2 Samuel 14 Study Notes: The Wise Woman of Tekoa
Joab sends a woman from Tekoa with a made-up story that draws from David a pledge of mercy, which she then turns toward his exiled son. Absalom returns to Jerusalem but is barred from the king for two years, until he burns Joab’s field to force a meeting and David receives him.
General
After two years kept from the king’s presence, how did Absalom force Joab to visit him (2 Samuel 14:30)?
Answer: He had his servants burn Joab’s barley field
Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing his father (14:28). Twice he summoned Joab, hoping Joab would carry his case to David, and both times Joab stayed away. So Absalom told his servants to set Joab’s barley field on fire, and they did (14:29-30). That brought Joab to him, demanding to know why (14:31). The act shows Absalom’s character: when blocked, he used force to get what he wanted. Proverbs says a man given to anger stirs up strife and abounds in wrongdoing, and James traces quarrels to desires within that crave what they lack (Proverbs 29:22; James 4:1-2).
- 2 Samuel 14:29-30 (BSB)“Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So Absalom sent a second time, but Joab still would not come. Then Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire!” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.”Joab ignores Absalom’s summons twice, so Absalom has Joab’s barley field set on fire.
- Proverbs 29:22 (BSB)“An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.”An angry man stirs up strife and abounds in wrongdoing.
- James 4:1-2 (BSB)“What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you? You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.”Quarrels come from passions within that crave what they do not have.
Theological
What did Absalom do when Joab twice ignored his summons (2 Samuel 14:30)?
Answer: He had his servants burn Joab’s barley field
After two years excluded from the king’s presence (14:28), Absalom summoned Joab twice in vain, then had his servants set Joab’s barley field ablaze, which finally brought Joab to him (14:29-31). The episode displays Absalom’s readiness to coerce when thwarted, the hot temper Proverbs associates with strife and transgression, and the grasping desire James identifies as the source of conflict (Proverbs 29:22; James 4:1-2).
- 2 Samuel 14:29-30 (BSB)“Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So Absalom sent a second time, but Joab still would not come. Then Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire!” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.”Joab ignores Absalom’s summons twice, so Absalom has Joab’s barley field set on fire.
- Proverbs 29:22 (BSB)“An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.”An angry man stirs up strife and abounds in wrongdoing.
- James 4:1-2 (BSB)“What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you? You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.”Quarrels come from passions within that crave what they do not have.
General
What did Absalom tell Joab to say to the king (2 Samuel 14:32)?
Answer: That he demanded an audience, and if guilty, let David kill him
Absalom complained that he would have been better off staying in Geshur, and he insisted that he be allowed to see the king; if there was any guilt in him, let the king execute him (14:32). His words are a demand, not a confession. He did not admit to killing his brother. Proverbs promises mercy not to the one who hides his sins but to the one who admits and forsakes them (Proverbs 28:13). David himself had confessed plainly when confronted by Nathan (12:13); Absalom offered no such confession.
- 2 Samuel 14:32 (BSB)““Look,” said Absalom, “I sent for you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.’ So now, let me see the king’s face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him kill me.””Absalom demands to see the king, saying that if he is guilty the king may kill him.
- Proverbs 28:13 (BSB)“He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.”Whoever hides his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
- 2 Samuel 12:13 (BSB)“Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” “The LORD has taken away your sin,” Nathan replied. “You will not die.”David, by contrast, had confessed his own sin plainly to Nathan.
Theological
What message did Absalom send to David through Joab (2 Samuel 14:32)?
Answer: That he demanded an audience, and if guilty, let David kill him
Absalom protests that he would have done better to remain in Geshur and demands an audience, adding that if iniquity is found in him the king may execute him (14:32). It is a challenge, not a confession; there is no acknowledgment of Amnon’s murder. The contrast with Proverbs 28:13, which promises mercy to the one who confesses and forsakes sin, and with David’s own confession (12:13), is plain.
- 2 Samuel 14:32 (BSB)““Look,” said Absalom, “I sent for you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.’ So now, let me see the king’s face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him kill me.””Absalom demands to see the king, saying that if he is guilty the king may kill him.
