
him, and push him hard, and fall upon him with wrath and fury; but if he fell into
their hands, to take him alive, and bring him away, and not put him to death. This
flowed from a natural affection to him, and a concern for the welfare of his soul, that
he might not die in this sin; and also from a consciousness that it was for his own
26

27. sins that he was raised up to rebel against him; and he seems to speak as if he was
certain that the battle would go for him, and against Absalom; and which he might
conclude from the answer of prayer he had in defeating the counsel of Ahithophel:
and all the people heard when he gave all the captains charge concerning
Absalom; not only the three generals, but all the captains of hundreds and
thousands, and this was heard by the common soldiers as well as by the people of the
city that were spectators on this occasion, see 2Sa_18:12.
HENRY, "III. The charge he gave concerning Absalom, 2Sa_18:5. When the army
was drawn out, rank and file, Josephus says, he encouraged them, and prayed for
them, but withal bade them all take heed of doing Absalom any hurt. How does he
render good for evil! Absalom would have David only smitten. David would have
Absalom only spared. What foils are these to each other! Never was unnatural hatred
to a father more strong than in Absalom; nor was ever natural affection to a child
more strong than in David. Each did his utmost, and showed what man is capable of
doing, how bad it is possible for a child to be to the best of fathers and how good it is
possible for a father to be to the worst of children; as if it were designed to be a
resemblance of man's wickedness towards God and God's mercy towards man, of
which it is hard to say which is more amazing. “Deal gently,” says David, “by all
means, with the young man, even with Absalom, for my sake; he is a young man,
rash and heady, and his age must excuse him; he is mine, whom I love; if you love
me, be not severe with him.” This charge supposes David's strong expectation of
success. Having a good cause and a good God, he doubts not but Absalom would lie
at their mercy, and therefore bids them deal gently with him, spare his life and
reserve him for his judgment.
JAMISON, "2Sa_18:5-13. Gives them charge of Absalom.
Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom — This
affecting charge, which the king gave to his generals, proceeded not only from his
overwhelming affection for his children, but from his consciousness that this
rebellion was the chastisement of his own crimes, Absalom being merely an
instrument in the hand of retributive Providence; - and also from his piety, lest the
unhappy prince should die with his sins unrepented of.
BENSON, “2 Samuel 18:5. Deal gently for my sake, &c. — If you conquer,
(which he expected they would, from God’s gracious answer to his prayer, in
turning Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness,) take him prisoner, but do not kill
him. Which desire proceeded from his great indulgence toward his children;
from his consciousness that he himself was the meritorious cause of this
rebellion, Absalom being given up to it for the punishment of David’s sins; from
the consideration of Absalom’s youth, which commonly makes men foolish, and
subject to ill counsels; and from David’s own piety, being loath that his son
should be cut off in the act of his sin without any space for repentance. But
“what means,” says Bishop Hall, “this ill-placed mercy? Deal gently with a
traitor? Of all traitors, with a son? And all this for my sake, whose crown, whose
blood he hunts after? Even in the holiest parents, nature may be guilty of an
injurious tenderness. But was not this done in type of that unmeasurable mercy
of the true King of Israel, who prayed for his murderers, Father, forgive them!
27

28. Deal gently with them for my sake!” Yea, when God sends an affliction to correct
his children, it is with this charge, Deal gently with them for my sake: for he
knows our frame.
COKE, "2 Samuel 18:5. Deal gently for my sake with the young man, &c.— The
king yielded to the affectionate entreaties of the people, that he should not
hazard his life in the battle; and, no doubt, he did it with less reluctance, upon a
reflection that he must otherwise go against his own subjects, and draw his
sword against a rebel son, whom he could not think of but with too much
tenderness, in spite of all his crimes: and as a proof of this, he here gives the
kindest charge concerning him to all his captains. He begs them to deal gently
with that young man; as if all his faults were more those of his youth than of his
nature: but at the same time that his people could not but discern in these words
the excess of his weakness for that profligate son, they could not but observe also
in them a calm presage and assurance of their success against their enemies.
HAWKER, "(5) And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying,
Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the
people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.
Reader! pause over the perusal of this verse, and remark with me, the
astonishing love of David to this most worthless child. Of all the base, ungrateful
sons we read of in history, perhaps none, take it altogether, exceeds the character
of Absalom. We find, very frequently, in the feelings of nature, parents
unaccountably passing by the worth, and tenderness, and affection of many dear
children, to bestow their partiality and favors on one the most undeserving.
