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2 Samuel
Chapter Eighteen
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 18
In
this chapter is an account of David's review of his army, preparing it for
battle with Absalom, and those with him, 2 Samuel 18:1; and
of the defeat and flight of the rebels, 2 Samuel 18:6; and
of the death of Absalom, and the manner of it, and of his burial, 2 Samuel 18:9; and
of the news of it brought to David by different persons, 2 Samuel 18:19; and
of his great grief and sorrow on that account, 2 Samuel 18:33.
2 Samuel 18:1 And
David numbered the people who were with him, and set captains of
thousands and captains of hundreds over them.
YLT
1And David inspecteth the
people who [are] with him, and setteth over them heads of thousands and heads
of hundreds,
And David numbered the people that were with him,.... Which
Josephus saysF4Antiqu. l. 7. c. 10. sect. 1. were four thousand; but
one would think there should be more by what follows:
and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them; he divided
his army into companies, which consisted some of a thousand and others of a
hundred; over each of which he set captains, to lead them on, direct, and
command them in battle.
2 Samuel 18:2 2 Then David sent out one
third of the people under the hand of Joab, one third under the hand of Abishai
the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the hand of Ittai the
Gittite. And the king said to the people, “I also will surely go out with you
myself.”
YLT
2and David sendeth the third
of the people by the hand of Joab, and the third by the hand of Abishai, son of
Zeruiah, brother of Joab, and the third by the hand of Ittai the Gittite, and
the king saith unto the people, `I certainly go out -- I also -- with you.'
And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of
Joab,.... Very likely that which made the centre of the army, since
Joab was the general of the army; though this distribution was made when David
thought to have headed the army himself, and so made with respect to that:
and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah,
Joab's brother; who was next to Joab in the army, and fought with him against
the Syrians and Ammonites, 2 Samuel 10:10,
and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite; of whom see 2 Samuel 15:19; of
these two parts consisted the right and left wings of the army:
and the king said unto the people; the soldiers, and
particularly the officers:
I will surely go forth with you myself also; in which he
seemed very resolute and peremptory; and this he proposed to do, not merely to
animate the soldiers with his presence, and to show that he was willing to
hazard his life with them, but chiefly for the sake of Absalom, to preserve his
life, if possible.
2 Samuel 18:3 3 But the people answered,
“You shall not go out! For if we flee away, they will not care about us; nor if
half of us die, will they care about us. But you are worth ten thousand
of us now. For you are now more help to us in the city.”
YLT
3And the people say, `Thou
dost not go out, for if we utterly flee, they do not set [their] heart upon us;
and if half of us die, they do not set [their] heart unto us -- for now like us
[are] ten thousand; and now, better that thou be to us from the city for an
helper.'
But the people answered, thou shalt not go forth,.... They were
as resolute as David:
for if we flee away, they will not care for us; to pursue
after us:
neither if half of us die, will they care for us; they will
make no account of the victory; but if they could slay David, or get him into
their hands, it would be more to them than if the whole army was routed:
but now thou art worth ten thousand of us; not only in
our own esteem, but in the account of the enemy, who had rather thou shouldest
fall into their hands than ten thousand of us; and as the advantage to them, so
the loss to us would be more than ten thousand men:
therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the
city; either by sending them provisions or recruits, that might be
there in reserve, if necessary; or by being ready to receive them into it
should they be repulsed; or rather by his prayers to God for them; so the
Targum,"now it is better that thou pray for us out of the city;'that is,
that the Lord would help us; and so most of the Jewish commentators understand
it of helping them by his prayers and counsels.
2 Samuel 18:4 4 Then the king said to
them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood beside the
gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.
YLT
4And the king saith unto
them, `That which is good in your eyes I do;' and the king standeth at the side
of the gate, and all the people have gone out by hundreds and by thousands,
And the king said unto them, what seemeth you best I will do,.... Which was
an instance of great condescension in him; and it was his wisdom and prudence
to yield to them at such a time as this, and especially as their sentiments
were founded on affection and loyalty to him:
and the king stood by the gate side; of the city of Mahanaim:
and all the people came out by hundreds, and by thousands; and passed by
him, to whom no doubt he gave his blessing and best wishes; and, as Abarbinel
thinks, now it was he composed and said the twentieth psalm, "The Lord
hear thee in the day of trouble", &c. Psalm 20:1.
2 Samuel 18:5 5 Now the king had commanded
Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the
young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave all the
captains orders concerning Absalom.
