Under the pretense of honoring a vow, Absalom went to Hebron and began to gather an army. He allowed selfishness to rule him, instead of God's law. The priests Zadok and Abiathar remained in Jerusalem, and their sons Jonathan and Ahimaaz served as David's spies. while bewailing his death, praying at the same time for his redemption from the seventh section of Gehenna, to which he was consigned" (Soṭah, 10b). Absalom fled on a swift mule; but his long flowing hair, or more probably his head, was caught in the bough of an oak, and there he was left suspended till Joab came up and pierced him through with three darts.
Joab killed Absalom with three darts through the heart. 1915. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! Absalom was charismatic and easily drew other people to him. ( 2 Samuel 18:33 . He made gestures of flattery by kissing those who bowed before him instead of accepting supplication. (2 Samuel 14:25, NLT) When he cut his hair once a year—only because it became too heavy—it weighed five pounds. The two armies clashed at Ephraim, in a large oak forest. After this murder Absalom fled to Talmai, who was the king of Geshur and Absalom's maternal grandfather. Absalom (Hebrew: .mw-parser-output .script-hebrew,.mw-parser-output .script-Hebr{font-family:"SBL Hebrew","SBL BibLit","Frank Ruehl CLM","Taamey Frank CLM","Ezra SIL","Ezra SIL SR","Keter Aram Tsova","Taamey Ashkenaz","Taamey David CLM","Keter YG","Shofar","David CLM","Hadasim CLM","Simple CLM","Nachlieli",Cardo,Alef,"Noto Serif Hebrew","Noto Sans Hebrew","David Libre",David,"Times New Roman",Gisha,Arial,FreeSerif,FreeSans}אַבְשָׁלוֹם Aḇšālōm, "father of peace"), according to the Hebrew Bible, was the third son of David, King of Israel with Maacah, daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur. He loved Absalom dearly.
", Popular legend states that the eye of Absalom was of immense size, signifying his insatiable greed (Niddah, 24b). He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. David's other sons fled from the place in horror, and brought the tidings of the death of Amnon to Jerusalem. A decisive battle was fought in Gilead, in the wood of Ephraim. "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". "Barach Hamelech", an Israeli song by Amos Etinger and Yosef Hadar. The revolt was at first completely successful; David fled from his capital over the Jordan to Mahanaim in Gilead, and Absalom occupied Jerusalem.
By many arts he gained their affection; and after his return from Geshur ( 2 Samuel 15:7 ; marg., RSV) he went up to Hebron, the old capital of Judah, along with a great body of the people, and there proclaimed himself king. Here he ordered his servants to murder Amnon, and then fled for safety to his grandfathers court at Geshur, where he remained for three years. [2 Sam 14:30] Absalom had once set Joab's field on fire[2 Sam 17:25] and then made Amasa Captain of the Host instead of Joab. The first recorded event defining Absalom’s life also involved his sister Tamar and half-brother Amnon. One day Absalom invited all the king's sons to a sheep-shearing festival. Absalom had a sister, Tamar, who was violated by her half-brother Amnon. His body was then taken down and cast into a pit dug in the forest, and a heap of stones was raised over his grave.
He was noted for his personal beauty and for the extra-ordinary profusion of the hair of his head ( 2 Samuel 14:25 2 Samuel 14:26 ). He lived in great style, drove in a magnificent chariot, and had fifty men run before him. He was dispatched by Joab in spite of the prohibition of David, who, loving him to the last, had desired that his life might be spared. One of two envoys of the Jews, mentioned in a letter sent by Lysias to the Jewish nation (2 Macc 11:17). Now Absalom, David's son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar. Absalom at length marched out against his father, whose army, under the command of Joab, he encountered on the borders of the forest of Ephraim. For other uses, see. At last, after being solemnly anointed king at Jerusalem, ( 2 Samuel 19:10 ) Absalom crossed the Jordan to attack his father, who by this time had rallied round him a considerable force. And after a time Amnon, David's son, loved her. O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom!
"[8], This article is about the biblical figure. Copyright © 2020, Bible Study Tools. However, he took the precaution of instructing a servant, Hushai, to infiltrate Absalom's court and subvert it.