- Proverbs 28:13 (BSB)“He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.”Whoever hides his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
- 2 Samuel 12:13 (BSB)“Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” “The LORD has taken away your sin,” Nathan replied. “You will not die.”David, by contrast, had confessed his own sin plainly to Nathan.
General
How does the narrator describe Absalom’s appearance (2 Samuel 14:25)?
Answer: Unmatched in Israel for good looks
The narrator pauses to say that no one in all Israel was as handsome or as admired as Absalom; from head to foot he had no flaw, and his hair grew so heavy that he cut it every year (14:25-26). Saul had been introduced in a similar way, handsome and without equal (1 Samuel 9:2). But when David was chosen, the LORD told Samuel that man looks at the outward appearance while the LORD looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7), and Proverbs warns that charm deceives and beauty fades (Proverbs 31:30). Absalom’s looks told nothing about his heart.
- 2 Samuel 14:25 (BSB)“Now there was not a man in all Israel as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw.”Absalom is praised as the most handsome man in Israel, without a flaw.
- 1 Samuel 16:7 (BSB)“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.””The LORD does not look at outward appearance but at the heart.
- 1 Samuel 9:2 (BSB)“And he had a son named Saul, choice and handsome, without equal among the Israelites—a head taller than any of the people.”Saul too had been introduced as handsome and without equal in Israel.
- Proverbs 31:30 (BSB)“Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting.
Theological
What does 2 Samuel 14:25 say about Absalom’s appearance?
Answer: Unmatched in Israel for good looks
Absalom is introduced as without equal in Israel for beauty and praise, flawless from head to foot, with hair so heavy he cut it yearly (14:25-26). The description recalls Saul’s introduction (1 Samuel 9:2) and stands under the principle stated at David’s anointing, that the LORD looks on the heart rather than outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7; cf. Proverbs 31:30). His appearance is no evidence of his character.
- 2 Samuel 14:25 (BSB)“Now there was not a man in all Israel as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw.”Absalom is praised as the most handsome man in Israel, without a flaw.
- 1 Samuel 16:7 (BSB)“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.””The LORD does not look at outward appearance but at the heart.
- 1 Samuel 9:2 (BSB)“And he had a son named Saul, choice and handsome, without equal among the Israelites—a head taller than any of the people.”Saul too had been introduced as handsome and without equal in Israel.
- Proverbs 31:30 (BSB)“Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting.
General
What did David finally swear to the woman about her son (2 Samuel 14:11)?
Answer: That not a single hair on him would be harmed
David first promised to give orders on her behalf, then to deal with anyone who troubled her. The woman pressed until he swore by the LORD that her son would not lose so much as a single hair (14:8-11). In the story, the son had killed his brother in a fight. Absalom’s case was different: he had planned Amnon’s death for two years (13:32). The law said no ransom could be taken to spare a murderer who deserved death (Numbers 35:30-31). By swearing protection in the made-up case, David bound himself before he saw how it applied to his own son.
- 2 Samuel 14:11 (BSB)““Please,” she replied, “may the king invoke the LORD your God to prevent the avenger of blood from increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!” “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.””The woman asks the king to invoke the LORD, and David swears to protect her son.
- Numbers 35:30-31 (BSB)“If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness. You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death.”The law allowed no ransom for the life of a murderer.
- 2 Samuel 13:32 (BSB)“But Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, spoke up: “My lord must not think they have killed all the sons of the king, for only Amnon is dead. In fact, Absalom has planned this since the day Amnon violated his sister Tamar.”Absalom’s killing of Amnon had been planned since the day Tamar was wronged.
Theological
What oath did the Tekoite woman draw out of David (2 Samuel 14:11)?
Answer: That not a single hair on him would be harmed
Step by step the woman pressed David from a general promise to a solemn oath by the LORD that her son would not be harmed in the slightest (14:8-11). Her story concerns a killing in a quarrel; Absalom’s was premeditated (13:32), and the law forbade ransom for a murderer’s life (Numbers 35:30-31). The oath commits the king before the parable is applied to his own family.