YLT
5and the king chargeth Joab,
and Abishai, and Ittai, saying, `Gently -- for me, for the youth, for Absalom;'
and all the people heard in the king's charging all the heads concerning
Absalom.
And the king commanded Joab, and Abishai, and Ittai,.... His three
generals, to whom he had committed his army divided into three parts:
saying, deal gently for my sake with the young man, even
with Absalom; he does not call him his son, being in rebellion against him,
but the young man, who was young, and rash, and foolish, and so to be pitied;
his request is, that they would spare him, and not take away his life, when in
their power; that they would not aim at him, and push him hard, and fall upon
him with wrath and fury; but if he fell into their hands, to take him alive,
and bring him away, and not put him to death. This flowed from a natural
affection to him, and a concern for the welfare of his soul, that he might not
die in this sin; and also from a consciousness that it was for his own sins
that he was raised up to rebel against him; and he seems to speak as if he was
certain that the battle would go for him, and against Absalom; and which he
might conclude from the answer of prayer he had in defeating the counsel of
Ahithophel:
and all the people heard when he gave all the captains charge
concerning Absalom; not only the three generals, but all the captains of hundreds
and thousands, and this was heard by the common soldiers as well as by the
people of the city that were spectators on this occasion, see 2 Samuel 18:12.
2 Samuel 18:6 6 So the people went out
into the field of battle against Israel. And the battle was in the woods of
Ephraim.
YLT
6And the people goeth out
into the field to meet Israel, and the battle is in a forest of Ephraim;
So the people went out into the field against Israel,.... JosephusF5Ut
supra, (Antiqu. l. 7. c. 10.) sect. 2. calls it a great field, with a wood
behind it:
and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim; or near itF6ביער "ad sylvam", Junius & Tremellius;
"prope sylvam", Piscator. rather; not in a wood in the tribe of
Ephraim, which lay on this side Jordan; whereas this battle was fought on the
other side Jordan, in the land of Gilead, not far from Mahanaim, where was this
wood; and which was so called, either from the slaughter of the Ephraimites
here in the times of Jephthah, Judges 12:4; or
from the Ephraimites feeding their cattle here and near it; for the Jews sayF7In
Jarchi, Kimchi, & Abarbinel, in loc. , that Joshua gave them a grant to
feed their cattle in any wood in any of the tribes of Israel; and lying near
Jordan, they used to drive their cattle over to this place, from whence it had
its name.
2 Samuel 18:7 7 The people of Israel were
overthrown there before the servants of David, and a great slaughter of twenty
thousand took place there that day.
YLT
7and smitten there are the
people of Israel before the servants of David, and the smiting there is great
on that day -- twenty thousand;
Where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David,.... That is,
the people of Israel that were under Absalom, these were beaten by David's
army:
and there was a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men; including
both those that fell in the field of battle, and that were slain in the
pursuit; and this is to be understood only of Absalom's party.
2 Samuel 18:8 8 For the battle there was
scattered over the face of the whole countryside, and the woods devoured more
people that day than the sword devoured.
YLT
8and the battle is there
scattered over the face of all the land, and the forest multiplieth to devour
among the people more than those whom the sword hath devoured in that day.
For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the
country,.... Or the warriors were scattered, as the Targum; Absalom's
soldiers, their ranks were broken, and they were thrown into the utmost
confusion, and ran about here and there all over the field or plain in which
the battle was fought, and into the neighbouring wood:
and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured; there were
more slain in it the in the field of battle, what by one thing or another; as
by falling into pits and on stumps of trees, and being entangled in the bushes,
and could make but little haste, and so were overtaken by David's men, and
slain; insomuch that, as JosephusF8Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 7. c. 10.
sect. 2.) observes, there were more slain fleeing than fighting, and perhaps
some might perish by wild beasts; so the Targum,"and the beasts of the
wood slew more of the people than were slain by the sword;'and so the Syriac
and Arabic versions render the words to the same purpose.
2 Samuel 18:9 9 Then Absalom met the
servants of David. Absalom rode on a mule. The mule went under the thick boughs
of a great terebinth tree, and his head caught in the terebinth; so he was left
hanging between heaven and earth. And the mule which was under him went
on.
YLT
9And Absalom meeteth before
the servants of David, and Absalom is riding on the mule, and the mule cometh
in under an entangled bough of the great oak, and his head taketh hold on the oak,
and he is placed between the heavens and the earth, and the mule that [is]
under him hath passed on.
