|  Home  |  Old Testament Studies  |  2 Samuel Table of Contents  |  Previous Section  |  Next Section  |

2 SAMUEL 15

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

1. This chapter fulfills Nathan's prophecy found in 2 Samuel 12:10-12.
   
   
2. Absalom was a tall, handsome, dark-haired man, cf. 2 Sam. 14:25-26. He looked much like Saul.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:1-6
  ¹Now it came about after this that Absalom provided for himself a chariot and horses and fifty men as runners before him. ²Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way to the gate; and when any man had a suit to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, "From what city are you?" And he would say, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel." ³Then Absalom would say to him, "See, your claims are good and right, but no man listens to you on the part of the king." ⁴Moreover, Absalom would say, "Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or cause could come to me and I would give him justice." ⁵And when a man came near to prostrate himself before him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. ⁶In this manner Absalom dealt with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel.

15:1 "Absalom" His name (BDB 5) meant "Father of Peace." But he was not anything like his name.

▣ "a chariot and horses and fifty men as runners before him" This was a sign of kingship (cf. 1 Sam. 8:11; 1 Kgs. 1:5).

15:2 "stand beside the way to the gate" "The gate" is usually a place of justice. It would be analogous to our town hall in a small American city. However, this may be a reference to the gate of the king's palace. Those who were not satisfied with the judgment they received at the city gate often appealed to the king, who represented YHWH.

15:6 "Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel" Absalom attemped to identify himself with the people, while David became further and further alienated.

1. "no man listens to you," v. 3
2. "I would give him justice," v. 4
3. "take hold of him and kiss him," v. 5
4. "Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel," v. 6

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:7-12
  ⁷Now it came about at the end of forty years that Absalom said to the king, "Please let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed to the Lord, in Hebron. ⁸For your servant vowed a vow while I was living at Geshur in Aram, saying, 'If the Lord shall indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord.'" ⁹The king said to him, "Go in peace." So he arose and went to Hebron. ¹⁰But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron.'" ¹¹Then two hundred men went with Absalom from Jerusalem, who were invited and went innocently, and they did not know anything. ¹²And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom.

David's entire reign lasted only forty years, so this is obviously a scribal error. Several ancient translations have "four" (cf. Arabic, Josephus, [Antiq. 7.9.1], and Jerome's Vulgate).

The USB Text Project, p. 240, gives "four" a "C" rating (considerable doubt).

▣ "in Hebron" Hebron is the site of Absalom's birth. It was the original site of the capital of David's reign. It was also the place where David was anointed king over Judah. It has ancient, sacred connections with Abraham (i.e., burial cave at Machpelah, cf. Genesis 23).

15:8 "while I was living at Geshur in Syria" Absalom was exiled for Amnon's death (cf. 2 Sam. 13:20-39). Geshur is the site of his mother's birth.

▣ "If the Lord shall indeed. . ." Absalom is using YHWH's name in a lie!

▣ "bring me back" The MT has a Hiphil IMPERFECT (BDB 996, KB 1427), but the Masoretic scholars suggested it be changed to a Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE of the VERB "dwell" (BDB 442, KB 444).

15:10 "the sound of the trumpet" Shophar (BDB 1051) is the ram's horn used for religious and military purposes. Here, it proclaimed a new king (cf. 1 Kgs. 1:34).

SPECIAL TOPIC: HORNS USED BY ISRAEL

▣ "Absalom is king in Hebron" This coup was his plan all along. He went to Hebron to be proclaimed to clearly show Judean support for his kingship. This should have been a strongly Davidic region.

The MT has the NOUN (BDB 1070) "innocence," "simplicity," or "integrity." These 200 men did not know what Absalom had planned (i.e., possibly an inauguration dinner).

Notice the next phrase, "they did not know anything." These men were innocent of rebellion.

15:12 "Ahithophel" His name (BDB 27) means "my brother is folly." This name seems to have been altered by later scribes, who substituted the vowels for bosheth (shame) into the original name.

He was a well known wise man. His support for Absalom would give credence to Absalom's rebellion. He was possibly Bathsheba's grandfather.

▣ "while he was offering the sacrifices" It is uncertain who is offering sacrifices.