- 2 Samuel 14:11 (BSB)““Please,” she replied, “may the king invoke the LORD your God to prevent the avenger of blood from increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!” “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.””The woman asks the king to invoke the LORD, and David swears to protect her son.
- Numbers 35:30-31 (BSB)“If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness. You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death.”The law allowed no ransom for the life of a murderer.
- 2 Samuel 13:32 (BSB)“But Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, spoke up: “My lord must not think they have killed all the sons of the king, for only Amnon is dead. In fact, Absalom has planned this since the day Amnon violated his sister Tamar.”Absalom’s killing of Amnon had been planned since the day Tamar was wronged.
General
What did the woman say about God as she urged David to act (2 Samuel 14:14)?
Answer: He plans ways for the outcast to be restored
The woman reminded David that all people die and are like water spilled on the ground that cannot be gathered again. God, she said, does not simply take life away; He devises means so that one who is banished is not driven from Him for good (14:14). As a statement about God, this is true: He finds no delight in death and shows compassion out of His loving devotion (Ezekiel 18:32; Lamentations 3:31-33), and in Christ He has made reconciliation for estranged sinners (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). Yet the woman used this truth to press for Absalom’s return, and the chapter records no repentance from Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 14:14 (BSB)“For we will surely die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. Yet God does not take away a life, but He devises ways that the banished one may not be cast out from Him.”The woman speaks of human mortality and of God’s purpose not to cast off the banished.
- Ezekiel 18:32 (BSB)“For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live!”The Lord GOD takes no pleasure in anyone’s death and calls sinners to repent and live.
- Lamentations 3:31-33 (BSB)“For the Lord will not cast us off forever. Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion. For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.”The Lord does not cast off forever but shows compassion according to His loving devotion.
- 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (BSB)“All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”God reconciled the world to Himself in Christ.
Theological
What does the Tekoite woman say about God in 2 Samuel 14:14?
Answer: He plans ways for the outcast to be restored
The woman sets human mortality, life spilled like water that cannot be recovered, beside God’s purpose: He does not simply take life but devises means so that the banished is not driven away from Him for good (14:14). The statement is true of God, who takes no pleasure in death and whose compassion flows from His loving devotion (Ezekiel 18:32; Lamentations 3:31-33), and who in Christ has made reconciliation for estranged sinners (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). In context, though, the truth is pressed into service for recalling Absalom, and the narrative records no repentance on his part.
- 2 Samuel 14:14 (BSB)“For we will surely die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. Yet God does not take away a life, but He devises ways that the banished one may not be cast out from Him.”The woman speaks of human mortality and of God’s purpose not to cast off the banished.
- Ezekiel 18:32 (BSB)“For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live!”The Lord GOD takes no pleasure in anyone’s death and calls sinners to repent and live.
- Lamentations 3:31-33 (BSB)“For the Lord will not cast us off forever. Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion. For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.”The Lord does not cast off forever but shows compassion according to His loving devotion.
- 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (BSB)“All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”God reconciled the world to Himself in Christ.
General
What did David discern about the woman’s appeal (2 Samuel 14:19)?
Answer: That Joab had planned it and given her words
David asked the woman not to hide anything and then asked whether Joab’s hand was behind all this. She admitted that Joab had instructed her and put every word in her mouth, to turn the situation around (14:18-20). Along the way she flattered the king, comparing his discernment to that of God’s angel (14:17, 20). Proverbs says a person of understanding draws out the deep purposes of the heart, and it warns that flattery sets a trap for the listener (Proverbs 20:5; 29:5). David saw through the scheme, yet he still granted what it sought.
- 2 Samuel 14:19 (BSB)“So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind all this?” The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant exactly what to say.”David asks whether Joab is behind the woman’s words, and she admits it.
- 2 Samuel 14:20 (BSB)“Joab your servant has done this to bring about this change of affairs, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that happens in the land.””The woman praises the king’s wisdom while admitting Joab’s purpose.