And Absalom met the servants of David,.... When his
army was routed, he was in such a fright that he knew not which way to flee,
and instead of flying from David's men, he fled in the way of them; but none of
them attempted to slay him, nor even to stop him, but let him pass by them,
knowing David's charge concerning him:
and Absalom rode upon a mule; as was common for great
personages to do in those days, 2 Samuel 13:29,
and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak; and running
full speed, Absalom could not guide him, nor stop, nor divert him from going
under it:
and his head caught hold of the oak; either the hair of his
head was twisted and entangled in the thick boughs of the oak; or rather his
head was jammed into a forked branch of the oak:
and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; hung in the
air between both, as unworthy to live in either:
and the mule that was under him went away; and left him
hanging in the oak.
2 Samuel 18:10 10 Now a certain man saw it
and told Joab, and said, “I just saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree!”
YLT
10And one man seeth, and
declareth to Joab, and saith, `Lo, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.'
And a certain man saw it,.... Saw him in the above
posture, one of David's soldiers:
and told Joab, and said, behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak; caught by the
neck in one, out of which he could not disengage himself, but there he hung,
though alive.
2 Samuel 18:11 11 So Joab said to the man
who told him, “You just saw him! And why did you not strike him there to
the ground? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt.”
YLT
11And Joab saith to the man
who is declaring [it] to him, `And lo, thou hast seen -- and wherefore didst
thou not smite him there to the earth -- and on me to give to thee ten
silverlings and one girdle?'
And Joab said unto the man that told him,.... That gave
the above account of him:
and, behold, thou sawest him; in reality; or,
"didst thou see him?" is it a fact?
and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground; kill him on
the spot, that he might have dropped from the tree to the ground:
and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver; on the news
of it, for doing it, which was near twenty four shillings of our money;
Josephus saysF9Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 7. c. 10. sect. 2.) fifty
shekels; the Arabic version has it ten thousand talents of silver, too great a
sum by far:
and a girdle? which was a mark of great honour, and a
token of a commission under him, and of investing: him with a military office;
see 1 Samuel 18:4; it
used to be given as an honorary reward to soldiers that behaved well, as on the
contrary it was reckoned a reproach to be ungirt, or the girdle to be taken
awayF11Vide Lydium de re militare, l. 3. c. 6. .
2 Samuel 18:12 12 But the man said to Joab,
“Though I were to receive a thousand shekels of silver in my hand, I
would not raise my hand against the king’s son. For in our hearing the king
commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘Beware lest anyone touch
the young man Absalom!’[a]
YLT
12And the man saith unto
Joab, `Yea, though I am weighing on my hand a thousand silverlings, I do not
put forth my hand unto the son of the king; for in our ears hath the king
charged thee, and Abishai, and Ittai, saying, Observe ye who [is] against the
youth -- against Absalom;
And the man said unto Joab,.... Disdaining his
proposal:
though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in
mine hand; or such a sum should be offered to me; the Arabic version is a
million:
yet would I not put forth my
hand against the king's son; to smite him, and slay him:
for in our hearing the king charged thee, and Abishai, and Ittai; his three
generals:
saying, beware that none touch the young man Absalom; so as to slay
him; they were charged to abstain from it themselves, and to watch and observe
others, and keep them from doing it.
2 Samuel 18:13 13 Otherwise I would have
dealt falsely against my own life. For there is nothing hidden from the king,
and you yourself would have set yourself against me.”
YLT
13or I had done against my
soul a vain thing, and no matter is hid from the king, and thou -- thou dost
station thyself over-against.'
Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life,.... Or
"soul"; he should not only have exposed his life to danger, but acted
falsely to the king, by going contrary to his orders; yea, would have done that
which was contrary to his own conscience; and if he had buoyed himself up with
the hope of impunity, or of a reward, he should have found himself mistaken;
the textual reading is, "against his life"F12בנפשו εν τη ψυχη
αυτου, Sept. "contra animam illius", Piscator. , or
"soul", the life of Absalom, by taking it away:
for there is no matter hid from the king; this, though
done ever so secretly, would have come to his knowledge by some means or
another, and then I should have incurred his displeasure, and suffered for it:
and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me; to accuse and
bring him to justice; he would have been so far from protecting him, that he
would have been the first man that would have insisted on it that he should be
punished for it; or why dost not thou thyself set thyself against him, and
smite him? thou mayest if thou pleasest, yonder he hangs, go and smite him.
