2 Samuel 18

In this chapter, the conflict between David and his rebellious son Absalom reaches its tragic climax. David’s forces engage in battle with Absalom’s army, and despite David’s plea to deal gently with his son, Absalom is killed. The chapter highlights the deep personal cost of rebellion and the painful consequences of Absalom’s betrayal. David’s grief for his son’s death is profound, even though Absalom had turned against him.

2 Samuel 18:1-5 (NKJV)
1 And David numbered the people who were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.
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."
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."
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.
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.

David organizes his forces, dividing them into three groups led by Joab, Abishai, and Ittai. Despite his desire to go into battle with them, David’s men urge him to stay behind, recognizing his great value as their leader. David agrees but gives a specific command to his generals to treat Absalom gently, reflecting his deep love for his rebellious son, even in the midst of war.

2 Samuel 18:6-8 (NKJV)
6 So the people went out into the field of battle against Israel. And the battle was in the woods of Ephraim.
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.
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.

David’s army engages Absalom’s forces in the forest of Ephraim, where the terrain plays a significant role in the battle’s outcome. David’s forces are victorious, and 20,000 men from Absalom’s side are killed. The thick forest becomes a dangerous battlefield, claiming more lives than the actual fighting, which emphasizes how nature itself seemed to fight against Absalom’s rebellion.

2 Samuel 18:9-10 (NKJV)
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.
10 Now a certain man saw it and told Joab, and said, "I just saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree!"

Absalom’s fate is sealed when his long hair gets caught in the branches of a tree, leaving him helplessly suspended. This moment is symbolic, as Absalom’s pride in his appearance, especially his hair, becomes the cause of his downfall. A soldier witnesses the scene and reports it to Joab, setting the stage for Absalom’s final moments.

2 Samuel 18:11-14 (NKJV)
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."
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!’
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."
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.

Joab, impatient and ruthless, rebukes the soldier for not killing Absalom on the spot. However, the soldier, loyal to David’s command to protect Absalom, refuses to disobey the king’s order. Ignoring the king’s wishes, Joab takes matters into his own hands, striking Absalom and ensuring his death, showing his disregard for David’s personal feelings and his focus on ending the rebellion.

2 Samuel 18:15-18 (NKJV)
15 And ten young men who bore Joab’s armor surrounded Absalom, and struck and killed him.
16 So Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel. For Joab held back the people.
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.
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.

After Joab strikes Absalom, his men ensure Absalom’s death by attacking him further. Joab signals the end of the battle by blowing a trumpet. Absalom is buried in a pit with a heap of stones, a dishonorable end for a rebellious son who had once set up a monument to preserve his name. This contrasts with his inglorious burial and underscores the vanity of his attempts at self-glorification.

2 Samuel 18:19-23 (NKJV)
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."
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."
21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." So the Cushite bowed himself to Joab and ran.
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?"
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.

Ahimaaz, eager to bring the news to David, asks Joab for permission to run to the king. Joab initially refuses, knowing that David would not take the death of his son well. Instead, Joab sends a Cushite to deliver the news, but Ahimaaz insists and eventually outruns the Cushite. This part of the narrative builds suspense, as David is about to receive the devastating news.

2 Samuel 18:24-27 (NKJV)
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.
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.
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."
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."

David is anxiously waiting for news of the battle, and as the watchman sees the first runner, David assumes it will be news of victory. When the watchman identifies Ahimaaz, David hopes that the message will be good, as Ahimaaz is known as a trusted and reliable messenger.

2 Samuel 18:28-30 (NKJV)
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!"
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."
30 And the king said, "Turn aside and stand here." So he turned aside and stood still.

Ahimaaz delivers the news of victory but avoids answering David’s direct question about Absalom’s safety. It’s clear that Ahimaaz, despite outrunning the Cushite, is hesitant to inform David about his son’s fate, likely knowing how devastating the news will be.

2 Samuel 18:31-33 (NKJV)
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."
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!"
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!"

The Cushite brings the message of victory but also confirms Absalom’s death. David’s response is one of intense grief, mourning deeply for his son despite the rebellion. David’s lament over Absalom reveals his profound sorrow and regret, showing the depth of his love as a father even in the face of Absalom’s betrayal.