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Easton's Bible Dictionary
father of peace; i.e., "peaceful"
David's son by Maacah ( 2
Samuel 3:3 ; Compare 1
Kings 1:6 ). He was noted
for his personal beauty and
for the extra-ordinary profusion
of the hair of his head ( 2
Samuel 14:25 , 14:26
). The first public act of his
life was the blood-revenge he
executed against Amnon, David's
eldest son, who had basely wronged
Absalom's sister Tamar. This
revenge was executed at the
time of the festivities connected
with a great sheep-shearing
at Baal-hazor. David's other
sons fled from the place in
horror, and brought the tidings
of the death of Amnon to Jerusalem.
Alarmed for the consequences
of the act, Absalom fled to
his grandfather at Geshur, and
there abode for three years
( 2
Samuel 3:3 ; 13:23
- 38
).
David mourned his absent son,
now branded with the guilt of
fratricide. As the result of
a stratagem carried out by a
woman of Tekoah, Joab received
David's sanction to invite Absalom
back to Jerusalem. He returned
accordingly, but two years elapsed
before his father admitted him
into his presence ( 2
Samuel 14:28 ). Absalom
was now probably the oldest
surviving son of David, and
as he was of royal descent by
his mother as well as by his
father, he began to aspire to
the throne. His pretensions
were favoured by the people.
By many arts he gained their
affection; and after his return
from Geshur ( 2
Samuel 15:7 ; marg., RSV)
he went up to Hebron, the old
capital of Judah, along with
a great body of the people,
and there proclaimed himself
king. The revolt was so successful
that David found it necessary
to quit Jerusalem and flee to
Mahanaim, beyond Jordan; where
upon Absalom returned to Jerusalem
and took possession of the throne
without opposition. Ahithophel,
who had been David's chief counsellor,
deserted him and joined Absalom,
whose chief counsellor he now
became. Hushai also joined Absalom,
but only for the purpose of
trying to counteract the counsels
of Ahithophel, and so to advantage
David's cause. He was so far
successful that by his advice,
which was preferred to that
of Ahithophel, Absalom delayed
to march an army against his
father, who thus gained time
to prepare for the defence.
Absalom at length marched out
against his father, whose army,
under the command of Joab, he
encountered on the borders of
the forest of Ephraim. Twenty
thousand of Absalom's army were
slain in that fatal battle,
and the rest fled. Absalom fled
on a swift mule; but his long
flowing hair, or more probably
his head, was caught in the
bough of an oak, and there he
was left suspended till Joab
came up and pierced him through
with three darts. His body was
then taken down and cast into
a pit dug in the forest, and
a heap of stones was raised
over his grave. When the tidings
of the result of that battle
were brought to David, as he
sat impatiently at the gate
of Mahanaim, and he was told
that Absalom had been slain,
he gave way to the bitter lamentation:
"O my son Absalom, my son, my
son Absalom! would God I had
died for thee, O Absalom, my
son, my son!" ( 2
Samuel 18:33 . Compare Exodus
32:32 ; Romans
9:3 ).
Absalom's three sons ( 2
Samuel 14:27 ; comp 18:18
) had all died before him, so
that he left only a daughter,
Tamar, who became the grandmother
of Abijah.
Hitchcock's Dictionary of
Bible Names
father of peace
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(father of peace) Third son
of David by Maachah, daughter
of Tamai king of Geshur, a Syrian
district adjoining the northeast
frontier of the Holy Land. (Born
B.C. 1050.) Absalom had a sister,
Tamar, who was violated by her
half-brother Amnon. The natural
avenger of such an outrage would
be Tamars full brother Absalom.
He brooded over the wrong for
two years, and then invited
all the princes to a sheep-shearing
feast at his estate in Baalhazor,
on the borders of Ephraim and
Benjamin. Here he ordered his
servants to murder Amnon, and
then fled for safety to his
grandfathers court at Geshur,
where he remained for three
years. At the end of that time
he was brought back by an artifice
of Joab. David, however, would
not see Absalom for two more
years; but at length Joab brought
about a reconciliation. Absalom
now began at once to prepare
for rebellion. He tried to supplant
his father by courting popularity,
standing in the gate, conversing
with every suitor, and lamenting
the difficulty which he would
find in getting a hearing. He
also maintained a splendid retinue,
( 2
Samuel 15:1 ) and was admired
for his personal beauty. It
is probable too that the great
tribe of Judah had taken some
offence at Davids government.