2 Samuel 18:14 14 Then Joab said, “I cannot
linger with you.” And he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through
Absalom’s heart, while he was still alive in the midst of the terebinth
tree.
YLT
14And Joab saith, `Not right
-- I tarry before thee;' and he taketh three darts in his hand, and striketh
them into the heart of Absalom, while he [is] alive, in the midst of the oak.
Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee,.... It is not
worth while to talk with thee any longer, nor must I lose time, and neglect my
opportunity; I do not desire you to go and smite him, I will go and do it
myself:
and he took three darts in his hand; or three rods, which
were either all iron, or however the tops of them were iron spikes:
and thrust them through the heart of Absalom; or through
the midst of his body; for if he had thrust through his heart, properly
speaking, he must have died instantly, whereas he seems to have lived after
this:
while he was yet alive; Joab found him alive
when he came to him, and so he was when he thrust his darts through him; and so
he was afterward; for the words may be rendered, "being yet alive",
even after the darts were fixed in him, and even so deeply as to pierce through
his body:
in the midst, or "heart":
of the oak; into which the darts penetrated.
2 Samuel 18:15 15 And ten young men who bore
Joab’s armor surrounded Absalom, and struck and killed him.
YLT
15And they go round -- ten
youths bearing weapons of Joab -- and smite Absalom, and put him to death.
And ten young men that bare Joab's armour,.... That
waited upon him in the battle, to carry his armour, and supply him with it as
he should have occasion; these, by his orders:
compassed about, and smote Absalom, and slew him; they enclosed
him that none might rescue him, and smote him with their spears or swords, or
whatsoever armour they had, until it was a clear case that he was really dead.
Joab in this disobeyed the king's order, but provided for the good of the
nation, and the safety of the king. The Jews observeF13Misn. Sotah,
c. 1. sect. 8. , that measure for measure was given to Absalom; he was proud of
his hair, 2 Samuel 14:25, and
therefore was hanged by it, 2 Samuel 18:9; he
lay with ten concubines of his father, 2 Samuel 16:21, and
therefore was smitten with ten lances or spears by ten young men; and he stole
three hearts, the heart of his father, the heart of the sanhedrim, and the
heart of the men of Israel, and therefore three darts were fixed in him, 2 Samuel 18:14.
2 Samuel 18:16 16 So Joab blew the trumpet,
and the people returned from pursuing Israel. For Joab held back the people.
YLT
16And Joab bloweth with a
trumpet, and the people turneth back from pursuing after Israel, for Joab hath
kept back the people;
And Joab blew the trumpet,.... As the sign of a
retreat:
and the people returned from pursuing after Israel; upon the
sound of the trumpet, the meaning of which they understood:
for Joab held back the people: from shedding any more
blood; the head of the conspiracy being removed, the thing would be crushed at
once; and Joab neither chose to slay any more, nor take any prisoners, to be
tried as traitors, being unawares, without thought, drawn into this rebellion.
2 Samuel 18:17 17 And they took Absalom and
cast him into a large pit in the woods, and laid a very large heap of stones
over him. Then all Israel fled, everyone to his tent.
YLT
17and they take Absalom and
cast him in the forest unto the great pit, and set up over him a very great
heap of stones, and all Israel have fled -- each to his tent.
And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood,.... In the
wood of Ephraim, near to which the battle was fought, and into which Absalom
fled, and where he was slain:
and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: his
punishment was very exemplary; he was first hanged on an oak, and then thrust
through with darts, and swords, and then covered with stones, 2 Samuel 18:9,
pointing to the death that a rebellious son, according to the law, ought to
die, Deuteronomy 21:21;
though this might be done in honour of him as a king's son; for such
"tumuli", or heaps of stones or earth, were used by the ancients as
sepulchral monuments, and the larger the more honourableF14Homer.
Iliad. 23. ver. 245, 257. ; See Gill on Joshua 7:26 and See
Gill on Joshua 8:29,
and all Israel fled everyone to his tent; or to his
city, as the Targum; everyone returned to their own house, and to their own
business, and so the rebellion ceased.
2 Samuel 18:18 18 Now Absalom in his
lifetime had taken and set up a pillar for himself, which is in the
King’s Valley. For he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He
called the pillar after his own name. And to this day it is called Absalom’s
Monument.
