against Amnon, David’s eldest son, who had basely wronged Absalom’s
sister Tamar. This revenge was executed at the time of the festivities
connected with a great sheep-shearing at Baal-hazor. David’s other sons
fled from the place in horror, and brought the tidings of the death of
Amnon to Jerusalem. Alarmed for the consequences of the act, Absalom
fled to his grandfather at Geshur, and there abode for three years (2 Samuel
3:3; 13:23-38).
David mourned his absent son, now branded with the guilt of fratricide. As
the result of a stratagem carried out by a woman of Tekoah, Joab received
David’s sanction to invite Absalom back to Jerusalem. He returned
accordingly, but two years elapsed before his father admitted him into his
presence (2 Samuel 14:28). Absalom was now probably the oldest
surviving son of David, and as he was of royal descent by his mother as
well as by his father, he began to aspire to the throne. His pretensions
were favoured by the people. By many arts he gained their affection; and
after his return from Geshur (2 Samuel 15:7; marg., R.V.) he went up to
Hebron, the old capital of Judah, along with a great body of the people,
and there proclaimed himself king. The revolt was so successful that David
found it necessary to quit Jerusalem and flee to Mahanaim, beyond Jordan;
where upon Absalom returned to Jerusalem and took possession of the
throne without opposition. Ahithophel, who had been David’s chief
counsellor, deserted him and joined Absalom, whose chief counsellor he
now became. Hushai also joined Absalom, but only for the purpose of
trying to counteract the counsels of Ahithophel, and so to advantage
David’s cause. He was so far successful that by his advice, which was
preferred to that of Ahithophel, Absalom delayed to march an army
against his father, who thus gained time to prepare for the defence.
Absalom at length marched out against his father, whose army, under the
command of Joab, he encountered on the borders of the forest of Ephraim.
Twenty thousand of Absalom’s army were slain in that fatal battle, and
the rest fled. Absalom fled on a swift mule; but his long flowing hair, or
more probably his head, was caught in the bough of an oak, and there he
was left suspended till Joab came up and pierced him through with three
darts. His body was then taken down and cast into a pit dug in the forest,
and a heap of stones was raised over his grave. When the tidings of the
result of that battle were brought to David, as he sat impatiently at the
gate of Mahanaim, and he was told that Absalom had been slain, he gave