And Absalom found himself in the presence of David's servants. And Absalom was riding upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of the great terebinth, and his head caught in the terebinth, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away.
Absalom leads a rebellion against his own father and rides into the wood of Ephraim, where his head catches in a great tree while his mule keeps going. Was that chance or the hand of God, and why did the hair Absalom was proudest of become the thing that held him?
This death happened in a battle where the forest itself did the work of an army. One writer reads the day as God stepping in, and thinks other riders may have died the same way.
The battle spread over the whole countryside. The woods were no protection for those who fled. We are told the woods devoured more men than the sword killed. Clearly, it was God's intervention that caused this. If others were riding animals, as Absalom was, their frightened animals might well have done the same as Absalom's mule. Riders would then strike their heads on branches and die.
The verse makes the meeting sound accidental: Absalom "happened to meet" David's servants. One writer still reads the end as ordered by God, and fitted to the man.
Then comes the battle. He had lifted himself up so proudly. He had flattered Israel to win them over as his supporters against his father. He sought power, but not from God, and set himself against the glory of God and the king of Israel. Now he dies a death of special shame and curse, hanging on a tree. He was lifted up by the very hair of his head. That hair had been his vanity, since it was part of his personal beauty. Absalom died as a fool dies. Jehovah Himself had ordered that outcome in His providence, as Absalom fled from the scene of his defeat.
Absalom's hair was his pride and part of his beauty. In the tree it works against him.
The ungodly son hangs in a tree, to his own curse and shame. The magnificent hair that was his glory becomes the means of his ruin.
The mule matters here. Absalom loses what carried him at the very moment he is caught.
Caught in the branches of a terebinth, he hangs by his head between earth and heaven. What had held him up passes away from under him. There he dies at the hand of Joab and the young men who follow him.
Translations differ over the tree itself.
The word elah probably refers to the terebinth, though translations usually render it oak.
Hanging on a tree carried a meaning far beyond death. The tree does more than kill Absalom. It puts him on show between heaven and earth.
The battle is hot for a moment in the wood of Ephraim, but the Lord is in it... The ranks of the rebel fall into confusion and utter destruction. Absalom is caught in the boughs of a great oak, and is taken up between heaven and earth, a spectacle to both. He is made a public show; for "a hanged man is cursed by God," and "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree" (2 Sam. 18).
Absalom had already built himself a pillar to keep his name alive. The tree gave him a different one.
He hangs in the tree... He had taken and set up for himself a pillar in the king's valley, and called it after his own name, because he had no son to keep his memory alive on earth. But the Lord was now giving him another and a far different memorial — a memorial in shame and not in glory. His body was thrown into a pit in the wood, under a great heap of stones. All his glory was spoiled. Instead of a pillar to his own name, he is made a pillar to us — a witness to the shame and ruin of turning against God.
One writer sets this tree beside a second one, and the likeness only sharpens the difference.
On the mount of Calvary there stood another tree — a barren tree, barren as Israel's fig tree — and yet how fruitful! On that tree, see another "Son of David" suspended, but "David's Son" and "David's Lord"! A host of rebellious children surrounds Him. He is not their leader in a war against His royal Father. He hangs there in obedience to His Father's will, to lay down His life and die for that nation.
- Pride — Absalom set himself against his father and against God. His death matched his life.
- Providence — the forest, the mule and the branch were not bad luck. Writers read the whole day as God's ordering.
- Glory turned snare — the hair that was his beauty became the thing that held him.
- Shame — he hung between heaven and earth, under the curse on everyone hanged on a tree. He wanted a crown; he got a public spectacle.
- Contrast — one son of David hung on a tree for his own rebellion; another hung on a tree in obedience, and died for others.
And a man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth.
The battle in the wood of Ephraim has broken Absalom's army, and the rebel prince now hangs in a tree while his mule runs on without him. One of David's soldiers sees him there, helpless — and the first thing this verse records is not a blow, but a report.
Translations name the tree differently — an oak, or a terebinth. What matters to the writers is who stopped Absalom there.
God's solemn judgment is clearly seen in the case of Absalom, whose mule, running under a terebinth tree, left him hanging by his head in the branches (v.9). Evidently a forked branch caught him around the neck. What shock and injury he had sustained would leave him too weak to free himself. So God saw fit to bring down the headstrong pride of the would-be king!
What held him in the tree was the very thing he had been proudest of. The man who had built himself a monument ends under an unmarked pile of stones.
