Bahurim

Biblical References

Bahurim is a village mentioned in 2 Samuel and 1 Kings. Every event associated with it is connected to the life of David.

• Michal and Paltiel (2 Samuel 3:13-16): Saul took his daughter Michal from David and gave her to Paltiel. Later, David demanded Michal's return as a condition for making a covenant with Abner. When Michal was being brought back to David, her husband Paltiel followed her, weeping, as far as Bahurim, but he turned back when Abner told him to return.
• Shimei's curse (2 Samuel 16:5-13): When David fled Jerusalem during the rebellion of Absalom, Shimei the son of Gera, a man of the house of Saul, came out as David reached Bahurim, cursing him and throwing stones at him. David restrained a servant who wished to kill Shimei, saying that it might be that "the LORD hath bidden him."
• The messengers hidden in the well (2 Samuel 17:17-21): Jonathan and Ahimaaz, who were on their way to bring news to David, hid in a well in the courtyard of a man's house in Bahurim. The woman of the house spread a covering over the mouth of the well and scattered ground grain on it to conceal them, and she told Absalom's servants who were pursuing them that they had crossed over the brook.
• Shimei's apology and death (2 Samuel 19:16-23; 1 Kings 2:8-9, 36-46): After the rebellion was put down, Shimei, "a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim," hurried down to ask David's forgiveness, and David swore that he would not put him to death. Before he died, however, David charged Solomon concerning Shimei, and Shimei was executed after violating Solomon's order not to leave Jerusalem.

Some also associate the term identifying the place of origin of Azmaveth, one of David's mighty men (2 Samuel 23:31; 1 Chronicles 11:33), with Bahurim.

Background

Bahurim appears to have belonged to the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. It is understood to have been located along the route leading from Jerusalem over the Mount of Olives and down toward the Jordan River. The account of David reaching Bahurim after ascending the Mount of Olives during his flight (2 Samuel 15:30; 16:5) supports this location. Scholars disagree, however, about which modern site corresponds to Bahurim, and its identification remains unsettled.

The name is said to be identical in form to a Hebrew word meaning "young men." Because Shimei belonged to the house of Saul, many interpreters hold that Benjamites closely connected to Saul's royal house lived in this area.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Bahurim is read as a place that illustrates the reversals of David's kingship. Here the tension between the house of Saul and the house of David comes to the surface, as does the plight of a king forced to flee because of his own son's rebellion.

The New Testament does not mention Bahurim. Some readers, however, consider David's refusal to retaliate when cursed in light of New Testament teaching. The passages most often cited in this connection are Romans 12:17-21, which forbids repaying evil for evil, and 1 Peter 2:23, which speaks of Jesus, who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return. This is a connection drawn by readers rather than a claim made by the text itself.

Interpretations and Issues

• David's forgiveness and final charge: Interpreters differ over why David, having sworn to spare Shimei, later charged Solomon concerning him. One view regards it as a political judgment aimed at securing the throne. Another reads it as a scene that reveals David's human limitations.
• The woman's lie: The lie told by the woman of Bahurim who hid the messengers is frequently compared with the story of Rahab, who hid the spies at Jericho. Interpreters differ on how the act should be evaluated, and the text itself offers no direct judgment on it.
• Paltiel's tears: The scene of Paltiel following Michal in tears is commonly read as depicting the pain an individual suffered amid a political bargain. The text, however, says very little about the feelings of Michal and Paltiel.