Verses 1-33

Absalom's Return from Geshur

After waiting for two years, Absalom forces Joab to use his influence to bring about a reconciliation between him and his father.

2. Tekoah] 6 m. S. of Bethlehem. It was the home of the prophet Amos (Amos 1:1).

7. We will destroy] She purposely makes the case appear as bad as possible. My coal] The word means a glowing piece of wood. The surviving son is compared to a spark left when the rest of the fire has gone out. The passage casts an interesting light on the informal and almost casual administration of justice. According to Hebrew custom the youth had no claim to a reprieve; on the other hand, the extinction of a family was an admitted calamity.

9. The iniquity be on me] i.e. if the king is breaking the law of God, she is willing to bear the punishment: cp. Genesis 9:6.

11. Let the king', etc.] She wishes him to ratify his promise by an oath,

13. As one which is faulty] The king's merciful disposition towards the son of a stranger condemned his severity to his own son.

14. We must needs die, etc.] Life may end at any time, and when ended cannot be recalled. Hence the regret that follows harsh judgment when the offender is dead. Neither doth God, etc.] RV 'neither doth God take away life, but deviseth means, that he that is banished be not an outcast from him.' God is so far from taking away life that He is anxious that the outcast should not be lost, but should be enabled to return. It is possible that the woman was hinting at the contrast between David's treatment of Absalom and God's treatment of David: see 2 Samuel 12:13.

15. The people] i.e. her family. The woman still keeps to her fictitious tale.

20. To fetch about this form of speech] RV 'to change the face of the matter'; i.e. the present position of Absalom.

25. His beauty] Absalom inherited the personal beauty of his father (1 Samuel 16:12). The fact is also mentioned in the case of Tamar (2 Samuel 13:1) and of Adonijah (1 Kings 1:6).

26. The king's weight] We do not know the exact weight of the king's shekel, but probably 40 shekels were roughly equivalent to an English pound. This notice is inserted to distinguish it from the sacred shekel.

27. Three sons] It would appear from 2 Samuel 18:18 that none of them lived to grow up.

29. Joab had risked a good deal in sending the woman of Tekoah, and he did not choose to venture a second attempt.