- Proverbs 20:5 (BSB)“The intentions of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.”A person of understanding draws out the hidden purposes of the heart.
- Proverbs 29:5 (BSB)“A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.”Flattery spreads a net for the one who hears it.
Theological
What did David perceive behind the Tekoite woman’s petition (2 Samuel 14:19)?
Answer: That Joab had planned it and given her words
David detected Joab’s hand, and the woman confessed that Joab had commissioned and scripted her to reverse the king’s course (14:18-20). Her repeated flattery likens the king’s discernment to that of God’s angel (14:17, 20). The proverbs commend the discernment that draws out hidden purposes and warn of flattery’s snare (Proverbs 20:5; 29:5). David discerns the scheme, yet still yields to it.
- 2 Samuel 14:19 (BSB)“So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind all this?” The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant exactly what to say.”David asks whether Joab is behind the woman’s words, and she admits it.
- 2 Samuel 14:20 (BSB)“Joab your servant has done this to bring about this change of affairs, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that happens in the land.””The woman praises the king’s wisdom while admitting Joab’s purpose.
- Proverbs 20:5 (BSB)“The intentions of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.”A person of understanding draws out the hidden purposes of the heart.
- Proverbs 29:5 (BSB)“A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.”Flattery spreads a net for the one who hears it.
General
What did Joab arrange in order to move David toward bringing Absalom home (2 Samuel 14:2-3)?
Answer: He had a wise woman pose as a grieving widow
Joab, the commander of David’s army, saw that David’s heart was drawn toward Absalom (14:1; cf. 13:39). He sent to the town of Tekoa for a wise woman and told her to dress as a mourner, skip anointing herself with oil, and act like someone who had grieved for a long time; then he gave her the very words to say (14:2-3). The method resembles Nathan’s earlier approach, when a story drew a verdict from David before its real subject was revealed (12:1). This time, though, the story came from Joab’s planning, not from a message the LORD sent.
- 2 Samuel 14:1-2 (BSB)“Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart longed for Absalom. So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.”Joab sees David’s longing and brings a wise woman from Tekoa, telling her to act as a mourner.
- 2 Samuel 14:3 (BSB)“Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.”Joab gives the woman the words she is to speak.
- 2 Samuel 13:39 (BSB)“And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he had been consoled over Amnon’s death.”The previous chapter ended with David longing to go out to Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 12:1 (BSB)“Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.”Nathan had earlier brought a message to David in the form of a story about two men.
Theological
By what means did Joab seek to secure Absalom’s return (2 Samuel 14:2-3)?
Answer: He had a wise woman pose as a grieving widow
Perceiving the king’s longing for Absalom (14:1; cf. 13:39), Joab recruited a wise woman of Tekoa, had her play a long-grieving widow, and scripted her speech (14:2-3). Like Nathan’s parable (12:1), the device is a judicial story meant to draw a ruling from the king that would then be turned back on him. Unlike Nathan, however, the woman comes at Joab’s initiative, not as one sent by the LORD.
- 2 Samuel 14:1-2 (BSB)“Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart longed for Absalom. So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.”Joab sees David’s longing and brings a wise woman from Tekoa, telling her to act as a mourner.
- 2 Samuel 14:3 (BSB)“Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.”Joab gives the woman the words she is to speak.
- 2 Samuel 13:39 (BSB)“And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he had been consoled over Amnon’s death.”The previous chapter ended with David longing to go out to Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 12:1 (BSB)“Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.”Nathan had earlier brought a message to David in the form of a story about two men.
General
Once David had sworn his oath, how did the woman apply her story to him (2 Samuel 14:13)?
Answer: His ruling exposed his failure to bring home his banished son
With the oath secured, the woman asked leave to speak further and then turned the case around: by ruling as he had, the king condemned himself, since his own son remained in exile and he had not recalled him (14:12-13). This mirrors what happened with Nathan, when David pronounced judgment on the rich man in the story and Nathan answered that David was that man (12:5-7). The difference is that Nathan exposed David’s sin as the LORD’s messenger, while this woman, speaking for Joab, used the same method to bring a murderer home.
