And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baal-Hazor, which is beside Ephraim; and Absalom invited all the king's sons.
Two silent years stand between Amnon's crime against Tamar and this invitation to the king's sons. The feast looks like ordinary family business, but it is the cover Absalom has been waiting for since his sister was wronged.
The two years between verse 22 and verse 23 were not healing time:
Amnon's wrong to his sister had raised a deadly fire in his heart, which two full years had no power to quench. But his crafty soul had to find the best way to let out his rage on its victim. The fire burns as though it had been kindled only yesterday, and his cleverness devises a sure path for it. It is all of Satan. The guile of the serpent serves the fury of the lion. Absalom plots the sheep-shearing so that he may get Amnon's blood.
Nobody judged Amnon's crime. One writer asks what the news should have done to David:
David heard of the incident and was very angry (v.21). Should it not instead have humbled him deeply before God, with a broken heart? Should he not have felt the guilt as though it had been his own? Surely he had not so quickly forgotten his own dreadful sin. He did nothing. In fact, Absalom also did nothing at the time. He nursed a bitter hatred toward Amnon (v.22) and waited for the chance to do the worst.
The invitation is the first move in a murder already prepared:
For two years he has to hide and nurse in secret an anger that will be certain of its blow before it strikes. Then he finds his opportunity. You see his heart in its depths, as he prepares his feast and the daggers of his servants. Amnon shall be struck down in the pleasure that he loves. His heart will be merry with wine, unrepenting and unforgiven. And it is done! In the middle of a drinking party, in the middle of the circle of the king's sons, Amnon is struck down and slain. The sword has come upon David's house, just as God said it would. Who brought it there? The hand is the hand of Absalom; the sword is the sword of Uriah the Hittite!
Absalom held the feast on his own sheep country:
Place in or near Ephraim where Absalom had pastures for sheep, and where Amnon was slain. 2 Sam. 13:23. Identified with Tell Asur.
Shearing time has a track record in Scripture:
Only four times in Scripture do we read of sheep shearing. They include Genesis 38:13 (Judah), 1 Samuel 25:4 (Nabal), and 2 Samuel 13:23 (Absalom). In each case, something unpleasantly selfish is involved. Peter was not told by the Lord to "shear My sheep," but "shepherd My sheep" and "feed My sheep" (John 21:16-17).
Another writer asks what the shearing itself pictures:
It was sheep-shearing time. In their wool the flocks would yield an enormous income to their owner, and he had little share in producing it... Is there any suggestion here of a misuse of the flock, or may we say, at least, a failure to grasp that all blessing comes through the sacrifice? A sheep would yield its wool without giving up its life. How many have gained outward blessings without realising that the sacrificial death of Christ bought them!
The chain does not begin with Absalom:
After two years the day of reckoning comes. Absalom (the father of peace) becomes the murderer of his brother... The harvest is on. What a man sows, that he will reap — murder for murder... Who was responsible for it all? The scenes of lust and murder, outrage and bloodshed, revolt and rebellion, sorrow upon sorrow, grief upon grief, start with David's great sin. Pardoned he was, restored in every sense of the word, yet God maintains His holiness and chastised His servant.
Absalom has no excuse. He serves himself, and God uses him for something else:
He is to be made the rod in the Lord's hand for the chastening of David — a rod, too, taken out of his own stem — his own child. The Lord had just said to him through the prophet Nathan, "Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house." Absalom is now to serve his own lusts, but God will use him for the renewing of His servant in holiness.
- Unjudged. David was angry about Amnon and did nothing. The sin he left unjudged found another hand to punish it.
- Nursed. Two full years could not quench Absalom's hatred — delay was not healing but planning.
- Staged. Absalom picked his ground. Profit, wine, and a gathered family gave the perfect cover for daggers.
- Shorn. Every shearing scene in Scripture hides something selfish. Wool comes off the flock cheaply, and people take blessings without seeing the death that bought them.
- Reaped. The sword in Absalom's hand was the sword of Uriah returning. God had pardoned and restored David, and still chastised him to renew His servant in holiness.
And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold, now, thy servant has sheepshearers; let the king, I pray thee, and his servants go with thy servant.
Two years earlier, Amnon attacked his sister Tamar, and David never punished him. Now Absalom invites his father to a sheep-shearing feast — a warm, ordinary family invitation with a murder hidden inside it.
The waiting was not forgiveness. Absalom had been planning, and this invitation was the last step.
