2 Samuel14

Joab, discerning King David's desire for Absalom's return, orchestrates a plan using a wise woman from Tekoah. The woman presents a fabricated parable to David, subtly advocating for the return of his banished son. David, understanding the ruse, commands Joab to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem, though initially forbidding him from seeing his face. After two years, Absalom forces a meeting with Joab, leading to his full reconciliation and a kiss from the king.

Joab Schemes to Bring Absalom Home

1
Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom. ​
2
Joab sent to Tekoa, and fetched there a wise woman, and said to her, “Please act like a mourner, and put on mourning clothing, please, and don’t anoint yourself with oil, but be as a woman who has mourned a long time for the dead. ​
3
Go in to the king, and speak like this to him.” So Joab put the words in her mouth.

The Wise Woman’s Parable

4
When the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, showed respect, and said, “Help, O king!”
5
The king said to her, “What ails you?” She answered, “Truly I am a widow, and my husband is dead.
6
Your handmaid had two sons, and they both fought together in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one struck the other, and killed him. ​
7
Behold, the whole family has risen against your handmaid, and they say, ‘Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed, and so destroy the heir also.’ Thus they would quench my coal which is left, and would leave to my husband neither name nor remainder on the surface of the earth.” ​
8
The king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give a command concerning you.”
9
The woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house; and the king and his throne be guiltless.”
10
The king said, “Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you any more.”
11
Then she said, “Please let the king remember the LORD your God, that the avenger of blood destroy not any more, lest they destroy my son.” He said, “As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the earth.” ​

The Parable Applied to Absalom

12
Then the woman said, “Please let your handmaid speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Say on.”
13
The woman said, “Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring home again his banished one. ​
14
For we must die, and are like water split on the ground, which can’t be gathered up again; neither does God take away life, but devises means, that he who is banished not be an outcast from him. ​
15
Now therefore seeing that I have come to speak this word to my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and your handmaid said, ‘I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.’
16
For the king will hear, to deliver his servant out of the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.
17
Then your handmaid said, ‘Please let the word of my lord the king bring rest; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad. May the LORD, your God, be with you.’” ​
18
Then the king answered the woman, “Please don’t hide anything from me that I ask you.” The woman said, “Let my lord the king now speak.”
19
The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered, “As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken; for your servant Joab, he urged me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid; ​
20
to change the face of the matter has your servant Joab done this thing. My lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.”

Absalom Returns to Jerusalem

21
The king said to Joab, “Behold now, I have done this thing. Go therefore, bring the young man Absalom back.” ​
22
Joab fell to the ground on his face, showed respect, and blessed the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord, king, in that the king has performed the request of his servant.”
23
So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24
The king said, “Let him return to his own house, but let him not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, and didn’t see the king’s face. ​

Absalom’s Appearance and Family

25
Now in all Israel there was no one 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 defect in him. ​
26
When he cut the hair of his head (now it was at every year’s end that he cut it; because it was heavy on him, therefore he cut it); he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, after the king’s weight. ​
27
To Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a beautiful face. ​

Absalom Forces Full Reconciliation

28
Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem; and he didn’t see the king’s face. ​
29
Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king; but he would not come to him: and he sent again a second time, but he would not come.
30
Therefore he said to his servants, “Behold, Joab’s field is near mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. ​
31
Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom to his house, and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?”
32
Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent to you, saying, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still. Now therefore let me see the king’s face; and if there is iniquity in me, let him kill me.”’” ​
33
So Joab came to the king, and told him; and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom. ​

Study Notes for 2 Samuel 14

Verse 1

Joab, David’s shrewd military commander, recognized that the king’s heart longed for Absalom’s return, despite the necessity of his exile following the murder of Amnon (13:38). Joab acts without consulting David, using manipulation rather than direct petition.

Verse 2

Tekoah, a town in Judah, was known for producing wise people (cf. Amos 1:1). Joab’s choice of a 'wise woman' indicates his need for a skilled rhetorical agent capable of delivering a compelling, carefully structured plea to the king.

Verse 6

The woman’s fictional case mirrors the Amnon/Absalom situation: a death resulting from conflict, leading to a demand for retribution against the surviving son.

Verse 7

The phrase 'quench my coal which is left' is a powerful metaphor appealing to David’s sense of duty regarding dynastic preservation. Killing the surviving son would extinguish the family name and inheritance, a tragedy David would naturally seek to prevent.

Verse 11

David binds himself with a solemn oath, 'As the LORD liveth,' thus publicly committing to the principle of mercy and protection for the one who slew his brother, provided the killing was not premeditated.

Verse 13

The woman pivots, using David's own ruling against him. By granting protection to her fictional son, David is implicitly condemned for refusing the same mercy to his actual banished son, Absalom.

Verse 14

This verse contains the theological climax of the speech. While human life is fragile ('water spilt on the ground'), God actively 'devises means' (likely referring to the creation of cities of refuge or the possibility of repentance) so that the banished are not permanently expelled from Him.

Verse 17

Calling the king 'as an angel of God' attributes divine wisdom and discernment to David. This flattery pressures the king to act wisely—meaning mercifully—in the matter of Absalom.

Verse 19

David’s political astuteness is evident; he immediately recognized that the complex rhetorical strategy and perfect timing pointed to Joab’s calculated design.

Verse 21

Having been cornered by the rhetorical trap, David yields. He grants the request but avoids interaction with Joab concerning the justice of the matter, simply giving the command to bring Absalom home.

Verse 24

This restriction highlights David's internal conflict. He satisfied his emotional desire to have Absalom near but maintained a political distance, keeping Absalom exiled within Jerusalem to signal his continued displeasure.

Verse 25

The detailed description of Absalom’s striking physical perfection foreshadows his later ability to charm the people and gain popular support, leading to his rebellion (15:6).

Verse 26

The weight of his hair (200 shekels, approximately 5 pounds, though likely a hyperbolic figure) emphasizes his vanity and unique appearance, which ultimately plays a role in his death (18:9).

Verse 27

Absalom names his daughter Tamar, perhaps in memory of his sister who was raped by Amnon, subtly reminding the court of the unresolved injustice that led to his banishment.

Verse 28

The two full years of isolation increased Absalom’s resentment. David’s partial forgiveness was perceived as continued punishment, which eventually fueled his desperate attempts to force the king’s hand.

Verse 30

Absalom’s tactic of arson is a calculated, public act of provocation designed to force Joab to act. This demonstrates Absalom’s boldness and willingness to use extreme measures to achieve his goals.

Verse 32

Absalom frames his desperate act as a plea for justice, demanding either full restoration or execution. He views the intermediate state of house arrest as worse than death.

Verse 33

The king finally grants full reconciliation by kissing Absalom. Although the relationship is formally repaired, the underlying distrust and resentment fostered by the years of separation will soon lead to tragic consequences.

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