Certain it is, that Abraham preferred Ishmael to Isaac, in that he begged of the
LORD that he might have the blessing. See Genesis 17:18. And Isaac evidently
preferred Esau to Jacob, in that, contrary to the divine command, he would have
conferred the blessing of the covenant upon him. See Genesis 27:4. There is no
explaining this upon any other principle than that, in these matters as well as
others, nature and grace are everlastingly opposite to each other. Thus in the
case of David: his commanding his servants to deal gently with Absalom meant,
no doubt, not to hurt his person. It should seem as if David had strong
confidence of victory. No doubt his communion with the LORD was at this time
most lively and fervent. But what an infatuation was David under, concerning
this unnatural son. The sole cause of the war was on his account; and yet, in
David's wish, he must he saved. Supposing he had been spared; did David hope
that his clemency would reclaim him? And could David feel so little regard to the
lives of his faithful subjects, as to sacrifice numbers to the saving such a son?
But, Reader! while we look at David with wonder and astonishment, let us turn
our thoughts to that stupendous contemplation, the love of our GOD and
FATHER towards us, whose affection, after all our rebellion and baseness, as far
exceeds the love of David to Absalom, as the heavens are higher than the earth.
GOD our King and FATHER, in the dreadful war induced by our rebellion,
usurpation, and hatred against him and his government, not only commands all
his servants sent to subdue us to his government again, to deal gently for his
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29. everlasting love's sake; but that mercy shall be shown, and grace abundantly
displayed, gives up his Son, his only begotten Son, to the accursed death of the
cross! Hear O heavens, and be astonished O earth, for the LORD hath done it!
And while we thus contemplate thine unequalled love, O thou most gracious and
Almighty FATHER, in this unparalleled instance of it, let us no less admire and
adore the matchless grace of our JESUS, who in the accomplishment of all this
wonderful design, hath dealt, and still continues to deal most gently with us, in
all the manifestations of his love. Yes! dearest LORD! on the very cross, thou
pleadest for thine unnatural murderers, whose salvation thy death was then
accomplishing!
LANGE, "2 Samuel 18:5. David’s order respecting Absalom. He said to the
generals: Deal gently with the young man Absalom.—[Heb. has the dativus
commodi: “deal me gently;” Eng. A. V.: “deal gently for my sake,” a fair
rendering.—Tr.] The people heard it, that Isaiah, from bystanders, who spread
it abroad.—[The text rather says that the people heard the king give the order;
the fact is mentioned to explain the answer of the man to Joab in 2 Samuel 18:12;
notice the phrase: “in our hearing” there.—Tr.] The brief exclamation of David
accords with the vividly portrayed scene and with his feeling when he saw his
army going forth against his son.
PETT, "2 Samuel 18:5
‘And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for
my sake with the young man, even with Absalom.” And all the people heard
when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.’
As the army marched forth David made a plea to his generals. Absalom was his
son, and in spite of what he had done he loved him still. So he begged them to
treat him gently when and if they came across him, for his sake. This plea must
have been openly shouted out to them, for we are specifically informed that all
the people heard this charge which he gave to his commanders. We are told of
this partly in order to explain why later in the passage a soldier was aware of the
command. But as Joab knew well, if Absalom survived he would always be a
danger to the stability of Israel/Judah.
6 The army marched into the field to fight Israel, and
the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.
BARNES, "Against Israel - Implying that the revolt was in a great measure that
of the ten tribes, Saul’s party, against the kingdom.
The wood of Ephraim - This would naturally be sought in the west of Jordan
(marginal reference). But on the other hand it seems certain that the scene of this
battle was on the east of Jordan. It seems therefore inevitable to conclude that some
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30. portion of the thick wood of oaks and terebinths which still runs down to the Jordan
on the east side was for some reason called “the wood of Ephraim,” either because it
was a continuation on the east side of the great Ephraimitic forests on the west, or
because of some transaction there in which Ephraim had taken part, such as the
slaughter of the Midianites Jdg_7:24-25, or their own slaughter Jdg_12:6.
GILL, "So the people went out into the field against Israel,.... Josephus (e)
calls it a great field, with a wood behind it:
and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim; or near it (f) rather; not in a wood
in the tribe of Ephraim, which lay on this side Jordan; whereas this battle was fought
on the other side Jordan, in the land of Gilead, not far from Mahanaim, where was
this wood; and which was so called, either from the slaughter of the Ephraimites here
in the times of Jephthah, Jdg_12:4; or from the Ephraimites feeding their cattle here
and near it; for the Jews say (g), that Joshua gave them a grant to feed their cattle in
any wood in any of the tribes of Israel; and lying near Jordan, they used to drive their
cattle over to this place, from whence it had its name.
HENRY, "
JAMISON, "
ELLICOTT, "(6) The wood of Ephraim.—No wood of Ephraim on the eastern
side of the Jordan happens to be elsewhere mentioned in Scripture. Yet it is plain
that the battle must have been on that side of the river for the following reasons:
(1) both armies were on that side beforehand, and there is no mention of their
crossing; (2) David remained in Mahanaim (2 Samuel 18:3-4) with the reserves,
for the purpose of succouring the army in case of need; (3) he there received the
news of Absalom’s death (2 Samuel 18:24-33); (4) the army returned thither
after the battle (2 Samuel 19:3); and (5) David was obliged to cross the Jordan on
his final return to Jerusalem, and was met at the crossing by the tribes (2 Samuel
18:15, &c.). There is really no difficulty but such as arises from our ignorance of
local names. The narrative clearly implies that there was a “wood of Ephraim,”
otherwise unknown, on the east of the Jordan.
