9 18. Absalom’s Death<\/p>\n
9<\/strong>. And Absalom<\/em>, &c.] And Absalom happened to find himself in the presence of David’s servants: now Absalom was riding upon his mule, and the mule<\/strong>, &c. In the course of the flight, Absalom found himself among enemies: he turned to escape into the denser part of the forest. The mule which he rode perhaps David’s own was a mark of royalty (1Ki 1:33<\/span>; 1Ki 1:38<\/span>).<\/p>\n a great oak<\/em> ] The great terebinth<\/strong>; the article seems to shew that the tree was well known in after times. The Heb. lah<\/em> is generally said to denote the terebinth or turpentine tree, which is not unlike the oak in general appearance: but in the forests on the E. of Jordan, oaks are far more common than terebinths, and some kind of oak may be meant.<\/p>\n his head caught hold of the oak<\/em> ] His head was caught in the forked boughs of the tree, and he hung there, stunned and helpless. Perhaps his long thick hair got entangled, but there is nothing to support the common idea that he was suspended merely by his hair.<\/p>\n would seem that the two things which his vain-glory boasted in, the royal mule, and the magnificent head of hair by which he was caught in the oak (rather, terebinth or turpentine tree), both contributed to his untimely death.<\/P><\/p>\n Verse 9<\/span>. And his head caught hold of the oak<\/B><\/I>] It has been supposed that Absalom was caught by the hair<\/I>, but no such thing is intimated in the text. Probably his neck was caught in the fork of a strong bough, and he was nearly dead when Joab found him; for it is said, 2Sa 18:14<\/span>, he was yet alive<\/I>, an expression which intimates he was nearly<\/I> dead<\/I>.<\/P> <\/p>\n Absalom met the servants of David, <\/B>who, according to Davids command, spared him, and gave him an opportunity to escape. <\/P> His head caught hold of the oak; <\/B>in which probably he was entangled by the hair of the head, which being very long and thick, might easily catch hold of a bough, especially when the great God directed it. Either he wore no helmet, or his helmet was such as left much of his hair visible; or he had thrown away his helmet as well as his other arms, to hasten his flight, or because of the heat of the season. Thus the matter of his pride was the instrument of his ruin, as also Asahels swiftness, 2Sa 2:18<\/span>, and Ahithophels policy, 2Sa 17:23<\/span>, were the occasions of their destruction. <\/P> The mule that was under him went away; <\/B>which might easily happen, because being in flight the mule passed along very swiftly. <\/P> <\/p>\n 9. Absalom met the servants ofDavid<\/B>or was overtaken. “It is necessary to be continuallyon one’s guard against the branches of trees; and when the hair isworn in large locks floating down the back, as was the case with ayoung man of the party to which I belonged, any thick boughsinterposing in the path might easily dislodge a rider from his seat,and catch hold of his flowing hair” [HARTLEY].Some, however, think that the sacred historian points not so much tothe hair, as to the head<\/I> of Absalom, which, being caught whilerunning between two branches, was enclosed so firmly that he couldnot disengage himself from the hold, nor make use of his hands. <\/P> the mule that was under himwent away<\/B>The Orientals, not having saddles as we do, do notsit so firmly on the beasts they ride. Absalom quitting his hold ofthe bridle, apparently to release himself when caught in the oak, themule escaped.<\/P><\/p>\n And Absalom met the servants of David<\/strong>,…. When his army was routed, he was in such a fright that he knew not which way to flee, and instead of flying from David’s men, he fled in the way of them; but none of them attempted to slay him, nor even to stop him, but let him pass by them, knowing David’s charge concerning him:<\/p>\n and Absalom rode upon a mule<\/strong>; as was common for great personages to do in those days, 2Sa 13:29<\/span>;<\/p>\n and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak<\/strong>; and running full speed, Absalom could not guide him, nor stop, nor divert him from going under it:<\/p>\n and his head caught hold of the oak<\/strong>; either the hair of his head was twisted and entangled in the thick boughs of the oak; or rather his head was jammed into a forked branch of the oak:<\/p>\n and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth<\/strong>; hung in the air between both, as unworthy to live in either:<\/p>\n and the mule that [was] under him went away<\/strong>; and left him hanging in the oak.