The godless son hangs in a tree, cursed and shamed. The magnificent hair that was his glory becomes the means of his ruin. In his youth, before he had any sons, this man had set up a monument "to keep his name in remembrance" (v. 18, cf. 2 Sam. 14:27). Now an unknown heap of stones covers him in the wood of Ephraim. His monument still stands today, a reminder of his humiliation and his terrible judgment.
The soldier saw a man lifted off the ground and held up in plain view. One writer ties that sight to the law's verdict on anyone hanging on a tree.
All is confusion and utter destruction in the ranks of the rebel. Absalom is caught in the boughs of a great oak, lifted up between heaven and earth, a spectacle to both. He is made a public show; for "a hanged man is cursed by God," and "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree" (2 Sam. 18).
The king had given his order in front of the whole army. That one word held this soldier's hand, though an easy kill and a reward were both in reach.
One of Joab's men told him that he had seen Absalom caught in this way. Joab at once criticised the man for not killing Absalom. He even told him he would have given him ten shekels of silver and a belt for doing it. The man firmly refused. He would not kill Absalom for 1000 shekels of silver, because David had commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, in the hearing of all the people, not to touch Absalom. The man also tells Joab that Joab himself would take sides against him if he had killed Absalom. The man evidently knew something of Joab's character!
David's command spared Absalom, but it was not the last word over that tree. One writer weighs the father's love against God's justice.
He lifted himself up so proudly. He had flattered Israel to win them over as his supporters against his father. He sought rule, but not from God, setting himself against the glory of God and the king of Israel. Now he dies a death of special shame and curse, hanging on a tree. Lifted up, as we know, by the very hair of his head which had been his vanity and part of his good looks, Absalom died as a fool dies. Jehovah Himself in His providence had ordered that outcome, as Absalom fled from the scene of his defeat. The king shows the natural affection of a father's heart. But he may have had too little sense of his son's godless rebellion, or of God's righteous retribution.
One writer sets this oak beside the cross. Two sons of David hang on a tree: one in rebellion, one in obedience.
On Mount Calvary there stood another tree — a barren tree, barren as Israel's fig tree — and yet how fruitful! On that tree hangs another "Son of David" — and this one is "David's Son" and "David's Lord!" A crowd of "rebellious children" surrounds Him. He is not there as their leader in the war of rebellion against His Royal Father. He is there in obedience to His Father's will. He is there to lay down His life and die for that nation, "and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad."
- Seen — a soldier finds Absalom hanging by his head, caught by a tree. Writers read it as God bringing down the pride of the would-be king, not as bad luck.
- Suspended — he hangs between heaven and earth as a public spectacle, under the law's curse on a hanged man.
- Shamed — the hair he was proudest of ruins him. The man who built his own monument gets a heap of stones.
- Spared — the soldier reports instead of striking. The king had spoken in front of everyone, and no reward could buy this man's hand.
- Substituted — one Son of David hangs on a tree in rebellion; another hangs on a tree in obedience, dying for rebels.
And Joab said to 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 silver pieces and a girdle.
A soldier tells Joab that Absalom is alive, caught by the head in a tree. Joab is not relieved. He blames the man for leaving him alive, and he offers a price for the killing the king had forbidden.
The soldier reports what he has seen, and Joab answers with a reproach and an offer.
One of Joab's men told him he had seen Absalom caught this way. Joab at once criticised the man for not killing Absalom. He even told him he would have given him ten shekels of silver and a belt if he had done so. The man would have none of it. He said he would not kill Absalom for a thousand shekels of silver. David had plainly commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai not to touch Absalom, and he gave that command where all the people could hear. The man also tells Joab firmly that Joab himself would take sides against him if he had killed Absalom. It is clear that the man knew something of Joab's character!
A belt, or girdle, was a normal gift in that world, and it could be a costly one.
Everyone in the East wore a belt, rich and poor alike. They needed one because of their flowing robes. The poor had belts of the plainest material. The rich had belts that cost more and carried rich decoration. So a belt made a suitable gift. 1 Sam. 18:4; 2 Sam. 18:11.
Everyone in the army had heard David's instruction about his son. What Joab does here shows how much weight that instruction carried with him.
We see God's hand in this disaster, but we also see Joab's murderous hand, a terrible thing. He is always committing evil. Here he shows how much respect he has for the king's will and for the king himself. His self-interest leads him to get rid of Absalom, who had once humbled his pride (2 Sam. 14:32-33) and who might one day push him aside by putting Amasa in his place. Joab will later kill Amasa himself, when he sees that Absalom's murder has not given him what he wanted. A man from among the people has more respect for the king's will than does the very head of his army (vv. 12-13).
David gave his order in front of the whole army, and in a very different spirit.