Absalom raised the standard
of revolt at Hebron, the old
capital of Judah, now supplanted
by Jerusalem. The revolt was
at first completely successful;
David fled from his capital
over the Jordan to Mahanaim
in Gilead, and Absalom occupied
Jerusalem. At last, after being
solemnly anointed king at Jerusalem,
( 2
Samuel 19:10 ) Absalom crossed
the Jordan to attack his father,
who by this time had rallied
round him a considerable force.
A decisive battle was fought
in Gilead, in the wood of Ephraim.
Here Absaloms forces were totally
defeated, and as he himself
was escaping his long hair was
entangled in the branches of
a terebinth, where he was left
hanging while the mule on which
he was riding ran away from
under him. He was dispatched
by Joab in spite of the prohibition
of David, who, loving him to
the last, had desired that his
life might be spared. He was
buried in a great pit in the
forest, and the conquerors threw
stones over his grave, an old
proof of bitter hostility. (
Joshua
7:26 )
International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia
ab'-sa-lom ('abhshalom, "father
is peace," written also Abishalom,
1
Kings 15:2 , 10):
(1) David's third son
by Maacah, daughter of Talmai,
king of Geshur, a small territory
between Hermon and Bashan.
(1)
A General Favorite:
Absalom was born at Hebron
(2
Samuel 3:3), and moved
at an early age, with
the transfer of the capital,
to Jerusalem, where he
spent most of his life.
He was a great favorite
of his father and of the
people as well. His charming
manners, his personal
beauty, his insinuating
ways, together with his
love of pomp and royal
pretensions, captivated
the hearts of the people
from the beginning. He
lived in great style,
drove in a magnificent
chariot and had fifty
men run before him. Such
magnificence produced
the desired effect upon
the hearts of the young
aristocrats of the royal
city (2
Samuel 15:1).
(2) In Exile:
When Amnon, his half-brother,
ravished his sister Tamar,
and David shut his eyes
to the grave crime and
neglected to administer
proper punishment, Absalom
became justly enraged,
and quietly nourished
his anger, but after the
lapse of two years carried
out a successful plan
to avenge his sister's
wrongs. He made a great
feast for the king's sons
at Baalhazor, to which,
among others, Amnon came,
only to meet his death
at the hands of Absalom's
servants (2
Samuel 13:1). To avoid
punishment he now fled
to the court of his maternal
grandfather in Geshur,
where he remained three
years, or until David,
his father, had relented
and condoned the murderous
act of his impetuous,
plotting son. At the end
of three years (2
Samuel 13:38) we find
Absalom once more in Jerusalem.
It was, however, two years
later before he was admitted
to the royal presence
(2
Samuel 14:28).
(3) Rebels against His
Father:
Absalom, again reinstated,
lost no opportunity to
regain lost prestige,
and having his mind made
up to succeed his father
upon the throne, he forgot
the son in the politician.
Full of insinuations and
rich in promises, especially
to the disgruntled and
to those having grievances,
imaginary or real, it
was but natural that he
should have a following.
His purpose was clear,
namely, to alienate as
many as possible from
the king, and thus neutralize
his influence in the selection
of a successor, for he
fully realized that the
court party, under the
influence of Bathsheba,
was intent upon having
Solomon as the next ruler.
By much flattery Absalom
stole the hearts of many
men in Israel (2
Samuel 15:6). How
long a period elapsed
between his return from
Geshur and his open rebellion
against his father David
is a question which cannot
be answered with any degree
of certainty. Most authorities
regard the forty years
of 2
Samuel 15:7 as an
error and following the
Syriac and some editions
of the Septuagint, suggest
four as the correct text.
Whether forty or four,
he obtained permission
from the king to visit
Hebron, the ancient capital,
on pretense of paying
a vow made by him while
at Geshur in case of his
safe return to Jerusalem.
With two hundred men he
repairs to Hebron. Previous
to the feast spies had
been sent throughout all
the tribes of Israel to
stir up the discontented
and to assemble them under
Absalom's flag at Hebron.
Very large numbers obeyed
the call, among them Ahithophel,
one of David's shrewdest
counselors (2
Samuel 15:7).
(4) David's Flight:
Reports of the conspiracy
at Hebron soon reached
the ears of David, who
now became thoroughly
frightened and lost no
time in leaving Jerusalem.