LANGE 6-8, "2 Samuel 18:6-8. The battle. “The people went out against Israel,”
that Isaiah, David’s army made the attack. The battle was in the wood of
Ephraim. This name can be understood only of the forest covering the mountains
of Ephraim, which, when the Israelites entered Canaan, stretched over the whole
mountain ( Joshua 17:15-18 : “go up into the forest,—a mountain shall be thine,
for it is forest), and was still extensive in later times; see 1 Samuel 14:22-26,
where it is said that the children of Israel first hid from the Philistines in mount
Ephraim (that Isaiah, in the mountain-gorges and in caves), and then that all the
people came into the forest. We are thus pointed to the wooded heights in the
tribe of Ephraim, not far west of the Jordan. Further, Ahimaaz ( 2 Samuel 18:23)
traverses the Jordan-valley in order to carry the news to David at Mahanaim.
“Ahimaaz could not have gone this way if the battle had been on the east of the
Jordan, and he wished to take a short route” (Keil). Ewald admits that the name
“forest of Ephraim” seems certainly to point to the west of the river, but yet puts
it on the east, because David’s army returned after the victory to Mahanaim,
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31. “while, if the battle had occurred on the west side, it would obviously have been
much better to stay on that side and take possession of Jerusalem.” To this it
need not be replied with Vaihinger (Herzog, Art. Ephraim) that “David wished
to avoid further shedding of blood, and prudence and clemency dictated a return
to Mahanaim;” rather it must be urged that Absalom’s defeat had put an end to
the insurrection ( 2 Samuel 18:17; 2 Samuel 19:9), his followers were completely
broken up, and therefore an immediate occupation of Jerusalem was
unnecessary. But besides, the battle was a severe one, as appears from the fact
that of Absalom’s army (which fought very bravely) twenty thousand men fell,
and David’s army was not in condition after the fight to make a long and rapid
march to Jerusalem. Moreover, even in that case it would have been necessary
for the reserve with David to join the victorious army; this junction effected (by
crossing the Jordan), the whole army marched to Jerusalem under the lead of
the king. Thenius holds that the forest of Ephraim was east of the Jordan, on the
ground that nothing is said of Absalom’s Revelation -crossing the river
(according to 2 Samuel 17:28 he encamped in Gilead, east of the river), that, if he
had Revelation -crossed, David (who stood only on the defensive) would have
awaited another attack on his present position [Mahanaim], and that the
expectation of help from the city [ 2 Samuel 18:3] presupposes that the battle
occurred near Mahanaim, to which it is to be replied that 2 Samuel 18:6 shows
that David did not act merely on the defensive (he marched against Absalom),
and that David’s unexpected attack on Absalom’s army (which could not spread
out in the relatively narrow space between Mahanaim and the Jordan) may well
have forced its passage across the river, so that the decisive conflict occurred in’
the wooded hill-region of the tribe of Ephraim. The fact that David stayed
behind with one division in Mahanaim, and sent the three generals with their
divisions against Absalom, shows clearly that he acted on the offensive. The
proposed “help from the city” was only for the case that the attack was not
successful, and cannot be urged in support of the view that the battle was near
Mahanaim. The narrator here relates only the final and decisive conflict, it not
being his purpose to describe the previous actions by which Absalom’s army was
forced across the Jordan. That the messengers ( 2 Samuel 18:19-27) had then to
Revelation -cross the Jordan in order to reach David makes no difficulty, since
the river could easily be crossed by the fords. From the eastern edge of the
wooded Mount Ephraim the messengers could reach Mahanaim by rapid travel
in about two hours. The assumption by some expositors of a “Forest of Ephraim
“east of the Jordan, presumedly so called from the defeat of the Ephraimites by
the Gileadites ( Judges 12:1-5) is a mere conjecture untenable against the
demonstrated geographical-historical significance of the name. [Another
conjecture is that the “wood of Ephraim” was so called from the place Ephraim
where Absalom had sheep-shearers ( 2 Samuel 13:23); but this has nothing in its
favor, since, if the forest is to be put west of the river, the region in the tribe of
Ephraim is the most natural here. Most expositors hold (against Erdmann) that
the battle must have been near Mahanaim and on the east of the river, since the
centre of action seems to be Mahanaim, and nothing is said of Joab’s crossing the
river. But in the absence of all information about a “forest of Ephraim” east of
the Jordan, the question must be regarded as unsettled. Mr. Grove suggests
(Smith’s Bib-Dict., Art. Wood of Ephraim) that the forest may have been called
after this battle, from the prominent part taken in it by the powerful tribe of
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