Amnon's wrong to his sister had lit a murderous fire in his heart. Two full years had no power to put it out. But his crafty soul had to find the best way to let out his rage on its victim. The fire burns as though it had been lit only yesterday, and his cunning finds a sure channel for it. It is all of Satan. The guile of the serpent serves the fury of the lion. Absalom plots the sheep-shearing feast so that he may get the blood of Amnon.
The long delay was part of the plan. Everyone had relaxed, and the feast gave a reason to gather the king's sons on Absalom's own ground.
At this time he plotted to get Amnon on to his own property. He invited David and all his brothers to come when he was having his sheep sheared and would be making large profits. David considered this too much for Absalom to handle and declined the invitation. But Absalom insisted that David let Amnon and his other brothers go, and David consented. No doubt both David and Amnon were off guard by now, for they would expect nothing after two years had passed. But they little knew Absalom's character.
Shearing time meant profit and celebration. In the Bible, these scenes keep turning dark.
It was sheep-shearing time. The flocks gave up their wool, an enormous income to their owner, who had little share in producing it. It is quite striking that every mention of sheep-shearing in the Scriptures involves some display of evil. Judah fell into his grievous sin at sheep-shearing time. Later Absalom killed his brother Amnon at the sheep-shearing feast.
Absalom's grievance was real, but his calculation reached further than his sister's honour. Removing the firstborn cleared a path.
Amnon, the firstborn and natural heir, may soon be lord over both Absalom and Tamar. Yet for two years he has to hide and nurse in secret the anger that will strike when it is sure. Then he finds his opportunity. You see his heart in its depths as he prepares his feast and the daggers of his servants. Amnon will be struck down in the pleasure he loves. His heart will be merry with wine, unrepentant and unforgiven.
None of this would have had room to grow if David had judged the first crime. He let it pass.
According to the law, I judge that Amnon ought to have suffered death for his sin. David fails to be "just, ruling in the fear of God." And judgment overtakes Amnon by the hand of his brother Absalom. Absalom is now guilty of murder, and he flees the kingdom.
The method of the murder was not new to David. He had used both parts of it himself.
Sheep shearing was a time of celebration. Amnon joined in the wine drinking without suspicion. Absalom did not commit the murder himself. He had his servants do it at the right moment, when the wine had dulled Amnon's senses. Notice two things here that remind us of David's sin. He had used wine to try to influence Uriah, and he had killed Uriah by the hands of other men. David's house suffered because of David's sin. And this was by no means the end.
- Unjudged. This invitation exists because David never punished a crime. Amnon should have faced the law. David let it pass, and private revenge filled the gap.
- Nursed. Two years of quiet did not cool Absalom's hatred. It gave it time to become a plan, complete with a feast, a guest list, and armed servants.
- Masked. Absalom's words to his father sound like family warmth. But the guile of the serpent was serving the fury of the lion.
- Sprung. Absalom struck Amnon when he felt safest — merry with wine, off guard, with no chance to repent. Servants held the daggers, not Absalom.
- Reaped. Wine used as a tool, and killing done through other men, were David's own devices in the matter of Uriah. His own house now suffered by his own methods, and this was by no means the end.
And the king said to Absalom, No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to thee. And he urged him, but he would not go; and he blessed him.
Two years after Amnon's crime against Tamar, Absalom holds a sheep-shearing feast and invites the whole royal family. David refuses, Absalom presses, David refuses again — and then blesses the son he has just turned down.
David's refusal sounds like a father sparing his son a cost he could not carry. Absalom kept pressing, and the pressing won.
Two full years did not serve to change Absalom's hatred toward Amnon. At this time he plotted to get Amnon on to his own property. He invited David and all his brothers at sheep-shearing time, when he would be making large profits. David considered this too much for Absalom to handle and declined the invitation. But Absalom insisted that Amnon and his other brothers be allowed to go, and David consented. No doubt both David and Amnon were off guard by now, for they would expect nothing after two years had gone by. But they little knew Absalom's character.
The timing was not neutral. Sheep-shearing made the flock's owner rich. In Scripture that season also keeps turning up at dark moments.
It was the time of sheep-shearing, when the flocks gave their owner an enormous income in wool — income he had little share in producing. It is striking that every account of sheep-shearing in the Scriptures connects with some display of evil. Judah fell into his grievous sin at sheep-shearing time. Later, Absalom killed his brother Amnon at the sheep-shearing feast.
David's "no" was not only about expense. A prophet had already warned him that the evil would come from inside his own house.
