Baal-hazor

Biblical Text and Narrative

Baal-hazor appears only once in the Bible, in 2 Samuel 13:23. The King James Version renders the verse: "And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baalhazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king's sons."

The incident had its origin in the rape of Tamar, the sister of Absalom, by Amnon, the firstborn son of David (2 Samuel 13:1-22). Absalom waited two years, then held a sheep-shearing feast at Baal-hazor and invited the king and the king's sons. David declined and sent only Amnon and the other princes. When Amnon was drunk with wine, Absalom had his servants kill him (13:28-29). The remaining princes fled on their mules. A report first reached David that all the king's sons had been killed, but Jonadab corrected it, saying that only Amnon was dead (13:30-33). Absalom fled to Talmai, king of Geshur, and stayed there three years (13:37-38).

Background

The place name combines "Baal" and "Hazor." The Hebrew word baal means "lord" or "owner" and is also the name of the Canaanite god Baal. "Hazor" is thought to be related to a word meaning "enclosure" or "settlement." This site is distinct from Hazor, the large northern city mentioned in Joshua 11 and elsewhere.

The exact location has not been determined. The site is commonly identified with a high mountain northeast of Bethel, known by the Arabic name Jebel 'Asur, and many scholars hold that the modern name preserves the ancient one. The phrase "beside Ephraim" is likewise read in two ways: some interpret it as referring to the territory of the tribe of Ephraim, while others take it to refer to a town of that name. Those who hold the latter view sometimes identify it with "a city called Ephraim" in John 11:54.

In ancient Israel, sheep-shearing time was an occasion for feasting. The same custom appears in Nabal's sheep-shearing feast (1 Samuel 25) and in Judah's going up to Timnath to shear his sheep (Genesis 38:12). Absalom used this custom to gather the princes in one place without arousing suspicion.

Significance in the Broader Biblical Narrative

The incident at Baal-hazor is read as the beginning of the fulfillment of the word that the prophet Nathan pronounced to David: "Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house" (2 Samuel 12:10). From this event onward, the tragedy of David's house unfolds through Absalom's flight, return, and rebellion. Baal-hazor is not mentioned directly in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Issues

The text records only that when David heard what had happened to Tamar, "he was very wroth" (13:21); it says nothing of his punishing Amnon. Many interpreters therefore conclude that David's failure as a father to uphold justice led to Absalom's revenge. Some ancient witnesses, including the Septuagint, add an explanation that David did not trouble Amnon because he loved him as his firstborn. This sentence, however, is absent from the Masoretic Text, on which the Korean New Revised Version is based.

The text does not say why David declined to attend the feast or whether Absalom intended from the outset to harm the king as well. Any conclusions on these points should be treated as interpretive inferences.