2 Samuel 15

KJV · Chapter 15/24

¹And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

²And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.

³And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee.

⁴Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!

⁵And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him.

⁶And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

⁷And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the Lord, in Hebron.

⁸For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the Lord shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord.

⁹And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose, and went to Hebron.

¹⁰But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron.

¹¹And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were called; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not any thing.

¹²And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.

¹³And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.

¹⁴And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.

¹⁵And the king’s servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint.

¹⁶And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, which were concubines, to keep the house.

¹⁷And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off.

¹⁸And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.

¹⁹Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also an exile.

²⁰Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go whither I may, return thou, and take back thy brethren: mercy and truth be with thee.

²¹And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.

²²And David said to Ittai, Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with him.

²³And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness.

²⁴And lo Zadok also, and all the Levites were with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God: and they set down the ark of God; and Abiathar went up, until all the people had done passing out of the city.

²⁵And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and shew me both it, and his habitation:

²⁶But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him.

²⁷The king said also unto Zadok the priest, Art not thou a seer? return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.

²⁸See, I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness, until there come word from you to certify me.

²⁹Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem: and they tarried there.

³⁰And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.

³¹And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Lord, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.

³²And it came to pass, that when David was come to the top of the mount, where he worshipped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head:

³³Unto whom David said, If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me:

³⁴But if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father’s servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.

³⁵And hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests? therefore it shall be, that what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the king’s house, thou shalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.

³⁶Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz Zadok’s son, and Jonathan Abiathar’s son; and by them ye shall send unto me every thing that ye can hear.

³⁷So Hushai David’s friend came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Absalom spends years winning the people's hearts with promises and flattery, then launches a conspiracy and declares himself king in Hebron. David flees Jerusalem with his loyal followers, including the priest Zadok and his advisor Hushai, who is sent back to undermine Absalom's plans.

Explanation

Absalom's rebellion is the lowest political point of David's reign — his own son seizes his throne. The way Absalom manipulates the people (intercepting their complaints and promising a justice he never delivers) is a classic portrait of demagogic populism. David's response, however, is remarkable: he does not fight to hold on to power at any cost, choosing to flee rather than shed unnecessary blood in Jerusalem, and even in flight he entrusts the outcome to God ('if he will, he will bring me back'). It is an example of humility in the midst of a devastating crisis.

Fun facts

Ahithophel, the advisor who joins Absalom, was Bathsheba's grandfather (comparing the genealogies in 2 Samuel 11:3 and 23:34) — which may explain part of his bitterness toward David.
David's ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping and barefoot, described here, is the same path Jesus would walk a thousand years later on his way to Jerusalem, a parallel Bible scholars often point out.

Verse-by-verse explanation

2 Samuel 15:1Absalom begins to prepare himself like a king: he gets chariots and horses ready, along with fifty men to run ahead of him.
2 Samuel 15:2Sitting by the gate of the city, where Israel’s informal court was held, and intercepting people who came seeking justice was Absalom’s strategy for stealing the people’s hearts—he presented himself as someone more approachable than his own father.
2 Samuel 15:3Absalom would tell people that their case was good and right, but that there was no one appointed by the king to hear them.
2 Samuel 15:4Absalom laments that he is not made judge in the land, saying he would give justice to anyone who came to him with a case.
2 Samuel 15:5Whenever someone bowed down before him, Absalom would take him by the hand and kiss him, a gesture of false closeness and humility.
2 Samuel 15:6In this way, little by little, Absalom steals the hearts of the men of Israel with this calculated show of closeness.
2 Samuel 15:7“Forty years” here is probably an ancient copying error—most scholars read “four years,” counting from Absalom’s return to Jerusalem, since forty years does not fit within the chronology of David’s reign.
2 Samuel 15:8Absalom uses as his excuse a vow he claims to have made while living in Geshur, promising to serve the LORD if he returned to Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 15:9David, suspecting nothing, authorizes Absalom to go to Hebron to fulfill the supposed vow.
2 Samuel 15:10Meanwhile, Absalom sends secret agents throughout all the tribes of Israel, arranged so that at the sound of the trumpet they would announce that Absalom reigns in Hebron.
2 Samuel 15:11Two hundred men from Jerusalem accompany Absalom, invited in their innocence, unknowingly taking part in the conspiracy.
2 Samuel 15:12Absalom also sends for Ahithophel, one of David’s chief counselors, to join him, and the conspiracy grows stronger and gains more popular support.
2 Samuel 15:13Word reaches David that the hearts of the men of Israel are turning after Absalom.
2 Samuel 15:14David decides to flee Jerusalem at once with his servants, fearing that Absalom will overtake them and bring destruction on the city.
2 Samuel 15:15The king’s servants place themselves at his disposal, ready to follow whatever decision David makes.
2 Samuel 15:16David goes out on foot with his whole household, leaving behind only ten concubines to keep the palace.
2 Samuel 15:17After leaving the city on foot with all the people, the king stops at a place farther off to regroup.
2 Samuel 15:18All his servants, including the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and six hundred Gittite soldiers who had come from Gath, march on before the king.
2 Samuel 15:19David asks Ittai the Gittite why he insists on following him, since he is a foreigner and a recent exile, suggesting he turn back.
2 Samuel 15:20David says it is not fair to drag Ittai into an uncertain flight so soon after his arrival, and releases him to go back with his people.
2 Samuel 15:21Ittai answers with an oath of total loyalty: wherever the king is, whether for death or for life, there Ittai will be also.
2 Samuel 15:22Faced with such loyalty, David allows Ittai to go on with him, together with all the little ones in his care.
2 Samuel 15:23The whole countryside weeps aloud as the people pass by, and the king himself crosses the brook Kidron toward the wilderness.
2 Samuel 15:24Zadok and the Levites bring the ark of the covenant and set it down there, while Abiathar waits until all the people finish leaving the city.
2 Samuel 15:25David has the ark taken back to the city, trusting that if he finds favor in the LORD’s eyes, he himself will be brought back to see it again.
2 Samuel 15:26But David also submits himself: if God no longer delights in him, let Him do to him whatever seems good in His eyes.
2 Samuel 15:27David asks Zadok to return to the city in peace, taking along his two sons, Ahimaaz and Jonathan, to serve as contacts.
2 Samuel 15:28David tells them he will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from them.
2 Samuel 15:29Zadok and Abiathar carry the ark back to Jerusalem and stay there, as David had asked.
2 Samuel 15:30Going up weeping, with head covered and feet bare, was the public posture of mourning and humiliation in the ancient world—David takes on the same gesture as the people around him, visibly showing the depth of his grief as he flees his own capital.
2 Samuel 15:31On learning that Ahithophel, his former counselor, has also joined Absalom’s conspiracy, David prays that the LORD will turn his counsel into foolishness.
2 Samuel 15:32Reaching the top of the mount to worship God, David meets Hushai the Archite, with his coat torn and earth on his head, signs of mourning.
2 Samuel 15:33David tells Hushai that if he goes along with him in flight, he will only be an added burden to carry.
2 Samuel 15:34David would rather Hushai go back to the city and feign loyalty to Absalom, so he can undermine Ahithophel’s counsel from the inside.
2 Samuel 15:35David reminds him that the priests Zadok and Abiathar remain in the city, and that Hushai is to pass on to them everything he hears in the palace.
2 Samuel 15:36The priests’ sons, Ahimaaz and Jonathan, would serve as messengers to carry this information to David.
2 Samuel 15:37Hushai, David’s friend, returns to the city just as Absalom is entering Jerusalem.

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