<\/p>\n “And Absalom was lighted upon ( = ) by the servants of David, riding upon the mule; and the mule had come under the thick branches of the great terebinth, and his head fastened itself (remained hanging) on the terebinth, so that he was held (hung) between heaven and earth, as the mule under him went away.” The imperfects, , , and , are only a combination of the circumstantial clause . With regard to the fact itself, it is not clearly stated in the words that Absalom hung only by his hair, but simply that his hair entangled him in the thick branches, and his head was fastened in the terebinth, namely, by being jammed between the strong boughs. <\/p>\n The Death of Absalom.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/I><\/span><\/P> <\/TD> B. C.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN> 1023.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR> <\/TABLE> 9 And Absalom met the servants of David. 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<\/I> under him went away. 10 And a certain man saw it,<\/I> and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak. 11 And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him,<\/I> and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten shekels<\/I> of silver, and a girdle. 12 And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels<\/I> of silver in mine hand, yet<\/I> 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<\/I> the young man Absalom. 13 Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me.<\/I> 14 Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was<\/I> yet alive in the midst of the oak. 15 And ten young men that bare Joab’s armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him. 16 And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel: for Joab held back the people. 17 And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled every one to his tent. 18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is<\/I> in the king’s dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called unto this day, Absalom’s place.<\/P> Here is Absalom quite at a loss, at his wit’s end first, and then at his life’s end. He that began the fight, big with the expectation of triumphing over David himself, with whom, if he had had him in his power, he would not have dealt gently, is now in the greatest consternation, when he meets the servants of David,<\/I> v.<\/span> 9<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. Though they were forbidden to meddle with him, he durst not look them in the face; but, finding they were near him, he clapped spurs to his mule and made the best of his way, through thick and thin, and so rode headlong upon his own destruction. Thus he that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit, and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare,<\/I> Jer. xlviii. 44<\/I><\/span>. David is inclined to spare him, but divine justice passes sentence upon him as a traitor, and sees it executed–that he hang by the neck, be caught alive, be embowelled, and his body dispose of disgracefully.<\/P> I. He is hanged by the neck. Riding furiously, neck or nothing, under the thick boughs of a great oak<\/I> which hung low and had never been cropped, either the twisted branches, or some one forked bough of the oak, caught hold of his head, either by his neck, or, as some think, by his long hair, which had been so much his pride, and was now justly made a halter for him, and there he hung, so astonished that he could not use his hands to help himself or so entangled that his hands could not help him, but the more he struggled the more he was embarrassed. This set him up for a fair mark to the servants of David, and he had the terror and shame of seeing himself thus exposed, while he could do nothing for his own relief, neither fight nor fly. Observe concerning this, 1. That his mule went away<\/I> from under him,<\/I> as if glad to get clear of such a burden, and resign it to the ignominious tree. Thus the whole creation groans under the burden of man’s corruption, but shall shortly be delivered from its load, Rom 8:21<\/span>; Rom 8:22<\/span>. 2. The he hung between heaven and earth,<\/I> as unworthy of either, as abandoned of both; earth would not keep him, heaven would not take him, hell therefore opens her mouth to receive him. 3. That this was a very surprising unusual thing. It was fit that it should be so, his crime being so monstrous: if, in his flight, his mule had thrown him, and left him half-dead upon the ground, till the servants of David had come up and dispatched him, the same thing would have been done as effectually; but that would have been too common a fate for so uncommon a criminal. God will here, as in the case of those other rebels, Dathan and Abiram, create a new thing,<\/I> that it may be understood how much this man has provoked the Lord,<\/I>Num 16:29<\/span>; Num 16:30<\/span>. Absalom is here hung up, in terrorem–to frighten<\/I> children from disobedience to their parents.<\/I> See Prov. xxx. 17<\/span>.<\/P> II. He is caught alive by one of the servants of David, who goes directly and tells Joab in what posture he found that archrebel, v.