2 SamuelChapter 15

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Some time later Absalom acquired a chariot and horses, along with fifty men to run ahead of him.

He would rise early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a case to bring before the king for judgment, Absalom would call out to him and ask, "What town are you from?" And when the man answered, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel,"

Absalom would say to him, "Look, your claims are good and right, but the king has appointed no one to hear you."

And Absalom would add, "If only I were made judge in this land! Then everyone with a case or a claim could come to me, and I would see that he got justice."

And whenever a man approached to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him.

This is how Absalom treated every Israelite who came to the king for judgment, and so he stole the hearts of the people of Israel.

At the end of four years Absalom said to the king, "Let me go to Hebron and fulfill the vow I made to the LORD.

For while your servant was living in Geshur in Aram, I made this vow: 'If the LORD brings me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the LORD.'"

The king said to him, "Go in peace." So he set out for Hebron.

Then Absalom sent messengers secretly throughout all the tribes of Israel with this word: "As soon as you hear the sound of the ram's horn, say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron!'"

Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went in all innocence, knowing nothing of the matter.

Absalom also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, to come from his town of Giloh. And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, the conspiracy gained strength, and his following kept growing.

A messenger came to David and reported, "The hearts of the men of Israel have gone over to Absalom."

Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, "Come, we must flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. Go quickly, or he will overtake us, bring disaster down on us, and put the city to the sword."

The king's servants answered him, "Whatever our lord the king decides, your servants are ready."

So the king set out on foot, and his whole household with him, but he left behind ten concubines to look after the palace.

The king went out on foot with all the people following him, and they stopped at the last house.

All his servants passed by him, along with all the Kerethites and Pelethites, and all six hundred Gittites who had come with him from Gath marched past the king.

The king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with the king. You are a foreigner, an exile from your own land.

You came only yesterday. Should I make you wander with us today, when I am going wherever I can? Go back, and take your countrymen with you, and may steadfast love and faithfulness go with you.

But Ittai answered the king, "As surely as the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there your servant will be."

David said to Ittai, "Very well, march on." So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and all the children who were with him.

The whole countryside wept aloud as all the people passed by. The king crossed the Kidron Valley, and all the people moved on toward the wilderness.

Zadok was also there, and with him all the Levites, carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.

Then the king said to Zadok, "Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the LORD's eyes, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place again.

But if he says, 'I am not pleased with you,' then here I am; let him do to me whatever seems good to him."

The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Listen: go back to the city in peace, and take with you your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan son of Abiathar—your two sons.

I will wait at the fords in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me."

So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.

But David went on up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, his head covered and his feet bare. And all the people with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went.

When David was told that Ahithophel was among the conspirators with Absalom, he prayed, "LORD, turn Ahithophel's counsel into folly."

When David reached the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust on his head.

David said to him, "If you go with me, you will only be a burden to me.

But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, O king; as I was your father's servant in the past, so now I will be your servant,' then you can frustrate Ahithophel's counsel for me.

Won't the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Report to them everything you hear in the king's palace.

Their two sons are with them, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar. Send me word through them of everything you hear."

So Hushai, David's friend, arrived in the city just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.

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Summary2

Chapter 15

Main Theme: Absalom's rebellion against King David and David's flight from Jerusalem in humility and trust in God.

Content: Absalom wins the people's favor by standing at the city gate, flattering them, and undermining their confidence in David as judge. After four years, he goes to Hebron and has himself proclaimed king. David flees Jerusalem with his loyal men, including the Philistine Ittai, but sends the ark back with the priests Zadok and Abiathar. He asks them and Hushai to remain in the city as spies, while he himself goes up the Mount of Olives weeping and barefoot.

Key Words/Images:

Stealing hearts (v.6): Absalom manipulates the people through flattery and false promises of justice.
The Mount of Olives (v.30): David goes up weeping with his head covered—a picture of humiliation and sorrow.
The ark sent back (vv.25–26): David entrusts his destiny to God instead of using the ark as a talisman.
Hushai as a spy (vv.32–37): David acts strategically by placing a loyal counselor among the enemy.

Historical context

Historical and Cultural Context for 2 Samuel 15

People

Absalom appears here as an ambitious prince systematically building political support. His use of a chariot, horses, and fifty runners ahead of him (v. 1) was a royal status symbol in the ancient Near East, something Adonijah later imitated (1 Kings 1:5). This signaled royal ambitions and was known from Egyptian and Mesopotamian court culture.