[1], Although he had no sons 2 Chronicles 11:20 says that Absalom had another daughter or granddaughter named Maacah, who later became the favorite wife of Rehoboam. Killing Absalom was against David's explicit command, "Beware that none touch the young man Absalom". Compare Exodus 32:32 ; Romans 9:3 ). 1915. Indeed, "hell itself opened beneath him, and David, his father, cried seven times: 'My son! In all probability it is the tomb of Alexander Jannæus (Conder, in Hastings' Dict. 100 Bible Verses about Absalom. "If only I were the judge of the land! The army of David prevailed. He was discovered there still alive by one of David's men, who reported this to Joab, the king's commander. ( Joshua 7:26 ). Absalom reached the capital and consulted with the renowned Ahithophel (sometimes spelled Achitophel). Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son! She served as queen mother for Asa, until he deposed her for idolatry. Then ten of Joab's armor-bearers circled Absalom and killed him. To his generals' surprise, David was heartbroken over the death of his son, the man who tried to kill him and steal his throne. [6] In a 2013 conference, Professor Gabriel Barkay suggested that it could be the tomb of Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great, based in part on the similarity to Herod's newly discovered tomb at Herodium. [4] The Jewish Encyclopedia reports: "A tomb twenty feet high and twenty-four feet square, which late tradition points out as the resting-place of Absalom. Some musical scores of David's lament for Absalom: This page was last edited on 16 October 2020, at 16:55. David mourned his absent son, now branded with the guilt of fratricide. If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!” (NIV), Meet Absalom, Rebellious Son of King David, Mary Fairchild is a full-time Christian minister, writer, and editor of two Christian anthologies, including "Stories of Cavalry.". After the rape, Absalom waited two years, and then avenged Tamar by sending his servants to murder a drunken Amnon at a feast, to which Absalom had invited all the king's sons.[NIV]. Instead, his life ended in a violent downfall. "Entry for 'ABSALOM (1)'". Salem Media Group.
This gave David critical time to prepare his own troops for the battle. The natural avenger of such an outrage would be Tamars full brother Absalom. The Bible says in 2 Samuel 13:37 that David "mourned for his son day after day."
Orr, James, M.A., D.D. 2 Samuel 13:1-39 ESV / 17 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. This is to show that when a man becomes so heartless as to make war against his own father, nature itself takes on a heart to avenge the deed. Absalom. David took refuge from Absalom's forces beyond the Jordan River. We'll send you an email with steps on how to reset your password. Compiled & Edited by BibleStudyTools Staff, Bible Dictionaries - Easton's Bible Dictionary - Absalom, Bible Dictionaries - Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary - Absalom, Bible Dictionaries - Smith's Bible Dictionary - Absalom, Encyclopedias - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Absalom (1), Encyclopedias - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Absalom (2), California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The bulk of Absalom’s story is told in 2 Samuel 13-19. It is probable too that the great tribe of Judah had taken some offence at Davids government. of His pretensions were favoured by the people. Little is known of Absalom's family life, but we read in 2 Samuel 14:27 that he had three sons and one daughter. Absalom now began at once to prepare for rebellion. When David did nothing, Absalom’s rage and anger seethed into a vengeful plot. 2 Samuel 15:10 Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, then say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’” (NIV), 2 Samuel 18:33 The king was shaken. "Absalom" is a song on Brand New Shadows's debut album, "Absalom" is an album by the experimental/progressive band, "Avshalom" (אבשלום) is commonly used as a male first name in contemporary, "Axel", "Aksel" and "Akseli" are common Germanic variants of "Absalom", which are used as male first names primarily in. (Apocrypha) (Codex Vaticanus, Abessalomos and Abessalom; Codex Alexandrinus, Absalomos, the King James Version Absalon): Bibliography Information The Bible says Absalom was praised as the most handsome man in all Israel: "He was flawless from head to foot."
As the result of a stratagem carried out by a woman of Tekoah, Joab received David's sanction to invite Absalom back to Jerusalem. When Amnon was celebrating, Absalom ordered his soldiers to kill him. When David heard that Absalom was killed, although not how he was killed, he greatly sorrowed. Absalom's story is one of pride and greed, about a man who tried to overthrow the plan of God. 8). [2 Sam 13:37][Joshua 12:5][Joshua 13:2] It was not until three years later that Absalom was fully reinstated in his father's favour and finally returned to Jerusalem. (father of peace ),third son of David by Maachah, daughter of Tamai king of Geshur, a Syrian district adjoining the northeast frontier of the Holy Land. He also maintained a splendid retinue, ( 2 Samuel 15:1 ) and was admired for his personal beauty. Bible References: Absalom’s story is found in 2 Samuel 3:3 and chapters 13-19.; Hometown: Absalom was born in Hebron, during the early part of David’s reign in Judah.
• Absalom and Achitophel (1681) is a landmark poetic political satire by John Dryden, using the Biblical story as a metaphor for the politics of the poet's own time.