1. Absalom in some type of a sacrificial inauguration ritual (NRSV, TEV, NET)
2. Ahithophel the counselor; it would be surprising for a non-priest to offer sacrifices (REB)

The order of the MT supports #2.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:13-18
  ¹³Then a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom." ¹⁴David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise and let us flee, for otherwise none of us will escape from Absalom. Go in haste, or he will overtake us quickly and bring down calamity on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword." ¹⁵Then the king's servants said to the king, "Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king chooses." ¹⁶So the king went out and all his household with him. But the king left ten concubines to keep the house. ¹⁷The king went out and all the people with him, and they stopped at the last house. ¹⁸Now all his servants passed on beside him, all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had come with him from Gath, passed on before the king.

15:13 David's lack of attention to his position as judge gave Absalom the opportunity to pull the hearts of the common Israelites away from loyalty to David (cf. v. 6).

15:14 David immediately recognized the danger to himself, his servants, and the capital city/ark of the covenant.

15:16 "the king left ten concubines to keep the house" These second level wives (see NIDOTTE, vol. 3, pp. 618-619) of David will be publicly (i.e., on the roof of the palace) used to (cf. 2 Sam. 16:21-22)

1. affirm a total break with David
2. assert Absalom's kingship

For information on harems in this time and place see Roland deVaux, Ancient Israel, pp. 115-120).

15:18 "all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had come with him from Gath" This refers to David's mercenary army of his younger days (cf. 1 Sam. 23:13; 30:9). These were probably

1. foreign mercenaries
2. Israeli malcontents who followed David when he settled in Gath of the Philistines

This would be the core of his loyal body guard.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:19-23
  ¹⁹Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why will you also go with us? Return and remain with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile; return to your own place. ²⁰You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander with us, while I go where I will? Return and take back your brothers; mercy and truth be with you." ²¹But Ittai answered the king and said, "As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be." ²²Therefore David said to Ittai, "Go and pass over." So Ittai the Gittite passed over with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. ²³While all the country was weeping with a loud voice, all the people passed over. The king also passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over toward the way of the wilderness.

15:19-20 "Ittai the Gittite" This shows David's concern for individuals, even non-Israelites. He became one of David's military leaders (cf. 2 Sam. 18:2).

Notice David's blessing on him in v. 20.

1. "mercy" ‒ this is literally "faithfulness" (BDB 54). See SPECIAL TOPIC: BELIEVE, TRUST, FAITH, AND FAITHFULNESS IN THE OT.
2. "truth" ‒ this is literally "loyalty" (BDB 338), hesed. See SPECIAL TOPIC: LOVINGKINDNESS (hesed).

The JPSOA combines these two NOUNS into "true faithfulness," while REB has "steadfast friend."

15:21-22 Ittai and his family, servants, and army chose to go with David, even though at this point it looked as if David would be defeated by his son and killed.

15:21 "As the Lord lives" This is an oath formula which was a word play on the Hebrew VERB "to be" (BDB 224) and the covenant name for Israel's Deity, YHWH (BDB 217).

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D.

▣ "Lord" The second English "Lord" is Adon, which can mean "husband," "master," "owner." It is analogous to Kurios in the NT.

15:23 "the way of the wilderness" This designation could refer to several roads. From 2 Sam. 17:24,27; 19:32 we know David fled across the Jordan close to Jericho and went to Mahanaim, a city on the Jabbock River close to the large north-south trans-Jordan highway known as "the King's Highway."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:24-29
  ²⁴Now behold, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar came up until all the people had finished passing from the city. ²⁵The king said to Zadok, "Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the sight of the Lord, then He will bring me back again and show me both it and His habitation. ²⁶But if He should say thus, 'I have no delight in you,' behold, here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him." ²⁷The king said also to Zadok the priest, "Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace and your two sons with you, your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. ²⁸See, I am going to wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me." ²⁹Therefore Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and remained there.

15:24-29 "Zadok" His name (BDB 843) means "just" or "righteous." He is first mentioned in 2 Sam. 8:17. Here in 2 Sam. 15:24-29 he and Abiathar (last priest of Eli's line, who was not killed at the slaughter of Nob, cf. 1 Samuel 22) were both priests and custodians of the ark of the covenant. Both are told to return the ark to the Temple in Jerusalem.

For the origin of Zadok see Roland deVaux, Ancient Israel, pp. 372-376.

