Question 1

What did David promise Amasa, who had commanded Absalom’s army (2 Samuel 19:13)?

Accepted Answer

David sent word to Amasa, reminding him that they were relatives, and swore that from then on Amasa would lead his army instead of Joab (19:13). Amasa had led Absalom’s forces (17:25), so David was placing the rebels’ own general over his army. It also set aside Joab, who had just killed Absalom against the king’s command (18:5). Amasa was Joab’s cousin through their mothers (1 Chronicles 2:16-17).

Question 2

What offer did David make to Amasa, Absalom’s former commander (2 Samuel 19:13)?

Accepted Answer

David offered Amasa, Absalom’s general (17:25), command of the army in Joab’s place, sealing the promise with an oath and an appeal to kinship (19:13). The move both conciliated the rebel forces and displaced Joab, who had defied the king’s order concerning Absalom (18:5). Amasa and Joab were cousins (1 Chronicles 2:16-17).

Question 3

Why did Barzillai decline David’s offer to live with him in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 19:34-36)?

Accepted Answer

Barzillai was a wealthy man of eighty who had supplied David’s needs at Mahanaim (19:32; 17:27-29). David invited him to come and be cared for in Jerusalem (19:33). Barzillai declined. He said he was too old to enjoy food or music any longer, that he did not want to burden David, and that he wished to die in his own town near his parents’ grave (19:34-37). Psalm 90 describes eighty years as the span of a strong life (Psalm 90:10).

Question 4

What reasons did Barzillai give for turning down David’s invitation to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 19:34-36)?

Accepted Answer

Barzillai, eighty years old, wealthy, and the provider of the king’s needs at Mahanaim (19:32; 17:27-29), turned down David’s invitation (19:33). He pleaded his age, his dulled senses, and his unwillingness to burden David, and requested to die in his own city by his parents’ tomb (19:34-37). His age stands at the limit of strength described in Psalm 90:10.

Question 5

Whom did Barzillai ask David to take to Jerusalem in his place (2 Samuel 19:37-38)?

Accepted Answer

Barzillai asked David to take Chimham in his place and to do for him whatever seemed good (19:37). David agreed, promised to do for Chimham what Barzillai wished, and to do for Barzillai anything he asked (19:38). Then he kissed and blessed Barzillai, and Chimham went on with David (19:39-40). David did not forget this kindness. Near his death he told Solomon to treat Barzillai’s sons with loving devotion and let them eat at his table, because they had stood by him when he fled from Absalom (1 Kings 2:7). David had shown the same gratitude to the people of Jabesh-gilead for their kindness to Saul (2:5-6).

Question 6

Whom did Barzillai commend to the king’s care instead of himself (2 Samuel 19:37-38)?

Accepted Answer

Barzillai commended Chimham to David’s favor in his stead (19:37), and David pledged to do for Chimham whatever Barzillai desired and to grant Barzillai himself any request (19:38), then kissed and blessed him (19:39). The kindness was remembered: David charged Solomon to treat Barzillai’s sons with loving devotion at the royal table because they had stood by him in his flight from Absalom (1 Kings 2:7), the same reciprocal favor he had once pledged to Jabesh-gilead (2:5-6).

Question 7

What appeal did David send to Judah’s elders through the priests Zadok and Abiathar (2 Samuel 19:11-12)?

Accepted Answer

David sent word through the priests to the leaders of Judah, his own tribe. Since the rest of Israel was already talking about bringing him back, why should Judah, his own relatives, lag behind (19:11-12)? Judah had been the first tribe to make David king, at Hebron (2:4). Years before, all the tribes had come to David claiming to be his flesh and blood (5:1), but now he pressed that bond on his own tribe. The appeal worked, and Judah united to invite him home (19:14). Later, this favor shown to Judah would stir up jealousy among the other tribes (19:41-43).

Question 8

How did David address Judah’s elders in his message through Zadok and Abiathar (2 Samuel 19:11-12)?

Accepted Answer

David’s message through Zadok and Abiathar appealed to kinship and precedence: the rest of Israel was already speaking of his return, so why should Judah, his own kin, be last (19:11-12)? Judah had first anointed him at Hebron (2:4); the kinship all the tribes had once claimed (5:1) he now urged on Judah in particular, and the appeal swayed the whole tribe as one man (19:14). The favor shown to Judah, however, would provoke the northern tribes’ resentment (19:41-43).

Question 9

What were the Israelite tribes arguing about after Absalom’s death (2 Samuel 19:9-10)?

Accepted Answer

After the battle Absalom’s soldiers scattered to their homes, and all through the tribes people argued. They remembered that David had rescued them from their enemies, including the Philistines, but he had fled because of Absalom. Now Absalom, whom they had anointed, was dead, so why was no one talking about bringing the king back (19:9-10)? Their memory was accurate. The LORD had promised to save Israel from the Philistines through David (3:18), and David had defeated them (8:1).

Question 10

What did Israel’s tribes say among themselves after Absalom fell in battle (2 Samuel 19:9-10)?

