2 Samuel 15

This chapter belongs to the section of 2 Samuel that deals with conflict within David's royal house. In chapter 14, Absalom returned from Geshur and was reconciled to his father. In this chapter he rebels in an attempt to seize the throne.

Outline

• Verses 1–6 Absalom provides himself with chariots and horses and fifty men to run before him. Standing beside the way of the gate, he greets those who come seeking judgment and so wins the hearts of the men of Israel.
• Verses 7–12 After four years, Absalom goes to Hebron, claiming that he must fulfill a vow. He sends messengers throughout all the tribes, instructing them to take the sound of the trumpet as their signal. Two hundred men who know nothing of the plot accompany him, and Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, joins him.
• Verses 13–18 On hearing the news, David decides to flee and leaves ten concubines to keep the palace. The Cherethites, the Pelethites, and six hundred men who had come from Gath pass on before the king.
• Verses 19–23 David urges Ittai the Gittite to turn back, but Ittai swears that, whether in life or in death, he will remain with the king. The king and the people cross the brook Kidron.
• Verses 24–29 Zadok and Abiathar come out bearing the ark of the covenant. David sends the ark back into the city and asks that news be relayed to him through the two priests' sons, Ahimaaz and Jonathan.
• Verses 30–31 David ascends the Mount of Olives with his head covered, barefoot and weeping. Told that Ahithophel has joined the conspiracy, he prays that God would turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness.
• Verses 32–37 Hushai the Archite comes to meet David. David sends him back to Jerusalem to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel. Hushai enters the city, and Absalom also arrives in Jerusalem.

Key Verses

• 2 Samuel 15:6, "so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel" — a single phrase summarizing how Absalom prepared his rebellion.
• 2 Samuel 15:26, "let him do to me as seemeth good unto him" — reveals David's willingness to entrust his throne and his life to the will of God.
• 2 Samuel 15:31, "O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness" — this prayer is answered in chapter 17.

People and Places

• Absalom, David
• Ahithophel: a native of Giloh who served as David's counselor but sided with Absalom.
• Ittai: a foreigner from Gath, a Philistine city, who followed David.
• Zadok and Abiathar: the two priests of David's time.
• Hushai: an Archite called "David's friend."
• The brook Kidron: a stream flowing through the valley between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives.
• Hebron, Mount of Olives, Jerusalem

Points for Reflection

• The "four years" of verse 7 reads "forty years" in the Hebrew Masoretic Text. The Korean Revised Version and a number of other translations follow certain ancient versions in rendering it as four years.
• Many interpreters read this rebellion as a fulfillment of Nathan's prophecy, "the sword shall never depart from thine house" (2 Samuel 12:10).
• The superscription of Psalm 3 presents that psalm as composed by David when he fled from Absalom.
• David's crossing of the Kidron and ascent of the Mount of Olives is often compared with Jesus' going to the garden across the Kidron (John 18:1). Some commentary traditions also regard Ahithophel as a type of Judas Iscariot. The New Testament, however, does not directly connect the two events.

In the Korean Church

The account of David's flight frequently appears in sermons on entrusting oneself to God in the midst of suffering. Ittai's oath (verse 21) is commonly cited in discussions of loyalty and devotion.