SPECIAL TOPIC: RIGHTEOUSNESS

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

15:24 "Abiathar" The text is uncertain but apparently he stayed behind in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices or a time of prayer for David in the Temple before joining David and Zadok on the route out of town.

15:25 "His habitation" This is a reference to the tabernacle. There is some question as to whether this was the original tabernacle that Moses built in the wilderness or the new tent which David built.

SPECIAL TOPIC: TABERNACLE OF THE WILDERNESS

15:26 David trusted YHWH's care and purpose. It is so important not to let immediate circumstances distort one's view of God or His character.

SPECIAL TOPIC: CHARACTERISTICS OF ISRAEL'S GOD (OT)

15:27 "Are you not a seer" This was one of several Hebrew terms to denote a prophet. Seer (BDB 900) is from the root "to see." But here it probably simply means "Do you understand?" (JPSOA). It is possible it means "you are not the chief priest" (emendation).

SPECIAL TOPIC: PROPHET (the different Hebrew terms)

▣ "Zadok" See NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 1300-1302.

▣ "Abiathar" See NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 348-349.

15:28 "the fords of the wilderness" This would refer to the shallow crossing points in the Jordan River nearer Jericho.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:30-31
  ³⁰And David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went, and his head was covered and he walked barefoot. Then all the people who were with him each covered his head and went up weeping as they went. ³¹Now someone told David, saying, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." And David said, "O Lord, I pray, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness."

15:30-32 There are several terms and phrases used to describe "mourning."

1. wept
2. head covered
3. barefoot
4. coat torn
5. dust on the head

SPECIAL TOPIC: GRIEVING RITES

15:31 This is a message brought by the sons of Zadok and Abiathar to tell David to continue his flight to safety (cf. vv. 28-29; 17:17). The MT has "David told" but most translations (DSS, Peshitta, Targums, Vulgate, and some LXX MSS) change this to "David was told" or "one told David" (the UBS Text Project, p. 244, gives this a "C" rating (considerable doubt).

▣ "I pray, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness" David's prayer is answered with his suicide. See 2 Sam. 16:23; 17:14,23.

SPECIAL TOPIC: SUICIDE

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:32-37
  ³²It happened as David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, that behold, Hushai the Archite met him with his coat torn and dust on his head. ³³David said to him, "If you pass over with me, then you will be a burden to me. ³⁴But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father's servant in time past, so I will now be your servant,' then you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me. ³⁵Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So it shall be that whatever you hear from the king's house, you shall report to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. ³⁶Behold their two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son and Jonathan, Abiathar's son; and by them you shall send me everything that you hear." ³⁷So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

15:32 "It happened as David was coming to the summit where, God was worshiped" This refers to a local high place on the Mount of Olives.

▣ "Hushai" He was a faithful counselor to David (cf. v. 37). David sent him back to Jerusalem to thwrat Ahithophel's advice (cf. 2 Samuel 17).

▣ "the Archite" This ADJECTIVE (BDB 74, cf. 2 Sam. 15:32; 16:16; 17:5,14; 1 Chr. 27:33) is used in Josh. 16:2 for a city or region near Bethel in Benjamin.

15:33 "you will be a burden to me" Nothing in the context informs us why. Scholarly speculation is

1. he was very old (cf. 2 Sam. 19:35)
2. he was just one more mouth to feed
3. he, for some reason, could not travel well
4. it might be an idiom meaning "you could be more help by. . ." (v. 34)

15:34 David sends Hushai back to Jerusalem for the purpose of thwarting Ahithopel's advice. 2 Samuel 17:14 shows the mysterious combination of man's will and God's will. Somehow both are relevant.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ELECTION/PREDESTINATION AND THE NEED FOR A THEOLOGICAL BALANCE

15:35-36 The two priests would act as spies for David and their two sons would carry the messages.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Absalom was the next in line to be king, so why did he revolt?
2. Why was Hebron chosen to be the place to announce his kingship?
3. How does 2 Sam. 15:19-24 reveal David's character?
4. Explain the theological significance of 2 Sam. 15:25-26.
5. Why did David send back
   1. Zadok and Abiathar
   2. Hushai

|  Home  |  Old Testament Studies  |  2 Samuel Table of Contents  |  Previous Section  |  Next Section  |