The people pass before the king. In the presence of one and all, David commands the leaders to "Deal gently … with the young man Absalom" (v. 5). What tenderness toward this rebellious son! It was mixed with weakness perhaps, but it still makes us think of the Lord's boundless love for His enemies. Oh, if only they would return and repent at this eleventh hour! Does not His patience with them reach to the furthest limits?
Commentators differ on how to weigh David's tenderness here. Some see mainly the father's heart; others judge that he felt his son's rebellion too little.
The king betrays the natural affection of a father's heart, but, it may be, with too little sense of his son's impious rebellion, or of God's righteous retribution.
Ambition, not loyalty, drove Joab's career.
Joab is an ambitious man. He wants to rise in the world and to win the first place in the kingdom. He is not named among "David's mighty men" — and rightly not — yet he is a man of courage. He can tell right from wrong. But he opposes wrong only when it crosses his own plans, and when something right crosses his interests, he puts it down. Nothing stops him; he has no scruples in satisfying his ambition. Someone has said of him: "We find Joab wherever there is evil to do or much to gain."
So who was Joab really serving?
Perhaps this bloody man thought he was serving his king all the while he was serving his own self-interests. Impossible! That which man does in his self-interest, he is doing against God.
Joab wanted credit for finishing Absalom, but the tree had already done what no soldier planned.
We see God's solemn judgment clearly in Absalom's case. His mule ran under a terebinth tree and left him hanging by his head in the branches (v. 9). Evidently a forked branch caught him around the neck. What shock and injury he had sustained would leave him too weak to free himself. So God saw fit to bring down the headstrong pride of the would-be king!
- The word given — David gave his order in front of everyone: deal gently with Absalom. It was mercy stretched to the last hour toward a son in open revolt.
- The word priced — Joab answers with a market rate: ten pieces of silver and a belt. That was a gift of real value, offered for a life the king had told them to spare.
- The word kept — one foot soldier would not do it for a thousand. He knew Joab well enough to guess who would carry the blame. The ranks honoured the king's will more than the general did.
- The word ignored — Joab followed his own interest. He opposed wrong only when wrong crossed his plans. Self-interest dressed as service to the king is service against God.
- The word above all words — Absalom was already hanging helpless in the tree before Joab spoke. God had brought the proud man down, and Absalom's murder never gave Joab what he wanted.
And the man said to Joab, Though I should receive a thousand silver pieces in my hand, yet would I not put forth my hand against the king's son; for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Take care, whoever it be [of you], of the young man Absalom.
Absalom's rebellion has ended in a forest, and the rebel prince now hangs caught in a tree while Joab offers silver for his death. One soldier refuses the money, and his reason shows what can hold a man when orders, reward and easy opportunity all pull the same way.
The man's answer turns on what the king said, and on who heard it.
Joab at once criticised the man for not killing Absalom. He told him he would have given him ten shekels of silver and a belt if he had done so. The man firmly refused. He said he would not kill Absalom for 1000 shekels of silver, since David had clearly commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, in the hearing of all the people, not to touch Absalom. The man also tells Joab that Joab himself would take sides against him if he had killed Absalom. The man clearly knew something of Joab's character!
The order the soldier repeats was David's last word to his captains as he sent them out.
He now bows to the word of his people. His heart is still toward Absalom, yet he does not go out himself. "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom" is the last command he gives his captains as he sends them out to the battle.
One writer finds more in that order than a father's softness.
The people pass before the king. In front of one and all David commands the leaders to "Deal gently … with the young man Absalom" (v. 5). What tenderness toward this rebellious son! There is weakness mixed in with it, perhaps, but it still makes us think of the Lord's boundless love for His enemies. Oh! if only they would return and repent at this last hour! Does not His patience with them reach to the furthest limits? Only when His patience has fully run out will God pour out the cup of His wrath; then there will be no more mercy.
Two men heard the same order. They treated it very differently.
We see God's hand in this disaster, but we also see Joab's murderous hand, a terrible thing. He is always committing evil. Here he shows what measure of respect he has for the king's will and person. His self-interest leads him to get rid of Absalom, who had once humbled his pride and who might one day block him by putting Amasa in his place. Joab will kill Amasa himself when he sees that Absalom's murder has not produced the results he wanted. A man from among the people has more respect for the king's will than the head of the army does (vv. 12-13).
The soldier expected Joab to turn on him. Joab's record explains why: he guarded his own place and removed anyone who crowded it.
He was content to be second in the kingdom. His worldly wisdom told him he would be safe there, and he knew he could not reach for more without danger. He could get both Abner and Amasa out of his way when he thought they were pushing into the place he had marked out for himself. But the first place he would leave to David. So he never plots against him, and he always keeps an eye on David's interests.