<\/I><\/span> 10<\/span>. Thus was he set up for a spectacle, as well as a mark, that the righteous might see him and laugh at him<\/I> (Ps. lii. 6<\/span>), while he had this further vexation in his breast, that of all the friends he had courted and confided in, and thought he had sure in his interest, though he hung long enough to have been relieved, yet he had none at hand to disentangle him. Joab chides the man for not dispatching him (v.<\/I><\/span> 11<\/span>), telling him, if he had given that bold stroke, he would have rewarded him with ten half-crowns and a girdle, that is, a captain’s commission, which perhaps was signified by the delivery of a belt or girdle; see Isa. xxii. 21<\/span>. But the man, though zealous enough against Absalom, justified himself in not doing it: “Dispatch him!” says he, “not for all the world: it would have cost my head: and thou thyself wast witness to the king’s charge concerning him (v.<\/I><\/span> 12<\/span>), and, for all thy talk, wouldst have been my prosecutor if I had done it,” v.<\/I><\/span> 13<\/span>. Those that love the treason hate the traitor. Joab could not deny this, nor blame the man for his caution, and therefore makes him no answer, but breaks off the discourse, under colour of haste (v.<\/I><\/span> 14<\/span>): I may not tarry thus with thee.<\/I> Superiors should consider a reproof before they give it, lest they be ashamed of it afterwards, and find themselves unable to make it good.<\/P> III. He is (as I may say) embowelled and quartered, as traitors are, so pitifully mangled is he as he hangs there, and receives his death in such a manner as to see all its terrors and feel all its pain. 1. Joab throws three darts into his body, which put him, no doubt, to exquisite torment, while he is yet alive in the midst of the oak,<\/I> v.<\/span> 14<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. I know not whether Joab can be justified in this direct disobedience to the command of his sovereign; was this to deal gently with the young man?<\/I> Would David have suffered him to do it if he had been upon the spot? Yet this may be said for him, that, while he broke the order of a too indulgent father, he did real service both to his king and country, and would have endangered welfare of both if he had not done it. Salus populi suprema lex–The safety of the people is the supreme law.<\/I> 2. Joab’s young men, ten of them, smite him, before he is dispatched, v.<\/I><\/span> 15<\/span>. They surrounded him, made a ring about him in triumph, and then smote him and slew him.<\/I> So let all they enemies perish, O Lord!<\/I> Joab hereupon sounds a retreat, v.<\/I><\/span> 16<\/span>. The danger is over, now that Absalom is slain; the people will soon return to their allegiance to David, and therefore no more blood shall be spilt; no prisoners are taken, to be tried as traitors and made examples; let every man return to his tent; they are all the king’s subjects, all his good subjects again.<\/P> IV. His body is disposed of disgracefully (2Sa 18:17<\/span>; 2Sa 18:18<\/span>): They cast it into a great pit in the wood;<\/I> they would not bring it to his father (for that circumstance would but have added to his grief), nor would they preserve it to be buried, according to his order, but threw it into the next pit with indignation. Now where is the beauty he had been so proud of and for which he had been so much admired? Where are his aspiring projects, and the castles he had built in the air? His thoughts perish, and he with them. And, to signify how heavy his iniquity lay upon his bones,<\/I> as the prophet speaks (Ezek. xxxii. 27<\/span>), they raised a great heap of stones upon him,<\/I> to be a monument of his villany, and to signify that he ought to have been stoned as a rebellious son, Deut. xxi. 21<\/span>. Travelers say that the place is taken note of to this day, and that it is common for passengers to throw a stone to this heap, with words to this purport: Cursed be the memory of rebellious Absalom, and cursed for ever be all wicked children that rise up in rebellion against their parents.<\/I> To aggravate the ignominy of Absalom’s burial, the historian takes notice of a pillar he had erected in the valley of Kidron, near Jerusalem, to be a monument for himself, and keep his name in remembrance (v.<\/I><\/span> 18<\/span>), at the foot of which, it is probable, he designed to be buried. What foolish insignificant projects do proud men fill their heads with! And what care do many people take about the disposal of their bodies, when they are dead, that have no care at all what shall become of their precious souls! Absalom had three sons (ch.<\/I><\/span> xiv. 27<\/span>), but, it seems, now he had none; God had taken them away by death; and justly is a rebellious son written childless. To make up the want, he erects this pillar for a memorial; yet in this also Providence crosses him, and a rude heap of stones shall be his monument, instead of this marble pillar. Thus those that exalt themselves shall be abased.