YLT
18And Absalom hath taken, and
setteth up for himself in his life, the standing-pillar that [is] in the king's
valley, for he said, `I have no son to cause my name to be remembered;' and he
calleth the standing-pillar by his own name, and it is called `The monument of
Absalom' unto this day.
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken,.... Had taken
it into his head, had of himself devised it, as Kimchi explains it; he
contrived the following scheme to perpetuate his memory:
and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the king's
dale: or valley, the valley of Jehoshaphat; this pillar was of marble,
as JosephusF15Antiqu l. 7. c. 10. sect. 3. says, and stood about two
furlongs or a quater mile from Jerusalem. The author of Cippi HebraiciF16P.
26. Ed. Hotting. places it at the bottom of the mount of Olives: this is
observed to show how vain are the devices and contrivances of men's hearts;
Absalom intended to have been buried under or by this monumental pillar near
Jerusalem, and, lo, he was buried in a pit, under an heap of stones, in a wood
on the other side Jordan; whether his bones were ever removed hither it is not
certain, though a notion has obtained that his grave was near this pillar.
RauwolffF17Travels, part 3. c. 21. p. 310, 311. Ed. Ray. says, that
as you go from the valley of JehoshaphatF18So Benjamin. Itinerar. p.
43. to the Mount of Olives, you see below, towards your left hand, near unto
the bridge of the river Kidron, an old square building like unto a steeple;
this, although it is believed to this day, not only by Christians, but also by
Turks and Moors, to be the grave of Absalom, as you shall see them fling stones
into it as they go by, to revenge his unfaithfulness to his father, yet was he
not buried there. SandysF19Travels, l. 3. p. 147. Ed. 5. says, at
the east end of the bridge (over Kidron), and a little on the north, stands the
pillar of Absalom, being yet entire, and of a good fabric, rising in a lofty
square, below adorned with half columns, wrought out of the sides and corners,
of the Doric form; and then changing into a round, a good height higher doth
grow to a point in fashion of a bell, all framed of the growing stone; against
this there lies a great heap of stones, which increaseth daily, by Jews and
Mahometans throwing stones as they pass by; so that the frontispiece of it,
which faces the road, as Le BruynF20Voyage to the Levant, c. 48. p.
188. says, looks like a mountain of stones; but as to the fabric itself, he
says, there is not a finer piece of workmanship to be met with in all those
parts; it takes up a compass of ground of eighty two feet and an half square;
the body, which is square, with its moulding, is one entire piece; and the
coping, which is an ornament to it, and runs up into a point, taken with the
rest of the work, is above thirty feet high; twenty columns, cut out of the
same rock, add to the beauty of this pile; one sees through a broken window a
great many pieces of antiquity that hang up in a chamber. Adrichomius also
relatesF21Theatrum Terrae Sanet. p 174. , from travellers, that in
the king's valley is now a tower, and a large heap of stones, which is
increased every day more and more; for Heathens and strangers passing by there
have a custom to cast everyone a stone at it, as it were revenging, according
to the law, Absalom's rebellion against David his father, and curse him after
this manner; let Absalom the parricide be cursed, and whoever unrighteously
persecutes their parents are cursed for ever:
for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance; for though he
had three sons, it seems they were all dead, see 2 Samuel 14:27,
and he called the pillar after his own name, and it is called unto
this day Absalom's place; or his "hand"F23יד
χειρ, Sept.
"manus", V. L. Montanus. , the work of his hand; some wrongly think
it was in the form of an hand; it was an obelisk, or monument, erected to
preserve his name; but since it became so infamous, it would have been better
to have had it buried in oblivion. Such sepulchral monuments were used in other
nations; so Minerva advised TelemachusF24Homer. Odyss. 1. ver. 297.
Odyss. 2. ver. 243. to go in quest of his father Ulysses, and if he could not
find him, but was assured of his death, then to raise a signal or monument in
memory of him, which he resolved to do.
2 Samuel 18:19 19 Then Ahimaaz the son of
Zadok said, “Let me run now and take the news to the king, how the Lord has avenged
him of his enemies.”
YLT
19And Ahimaaz son of Zadok
said, `Let me run, I pray thee, and I bear the king tidings, for Jehovah hath
delivered him out of the hand of his enemies;'
Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok,.... To Joab; for it
seems he stayed with the army when he with Jonathan brought the message from
Hushai to David:
let me now run, and bear the king tidings how that the Lord hath
avenged him on his enemies; which he thought would be very acceptable
to hear of as soon as possible; and to be a messenger with tidings of a
victory, as it was honourable, so likewise profitable then as now; though
perhaps Ahimaaz might have no respect to the reward, as indeed none could be
expected, since the death of Absalom would be so disagreeable to the king; but
was desirous of it, that the king might be acquainted with the event of the
battle as soon as might be.