- 2 Samuel 14:13 (BSB)“The woman asked, “Why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought back his own banished son?”The woman turns the king’s ruling back on his treatment of his own banished son.
- 2 Samuel 12:5-6 (BSB)“David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan: “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! Because he has done this thing and has shown no pity, he must pay for the lamb four times over.””David had earlier pronounced judgment on the rich man in Nathan’s story.
- 2 Samuel 12:7 (BSB)“Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.”Nathan then applied the story to David himself.
Theological
How did the woman turn her parable back on David (2 Samuel 14:13)?
Answer: His ruling exposed his failure to bring home his banished son
Having secured the oath, the woman applies the case: in deciding as he has, the king stands self-convicted, for he has left his own son in exile (14:12-13). The structure mirrors Nathan’s parable, where David’s own verdict was turned on him (12:5-7). But Nathan’s word was a prophetic indictment from the LORD, whereas this application, scripted by Joab, aims at recalling a murderer who had confessed nothing.
- 2 Samuel 14:13 (BSB)“The woman asked, “Why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought back his own banished son?”The woman turns the king’s ruling back on his treatment of his own banished son.
- 2 Samuel 12:5-6 (BSB)“David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan: “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! Because he has done this thing and has shown no pity, he must pay for the lamb four times over.””David had earlier pronounced judgment on the rich man in Nathan’s story.
- 2 Samuel 12:7 (BSB)“Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.”Nathan then applied the story to David himself.
General
True or False: The chapter ends with Absalom bowing facedown before David and the king kissing him.
Answer: True
This is true. Joab carried Absalom’s message to David, who then summoned his son; Absalom came and bowed low with his face to the ground, and David kissed him (14:33). The kiss marks outward reconciliation, but the chapter records no repentance from Absalom and no word of David addressing Amnon’s murder. In the very next chapter Absalom uses kisses to win the people’s hearts and then plots to seize the throne (15:5-6, 10).
- 2 Samuel 14:33 (BSB)“So Joab went and told the king, and David summoned Absalom, who came to him and bowed facedown before him. Then the king kissed Absalom.”Absalom bows before David, and the king kisses him.
- 2 Samuel 15:5-6 (BSB)“Also, when anyone approached to bow down to him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him. Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for justice. In this way he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.”Absalom soon uses the same gesture of a kiss to win the hearts of Israel.
- 2 Samuel 15:10 (BSB)“Then Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear the sound of the horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’””Not long after, Absalom launches a plot to be proclaimed king.
Theological
True or False: 2 Samuel 14 closes with Absalom bowing before his father and David kissing him.
Answer: True
This is true. Through Joab’s mediation David summons Absalom, who prostrates himself, and the king kisses him (14:33). The gesture signals outward restoration, but without repentance on Absalom’s side or any reckoning for Amnon’s death. Absalom’s own kisses in the next chapter become a tool of sedition (15:5-6), culminating in his conspiracy at Hebron (15:10).
- 2 Samuel 14:33 (BSB)“So Joab went and told the king, and David summoned Absalom, who came to him and bowed facedown before him. Then the king kissed Absalom.”Absalom bows before David, and the king kisses him.
- 2 Samuel 15:5-6 (BSB)“Also, when anyone approached to bow down to him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him. Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for justice. In this way he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.”Absalom soon uses the same gesture of a kiss to win the hearts of Israel.
- 2 Samuel 15:10 (BSB)“Then Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear the sound of the horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’””Not long after, Absalom launches a plot to be proclaimed king.
General
True or False: When Joab brought Absalom back to Jerusalem, David welcomed him into his presence at once.
Answer: False
This is false. David told Joab to bring the young man back, and Joab traveled to Geshur and returned with him (14:21-23). But the king ordered that Absalom live in his own home and not come into his presence, so Absalom remained in the city without coming before his father (14:24). After three years away (13:38) and despite David’s longing (13:39), the return was only half a reconciliation: no justice for Amnon’s death, and no real restoration either.