Under the protection of
his most loyal bodyguard
he fled to Gilead beyond
Jordan. David was kindly
received at Mahanaim,
where he remained till
after the death of his
disloyal son. Zadok and
Abiathar, two leading
priests, were intent upon
sharing the fortunes of
David; they went so far
as to carry the Ark of
the Covenant with them
out of Jerusalem (2
Samuel 15:24). David,
however, forced the priests
and Levites to take it
back to its place in the
city and there remain
as its guardians. This
was a prudent stroke,
for these two great priests
in Jerusalem acted as
intermediaries, and through
their sons and some influential
women kept up constant
communications with David's
army in Gilead (2
Samuel 15:24). Hushai,
too, was sent back to
Jerusalem, where he falsely
professed allegiance to
Absalom, who by thins
time had entered the royal
city and had assumed control
of the government (2
Samuel 15:32). Hushai,
the priests and a few
people less conspicuous
performed their part well,
for the counsel of Ahithophel,
who advised immediate
action and advance upon
the king's forces, while
everything was in a panic,
was thwarted (2
Samuel 17:1); nay
more, spies were constantly
kept in contact with David's
headquarters to inform
the king of Absalom's
plans (2
Samuel 17:15). This
delay was fatal to the
rebel son. Had he acted
upon the shrewd counsel
of Ahithophel, David's
army might have been conquered
at the outset.
(5) Absalom's Death and
Burial:
When at length Absalom's
forces under the generalship
of Amasa (2
Samuel 17:25) reached
Gilead, ample time had
been given to David to
organize his army, which
he divided into three
divisions under the efficient
command of three veteran
generals: Joab, Abishai
and Ittai (2
Samuel 18:1). A great
battle was fought in the
forests of Ephraim. Here
the rebel army was utterly
routed. No fewer than
20,000 were killed outright,
and a still greater number
becoming entangled in
the thick forest, perished
that day (2
Samuel 18:7). Among
the latter was Absalom
himself, for while riding
upon his mule, his head
was caught in the boughs
of a great oak or terebinth,
probably in a forked branch.
"He was taken up between
heaven and earth; and
the mule that was under
him went on" (2
Samuel 18:9). In this
position he was found
by a soldier who at once
ran to inform Joab. The
latter without a moment's
hesitation, notwithstanding
David's positive orders,
thrust three darts into
the heart of Absalom.
To make his death certain
and encouraged by the
action of their general,
ten of Joab's young men
"compassed about and smote
Absalom, and slew him"
(2
Samuel 18:15). He
was buried in a great
pit, close to the spot
where he was killed. A
great pile of stones was
heaped over his body (2
Samuel 18:17), in
accordance with the custom
of dishonoring rebels
and great criminals by
burying them under great
piles of stone (Joshua
7:26 ; 8:29).
Thomson reforms us that
Syrian people to this
day cast stones upon the
graves of murderers and
outlaws (LB, II, 61).
(6) David's Lament:
The death of Absalom was
a source of great grief
to the fond and aged father,
who forgot the ruler and
the king in the tenderhearted
parent. His lament at
the gate of Mahanaim,
though very brief, is
a classic, and expresses
in tender language the
feelings of parents for
wayward children in all
ages of the world (2
Samuel 18:33).
Little is known of Absalom's
family life, but we read
in 2
Samuel 14:27 that
he had three sons and
one daughter. From the
language of 2
Samuel 18:18, it is
inferred that the sons
died at an early age.
(7) Absalom's Tomb:
As Absalom had no son
to perpetuate his memory
"he reared up for himself
a pillar" or a monument
in the King's dale, which
according to Josephus
was two furlongs from
Jerusalem (Ant., VII,
x, 3). Nothing is known
with certainty about this
monument. One of the several
tombs on the east side
of the Kidron passes under
the name of Absalom's
tomb. This fine piece
of masonry with its graceful
cupola and Ionic pillars
must be of comparatively
recent origin, probably
not earlier than the Roman
period. |
W. W. Davies
(Apocrypha) (Codex Vaticanus,
Abessalomos and Abessalom; Codex
Alexandrinus, Absalomos, the
King James Version Absalon):
(2) Father of Mattathias, a
captain of the Jewish army (1 Macc 11:70 ; Ant, XIII, v, 7).
(3) Father of Jonathan who was
sent by Simon Maccabee to take
possession of Joppa; perhaps
identical with Absalom (1) (1
Macc 13:11 ; Ant, XIII,
vi, 4).
(4) One of two envoys of the
Jews, mentioned in a letter
sent by Lysias to the Jewish
nation (2 Macc
11:17).
RELATED: Abiathar,
Ahithophel,
Amnon,
David,
Hushai,
Joab,
Tamar,
Wood
of Ephraim,
Zadok
Copyright
Information: "Easton's
Bible Dictionary", Matthew
George Easton M.A., D.D., 1897;
"Hitchcock's Dictionary
of Bible Names", Roswell
D. Hitchcock, 1869; "International
Standard Bible Encyclopedia",
Orr, James, M.A., D.D., 1915;
and "Smith's Bible Dictionary",
Smith, William, Dr., 1901. are
public domain and may be freely
used and distributed. |
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