2 Samuel 18:20 20 And Joab said to him, “You
shall not take the news this day, for you shall take the news another day. But
today you shall take no news, because the king’s son is dead.”
YLT
20and Joab saith to him,
`Thou art not a man of tidings this day, but thou hast borne tidings on another
day, and this day thou dost not bear tidings, because the king's son [is]
dead.'
And Joab said unto him, thou shall not bear tidings this day,.... Because
Joab knew the tidings of Absalom's death would not be acceptable to the king;
and Ahimaaz being a good man, and the son of a priest, for whom Joab had a
respect, he would not send the tidings by him, which he was sensible would not
recommend him to the king:
but thou shalt bear tidings another day; when any
salvation is wrought, or victory obtained, the tidings of which will be
welcome:
but this day thou shall bear no tidings, because the king's son is
dead; and thou must carry the news concerning his death, which it is
not proper thou shouldest, being a priest, nor will it be to thine advantage.
2 Samuel 18:21 21 Then Joab said to the
Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” So the Cushite bowed himself
to Joab and ran.
YLT
21And Joab saith to Cushi,
`Go, declare to the king that which thou hast seen;' and Cushi boweth himself
to Joab, and runneth.
Then said Joab to Cushi,.... The Ethiopian, or
blackamoor; who either was an Ethiopian by birth and proselyted, or he was an
Israelite of a black complexion, and therefore so called; and was judged a
proper person by the general to carry such dismal news to the king, as he knew
it would be. Some Jewish writersF1Pirke Eliezer, c. 53. take him to
be the same with Cush the Benjaminite, in the title of the seventh psalm, Psalm 7:1; and that
he is the same that told Joab he saw Absalom hanging in an oak, and declared
that, if a thousand shekels of silver were offered him, he would not have put
forth his hand against him, 2 Samuel 18:10;
though some think this was one of the ten young men that waited on Joab, and by
his orders slew Absalom; but it would have been dangerous for one of these to
have carried the tidings, had he been known by David to have done it:
go tell the king what thou hast seen: by which it
should seem that he was present when Absalom was killed:
and Cushi bowed himself unto Joab; in reverence to him as
his general, and in thankfulness for sending him on this errand:
and ran; as fast as he could.
2 Samuel 18:22 22 And Ahimaaz the son of
Zadok said again to Joab, “But whatever happens, please let me also run after
the Cushite.” So Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, since you have no news
ready?”
YLT
22And Ahimaaz son of Zadok
addeth again, and saith unto Joab, `And whatever it be, let me run, I pray
thee, I also, after the Cushite.' And Joab saith, `Why [is] this -- thou art
running, my son, and for thee there are no tidings found?' –
Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab,.... He could
not be easy, even though a messenger was dispatched, but pressed Joab still:
but howsoever, let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi; only permit
me to go after him, though not as a messenger:
and Joab said, wherefore wilt thou run, my son? having a
great affection for him, and concerned that he should take trouble on him to no
purpose:
seeing thou hast no tidings ready; no news to carry, but
what Cushi is gone with, and so can have no audience of the king, nor any
reward from him.
2 Samuel 18:23 23 “But whatever happens,” he
said, “let me run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of
the plain, and outran the Cushite.
YLT
23`And, whatever it be, [said
he,] let me run.' And he saith to him, `Run;' and Ahimaaz runneth the way of
the circuit, and passeth by the Cushite.
But howsoever (said he) let me run,.... Be it as
it may, I beg I may have leave; and being so very importunate, it was granted:
and he said unto him, run; since he would take no
denial:
then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overran Cushi; who ran by
the way of the mountains; which though the shorter way, that through the plain
was easiest, and soonest run, though the longest.
2 Samuel 18:24 24 Now David was sitting
between the two gates. And the watchman went up to the roof over the gate, to
the wall, lifted his eyes and looked, and there was a man, running alone.
YLT
24And David is sitting
between the two gates, and the watchman goeth unto the roof of the gate, unto
the wall, and lifteth up his eyes, and looketh, and lo, a man running by
himself.