Accepted Answer

The tribes, having anointed Absalom, now debated their position: David had delivered them from their enemies and from the Philistines, yet had fled the land; Absalom was dead; why then was there no move to bring the king back (19:9-10)? Their recollection matched the LORD’s promise to save Israel from the Philistines by David’s hand (3:18) and its fulfillment (8:1).

Question 11

What did Joab warn would happen if David did not go out and encourage his men (2 Samuel 19:7)?

Accepted Answer

Joab went in to David and spoke harshly. He said David had shamed the men who had saved his life and his family, that he seemed to love his enemies and despise his friends, and that he would be glad to see Absalom living and every one of them dead (19:5-6). Joab swore an oath that unless David would step outside and encourage his servants, not a single man would stay with him that night, and that this would be worse than every trouble of his life (19:7). David listened and went to sit in the gate (19:8). Joab spoke these words as the very man who had killed Absalom against David’s order (18:5), and David had long found Zeruiah’s sons hard to control (3:39).

Question 12

What consequence did Joab threaten if David failed to speak to his troops (2 Samuel 19:7)?

Accepted Answer

Joab’s rebuke (19:5-7) charged David with shaming those who had saved his household, with loving his enemies and hating his friends, and with valuing Absalom’s life above the army’s. He swore that unless David went out and encouraged his servants, the army would desert him by nightfall, a disaster worse than any in his life. David complied and took his seat in the gate (19:8). The speaker, however, was the commander who had defied the king’s order concerning Absalom (18:5), one of Zeruiah’s sons whom David had called too fierce for him (3:39).

Question 13

What did the northern Israelites complain about when they met the king after the crossing (2 Samuel 19:41-43)?

Accepted Answer

The northern tribes complained that Judah had secretly taken the king and escorted his household over the river without them. Judah answered that the king was their close relative and that they had gained nothing from him. Israel replied that they held a tenfold share in David and so a greater claim, and that they had raised the idea of his return before anyone else. Judah’s men answered even more harshly (19:41-43). This bitter rivalry led straight into another revolt, when Sheba called Israel to abandon David (20:1-2), and a similar cry was heard again when the kingdom split under Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:16).

Question 14

What grievance did the northern tribes raise against Judah at the end of the chapter (2 Samuel 19:41-43)?

Accepted Answer

The northern tribes accused Judah of stealing the king away and escorting him over the river without them; Judah pleaded kinship and denied any profit; Israel claimed a tenfold share in David and priority in proposing his return; and Judah answered more fiercely still (19:41-43). The quarrel opened directly onto Sheba’s revolt (20:1-2), whose rallying cry would be repeated when the kingdom divided under Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:16).

Question 15

True or False: After Joab’s rebuke, David rose and took his seat at the city gate, and the people came before him.

Accepted Answer

This is true. David rose and took his seat at the gate, word went out that the king was there, and the whole army came before him (19:8). The gate was where a king or elders sat in public to hear the people. David had stood by the gate as his army marched out (18:4), and now he received them there again. By doing this he kept his men from scattering, as Joab had warned (19:7).

Question 16

True or False: David responded to Joab’s rebuke by taking his seat in the gate, where the troops came before him.

Accepted Answer

This is true. David rose and took his place at the gate, and the people came before him once they heard he was there (19:8). He resumed the public place of royal presence where he had stood as the army marched out (18:4), heading off the desertion Joab had predicted (19:7).

Question 17

How did Mephibosheth respond when David ruled that he and Ziba should divide the land (2 Samuel 19:29-30)?

Accepted Answer

David cut the conversation short and ruled that Mephibosheth and Ziba should divide the land (19:29). Earlier he had given everything to Ziba (16:4), and before that he had given it all to Mephibosheth with Ziba as his worker (9:9-10). Mephibosheth answered that Ziba could have all of it, since the king had come home safely (19:30). The text reports David’s ruling and Mephibosheth’s reply without declaring who had been telling the truth.

Question 18

What was Mephibosheth’s reply to David’s decision to split the estate (2 Samuel 19:29-30)?

Accepted Answer

David closed the matter abruptly by dividing the land between Mephibosheth and Ziba (19:29), modifying his earlier grant of everything to Ziba (16:4), which itself had overturned his original grant to Mephibosheth (9:9-10). Mephibosheth’s reply was that Ziba could keep everything, since the king had returned safely (19:30). The narrative records the ruling and the response but does not adjudicate between the two men’s accounts.

Question 19

How did Mephibosheth explain why he had not gone with David (2 Samuel 19:26-27)?

Accepted Answer

Mephibosheth said that because he was lame, he had planned to have his donkey saddled so he could ride along with David, but his servant Ziba had deceived him and then slandered him to David (19:26-27). Mephibosheth had been lame in both feet since childhood (4:4; 9:13). He compared David to God’s angel and told him to do what seemed good, since he owed his place at the king’s table to David’s kindness (19:27-28; 9:7). His account directly contradicts what Ziba had said earlier (16:3), and the text does not say which of them told the truth. Proverbs warns that the first person to state a case can sound right until someone else is heard (Proverbs 18:17).

