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Texts -- 2 Samuel 15:5-37 (NET)

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15:5 When someone approached to bow before him, Absalom would extend his hand and embrace him and kiss him. 15:6 Absalom acted this way toward everyone in Israel who came to the king for justice . In this way Absalom won the loyalty of the citizens of Israel . 15:7 After four years Absalom said to the king , “Let me go and repay my vow that I made to the Lord while I was in Hebron . 15:8 For I made this vow when I was living in Geshur in Aram : ‘If the Lord really does allow me to return to Jerusalem , I will serve the Lord .’” 15:9 The king replied to him, “Go in peace .” So Absalom got up and went to Hebron . 15:10 Then Absalom sent spies through all the tribes of Israel who said , “When you hear the sound of the horn , you may assume that Absalom rules in Hebron .” 15:11 Now two hundred men had gone with Absalom from Jerusalem . Since they were invited , they went naively and were unaware of what Absalom was planning . 15:12 While he was offering sacrifices , Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite , David’s adviser , to come from his city , Giloh . The conspiracy was gaining momentum , and the people were starting to side with Absalom .
David Flees from Jerusalem
15:13 Then a messenger came to David and reported , “The men of Israel are loyal to Absalom !” 15:14 So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem , “Come on ! Let’s escape ! Otherwise no one will be delivered from Absalom ! Go immediately , or else he will quickly overtake us and bring disaster on us and kill the city’s residents with the sword .” 15:15 The king’s servants replied to the king , “We will do whatever our lord the king decides .” 15:16 So the king and all the members of his royal court set out on foot , though the king left behind ten concubines to attend to the palace . 15:17 The king and all the people set out on foot , pausing at a spot some distance away. 15:18 All his servants were leaving with him, along with all the Kerethites , all the Pelethites , and all the Gittites – some six hundred men who had come on foot from Gath . They were leaving with the king . 15:19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite , “Why should you come with us? Go back and stay with the new king , for you are a foreigner and an exile from your own country . 15:20 It seems like you arrived just yesterday . Today should I make you wander around by going with us? I go where I must go . But as for you, go back and take your men with you. May genuine loyal love protect you!” 15:21 But Ittai replied to the king , “As surely as the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives , wherever my lord the king is , whether dead or alive , there I will be as well!” 15:22 So David said to Ittai , “Come along then.” So Ittai the Gittite went along , accompanied by all his men and all the dependents who were with him. 15:23 All the land was weeping loudly as all these people were leaving . As the king was crossing over the Kidron Valley , all the people were leaving on the road that leads to the desert . 15:24 Zadok and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God . When they positioned the ark of God , Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city . 15:25 Then the king said to Zadok , “Take the ark of God back to the city . If I find favor in the Lord’s sight he will bring me back and enable me to see both it and his dwelling place again. 15:26 However , if he should say , ‘I do not take pleasure in you,’ then he will deal with me in a way that he considers appropriate .” 15:27 The king said to Zadok the priest , “Are you a seer ? Go back to the city in peace ! Your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan may go with you and Abiathar . 15:28 Look , I will be waiting at the fords of the desert until word from you reaches me.” 15:29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and remained there . 15:30 As David was going up the Mount of Olives , he was weeping as he went ; his head was covered and his feet were bare . All the people who were with him also had their heads covered and were weeping as they went up . 15:31 Now David had been told , “Ahithophel has sided with the conspirators who are with Absalom . So David prayed , “Make the advice of Ahithophel foolish , O Lord !” 15:32 When David reached the summit , where he used to worship God , Hushai the Arkite met him with his clothes torn and dirt on his head . 15:33 David said to him, “If you leave with me you will be a burden to me. 15:34 But you will be able to counter the advice of Ahithophel if you go back to the city and say to Absalom , ‘I will be your servant , O king ! Previously I was your father’s servant , and now I will be your servant .’ 15:35 Zadok and Abiathar the priests will be there with you. Everything you hear in the king’s palace you must tell Zadok and Abiathar the priests . 15:36 Furthermore , their two sons are there with them, Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan . You must send them to me with any information you hear .” 15:37 So David’s friend Hushai arrived in the city , just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem .

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Whereas the second commandment deals with a potential visualtemptation to depart from Yahweh, the third deals with a potential verbaltemptation. Two of the Ten Commandments affect the use of the tongue and speech: the third (...