The fire burns as though it had been kindled only yesterday, and his cunning finds a sure outlet for it. It is all of Satan. The cunning of the serpent serves the fury of the lion, and Absalom plots the sheep-shearing so that he may get Amnon's blood. David has some misgivings. How indeed could it be otherwise? After all that he had done, and all that the prophet had said to him, must he not have feared every stir in the house? For one of his own house was to bring the evil upon him. He does not like this sheep-shearing feast which Absalom proposes. But Absalom presses him, and Amnon then goes, and falls before the treachery and sword of his brother.
Earlier in the chapter David heard about Amnon and Tamar. He was furious, and he did nothing. That silence drained his later refusal of all authority.
David heard of it also and was very angry, but he made no attempt to deal with his son. We do not read a word that he even rebuked him. "The reading of the Septuagint is likely to be correct. David left the incest of Amnon with Tamar unpunished, even though it was committed in especially serious circumstances. He did so because he favoured Amnon as his firstborn son. His father's indulgence may also explain the daring recklessness that marked Amnon's crime. But a doting father, struck with moral weakness, might find in the memory of his own past sin an excuse for delay, or even a barrier to action. It is hard to wield a heavy sword with a maimed arm."
David parts from Absalom with a blessing. He was blessing a decision already made, dressed up as hospitality.
God, on the other hand, was judging the family of David. He was speaking to David's own heart and conscience through the sin and shame and scandal that covered the whole family with reproach. This is what lets us see Absalom. He will avenge his sister's wrong himself. He has made up his mind to shed his brother's blood; he covers it under fair pretences. Amnon is trapped to his ruin.
- Pressed. David said no to the feast, then no again under pressure — a warning he felt but never acted on.
- Weakened. He had let Amnon's crime pass without rebuke. A father "struck with moral weakness" finds it hard "to wield a heavy sword with a maimed arm."
- Masked. Absalom had already decided on his brother's blood and covered it under fair pretences. Two years of quiet had not cooled the hatred, only hidden it.
- Misread. David and Amnon were off guard because time had passed — they little knew Absalom's character.
- Blessed. The king sent his son off with a blessing instead of a question. The feast he disliked became the place where Amnon fell.
And Absalom said, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said to him, Why should he go with thee?
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
But Absalom pressed him; and he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him.
Absalom has waited two years, and all he still needs is his father's consent. David refuses the sheep-shearing feast himself, then yields under pressure and sends his sons into Absalom's house — how did a wise king come to do that?
Absalom's two years of silence were not the cooling of anger. One writer looks into what was working in him during the wait.
Amnon's wrong to his sister had raised a deadly fire in his heart, which two full years had no power to quench; but his crafty soul had to find the best way to let out his rage on its victim. The fire burns as though it had been kindled only yesterday, and his cunning finds a sure outlet for it. It is all of Satan. The craft of the serpent serves the fury of the lion, and Absalom plots the matter of the sheep-shearing so that he may get Amnon's blood.
Absalom made himself his sister's avenger, and hid that decision behind a friendly invitation.
He will avenge his sister's wrong himself. He has made up his mind to shed his brother's blood; he cloaks it under fair pretences. Amnon is ensnared to his ruin.
David does not agree easily. One writer sets out how he resisted, why he gave in, and what that showed.
Later, when Absalom's plans for murder have ripened, David at first tries to resist. He thinks that giving in to what his son asks may bring evil. But he gives way in the end, and sends his other sons along to protect Amnon. All this probably does not show a very clear spiritual judgment.
Another writer notes what made the pressure work: the sheer passage of time had lowered everyone's guard.
No doubt both David and Amnon were off guard by now, for they would expect nothing after two years had gone by. But they little knew Absalom's character.
Sheep-shearing was payday for a flock owner. One writer finds a pattern in where Scripture places such feasts.
It was the time of sheep-shearing. In their wool the flocks gave their owner an enormous income, which he had little share in producing. It is striking that every act of sheep-shearing that Scripture mentions has some showing of evil attached to it. At sheep-shearing time Judah fell into his grievous sin. Later Absalom killed his brother Amnon at the sheep-shearing feast.
The method was not new to David. One writer names two details in it that point straight back at him.
Absalom did not commit the murder himself. He had his servants do it at the right moment, when the wine had dulled Amnon's senses. Notice two things here that remind us of David's sin. He had used wine to try to influence Uriah, and he had killed Uriah by the hands of other men. David's house was indeed suffering because of David's sin, and this was by no means the end.
Another writer looks past Absalom's servants and their daggers to the sword behind them.