<\/I> His care was to have his name kept in remembrance, and it is so, to his everlasting dishonour. He could not be content in the obscurity of the rest of David’s sons, of whom nothing is recorded but their names, but would be famous, and is therefore justly made for ever infamous. The pillar shall bear his name, but not to his credit; it was designed for Absalom’s glory, but proved Absalom’s folly.<\/P> <\/p>\n Absalom Slain, vs. 9-18<\/strong><\/p>\n It was the fate of Absalom, <\/em>by the decree of the Lord, that he met the men of David as he attempted flight from the battle in which his men had been so disastrously defeated. His steed was a mule, the royal mount of the times, which was probably also excited by the turmoil of the battle and carried his rider under the low handing boughs of an oak tree. Traditionally it has been said that Absalom was snared in the tree by the long, flowing tresses of his beautiful hair, but this is not what the Scriptures say. It is possible this is what happened, but the statement is that his head was caught in the tree, indicating that it was lodged in the forks of the limbs, as the mule continued on its way.<\/em><\/p>\n One of Job’s men saw Absalom <\/em>dangling from the tree and reported it to his captain. From what followed it is apparent that Joab never intended to comply with the request of David that Absalom be unharmed. He chided the soldier because he had not slain Absalom when he found him. Joab said he would have rewarded the man with ten shekels of silver and a money girdle to keep it in had he slain Absalom. This would have gratified Joab much, for he would have thus been rid of Absalom and the death would have been chargeable to another.<\/em><\/p>\n The soldier was shrewder and wiser <\/em>than Joab gave him credit for. He replied that there was no way he would have lifted his hand against Absalom, for he had heard the admonition of the king to the three captains. He knew the king would have found out who had slain his son and have demanded the life of his slayer. In such case Joab would have stood silently aside and let him be executed for it. The man knew his commander well.<\/em><\/p>\n Joab knew the soldier had called his hand <\/em>and would not pursue the conversation. Instead he took three darts himself, found Absalom, and cast them into his heart while he hanged in the tree. He then left his ten armourbearers to administer the final coup de grace. And thus Absalom died. Such a sad end to one who might have used his many talents to great advantage had they been utilized in the will of the Lord! How many there must be who still live a life of no lasting value who might have done great things for the Lord had they sought Him (Note Php_3:18-19).<\/em><\/p>\n Joab knew the battle, and the war, was over. <\/em>He sounded the trumpet to call his men in, lest in pursuing the men of Israel further, unnecessarily, they might be provoked to seek another leader and continue the rebellion. The body of Absalom was thrown into a pit in the forest and covered with a great heap of stones, while the survivors of his men stole wearily away to return to their homes.<\/em><\/p>\n Absalom had erected himself a monument <\/em>in the king’s dale, near Jerusalem, because he had no surviving sons to carry on his name. Absalom had had three sons and a daughter (2Sa 14:27<\/span>), but only his daughter Tamar survived him. Nothing is known of the deaths of his sons. It is interesting that Tamar, his daughter, became the mother of a Queen, Maachah, the wife of Rehoboam, Solomon’s sons and successor. Maachah’s son, Abijah, succeeded his father as king of Judah and possessed much of the charisma of his great grandfather, Absalom (2Ch 13:1<\/span> ff).<\/em><\/p>\n The Death of Absalom. 2Sa. 18:9-18<\/span><\/p>\n 9 And Absalom met the servants of David. 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.<\/p>\n 10 And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.<\/p>\n 11 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.<\/p>\n 12 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 kings son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom.<\/p>\n 13 Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me.<\/p>\n 14 Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.<\/p>\n 15 And ten young men that bare Joabs armor compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him. 6.<\/p>\n How was Absaloms head caught? 2Sa. 18:9<\/span><\/p>\n Absalom was following a trail through the forest that led through dense underbrush. He caught his hair in the branches of a tree. His mule went out from under him, and he was left suspended. When the enemy found him, they slew him and covered his body with a heap of stones. This was a Jewish way of showing contempt.