The soldier's refusal did not save Absalom. The tree had already caught him, and Joab finished the work himself.
Caught in the branches of a terebinth tree, he hangs by his head between earth and heaven, while the thing that held him up slips away from under him. There he dies at the hand of Joab and the young men who follow him. His body is thrown into a pit in the wood, with a great heap of stones piled over him, as over an executed criminal. It is a striking contrast with the monument he had prepared for himself elsewhere.
- Heard: The king gave the order "in the hearing of all the people." That public word is the man's whole defence. He needs no other reason to refuse.
- Held: Joab offered ten shekels. The soldier would not do it for a thousand. The king's word outweighed the general's purse.
- Higher: The command carried a father's tenderness toward a son in open rebellion. One writer sees in it the Lord's patience with His enemies, while there is still time to return.
- Humbler: The lowest man in the ranks respected the king's will more than the commander did. Joab acted out of self-interest.
- Hanged: Judgment fell anyway, by God's hand and not the soldier's. Absalom lay under a heap of stones, not under the monument he had built for his own name.
Or I should have acted falsely against mine own life, for there is no matter concealed from the king, and thou wouldest have set thyself against [me].
Absalom's revolt against his father David has collapsed in battle, and Absalom is caught fast in a tree. Joab has just scolded a soldier for not killing him there, and the soldier answers that no amount of silver could buy that act.
The man's answer is both a refusal and a warning. He names the price he was offered and the king's order he had heard in public. He also expects the deed to reach the king, and expects Joab to leave him standing alone.
Joab at once criticised the man for not killing Absalom. He even told him he would have given him ten shekels of silver and a belt if he had done so. The man firmly resisted this. He said he would not kill Absalom for 1000 shekels of silver. David had clearly commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, in the hearing of all the people, not to touch Absalom. The man also tells Joab plainly that Joab himself would take sides against him if he had killed Absalom. The man evidently knew something of Joab's character!
The verse puts an unnamed foot soldier beside the head of the army. The lower man comes out better. Joab was driven by his own position, not by loyalty.
We see God's hand in this disaster, but we also see Joab's murderous hand, a terrible thing. He is always committing evil. Here he shows what measure of respect he has for the king's will and person. His self-interest leads him to get rid of Absalom who had once humbled his pride (2 Sam. 14:32-33) and who might one day thwart him by setting Amasa in his place. Joab will kill Amasa himself when he sees that Absalom's murder has not produced the desired results. A man from among the people has more respect for the king's will than does the very head of his army (vv. 12-13).
Why did that order weigh so much? It was a father's plea for a son in open revolt, spoken in front of everyone so that every man heard it.
The people pass before the king. In the presence of one and all David commands the leaders to "Deal gently … with the young man Absalom" (v. 5). What tenderness toward this rebellious son! It was mixed with weakness, perhaps, but it still makes us think of the Lord's boundless love for His enemies. Oh, if only they would return and repent at this eleventh hour! Does not His patience with them reach to the furthest limits? Only when His patience has run out completely will God pour out the cup of His wrath. Then there will be no more mercy.
Commentators weigh Joab's next move differently. One measures it against the king's order:
The first man who saw him would not strike him, not for a thousand shekels of silver, because he had heard the king's request. … Joab's deed was unjustifiable in view of the king's command to deal gently with Absalom.
Another points to the hard military fact behind it:
Joab brushed the man aside impatiently. He took three spears and thrust them into Absalom's heart in the tree. Of course, Joab and all his men knew that Absalom was the one cause of this conspiracy against David. They also knew it was all but necessary to kill Absalom if David was to be kept safe.
The soldier put the king's word above the reward. One of David's chief men lived by the same rule. Abishai was Joab's brother and much like him, yet his record ends differently.
Abishai is called "the brother of Joab" because he was like him in many ways and showed similar traits. Even if he shared his brother's graceless hardness of heart, he was still ready to obey David's word, and so escaped most of Joab's mistakes… All this came from heeding the word of David while staying close to him. A servant of our Lord Jesus Christ may have a great deal to try him. Yet if he heeds His word and keeps near to Him, his service will hold much that pleases God.
- Command. David gave his order about Absalom openly, in the hearing of all the people. No soldier could pretend he had not heard it.
- Conscience. The man weighed silver against the king's word and would not strike Absalom for a thousand shekels. He also saw that Joab would turn on him afterwards.
- Contrast. An unnamed man in the ranks respected the king's will more than the head of the army did. Joab's real motive was his own position.
- Compassion. "Deal gently" was a father's tenderness toward a son in open revolt. It pictures the Lord's patience toward His enemies while that patience lasts.