And David sat between the two gates,.... Of the city of
Mahanaim; which being a fortified place had two walls, one within another, and
in each wall a gate; and between these David sat, waiting for news of the
battle:
and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall; the gate to
the outward wall, over which was a tower, and on that a flat roof; to which the
watchman went to observe if he could see an express coming; no doubt by David's
orders:
and lifted up his eyes and looked; that is, very diligently
and wistfully:
and, behold, a man running alone: which made him the more
observable, and was the more likely to be a messenger.
2 Samuel 18:25 25 Then the watchman cried
out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is
news in his mouth.” And he came rapidly and drew near.
YLT
25And the watchman calleth,
and declareth to the king, and the king saith, `If by himself, tidings [are] in
his mouth;' and he cometh, coming on and drawing near.
And the watchman cried and told the king,.... Called
with a loud voice from the roof of the watchtower to the king, sitting between
the gates, and informed him what he saw:
and the king said, if he be alone there is tidings
in his mouth; for if the army was routed and fled, and were pursued, there
would be more in company, or several running one after another; but being but
one, it was highly improbable that he was sent express:
and he came apace, and drew near; which was another sign
of his being a messenger, the haste he made towards the city.
2 Samuel 18:26 26 Then the watchman saw another
man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, “There is another
man, running alone!” And the king said, “He also brings news.”
YLT
26And the watchman seeth
another man running, and the watchman calleth unto the gatekeeper, and saith,
`Lo, a man running by himself;' and the king saith, `Also this one is bearing
tidings.'
And the watchman saw another man running,.... At a
further distance:
and the watchman called unto the porter; that kept the
gate, under which the watchtower was:
and said, behold, another man runneth alone; as the other,
and has the same appearance of a messenger:
and the king said, he also bringeth tidings; it being
usual then, as now, to dispatch one messenger after another, as fresh accounts
coming in made it necessary.
2 Samuel 18:27 27 So the watchman said, “I
think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of
Zadok.” And the king said, “He is a good man, and comes with good news.”
YLT
27And the watchman saith, `I
see the running of the first as the running of Ahimaaz son of Zadok.' And the king
saith, `This [is] a good man, and with good tidings he cometh.'
And the watchman said, me thinketh,.... Or, "I
see"F2אני ראה
εγω ορω, Sept. "ego
videns", Montanus; "video", Tigurine version. ; I perceive, so
it appears to me:
that the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz
the son of Zadok; who it seems was well known, and famous for his manner of running
and swiftness in it, having been employed in carrying expresses before from
Jerusalem to David, and his army, wheresoever they were; and some of these
persons thus employed were very swift; we readF3T. Hieros. Taanioth,
fol. 68. 3. of one that was a king's messenger, that went from Jerusalem to
Tyre, on the first of Elul, or August, in a night and a day; which, according
to BuntingF4Travels, p. 200. was an hundred miles: this watchman
must be one of David's sentinels, who was well acquainted with the people about
him:
and the king said, he is a good man, and cometh with good
tidings; he knew he was a man of courage, and therefore was not one that
fled, but must be a messenger; and that he was well affected to him, and would
never be the messenger of evil tidings to him.
2 Samuel 18:28 28 So Ahimaaz called out and
said to the king, “All is well!” Then he bowed down with his face to the earth
before the king, and said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who
has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king!”
YLT
28And Ahimaaz calleth and
saith unto the king, `Peace;' and he boweth himself to the king, on his face,
to the earth, and saith, `Blessed [is] Jehovah thy God who hath shut up the men
who lifted up their hand against my lord the king.'
And Ahimaaz called and said unto the king,.... As soon
as he came so near as to be heard by him, before he came up to him, he said
with a loud voice:
all is well; the king's army has had success, beat the rebels, and obtained a
complete victory: or "peace"F5שלום
ειρηνη, Sept.
"pax", Montanus, Pagninus; "salus", Tigurine version;
"salve rex", V. L. ; for it is but one word in the original, which
signifies all happiness and prosperity, and this he wished the king; and so it
is the same as if he had said, God save the king, may all happiness attend him:
and he fell down to the earth upon his face before the king; when he came
nearer to him, not only in reverence of him, but in thankfulness to God:
and said, blessed be the Lord thy God, which hath delivered
up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king; in which he
ascribes the victory, not to Joab and his army, but to the Lord, to whom he
gives thanks; and this agreeably to his character as a good man, and a priest
of the Lord.