<\/p>\n The mention of the pillar in 2Sa. 18:18<\/span> seemed to be over against the heap of stones in 2Sa. 18:17<\/span>. Absalom had raised a pillar in the valley of Jehoshaphat to perpetuate his name. The sons of Absalom that had been mentioned all died young, and there was no one to bear his name. A daughter would not perpetuate his name. For all these reasons, the pillar was erected. The men of David heaped stones over his body to show their contempt for Absalom and his pillar in the kings dale.<\/p>\n 7.<\/p>\n Why had the young man failed to kill Absalom? 2Sa. 18:10<\/span><\/p>\n One of the young soldiers in Israel had seen Absalom hanging by his head from the oak tree, but he did not kill. Absalom; rather he ran and told Joab, his captain. Joab rebuked the young man for sparing Absaloms life and told him that he would have given him ten shekels of silver and a military mans girdle if he had killed him. The young man replied that if he had received a thousand shekels of silver, he would not have put forth his hand against Absalom, since David had charged his captains not to harm him. He said that he would have endangered his own life if he had smitten Absalom. He could have expected no better treatment than David gave the Amalekite (2Sa. 1:15<\/span>) and the assassins of Ish-bosheth (2Sa. 4:12<\/span>).<\/p>\n 8.<\/p>\n What action did Joab take? 2Sa. 18:14<\/span><\/p>\n Joab turned impatiently away from the soldier who had discovered Absalom hanging from a tree. He took three darts in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was hanging yet alive from the branches of the oak tree. Ten of Joabs armour bearers ringed the tree around and smote Absalom. This sadistic treatment of the kings son was completely unnecessary, and the action revealed the spirit of Joab and his men.<\/p>\n 9.<\/p>\n Where was Absalom buried? 2Sa. 18:17<\/span><\/p>\n Absaloms body was cast into a huge pit in the forest of Ephraim. The men of Israel cast a very large heap of stones on him to show their contempt and then withdrew from the battlefield. Joab blew the trumpet and called the people from their pursuit of Absaloms men and the text states that Joab held back the people. They were enraged by Absaloms rebellion, and fought valiantly to restore David to his former position.<\/p>\n 10.<\/p>\n Where was the kings dale? 2Sa. 18:18<\/span><\/p>\n Absaloms body was covered by a heap of stones as a mark of the contempt of his enemies, but he had reared for himself a pillar of honor in the kings dale. Absalom had three sons, according to the record in 2Sa. 14:27<\/span>, but they must have died untimely deaths; for when he reared the pillar, he said that he had no son to perpetuate his name in Israel. Although Absalom was beaten in his campaign to overthrow his fathers throne, the pillar was left standing; and it was still there when the book was written at the end of Davids reign. The location of the kings dale is unknown, but Josephus located it one mile and a half from Jerusalem (Antiquities VIII; x; 3).<\/p>\n (9) His head caught hold of the oak.<\/strong>Absalom in his flight found himself among his enemies, and sought to escape into the denser parts of the forest. As he did so his head caught between the branches of a tree, his mule went from under him, and he hung there helpless. There is nothing said to support the common idea (which seems to have originated with Josephus), that he hung by his long hair, though this may doubtless have helped to entangle his head.<\/p>\n 9<\/strong>. <\/strong> In some pit <\/strong> Some cave, as in the time of his persecution by Saul. Compare 1Sa 24:3<\/span>. <\/p>\n When some of them be overthrown <\/strong> Rather, when he <\/em> (that is, David) falls upon them. <\/em> The sense of this verse and that following is, that David, being concealed from his pursuers, could slily sally forth and fall upon them unawares, and then the report of such a sudden attack would rapidly spread, and cause among the followers of Absalom a panic, in which the most lion-hearted hero would be likely to quail.<\/p>\n 9<\/strong>. <\/strong> Absalom met the servants of David <\/strong> And probably darted rapidly one side through the forest to avoid them, when he met with the accident which exposed him helpless to his enemy. <\/p>\n His head caught hold of the oak <\/strong> Probably entangled by his hair, (compare 2Sa 14:26<\/span>,) and so Josephus affirms.<\/p>\n 2Sa 18:9<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>The mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, <\/em><\/strong>&c.<\/strong> Several commentators suppose, that Absalom was suspended by the long hair of his head; while others, imagining that he had a helmet on, think that his neck was so wedged in between the boughs, that he was not able to disengage himself. It is not easy to believe that he could have lived long in such a posture; and Joab, we are told in the 14th verse, found him yet alive, <\/em>which would lead one rather to think that he was suspended by his hair. <\/p>\n (9) And Absalom met the servants of David. 