- Consequence. Commentators differ on Joab's act. One calls it unjustifiable against the king's command. Another notes that Absalom's death was all but unavoidable if David was to survive.
Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three spears in his hand, and thrust them into Absalom's body, while he was yet alive in the midst of the terebinth.
Absalom's rebellion ends in a tree, where his father's commander kills him against the king's order. Two questions follow: was Joab right, and whose hand was at work behind it?
Absalom is caught alive and defenceless, and Joab refuses to wait. One writer fills in the picture and names the problem with it:
Then Joab acted — unscrupulous Joab, whose scheme had brought Absalom back to the king in the first place. He took three darts (literally "staves") and thrust them through Absalom's heart while he was still alive. Most likely the unhappy rebel son was unconscious from hitting the tree. Joab's deed could not be justified, because the king had commanded them to deal gently with Absalom.
The writers call the weapon darts, spears or arrows, while the ESV says javelins. One word covers all of them:
Arrow, short spear, javelin. 2 Sam. 18:14...
Joab said he would not linger, and he did not. One commentator traces what lay behind the haste:
We see God's hand in this disaster, but we also see Joab's murderous hand, a terrible thing. He is always doing evil. Here he shows how much respect he has for the king's will and person. His self-interest leads him to get rid of Absalom. Absalom had once humbled his pride, and might one day push him aside by putting Amasa in his place. Joab will kill Amasa himself, once he sees that Absalom's murder has not brought him what he wanted. A man from among the people has more respect for the king's will than does the very head of his army.
Commentators differ over how far Joab's act can be defended. Another writer points to what the army was facing:
Joab impatiently set the man aside, and took three spears and thrust them into Absalom's heart in the tree. Joab and all his men knew that Absalom was the one cause of this conspiracy against David. They also knew that killing Absalom was all but necessary if David was to be safe.
Whatever Joab's motive, the outcome was no accident. Absalom lifted himself up, and his death carried a special shame:
The battle takes place. Absalom had lifted himself up proudly. He had flattered Israel to win them as his supporters against his father. He sought rule, but not from God, setting himself against the glory of God and the king of Israel. Now he dies a death of special shame and curse, hanging on a tree. He was lifted up by the very hair that had been his vanity and part of his beauty. Absalom died as a fool dies. The LORD Himself had ordered this outcome in His providence.
Another writer notes Joab's decisiveness, and how fitting an instrument he was:
His violent dealing has come down on his own head; and one of his own stamp is the suitable instrument, namely, the bloodthirsty Joab, whose decision of character is well worth noticing. "I will not waste time like this with you," he said, when he heard that Absalom was hanging in the oak. He well knew how much depended on that life. With three arrows he puts him to a shameful death, and his grave was more shameful still. Ah, the righteous government of God, and His retributive justice, as also in His Fatherly care. "God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap."
The sight itself declared what Absalom had become:
He hangs there, the most terrible and hideous sight for heaven and earth: a rebellious son, food for the birds of heaven, a cursed one, for "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree." Even the mule that was under him had betrayed him and left, glad to be rid of such a burden! The stern commander of his broken-hearted royal father's army thrusts three darts through his rebellious heart.
David had told his commanders to handle Absalom gently. One writer sees more in that order than a father's softness:
In the presence of one and all David commands the leaders to "Deal gently... with the young man Absalom." What tenderness toward this rebellious son! It was mixed with weakness perhaps, but it still makes us think of the Lord's boundless love for His enemies. Oh, if only they would return and repent at this eleventh hour! Does not His patience with them reach to the furthest limits? God will pour out the cup of His wrath only when His patience has run right out. Then there will be no more mercy.
- Sown — Absalom's violence came back on his own head. "Whatever one sows, that will he also reap" is the law at work here.
- Spared — the king's order was to deal gently. That patience pictures God's reach toward His enemies while there is still time.
- Seized — Joab ignored that patience. His haste served his own position, not David's throne. A common soldier respected the king's word more than his general did.
- Struck — three darts through the heart, while Absalom still lived. Joab defied the king's plain command, though writers differ on whether the kingdom's safety required Absalom's death.
- Shamed — hanged on a tree, lifted by the hair that was his pride. He died as a fool dies, and God's providence had ordered the outcome.
And ten young men that bore Joab's armour surrounded and smote Absalom, and killed him.
This verse closes the rebellion. Absalom hangs caught in a tree, and ten of Joab's men finish the work — against the one order David gave about his son.
The killing had already begun before these ten men arrived.