Ahithophel from Giloh was David's counselor and was regarded as exceptionally wise—his advice was compared to "inquiring of God" (2 Sam 16:23). Giloh was located in the hill country of Judah, south of Jerusalem. His betrayal of David was especially serious because of his position as a trusted advisor. Some scholars suggest he may have been Bathsheba's grandfather (based on the fact that Bathsheba's father Eliam in 2 Sam 11:3 might be the same person as Eliam, son of Ahithophel, in 2 Sam 23:34), which could then explain a motive for revenge.

Ittai from Gath was a warrior from the Philistine city of Gath who had only recently joined David—verse 20 notes that he came "yesterday." His strong declaration of loyalty (v. 21: "wherever my lord the king goes, whether to death or to life, there your servant will be") shows that David's army included foreign warriors. The six hundred Gittites who followed him (v. 18) constituted a significant military force.

Hushai the Archite came from Archi, an area near Bethel. His title "the king's friend" (רֵעֶה דָוִד, v. 37) was an official court position known from Egyptian and other Eastern courts, designating a trusted advisor.

Zadok and Abiathar were the priests who carried the ark of the covenant (v. 24). David sent them back to Jerusalem to serve as informants along with their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan (vv. 27–36).

Places

Hebron was David's first capital, where he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months before capturing Jerusalem. The city had deep symbolic significance as the burial place of the patriarchs and the place where Absalom was born (2 Sam 3:3). By starting his rebellion there, Absalom appealed to older tribal loyalties and possible dissatisfaction with Jerusalem's centralizing power.

The Kidron Valley (v. 23) lies between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives to the east. Crossing this valley marked a definitive departure from the city and was the route toward the Jordan Valley and the wilderness.

The Mount of Olives (v. 30, מַעֲלֵה הַזֵּיתִים) east of Jerusalem was a place of worship (v. 32 mentions "the place where one worships God"). David went up the slope barefoot and with his head covered—these were mourning rites expressing both personal grief and public humiliation.

Events and Customs

Stealing hearts (v. 6, וַיְגַנֵּב אַבְשָׁלוֹם אֶת־לֵב אַנְשֵׁי יִשְׂרָאֵל) describes Absalom's manipulative political campaign. He positioned himself at the city gate where legal cases were decided (v. 2), undermining trust in David's judicial system by suggesting that the king did not give people fair treatment (vv. 3–4).

Vows and offerings (vv. 7–8) were common religious obligations. Absalom used a claimed vow made during his exile in Geshur as an excuse to travel to Hebron. That David allowed this shows how religious commitments could be exploited politically.

Mourning rituals that David performed (v. 30)—going barefoot (יָחֵף), covering the head (רֹאשׁ לוֹ חָפוּי), and weeping (בוֹכֶה)—were established expressions of grief and humility in Israelite culture. That the people did likewise showed solidarity with the king.

Key Terms

The expression "the Cherethites and the Pelethites" (v. 18, הַכְּרֵתִי וְהַפְּלֵתִי) refers to David's personal bodyguard. The names may be connected to Cretan and Philistine peoples, although their exact meaning is debated. These were professional soldiers loyal to David personally, not to Israel as a nation, and were therefore reliable during the civil war.

People9

David9 Abiathar5 Zadok (High Priest)5 Jonathan2 Ahithophel3 Hushai (the Arkite)1 Ittai3 Jacob2 Ahimaaz2

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Key words7

Absalom — Son of King David and Maaka, who rebels against his father to seize the throne of Israel.
David — The second king of Israel, known for his wisdom and military skill, as well as being the author of several psalms.
Jerusalem — The capital city of Israel and a holy city for the Jews, where David's palace and the temple are located.
Hushai — A friend and advisor to King David, who is sent back to Jerusalem to spy on Absalom and give him bad advice.
Ahithophel — A former advisor to King David, who switches sides and supports Absalom's rebellion.
Daughter of Zion — A poetic name for Jerusalem, often used in the Bible to describe the city's beauty and significance.
The Lord — Another term for God, frequently used in the Old Testament to refer to the Almighty Creator.