Question 20

What explanation did Mephibosheth give the king for staying behind (2 Samuel 19:26-27)?

Accepted Answer

Mephibosheth’s defense was that, being lame, he had intended to ride out alongside the king, but Ziba deceived him and slandered him (19:26-27). His lameness was long established (4:4; 9:13). He deferred entirely to David’s judgment, acknowledging that he owed his place at the king’s table to David’s grace (19:27-28; 9:7). His version stands directly against Ziba’s earlier report (16:3), and the narrator leaves the conflict unresolved, a fitting case for the caution of Proverbs 18:17.

Question 21

What does the narrator say about Mephibosheth’s appearance when he came to meet David (2 Samuel 19:24)?

Accepted Answer

The narrator notes that Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, had left his feet uncared for, his mustache untrimmed and his clothes unwashed for the entire time between David’s departure and his safe return (19:24). Ziba had told David that Mephibosheth stayed in Jerusalem hoping to regain Saul’s kingdom (16:3), and Mephibosheth now said that Ziba had deceived him (19:26). The text sets this detail beside both accounts without deciding between the two men.

Question 22

What does the narrator note about Mephibosheth’s condition when he met the returning king (2 Samuel 19:24)?

Accepted Answer

The narrator records that Mephibosheth had neglected his feet, his mustache and his clothes for the whole period from the king’s departure to his safe return (19:24). The detail stands alongside two conflicting accounts, Ziba’s charge that Mephibosheth stayed behind hoping to regain Saul’s kingdom (16:3) and Mephibosheth’s claim that Ziba deceived him (19:26), and the narrative does not resolve between them.

Question 23

What did Shimei say to David when he met him at the Jordan (2 Samuel 19:19-20)?

Accepted Answer

Shimei, the Benjamite who had cursed David as he fled (16:5-8), hurried to the river with a thousand Benjamites (19:16-17). He fell before David and begged him not to count his wrong against him or remember what he did the day David left Jerusalem. He admitted that he had sinned, and pointed out that he was the first from Joseph’s house, a name for the northern tribes, to come and meet the king (19:19-20). The text records his words; whether his heart had truly changed it does not say. Proverbs teaches that whoever confesses and turns from sin finds mercy (Proverbs 28:13).

Question 24

How did Shimei present himself to David at the Jordan (2 Samuel 19:19-20)?

Accepted Answer

Shimei, who had cursed David in his flight (16:5-8), came down with a thousand Benjamites (19:16-17), fell before the king, and confessed his sin, asking David not to impute it to him and noting that he was the first from Joseph’s house to come out to meet him (19:19-20). The narrator records the confession without assessing its sincerity. Proverbs promises mercy to the one who confesses and renounces sin (Proverbs 28:13).

Question 25

When Abishai again demanded Shimei’s death, what did David do (2 Samuel 19:21-23)?

Accepted Answer

Abishai said Shimei should die for cursing the LORD’s anointed king (19:21). David rebuked Zeruiah’s sons again, asking whether anyone in Israel should be executed on the day he was restored as king. He told Shimei he would not die and confirmed it with an oath (19:22-23). Saul had said something similar after a great victory, that no one should be executed that day (1 Samuel 11:13). Near the end of his life David reminded Solomon of this oath, but told him not to hold Shimei guiltless (1 Kings 2:8-9).

Question 26

How did David answer Abishai’s demand that Shimei be executed (2 Samuel 19:21-23)?

Accepted Answer

Abishai pressed for Shimei’s execution as one who had cursed the king the LORD had anointed (19:21), but David rebuked Zeruiah’s sons and refused to shed blood on the day of his restoration, swearing to Shimei that he would not die (19:22-23). The decision recalls Saul’s refusal to execute anyone on the day of the LORD’s deliverance (1 Samuel 11:13). Mercy for the day did not erase accountability: David later recalled both Shimei’s curses and his own oath when charging Solomon not to hold Shimei guiltless (1 Kings 2:8-9).

Question 27

How did David’s troops come back into the city on the day of the victory (2 Samuel 19:2-3)?

Accepted Answer

Joab was told that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom, and the whole army heard it too. The joy of the victory turned into mourning, and the soldiers crept back into the city as if they were ashamed, like men who had run away from a battle (19:1-3). They had won a great victory (18:7), but the king’s grief made them act like a beaten army. Meanwhile David, his face hidden, kept crying out for his son (19:4).

Question 28

In what manner did David’s army return to the city on the day of its victory (2 Samuel 19:2-3)?

Accepted Answer

News of the king’s grief transformed the day’s victory into mourning for the whole army, so that the troops stole into the city like men shamed by flight from battle (19:1-3). A decisive triumph (18:7) was experienced as defeat because David’s sorrow for Absalom eclipsed everything else (19:4). The scene sets up Joab’s rebuke.

2 Samuel 19 Study Notes: David Returns Across the Jordan

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