The first man who saw him would not strike him, not for a thousand shekels of silver, because he had heard the king's request. Then Joab — unscrupulous Joab, whose scheme had brought Absalom back into the king's presence — took three darts (literally "staves") and thrust them through Absalom's heart while he was still alive. Most likely the unfortunate rebel son was knocked unconscious when he hit the tree. The armour bearers finished him off. Joab's act cannot be defended, because the king had commanded them to deal gently with Absalom.
Ten men struck the blow. Yet the shape of Absalom's death, and its shame, came from a higher hand.
The battle takes place. He had lifted himself up so proudly. He had flattered Israel to win them as his supporters against his father. He wanted to rule, but not from God, and he set himself against the glory of God and against the king of Israel. Now he dies a death of special shame and curse, hanging on a tree. He was lifted up by the very hair of his head, his vanity and part of his good looks, and Absalom died as a fool dies. Jehovah Himself had ordered this outcome in His providence, as Absalom fled from the place of his defeat.
God's hand was not the only hand at work. Joab had his own reasons for wanting Absalom dead.
We see God's hand in this disaster, but we also see Joab's murderous hand, a terrible thing. He is always committing evil. Here he shows how much respect he has for the king's will and for the king himself. His own interests lead him to get rid of Absalom. Absalom had once humbled his pride, and might one day push him aside by putting Amasa in his place. Joab will kill Amasa himself when he sees that Absalom's murder has not produced the results he wanted. A man from among the people has more respect for the king's will than the head of his army does.
Joab served David well in many ways. One thing was missing from him all his life.
Zeal, ability, diligence, devotion to David's interests and quick understanding marked him in full measure. But he never learned anything of David's grace… Anyone who stood in the way of what he thought David's honour needed had to go down, whatever the cost… He killed Abner after Abner had made peace with David. And when he had killed Absalom against his father's wish, he rebuked David for grieving over his son's death. Joab never seemed to value the feelings of the king's heart.
Absalom's burial matched his death. Years before, he had built himself a monument.
Absalom received no honor at all in his burial. The soldiers threw his body into a large pit in the woods and covered it with a very large heap of stones. Perhaps Absalom had expected that others would give him no honor in his death. He had no son, so earlier he had set up a pillar to keep his own name alive. He sought his own honor, as thousands of others have done before and after him… What an example he was of the Lord's warning words, "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled."
Absalom's end points forward to a rebellion still to come.
In his youth, before he had any sons, this man put up a monument "to keep [his] name in remembrance." Now he lies buried under a nameless heap of stones in the forest of Ephraim. His monument still stands, and it only reminds people of his humiliation and his terrible judgment. So it will be with the Antichrist and the Beast who will rise up against the Lord. Their fall will be all the more terrible because they will have exalted themselves to be as God.
- The command — David told his men to deal gently with Absalom. Joab's act cannot be defended against that order.
- The contempt — Joab wanted Absalom gone for his own reasons. He showed how little the king's will meant to him.
- The curse — ten men's weapons killed him, but God's providence chose the death. A man who sought rule apart from God died in shame on a tree.
- The grave — a pit and a heap of stones answered the pillar he raised to keep his name alive. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.
- The pattern — Absalom's fall previews the end of greater rebels. Their ruin will be worse, because they exalt themselves to be as God.
And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel; for Joab kept back the people.
Absalom's rebellion collapses in a single day. The moment his death is certain, a trumpet blast calls off the fighting instead of pressing it to the last man. Two questions follow: why did the chase stop, and what does it mean that Joab gave the order?
The trumpet in Israel could open a battle or gather an army, but Joab's use of it runs the other way. One writer traces each occasion Joab blew it and finds a single meaning in all of them:
And again, 2 Samuel 20:22: then "they dispersed from the city, every man to his home." In these three cases, as in that of Sheba (2 Samuel 20:1), it was the signal of retreat.
So the sound reaching the field is not "advance" but "enough." Joab stops an army that was winning.
The men running away were Israel — David's own nation, pulled into revolt by one man. Once that man was gone, the reason for the chase was gone too:
Since Absalom was dead there was no longer need to pursue his followers. Joab blew a trumpet to signal a cessation of warfare. Absalom was given no honor whatever in his burial (v.16). The soldiers threw his body into a large pit in the woods and covered it with a very large heap of stones.
The head of the rebellion gets a criminal's grave. The crowd he misled gets to go home alive.
Absalom had already built himself a memorial. The same writer sets it against the pile of stones in the forest:
Perhaps Absalom had expected that others would give him no honor in his death, for he had earlier set up a pillar to keep his name alive, since he had no son (v.18). He sought his own honor, as thousands of others have done before and after him. His monument was really only a reminder of his proud character and of his shameful death. What an example he was of the Lord's warning words: "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled" (Luke 14:11). In contrast, let us follow the example of the Lord Jesus, of whom it was supremely true: "he who humbles himself will be exalted."