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.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Every prelude to the death of Absalom is awful. His death is not after the common visitation of all men. He is first suspended, as it were, a spectacle between heaven and earth, unworthy of being in either. The simple boughs of a tree, shall begin the preparation of his awful death. A mule shall assist at his execution. Had the animal thrown him: had he broken his neck in the fall; or had a certain man at a venture, shot him through; these would have been among the common things of war. But no! His sin, his rebellion, his whole life, indeed, had been so flagicious, that his death must be marked with more than common infamy. The very beast on which he rides, shall leave him, as if delighted to be no longer burthened with such a sinner!<\/p>\n 2Sa 18:9 And Absalom met the servants of David. 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.<\/p>\n Ver. 9. And his head caught hold of the oak.<\/strong> ] His head was catched in a crotch or forked branch of the oak, a<\/em> and so he hung by the neck between heaven and earth, as rejected of both. <\/p>\n “ Abslon Marte furens pensilis arbore obit.<\/em> ”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n By that head he hanged, which had plotted treason against so good a father; and by the hair of his head twisted and wound about the boughs, as most expositors hold. God making his hair his halter: those tresses that had formerly hanged loosely dishevelled on his shoulders, now he hangs by them. He had wont to weigh his hair, and was proud to find it so heavy: now his hair poiseth the weight of his body, and makes his burden his torment. But what meant Gretser, the Jesuit, to call this oak a cross, and a manifest figure of Christ’s cross? in qua Absalom pendens Christum praefiguravit?<\/em> b<\/em> Was the man in his right mind? <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And the mule that was under him went away.<\/strong> ] False hopes of God’s mercy will one day serve men as Absalom’s mule did his master: when those that are rightly grounded, will do as Bucephalus, Alexander’s great horse, of which Gellius reporteth, that though deeply wounded in both neck and sides in a battle, yet he carried his master with great speed from out the danger of his enemies, and when he had set him in safety, fell down and died. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n a<\/em> Henry, grandchild to William the Conqueror, while he hotly pursued the chase in New Forest, was struck by a bough into the jaws, and, as Absalom, left hanging until he died. – Speed, l45. <\/p>\n b<\/em> Lib. i., De Cruce,<\/em> cap. 6.<\/p>\n taken up. The tradition about his “hair” comes from Josephus 2Sa 10:2). <\/p>\n his head: Riding furiously under the thick boughs of a great oak, which hung low and had never been cropped, either the twisted branches, or some low forked bough of the tree, caught him by the neck, or, as some think, by the loops into which his long hair had been pinned, which had been so much his pride, and was now justly made a halter for him. He may have hung so low from the bough, in consequence of the length of his hair, that he could not use his hands to help himself, or so entangled that his hands were bound, so that the more he struggled the more he was embarrassed. This set him up as a fair mark to the servants of David; and although David would have spared his rebellious son, if his orders had been executed, yet he could not turn the sword of Divine justice, in executing the just, righteous sentence of death on this traitorous son. 2Sa 18:14, 2Sa 14:26, 2Sa 17:23, Mat 27:5 <\/p>\n taken up: Deu 21:23, Deu 27:16, Deu 27:20, Job 18:8-10, Job 31:3, Psa 63:9, Psa 63:10, Pro 20:20, Pro 30:17, Jer 48:44, Mar 7:10, Gal 3:13 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Gen 36:24 – found Lev 19:19 – thy cattle gender 2Sa 3:3 – Absalom 2Sa 13:29 – mule Psa 55:15 – Let death Eze 17:20 – I will spread Joh 12:32 – if<\/p>\n 2Sa 18:9. Absalom met the servants of David Who, according to Davids command, spared him, and gave him an opportunity to escape. But whom they would not arrest, the divine vengeance arrested. For the mule, on which he rode, went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak Probably he was entangled by the hair of his head, which, being long and thick, might easily catch hold of a bough. For it is likely he either wore no helmet, or he had thrown it away, as well as his other arms, to hasten his flight. Thus the matter of his pride was made the instrument of his ruin. Some think his neck stuck fast between two boughs, or arms, of this oak, and was so wedged in by the swift motion of his mule that he was not able to disentangle himself; but yet, that, by the help of his hands, he so supported himself as not to be strangled.