  • The gate of cities like Bethlehem was the place where people transacted official business (cf. Gen. 19:1; 2 Sam. 15:2-6; 1 Kings 22:10; Amos 5:10, 12, 15)."In ancient cities the gate' was a short passageway through the thick ...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • The basic theme in Samuel, that blessing, and in particular fertility of all kinds, follows from faithful commitment to God's revealed will, continues in this section. However another major motif now becomes more prominent. W...
  • (Continued from notes on 1 Samuel)V. David's triumphs chs. 1-8A. The beginning of David's kingdom 1:1-3:51. David's discovery of Saul and Jonathan's deaths ch. 12. David's move to Hebron 2:1-4a3. David's overtures to Jabesh-g...
  • The first 20 chapters of 2 Samuel are divisible into four units each of which ends with a list of names that is four verses long (1:1-3:5; 3:6-5:16; 5:17-8:18; 9:1-20:26).2The first two units conclude with lists of David's so...
  • "Saul the king is dead, Jonathan the heir apparent is dead, Abinadab and Malki-Shua (two of Jonathan's brothers) are dead (1 Sam 31:2), Abner the commander of the army is dead--and no other viable claimants or pretenders cont...
  • "As the story of David's accession to kingship over Judah (1:1-3:5) parallels that of his accession to the throne of Israel (3:6-5:16), each concluding with a list of his sons (3:2-5; 5:13-16), so the account of his powerful ...
  • The promises Yahweh made to David here are an important key to understanding God's program for the future.God rejected David's suggestion that he build a temple for the Lord and gave three reasons. First, there was no pressin...
  • "From the religious heights of chapter 7 we descend again to the everyday world of battles and bloodshed in chapter 8. The military action picks up where the story left off at the end of chapter 5."130Chapter 8 evidently desc...
  • Chapters 9-20 contrast with chapters 2-8 in that this later section is negative whereas the earlier one was positive. It records failure; the former records success. Compare the similar narrative of Saul's triumphs (1 Sam. 7-...
  • While Joab was continuing to subdue the Ammonites the following spring by besieging Rabbah (modern Amman, the capital of Jordan; cf. 10:7), David was residing in Jerusalem (11:1). By mentioning the fact that normally kings le...
  • This is the longest literary section in the Court History of David (chs. 9-20). It records Absalom's antagonism to David that resulted in the king having to flee Jerusalem, but it ends with David's defeat of his enemy and his...
  • Joab's masquerade proved effective. David agreed to allow Absalom to return to Jerusalem (v. 21). However even though he did not execute him, neither did David restore Absalom to fellowship with himself (v. 24). His forgivene...
  • Two sub-sections each begin with a reference to time (vv. 1, 7) and form a literary "diptych"(i.e., two complementary panals).233The first six verses explain how Absalom undermined popular confidence in the Lord's anointed fo...
  • The people of Israel had formerly given the kingdom to David as a gift (5:1-3), but now they took that gift from him (v. 13).237David knew that Absalom was popular with the people. Evidently he fled Jerusalem to save his own ...
  • This is the central unit of chapters 5-20, and its central focus is the judgment that Hushai's advice was better than Ahithophel's (17:14). This advice is the pivot on which the fortunes of David swung in his dealings with Ab...
  • "In the overall structure of 15:1-20:22, the story of Absalom's death (18:1-18) provides a counterpoise to that of Shimei's curse (16:5-14 . . .). Just as in the earlier narrative an adversary of David (Shimei) curses him (vv...
  • "In the overall structure of chapters 15-20 (more precisely 15:1-20:22), the literary unit describing the return of King David' (v. 11) to Jerusalem (vv. 9-43) parallels that depicting his flight (15:13-37) caused by Absalom'...
  • "The account of Sheba's rebellion against David serves as a counterpoise to the story of Absalom's conspiracy (15:1-12) in chapters 15-20, which constitute the major part of the narrative that comprises chapters 13-20 (more p...
  • "With Joab's return to the king in Jerusalem, the grand symphony known as the Court History of David reaches its conclusion for all practical purposes (at least as far as the books of Samuel are concerned . . .). The last fou...
  • Achtemeier, Paul J., and Elizabeth Achtemeier. The Old Testament Roots of Our Faith. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1979.Ackerman, James S. "Knowing Good and Evil: A Literary Ananysis of the Court History in 2 Samuel 9-20 and ...
  • The first segment of the writer's story (1:1-2:12) continues the history of Israel's monarchy where 2 Samuel ended. It records the final events in David's reign that led to Solomon's succession to the throne. It answers the q...
  • Adonijah was David's fourth son (2 Sam. 3:4) and the eldest one living at this time. Evidently he believed it was more important that the eldest son succeed David, as was customary in the Near East, than that the king of Yahw...