The rout the trumpet ended was not the achievement of David's three divisions. More men died in the forest than in the fighting. Commentators read that as more than bad luck:
The victory of David's men was swift and decisive, with 20,000 of Absalom's army killed in one day. The battle was scattered over the whole countryside. The woods gave no protection to those who fled: we are told the woods devoured more than the sword killed. Clearly, it was God's intervention that caused this.
If God settled the outcome, more killing could add nothing to it.
The closing words of the verse carry a hard irony. Joab can hold a whole army back, yet he had just refused the one restraint the king asked of him. Writers point out how little the king's word weighed with him:
We see God's hand in this disaster, but we also see Joab's murderous hand, a terrible thing. He is always committing evil. Here he shows what measure of respect he has for the king's will and person. His self-interest leads him to get rid of Absalom, who had once humbled his pride… A man from among the people has more respect for the king's will than the head of his army does (vv. 12-13).
Joab's authority is real. His obedience is not. A man can serve the king's cause and still refuse the king's will.
With the trumpet silent, nothing stands between David and his throne. The whole crisis is read as correction rather than rejection:
David was to be disciplined, but not removed from the throne. He had been disciplined, and now Absalom's turn came. The very thing he had been most proud of became the means of his capture… So ended the rebellion and David's temporary exile. Preparations were now made for his return.
The son's fall opened the father's road home.
- Trumpet. Joab's trumpet is a recall, not a charge; every time he sounds it in these books, it is the signal to stop fighting.
- Grave. The chase ends because its cause ends. With Absalom dead there was no need to pursue his followers, so the crowd went home and the ringleader got a heap of stones instead of the monument he had built for himself.
- Hand. God halted the rout, not better tactics. The woods devoured more than the sword did, and that was His intervention.
- Irony. Joab can restrain an army but never himself. He shows how much respect he has for the king's will, and an ordinary soldier honoured it more than the commander did.
- Return. God disciplined David but never removed him from the throne. The silence after the trumpet begins the king's journey home.
And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and raised a very great heap of stones upon him. And all Israel fled every one to his tent.
Absalom's revolt ends in a forest pit under a heap of stones, and his followers scatter to their homes. The verse asks what a life spent chasing your own name finally earns.
The forest where Absalom died had already swallowed his men:
The wood of EPHRAIM, in which Absalom was slain, lay east of the Jordan. No one has identified it. Some think a forest was named after that tribe because of the pride and defeat of Ephraim in Judges 12:1-6. Its swamps, bogs and pits 'devoured' the Israelites, because they could not escape.
The stones piled over him were not a mark of honour but the treatment given to a convicted man:
Absalom's body was cast into a pit and covered with a very great heap of stones, a criminal's monument.
Absalom had already built himself a pillar so his name would survive him. God gave him a different marker:
He had taken and raised up for himself a pillar in the king's valley. He called it after his own name, because he had no son to keep his memory alive in the earth. But the Lord was now giving him another and a far different memorial — a memorial in shame and not in glory. His body was cast into a pit in the wood, and a great heap of stones was laid on him. So all his glory was tarnished. He was hung by the hair of his head, which had been his boast in the flesh. Instead of a pillar to his own name, he is made a pillar to us — a witness of the shame and ruin of turning away from God. — "The wise will inherit honour, but fools get disgrace."
What happened to Absalom was not bad luck. It was God's government in plain sight:
His violent dealing has come down on his own head. One of his own kind is the fitting instrument, the bloodthirsty Joab... with three arrows he puts him to a shameful death, and he was cast into a still more shameful grave. Ah! the righteous government of God, and His retributive justice, as also in His Fatherly care. "God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." Such was the end of the man so beautiful to the eyes of the world.
This warning reaches far beyond one prince. Absalom reached for honour and got the opposite. Christ took the opposite road:
He sought his own honour, as thousands of others have done both before and after him, and his monument was really only a reminder of his haughty, proud character and of his shameful death. What an example he was of the Lord's warning words, "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled." Let us instead follow the example of the Lord Jesus. Of Him it was supremely true, "he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Absalom lifted himself up and ended in a nameless grave. One writer traces that pattern forward to the last great rebel against God:
In his youth, before he had any sons, this man set up a monument "to keep [his] name in remembrance." Now he lies buried under an unknown heap of stones in the wood of Ephraim, while his monument, which remains to this day, is a reminder of his humiliation and his terrible judgment. So it will be with the Antichrist and the Beast who will rise up against the Lord. Their fall will be all the more terrible because they will have exalted themselves to be as God (Isa. 14:12-20).
