Absalom
Absalom (אַבְשָׁלוֹם "Father of peace", Standard Hebrew Avšalom), in the Bible, was the third son of King David and leader of a major rebellion which nearly dethroned his father. He was deemed the most beautiful man in the kingdom.
Biblical story
Born at Hebron while David, who ruled only over Judah, was still at war with the house of Saul, Absalom was David's third listed son. His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. After David succeeded in unifying the kingdom, Absalom was his most promising offspring, considered to be the heir apparent.
However, after David had unfied the kingdom and settled his royal family in Jerusalem, Absalom faced a severe crisis. His sister Tamar had been raped by David's eldest son, Amnon, who was temporarily in love with her but came to hate her after he had defiled her. Absalom comforted and protect the distraught Tamar, waiting two years to avenge her disgrace. He then invited Ammon and several other princes to a feast at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, during a sheep-shearing celebration. After Ammon had drunk his fill of wine, Absalom order his servants to murder him.(2 Samuel 13).
Absalom took with refuge with Talmai of Geshur (see Joshua 12:5 or 13:2), his maternal grandfather. Although David "longed" for him, it would take three years for him to be fully reinstated in his father's favor, largely through the influence of Joab, David's cousin and commander-in-ceif of the army.
Four years after this he raised a revolt at Hebron, the former capital. Absalom was now the eldest surviving son of David, and the present position of the narratives (15-20)—after the birth of Solomon and before the struggle between Solomon and Adonijah---may represent the view that the suspicion that he was not the destined heir of his father's throne excited the impulsive youth to rebellion.
All Israel and Judah flocked to his side, and David, attended only by the Cherethites and Pelethites and some recent recruits from Gath, found it expedient to flee. The priests remained behind in Jerusalem, and their sons Jonathan and Ahimaaz served as his spies. Absalom reached the capital and took counsel with the renowned Ahithophel (sometimes Achitophel). The pursuit was continued and David took refuge beyond the Jordan River. However, David took the precaution of instructing a servant, Hushai, to infiltrate Absalom's court and subvert it. To that end, Hushai convinces the prince to ignore Ahithophel's advice to attack his father while he's on the run and instead better prepare his forces for a major attack. This gave David critical time to prepare his own troops for the coming battle.
A battle was fought in the "wood of Ephraim" (the name suggests a locality west of the Jordan) and Absalom's army was completely routed. He himself, having long hair, was caught by his hair in the boughs of an oak-tree, and as David had strictly charged his men to deal gently with the young man, Joab was informed. What a common soldier refused to do even for a thousand shekels of silver, the king's general at once undertook. Joab thrust three spears through the heart of Absalom as he struggled in the branches and his ten armour-bearers came around and slew him. Despite the revolt, David was overwhelmed with grief and ordered a great heap of stones to be erected where he fell, whilst another monument near Jerusalem (not the modern "Absalom Tomb" - "Yad Avshalom" which is of later origin) was erected by Absalom in his lifetime to perpetuate his name 2 Samuel 18:
"18. Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a monument, which is in the king's dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called unto this day, Absalom's monument."
Allusions to Absalom
- The single verse, 2 Samuel 18 v33, regarding David's grief at the loss of his son, is the setting of several pieces of choral music, usually entitled When David Heard (Such as Eric Whitacre's When David Heard) although this does not appear in the actual scripture.
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