You see his heart in its depths, as he prepares his feast and the daggers of his servants. Amnon shall be struck down in the pleasure that he loves, when his heart is merry with wine, unrepenting and unforgiven. And it is done! In the middle of a drinking party, in the middle of the circle of the king's sons, Amnon is struck down and killed. The sword is upon David's house, as was foretold. Who brought it there? Who opened the door for it? The hand is the hand of Absalom; the sword is the sword of Uriah the Hittite!
- Nursed. Two years of quiet did not cool Absalom's hatred; it gave his craft time to find the perfect occasion.
- Cloaked. The shearing feast was the disguise. Absalom had already decided on his brother's blood, and hid that under a warm invitation.
- Yielded. David feared every stir in his house, and still gave way under pressure. The sons he sent as protection protected nobody.
- Struck. Amnon died at his weakest moment, by other men's hands, with wine doing half the work. David had used that same method against Uriah.
- Reaped. The hand was Absalom's, but the sword was Uriah's. The sorrow that entered David's house that day was the sorrow foretold to him.
And Absalom commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, Smite Amnon; then slay him, fear not have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.
Two full years have passed since Amnon wronged his sister Tamar. Now Absalom throws a sheep-shearing feast and gets Amnon to the table. His order to the servants is to strike once the wine has done its work. Why the long wait, why the wine, and how much of this traces back to David himself?
Absalom's order is not a sudden outburst. It ends two years of silence. One writer asks where such patient rage comes from.
Amnon's wrong against his sister had lit a deadly fire in Absalom's heart, and two full years had no power to put it out. But his crafty soul had to find the most satisfying way to pour out his rage on its victim. The fire burns as if it were lit only yesterday, and his cunning finds a sure channel for it. It is all of Satan. The craft of the serpent serves the fury of the lion, and Absalom plans the sheep-shearing feast so that he can get Amnon's blood.
Why hold the killing at a sheep-shearing? One writer notes what this season means elsewhere in Scripture.
It was the time of sheep-shearing, when the flocks gave up their wool and brought their owner a huge income that he had done little to produce. It is striking that every sheep-shearing Scripture mentions goes together with some open show of evil. It was at sheep-shearing time that Judah fell into his terrible sin, and later Absalom killed his brother Amnon at the sheep-shearing feast.
Absalom's order carries two details: wait for the wine, and let the servants do the striking. He steadies them with "have I not commanded you?", so the blame is his. One writer notes where these two details come from.
Sheep shearing was a time of celebration, and Amnon joined in the wine drinking without suspicion. Absalom did not himself commit the murder, but had his servants do this at the right moment, when the wine had dulled Amnon's senses. Notice two things here that remind us of David's sin. He had used wine to try to influence Uriah, and he had killed Uriah by the hands of other men. David's house was indeed suffering because of David's sin, and this was by no means the end.
Absalom chose the hour, and he chose the state his brother would be in when he died. One writer asks whose sword really fell that day.
You see right down into his heart as he prepares his feast and the daggers of his servants. Amnon will be struck down in the pleasure he loves, when his heart is merry with wine, with no repentance and no pardon. And it is done! In the middle of a drinking party, inside the circle of the king's sons, Amnon is struck down and killed. The sword has come upon David's house, exactly as predicted. Who has brought it there? Who has opened the door for it? The hand is the hand of Absalom; the sword is the sword of Uriah the Hittite!
Amnon was at that table because David let him go. Verse 27 records a father who hesitated and then gave in. One writer follows David's part through the whole chapter.
Here in 2 Samuel 13 all David's good intentions, and his wish for peace among his children, turn against him. Without meaning to, he acts in the very way he should not have. It is David, in verse 7, who sends Tamar to Amnon's house. Later, when Absalom's plans for murder are ripe, David at first tries to resist. He thinks that giving in to his son's request might bring evil. But in the end he gives in, and sends his other sons along to protect Amnon. All this probably does not show a very clear spiritual judgment.
The order in verse 28 cost Absalom more than his brother. One writer weighs what such a killer could expect under Israel's law.
By this Absalom had defiled the land and forfeited his life. All he can do now is run to foreigners, for the land had no city of refuge for a man like him. The avenger of blood could claim him even from Bezer or Kedesh. He had shed his brother's blood, and that blood cried out for vengeance.
Behind it all stands God's dealing with a man He had already forgiven:
And who was responsible for it all? Lust and murder. Outrage and bloodshed. Revolt and rebellion. Sorrow on sorrow, grief on grief. All of it starts with David's great sin. He was pardoned. He was restored in every sense of the word. Yet God maintains His holiness, and He disciplined His servant.