2 Samuel 18:29 29 The king said, “Is the
young man Absalom safe?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant
and me your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I did not know what it
was about.”
YLT
29And the king saith, `Peace
to the youth -- to Absalom?' And Ahimaaz saith, `I saw the great multitude, at
the sending away of the servant of the king, even thy servant [by] Joab, and I
have not known what [it is].'
And the king said, is the young man Absalom safe?.... Or, is
there "peace"F6שלום לנער "estne pax puero?" V. L. "pax
puero", Pagninus, Montanus. to him? you say there is peace, and that
prosperity and success have attended my army; but what peace has Absalom? is he
well, and in safety? David seemed more concerned for him than for his army and
the success of it; and even suggests as if it was nothing if Absalom was not
safe, so great were his affections towards him:
and Ahimaaz answered, when Joab sent the king's servant; which was
Cushi, the first messenger, whose office perhaps it was to be one of the king's
messengers, and therefore called his servant:
and me thy servant: Ahimaaz himself who was
sent after the other:
I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was; he perceived
that the tidings of the death of Absalom would be disagreeable to the king, and
therefore concealed it from him; and though a good man, he cannot be excused
from lying, for certainly he knew that Absalom was dead, as appears from 2 Samuel 18:19;
though indeed what he said might be true, that after Joab had sent him and
Cushi, as the Targum paraphrases it, he saw a company of people gathered
together in a tumultuous manner, the meaning of which he knew not; but then
this was no other than an evasion.
2 Samuel 18:30 30 And the king said, “Turn
aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.
YLT
30And the king saith, `Turn
round, station thyself here;' and he turneth round and standeth still.
And the king said unto him, turn aside, and stand
here,.... On the side of him, not far from him, until the other
messenger came, that he might learn from them both the true state of the case:
and he turned aside, and stood still; saying
nothing more to the king, nor he to him.
2 Samuel 18:31 31 Just then the Cushite
came, and the Cushite said, “There is good news, my lord the king! For the Lord has avenged
you this day of all those who rose against you.”
YLT
31And lo, the Cushite hath
come, and the Cushite saith, `Let tidings be proclaimed, my lord, O king; for
Jehovah hath delivered thee to-day out of the hand of all those rising up
against thee.'
And, behold, Cushi came,.... A little after:
and Cushi said, tidings, my lord the king; news is sent
and brought by me, and good news it is:
for the Lord hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up
against thee; they are either killed or dispersed; there is an entire victory
over them, and deliverance from them.
2 Samuel 18:32 32 And the king said to the
Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” So the Cushite answered, “May the
enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise against you to do harm, be like that
young man!”
YLT
32And the king saith unto the
Cushite, `Peace to the youth -- to Absalom?' And the Cushite saith, `Let them
be -- as the youth -- the enemies of my lord the king, and all who have risen
up against thee for evil.'
And the king said unto Cushi, is the young man Absalom safe?.... The same
question that was put to Ahimaaz, 2 Samuel 18:29;
which shows what lay nearest his heart, and was uppermost in his mind:
and Cushi answered, the enemies of my lord the king, and all that
rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is, which was
tacitly saying he was dead, and so David understood it; and he expressed it in
such a manner, that David could not be displeased with the messenger; though
the message was grievous to him.
2 Samuel 18:33 33 Then the king was deeply
moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept. And as he went, he
said thus: “O my son Absalom—my son, my son Absalom—if only I had died in your
place! O Absalom my son, my son!”
YLT
33And the king trembleth, and
goeth up on the upper chamber of the gate, and weepeth, and thus he hath said
in his going, `My son! Absalom my son; my son Absalom; oh that I had died for
thee, Absalom, my son, my son.'
And the king was much moved,.... His affections were
moved, his passions were stirred up; he was greatly troubled, distressed, and
grieved:
and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; got out of
sight and company as soon as he could; as his own dwelling was at some
distance, he made haste to the chamber in the watchtower, over the gate of the
city, where the watchman was, to vent his grief; and could not suppress it till
he got thither:
and as he went; up the stairs to the chamber:
thus he said, O my son Absalom! my son, my son Absalom! which
repetition expresses the vehemence of his affections, and how inconsolable he
was on account of his son's death:
would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son! some think he
said this on account of his eternal state, being satisfied of his own; but it
may be it was only the effect of natural affection, indulged to too great a
degree, and unbecoming so good a man in such a case; the Targum is,"I wish
I had died for thee, and thou hadst remained this day.'
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)