2 Samuel15

Absalom subtly gains popular support by discrediting King David's administration and feigning concern for the people's grievances, thereby "stealing the hearts" of Israel. He then obtains permission to go to Hebron under the guise of fulfilling a vow, where he publicly declares himself king, drawing many, including David's trusted counsellor Ahithophel, to his side. Upon learning of the widespread rebellion, David and his loyalists flee Jerusalem, demonstrating humility and trust in God's providence while strategically sending Hushai back to counter Ahithophel's counsel.

Absalom Undermines David's Authority

1
After this, Absalom prepared him a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him. ​
2
Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate. It was so, that when any man had a suit which should come to the king for judgment, then Absalom called to him, and said, “What city are you from?” He said, “Your servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.” ​
3
Absalom said to him, “Behold, your matters are good and right; but there is no man deputized by the king to hear you.” ​
4
Absalom said moreover, “Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man who has any suit or cause might come to me, and I would do him justice!”
5
It was so, that when any man came near to do him obeisance, he stretched out his hand, and took hold of him, and kissed him.
6
Absalom did this sort of thing to all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. ​

The Rebellion Begins in Hebron

7
At the end of forty years, Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the LORD, in Hebron. ​
8
For your servant vowed a vow while I stayed at Geshur in Syria, saying, ‘If the LORD shall indeed bring me again to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD.’”
9
The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose, and went to Hebron.
10
But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the shofar, then you shall say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron!’”
11
Two hundred men went with Absalom out of Jerusalem, who were invited, and went in their simplicity; and they didn’t know anything. ​
12
Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. The conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom. ​

David Flees Jerusalem

13
A messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.” ​
14
David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee; for else none of us shall escape from Absalom. Make speed to depart, lest he overtake us quickly, and bring down evil on us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” ​
15
The king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king chooses.”
16
The king went out, and all his household after him. The king left ten women, who were concubines, to keep the house. ​
17
The king went out, and all the people after him; and they stayed in Beth Merhak.
18
All his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who came after him from Gath, passed on before the king. ​
19
Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Return, and stay with the king; for you are a foreigner, and also an exile. Return to your own place. ​
20
Whereas you came but yesterday, should I this day make you go up and down with us, since I go where I may? Return, and take back your brothers. Mercy and truth be with you.”
21
Ittai answered the king, and said, “As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in what place my lord the king shall is, whether for death or for life, even there also will your servant be.” ​
22
David said to Ittai, “Go and pass over.” Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones who were with him.
23
All the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness. ​

The Ark Sent Back; David's Submission

24
Behold, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God; and they set down the ark of God; and Abiathar went up, until all the people finished passing out of the city. ​
25
The king said to Zadok, “Carry back the ark of God into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me again, and show me both it, and his habitation; ​
26
but if he say thus, ‘I have no delight in you;’ behold, here am I. Let him do to me as seems good to him.” ​
27
The king said also to Zadok the priest, “Aren’t you a seer? Return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.
28
Behold, I will stay at the fords of the wilderness, until word comes from you to inform me.”
29
Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem; and they stayed there.
30
David went up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered, and went barefoot: and all the people who were with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up. ​

David Prays and Deploys Hushai

31
Someone told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” David said, “LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.” ​
32
When David had come to the top, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn, and earth on his head.
33
David said to him, “If you pass on with me, then you will be a burden to me;
34
but if you return to the city, and tell Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king. As I have been your father’s servant in time past, so will I now be your servant; then will you defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.’ ​
35
Don’t you have Zadok and Abiathar the priests there with you? Therefore it shall be, that whatever thing you shall hear out of the king’s house, you shall tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.
36
Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and by them you shall send to me everything that you shall hear.”
37
So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city; and Absalom came into Jerusalem. ​

Study Notes for 2 Samuel 15

Verse 1

This display of chariots and runners was a visible sign of royal ambition, projecting an image of strength and pomp designed to draw attention away from David.

Verse 2

The gate was the traditional location for judicial proceedings. Absalom intercepted citizens seeking justice, positioning himself as an accessible alternative to the centralized royal court.

Verse 3

Absalom exploits the perceived administrative negligence of David, perhaps stemming from the King's moral failures or grief over Amnon, creating genuine discontent among the people.

Verse 6

This verse summarizes the success of Absalom’s populist strategy. He achieved his goal not through military conquest initially, but through political manipulation and flattery.

Verse 7

The chronological marker 'forty years' is disputed; many scholars suggest 'four years' as a better fit, marking the time since Absalom returned from Geshur (2 Sam 14:28). The vow is a pious pretense to gain permission to leave Jerusalem without suspicion.

Verse 11

These 200 men were likely prominent citizens invited to participate in the 'sacrifice.' Their ignorance underscores Absalom’s deceit and the calculated nature of the plot.

Verse 12

Ahithophel was David’s most trusted counselor, renowned for his wisdom (16:23). His defection was a major blow, possibly motivated by connection to Bathsheba (he may have been her grandfather).

Verse 13

This report confirms the immediate and widespread success of Absalom’s long-term political campaign (vv. 1–6). David is forced to react quickly to a crisis of loyalty.

Verse 14

David’s decision to flee is pragmatic, preventing a bloody civil war within the holy city and protecting its inhabitants from the destruction that Absalom might inflict.

Verse 16

Leaving the concubines was meant to signify the house was still occupied by the king's authority, but it tragically sets up the public shaming of David detailed in 2 Samuel 16:21–22, fulfilling Nathan’s prophecy (2 Sam 12:11).

Verse 18

The Cherethites, Pelethites, and Gittites were loyal foreign mercenaries forming the core of David's personal guard. Their steadfastness highlights the irony that David’s most reliable support came from non-Israelites.

Verse 19

David tests Ittai, acknowledging his status as a 'stranger' and 'exile.' The king is reluctant to ask a newly converted ally to endure the hardship of flight.

Verse 21

Ittai’s response is a profound oath of covenant loyalty (hesed), mirroring the faithfulness of Ruth and serving as a powerful moral counterpoint to Absalom's treachery.

Verse 23

The crossing of the Kidron valley (east of Jerusalem) symbolizes David leaving the holy ground and entering exile in the wilderness, marking his humiliation and spiritual low point.

Verse 24

Zadok and Abiathar were the two chief priests. Their presence with the Ark indicates their loyalty to David, but the Ark's removal from the city was highly symbolic of national crisis.

Verse 25

David refuses to use the Ark as a talisman. His decision shows deep theological maturity: his fate rests on God's sovereign will and grace, not on the physical presence of the covenant box.

Verse 26

This is an expression of absolute submission to divine judgment. David recognizes that his current suffering might be a direct consequence of his past sins, submitting to whatever God deems good.

Verse 30

David’s posture—head covered, barefoot, weeping—is a classic display of mourning, repentance, and self-humiliation before God. The Mount of Olives is the same path Jesus later took in his own suffering.

Verse 31

Upon hearing of Ahithophel's defection, David’s first concrete action is a prayer for divine intervention, recognizing that natural human wisdom must be countered by God’s power.

Verse 34

David employs Hushai as a double agent, initiating a strategic intelligence operation. This demonstrates that while David submits to God’s will, he also uses prudent human strategy to secure his safety.

Verse 37

Hushai, known as 'David’s friend,' is now positioned inside the capital. The chapter ends with the two opposing forces settled: Absalom in Jerusalem, and David's spy network established.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate
Settings

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Options