- Sown. The sword in David's house began with David's own sin. Lust, murder and revolt all trace back to it, even though God had fully pardoned him.
- Nursed. Two years did nothing to cool Absalom's hatred. The delay was not healing but planning — the craft of the serpent serving the fury of the lion.
- Staged. He chose a sheep-shearing feast. Every sheep-shearing in Scripture sits next to some open evil.
- Struck. Amnon dies drunk, unrepentant and unforgiven. Other men's hands did it, once the wine had dulled him — the same two tools David used against Uriah.
- Reaped. Absalom defiled the land and forfeited his life. No city of refuge would take him. David, who had sent his sons to the feast, lost both of them.
And the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and they rode each upon his mule and fled.
At Absalom's signal his servants kill Amnon at the sheep-shearing feast, and the king's other sons flee in panic. Why did the blow fall on this house, and what part did their father play in it?
Absalom's rage did not cool with time. One writer traces how the delay was not healing but planning:
Amnon's wrong to his sister had raised a deadly fire in his heart, and two full years had no power to quench it. But his crafty soul had to find the best way to let out his rage on its victim. The fire burns as though it had been kindled only yesterday, and his craftiness finds a sure outlet for it. It is all of Satan. The cunning of the serpent serves the fury of the lion. Absalom plots the sheep-shearing so that he may get Amnon's blood.
The method was not new in this family:
Sheep shearing was a time of celebration, and Amnon joined in the wine drinking without suspicion. Absalom did not himself commit the murder. He had his servants do it at the right moment (vv. 28-29), when the wine had dulled Amnon's senses. Notice two things here that remind us of David's sin. He had used wine to try to influence Uriah (ch. 11:13), and he had killed Uriah by the hands of other men (ch. 12:9).
Amnon dies in the middle of his own pleasure:
In the middle of the merrymaking, Amnon, filled with wine, with no chance to repent, is cruelly killed. The sword is drawn and falls on David's house. The harvest is here. What a man sows he will reap — murder for murder.
The murder is not a random family tragedy. It is the exact thing Nathan had announced, and forgiveness did not cancel it:
David's soul is restored, his conscience is purified, and his heart is humbled. Even so, the ways of God's government toward him must still run their course. Nathan had foretold it: "The sword shall never depart from your house… I will raise up evil against you out of your own house… I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun." All of this must come true. David will go through this necessary discipline with a broken heart.
David's own two sins come back to him in his children:
Blood and uncleanness were staining his own children under his own eye. Tamar's virgin garment was now torn, a painful reminder of the stain on himself; and Amnon's blood was shed, waking the voice of Uriah's blood in his ear from the ground.
One writer traces the murder back to a failure on the throne:
According to the law, I judge that Amnon should have suffered death for his sin (2 Sam. 13:4). David fails to rule "justly... in the fear of God." And judgment overtakes Amnon by the hand of his brother Absalom, who is then guilty of murder and flees the kingdom. But David gives in to Joab's scheme. He is weak enough to let Absalom return, and later to restore him to favour. This weakness and injustice soon bears the bitterest fruit. When we unjustly spare someone to indulge our own feelings, we always expose ourselves to the evil of the nature we should have controlled and condemned.
Why did the king's other sons run, and what did David first hear?
The murder of Amnon shocked the other sons of David. They fled at once from the scene of the crime (v. 29). Their own lives were not in danger, so they may have fled to avoid the stigma of a link with the murder. But the report quickly reached David that Absalom had killed all the king's sons, not one being left. Such exaggerations are common when evil is reported.
Absalom rides away from the feast with nowhere in Israel to go:
By this Absalom had defiled the land and forfeited his life (Num. 35:33). All he can now do is flee to strangers, for the land had no city of refuge for such a man. The avenger of blood could claim him from Bezer or from Kedesh. He had shed his brother's blood, and this cried out for vengeance.
- Sown — David used wine and other men's hands against Uriah; Absalom uses wine and other men's hands against Amnon. The seed comes back in kind.
- Spared — Amnon should have faced the law for his crime against Tamar. David would not judge it, so Absalom did — and became a murderer himself. Sparing sin to please ourselves only exposes us to the evil we refused to judge.
- Struck — Absalom's servants kill Amnon mid-feast, drunk and unrepentant. Sin gives no warning before the harvest arrives.
- Scattered — the king's sons ride off, the rumour outruns the truth, and David hears that all his sons are dead. Evil reports grow in the telling.
- Shut out — Absalom defiles the land and forfeits his life; no city of refuge will take him. Forgiveness does not cancel God's government. David bears this discipline with a broken heart.