Absalom's supporters do not fight on. They go back to their own houses, and the king's exile ends with them:
So ended the rebellion and David's temporary exile.
- Pride — his beauty, his hair and his pillar were all bids for lasting fame. Each one became part of his disgrace.
- Pit — the forest that devoured his army gave him a hole in the ground, not a throne.
- Stones — the heap over him was a criminal's monument, the burial of a condemned man rather than a king's son.
- Harvest — God's righteous government runs its course. What a man sows, he reaps, and public charm changes nothing.
- Pattern — everyone who exalts himself will be humbled. Absalom's end points ahead to the last rebel's fall. It stands opposite the One who humbled Himself and was exalted.
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a monument, which is in the king's dale; for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance; and he called the monument after his own name; and it is called unto this day, Absalom's memorial.
Absalom has just died in the wood, and his body lies in a pit under a heap of stones. The account now looks back at the monument he built for himself, and the contrast raises a question: what really outlives a man?
The word translated "pillar" is a general one. It covers any upright stone set in place to mark something, and it appears in both worship and idolatry.
matstsebah, from 'to set, put, place'; and so anything that someone sets up. It covers the stone that Jacob used for a pillow, which he set up, and on which he poured oil and made his vow. It also covers the heap of stones he raised when Laban and he parted. From Deuteronomy 12:3 it appears that pillars of some sort were also connected with idolatry. These may resemble the cairns often found in lands given to idols. Absalom raised up a pillar for himself to keep his name in remembrance because he had no son.
The King's Valley itself is still pointed out:
People suppose this to be in the valley of the Kidron. A monument called the Pillar of Absalom still stands there, though it cannot be the pillar he set up.
Earlier the book says Absalom had sons, so his words here look like a contradiction. Commentators answer it from the ordinary facts of family life:
He had looked for a more honourable death. In his lifetime he had raised a pillar and called it after his own name, "for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance." Some claim that the books of Samuel are a patchwork of several writers using different sources, and they point us to chapter 14:27 as a discrepancy. But why should there be one? Absalom may have put up this monument before he had any sons, or he may have lost his two sons.
Commentators differ over which answer is right. Some take the first: the pillar belongs to his youth, before he had sons.
Absalom chose one memorial. The Lord gave him another:
Such was Absalom — one of the darkest pictures of human nature we are given to look at in the word of God; and such is now his end. He hangs in the tree… But the Lord was now giving him another and a very different memorial — a memorial in shame and not in glory. They threw his body into a pit in the wood and laid a great heap of stones on him. That tarnished all his glory. He hung by the hair of his head, which had been his boast in the flesh. Instead of a pillar to his own name, he is made a pillar to us — a witness of the shame and ruin of apostasy. "The wise will inherit honour, but fools get disgrace."
His pillar still stands, but it now says the opposite of what he meant it to say. The same reversal is coming on a larger scale:
In his youth, before he had any sons, this man erected a monument "to keep his name in remembrance." Now he lies under an unknown heap of stones in the wood of Ephraim, while his monument, which remains to this day, is a reminder of his humiliation and his terrible judgment. So it will be with the Antichrist and the Beast who will rise up against the Lord. Their fall will be all the worse because they will have exalted themselves to be as God.
Absalom is not unusual. What drove him drives every human heart:
The human heart always seeks a name, a portion, and a centre on the earth. It knows nothing of longing after heaven, heaven's God, or heaven's glory. Left to itself, it will always find its objects in this lower world. It will always "build beneath the skies." It needs God's call, God's revelation, and God's power to lift the heart above this present world.
The alternative is not a better monument but a different direction altogether:
He sought his own honour, as thousands of others have done both before and after him, and his monument was really only a reminder of his haughty, proud character and of his shameful death. What an example he was of the Lord's warning words, "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled." In contrast, let us follow the example of the Lord Jesus, of whom it was supremely true, "he who humbles himself will be exalted."
- Set up. The word means a stone put in place — used for vows, for boundaries, and for idols alike. A pillar takes its meaning from the heart that raises it.
- Self-named. Absalom named it after himself because no son would carry his name on. The stone stood in place of an heir.
- Self-exalted. He sought his own honour, and the words of Christ stand over him: everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.
- Self-buried. God answered the monument with a pit and a heap of stones — a second memorial, in shame rather than glory.
- Self-witness. The pillar still stands, but it now testifies against him. It warns of the greater fall waiting for all who rise up against the Lord.