- 2 Samuel 14:21 (BSB)“Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.””David tells Joab to bring Absalom back.
- 2 Samuel 14:24 (BSB)“But the king added, “He may return to his house, but he must not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the face of the king.”David allows Absalom home but refuses to see him.
- 2 Samuel 13:38 (BSB)“After Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, he stayed there three years.”Absalom had spent three years in Geshur after fleeing.
- 2 Samuel 13:39 (BSB)“And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he had been consoled over Amnon’s death.”David’s longing for Absalom lay behind the decision.
Theological
True or False: Upon Absalom’s return from Geshur, David immediately received him at court.
Answer: False
This is false. David authorized the recall and Joab brought Absalom from Geshur (14:21-23), but the king barred him from his presence, so Absalom went home without coming before the king (14:24). After three years of exile (13:38) and despite David’s longing (13:39), the outcome is a half-measure that neither executes justice nor achieves genuine reconciliation.
- 2 Samuel 14:21 (BSB)“Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.””David tells Joab to bring Absalom back.
- 2 Samuel 14:24 (BSB)“But the king added, “He may return to his house, but he must not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the face of the king.”David allows Absalom home but refuses to see him.
- 2 Samuel 13:38 (BSB)“After Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, he stayed there three years.”Absalom had spent three years in Geshur after fleeing.
- 2 Samuel 13:39 (BSB)“And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he had been consoled over Amnon’s death.”David’s longing for Absalom lay behind the decision.
General
In the woman’s story, what did her whole clan demand (2 Samuel 14:7)?
Answer: That her surviving son be handed over to die
The woman claimed to be a widow whose two sons quarreled out in the open country, and since nobody stepped in, one killed the other (14:5-6). Now her entire family circle demanded that she give up the surviving son so they could execute him in return for his brother. That would destroy her only remaining heir and leave her husband with no name or descendants on the earth, snuffing out the one live coal she had left (14:7). The law did assign the blood avenger, the relative responsible to punish a killing, the duty to put a murderer to death (Numbers 35:19; Deuteronomy 19:11-13). Her story was built to make David weigh mercy against that duty.
- 2 Samuel 14:6 (BSB)“And your maidservant had two sons who were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.”The woman tells of two sons fighting in the field, one killing the other.
- 2 Samuel 14:7 (BSB)“Now the whole clan has risen up against your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who struck down his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of the brother whom he killed. Then we will cut off the heir as well!’ So they would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on the earth.””The clan demands the surviving son, which would leave her husband without a name or heir.
- Numbers 35:19 (BSB)“The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when he finds him, he is to kill him.”Under the law the avenger of blood was to put a murderer to death.
- Deuteronomy 19:11-13 (BSB)“If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die. You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you.”A man who killed out of hatred was to be handed over to the avenger of blood without pity.
Theological
What did the woman say her clan was demanding regarding her surviving son (2 Samuel 14:7)?
Answer: That her surviving son be handed over to die
The widow’s fiction describes a fratricide in the field (14:5-6) and a clan determined to execute the surviving son, which would also extinguish her husband’s name and line (14:7). The Mosaic law did charge the blood avenger with executing the murderer (Numbers 35:19; Deuteronomy 19:11-13). The parable is constructed to set the king’s compassion for a widow’s last heir against the demand of blood justice.
- 2 Samuel 14:6 (BSB)“And your maidservant had two sons who were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.”The woman tells of two sons fighting in the field, one killing the other.
- 2 Samuel 14:7 (BSB)“Now the whole clan has risen up against your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who struck down his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of the brother whom he killed. Then we will cut off the heir as well!’ So they would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on the earth.””The clan demands the surviving son, which would leave her husband without a name or heir.
- Numbers 35:19 (BSB)“The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when he finds him, he is to kill him.”Under the law the avenger of blood was to put a murderer to death.
- Deuteronomy 19:11-13 (BSB)“If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die. You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you.”A man who killed out of hatred was to be handed over to the avenger of blood without pity.