  • David had warned Solomon to keep Shimei under close observation and to put him to death (vv. 8-9). Evidently David realized because of Shimei's past actions that it would only be a matter of time before he would do something ...
  • The writer's condemnation of Solomon in verses 1-2 rests on Deuteronomy 23:3-9 as well as Deuteronomy 7:3-4. The phraseology goes back to 23:3-9 and the motive to 7:3-4 (cf. Exod. 23:31-33; 34:15-16; Ezra 9:1; Neh. 13:26). So...
  • The events we read in chapter 3 took place four years after Esther became queen (cf. 2:16; 3:7).Agag was the name of an area in Media that had become part of the Persian Empire.54However, Agag was also the name of the Amaleki...
  • Haman covered his head (v. 12) as a sign of his grief (cf. 2 Sam. 15:30; 19:4; Jer. 14:3-4; Ezek. 24:17). His friends evidently realized that unseen forces were maintaining the blessing that they had observed following the Je...
  • The title of this psalm identifies the writer as David. All but four of the psalms in Book 1 of the Psalter (Pss. 1-41) identify David as their writer, all except Psalms 1, 2, 10, and 33. The occasion of his writing this one ...
  • David began by lamenting his situation. Enemies surrounded him. As David grew older increasingly people in Israel turned away from him believing that God had abandoned him. Absalom had won the hearts and support of many in th...
  • 4:2 David's enemies stand in contrast to God; they were sinners, but He was righteous. If they were Absalom and his followers, or whoever they were, they were trying to turn David's honor as a godly king into a bad reputation...
  • The occasion that inspired the composition of this psalm was David's betrayal by an intimate friend. We do not know certainly who he was though many commentators have suggested Ahithophel (2 Sam. 15:31).David prayed that God ...
  • King David wrote this psalm when he was in the wilderness of Judah away from the ark and the place of formal worship (2 Sam. 15:25).The theme of trust that Psalms 61 and 62 stress reaches a climax in Psalm 63. Even though Dav...
  • 11:19 The full quality of life is in view (cf. John 10:10), not just the possession of life."Since life and death result from moral choices, righteousness must be pursued. . . . Life' and death' describe the vicissitudes of t...
  • There were two rooms for singers in the inner court. One of them stood beside the north inner gate, and its door faced south. It also accommodated the needs of the priests who were responsible for the care of the temple. The ...
  • 44:15-16 The Levites from Zadok's branch of the priestly family, however, would have special privileges since Zadok and his sons had served the Lord faithfully in the past (cf. 40:46; 1 Sam. 2:35; 2 Sam. 8:17; 15:24-29; 1 Kin...
  • 1:8 In view of this coming judgment, Micah said he felt compelled to lament and wail. He would express his sorrow by going barefoot and naked, a common way of expressing it in his culture (cf. 2 Sam. 15:30; Isa. 20:2; 22:12; ...
  • 14:1 The Lord announced through His prophet that a day was coming, for His benefit primarily, when the nations that had plundered Israel victoriously would divide their spoil among themselves in Jerusalem. This would be the L...
  • This incident, appearing only in Luke's Gospel, illustrates the truth just expressed in verse 35. Here is a case in point of what Jesus had just described happening (v. 34). Jesus reached out to a sinner only to receive criti...
  • 22:47-48 All the synoptic evangelists noted the close connection between Jesus' praying and the arrival of the soldiers. It was very important that Jesus pray. Judas preceded the arresting mob (Gr. ochlos, crowd) as Jesus had...
  • 13:12 Jesus now returned to His role as the disciples' teacher, which His change of clothing and physical position indicated. He began to explain the significance of what He had done, though full comprehension would come to t...
  • Three groups of people mourn Babylon's destruction in these verses: kings (vv. 9-10; cf. Ezek. 26:15-18), merchants (vv. 11-13, 15-17a; cf. Ezek. 27:36), and sea people (vv. 17b-19; cf. Ezek. 27:29-36).18:9 World government l...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • 2 Samuel 15:1-12There was little brightness in David's life after his great sin. Nathan had told him, even while announcing his forgiveness, that the sword should never depart from his house; and this revolt of Absalom's may ...
  • 2 Samuel 15:15We stand here at the darkest hour of King David's life. Bowed down by the consciousness of his past sin, and recognizing in the rebellion of his favorite son the divine chastisement, his early courage and buoyan...
  • 2 Samuel 15:21It was the darkest hour in David's life. No more pathetic page is found in the Old Testament than that which tells the story of his flight before Absalom. He is crushed by the consciousness that his punishment i...
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