<\/p>\n Absalom’s death 18:9-18<\/span><\/p>\n "The mule was a royal mount; losing his mule [2Sa 18:9] Absalom has lost his kingdom." [Note: Conroy, p. 60.] <\/span><\/p>\n The text says Absalom’s head caught in an overhanging oak branch (2Sa 18:9). Josephus interpreted this, perhaps in view of 2Sa 14:26, as his hair got caught in the tree. [Note: Josephus, 7:10:2.] <\/span><\/p>\n "The great tree, inanimate though it is, has proved more than a match for the pride of Absalom." [Note: Baldwin, p. 270.] <\/span><\/p>\n "The reader who recalls 14,26 will almost certainly visualize Absalom’s hair in connection with the entanglement . . . and will easily draw a contrast between promise and pride on the one hand and humiliation and doom on the other." [Note: Conroy, p. 44, n. 4.] <\/span><\/p>\n The soldier who found Absalom wisely obeyed the orders of David. There are many evidences throughout the David saga that David had an excellent communications network. The soldier’s parenthetic comment, "There is nothing hidden from the king," (2Sa 18:13) is just one evidence of this (cf. 2Sa 14:20). Likewise there is nothing hidden from David’s greatest son, Jesus Christ, who knows all that happens under His authority.<\/p>\n Despite David’s instructions Joab wounded Absalom, probably mortally, on the spot (2Sa 18:14). Perhaps Joab feared David would have pardoned Absalom’s sin, thus giving him another opportunity to revolt. We must be careful to conduct our spiritual warfare according to our King’s instructions rather than taking matters into our own hands, as Joab did.<\/p>\n Absalom’s burial was in keeping with what the Mosaic Law prescribed for a rebellious son (Deu 21:20-21). God cut Absalom off because he rebelled against the Lord’s anointed, rather than blessing him because he was David’s eldest son. This was the third son that David had lost because of his sins against Bathsheba and Uriah. [Note: See my comment on 12:6.] <\/span> Instead of having a line of kings succeed him, all Absalom left behind was a stone monument (stele) that he had erected to himself (2Sa 18:18). His three sons (2Sa 14:27) must have died prematurely (2Sa 18:18).<\/p>\n "It is possible, however, that one or more of his sons were unwilling (for whatever reason) to perpetuate their father’s memory." [Note: Youngblood, p. 1021.] <\/span><\/p>\n In the ancient world, a son normally erected a memorial to his father when his father died, if the father was famous. Moreover, people also expected him to imitate his father and thus become a living memorial to his name. [Note: Boyu Ockinga, "A Note on <\/span>2Sa 18:18," Biblische Notizen 31 (1986):32.] <\/span> Absalom failed to receive either form of honor. Absalom lived like Eli’s sons and Saul, and he died as they did. [Note: For some interesting additional insights into Absalom gleaned from the text, see Roy Battenhouse, "The Tragedy of Absalom: A Literary Analysis," Christianity and Literature 31:3 (Spring 1982):53-57.] <\/span> The King’s Valley (2Sa 18:18) was the Kidron Valley. The 52-foot-high tomb or pillar of Absalom that marks the spot today, just east of the temple area, is an early first century A.D. Hellenistic or Roman sepulcher. [Note: W. Harold Mare, The Archaeology of the Jerusalem Area, p. 195.] <\/span> We should not confuse it with the memorial referred to in this text, though the present one may stand on the same spot as the older one.<\/p>\n Absalom’s attempt to usurp David’s throne proves again that disobedience to God’s covenant (i.e., the Mosaic Law) resulted in lack of fertility (blessing) in Israel. The enemies of the Lord’s Anointed will never succeed. Because of his sin, David had to flee Jerusalem, and he experienced much heartache. Because of his sins, Absalom died without honor. Nevertheless, in spite of David’s sin, God restored him to power because of God’s elective choice of him, and because of David’s heart for God.<\/p>\n God had promised to punish David for his disregard of the Mosaic Covenant and the Lord. Still, He did not say He would cut him off as He had cut Saul off (2Sa 12:10-12). The following chapters (2Sa 18:19 to 2Sa 19:43) record Yahweh’s restoration of His anointed after discipline.<\/p>\n And Absalom met the servants of David. 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. 9 18. … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Samuel 18:9”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8499\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
16 And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel: for Joab held back the people,
17 And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled every one to his tent.
18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the kings dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called unto this day, Absaloms place.<\/p>\nFuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"