David took refuge from Absalom's forces beyond the Jordan River. King David grieves after learning of the death of his rebellious son Absalom at the hands of his own army, casting aside his crown, which lies on the floor. 2 Samuel 15:10 Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, then say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’” (NIV), 2 Samuel 18:33 The king was shaken. However, he took the precaution of instructing a servant, Hushai, to infiltrate Absalom's court and subvert it. At last, after being solemnly anointed king at Jerusalem, ( 2 Samuel 19:10 ) Absalom crossed the Jordan to attack his father, who by this time had rallied round him a considerable force. Gradually, Absalom began to undermine King David, usurping his authority and speaking against him to the people. Then ten of Joab's armor-bearers circled Absalom and killed him. Absalom fled on a swift mule; but his long flowing hair, or more probably his head, was caught in the bough of an oak, and there he was left suspended till Joab came up and pierced him through with three darts. He was noted for his personal beauty and for the extra-ordinary profusion of the hair of his head ( 2 Samuel 14:25 2 Samuel 14:26 ). He took justice into his own hands by murdering his half-brother Amnon. Absalom, the third son of King David by his wife Maacah, seemed to have everything going for him, but like other tragic figures in the Bible, he attempted to take what was not his. Joab, accustomed to avenging himself, took this opportunity to even the score with Absalom. After four years he declared himself king, raised a revolt at Hebron, the former capital, and slept with his father's concubines. Solomon had Adonijah killed and executed other traitors to make his own reign secure. father of peace; i.e., "peaceful" David's son by Maacah ( 2 Samuel 3:3; Compare 1 Kings 1:6).He was noted for his personal beauty and for the extra-ordinary profusion of the hair of his head ( 2 Samuel 14:25 2 Samuel 14:26).The first public act of his life was the blood-revenge he executed against Amnon, David's eldest son, who had basely wronged Absalom's sister Tamar. ( Joshua 7:26 ). This gave David critical time to prepare his own troops for the battle. One day Absalom invited all the king's sons to a sheep-shearing festival. He had one daughter and three sons, all of whom died at an early age (2 Samuel 14:27; 2 Samuel 18:18). • Absalom and Achitophel (1681) is a landmark poetic political satire by John Dryden, using the Biblical story as a metaphor for the politics of the poet's own time. When he tried to oppose God's plan and unseat the rightful king, destruction came upon him. Question: "Who was Absalom in the Bible?" Little is known of Absalom's family life, but the biblical narrative states that he had three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar and is described as a beautiful woman. Before the battle, David ordered his troops not to harm Absalom. The revolt was at first completely successful; David fled from his capital over the Jordan to Mahanaim in Gilead, and Absalom occupied Jerusalem. of 100 Bible Verses about Absalom. "If only I were the judge of the land! Here he ordered his servants to murder Amnon, and then fled for safety to his grandfathers court at Geshur, where he remained for three years. If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!” (NIV), Meet Absalom, Rebellious Son of King David, Mary Fairchild is a full-time Christian minister, writer, and editor of two Christian anthologies, including "Stories of Cavalry.". Some musical scores of David's lament for Absalom: This page was last edited on 16 October 2020, at 16:55. (Apocrypha) (Codex Vaticanus, Abessalomos and Abessalom; Codex Alexandrinus, Absalomos, the King James Version Absalon): Bibliography Information Absalom imitated his father's weaknesses instead of his strengths. He also maintained a splendid retinue, ( 2 Samuel 15:1 ) and was admired for his personal beauty. These episodes raise disturbing questions. Absalom was now probably the oldest surviving son of David, and as he was of royal descent by his mother as well as by his father, he began to aspire to the throne. O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! From the language of 18:18, it is inferred that the sons died at an early age. Now Absalom, David's son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar. Absalom at length marched out against his father, whose army, under the command of Joab, he encountered on the borders of the forest of Ephraim. would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son! He had a strong influence on his father’s reign. The song alludes to Absalom's feelings of solemnity and abandonment of love and hope. We'll send you an email with steps on how to reset your password. Absalom, David's third son, by Maacah, was born in Hebron. [2 Sam 14:30] Absalom had once set Joab's field on fire[2 Sam 17:25] and then made Amasa Captain of the Host instead of Joab. He lived in great style, drove in a magnificent chariot, and had fifty men run before him. ab'-sa-lom ('abhshalom, "father is peace," written also Abishalom, 1 Kings 15:2,10): David's third son by Maacah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur, a small territory between Hermon and Bashan. would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" As the result of a stratagem carried out by a woman of Tekoah, Joab received David's sanction to invite Absalom back to Jerusalem. He made gestures of flattery by kissing those who bowed before him instead of accepting supplication. ", Popular legend states that the eye of Absalom was of immense size, signifying his insatiable greed (Niddah, 24b). [5] However, archaeologists have now dated the tomb to the 1st century AD. Finally, David allowed him to come back to Jerusalem. Residents of Jerusalem would bring their unruly children to the site to teach them what became of a rebellious son. Absalom (Hebrew: .mw-parser-output .script-hebrew,.mw-parser-output .script-Hebr{font-family:"SBL Hebrew","SBL BibLit","Frank Ruehl CLM","Taamey Frank CLM","Ezra SIL","Ezra SIL SR","Keter Aram Tsova","Taamey Ashkenaz","Taamey David CLM","Keter YG","Shofar","David CLM","Hadasim CLM","Simple CLM","Nachlieli",Cardo,Alef,"Noto Serif Hebrew","Noto Sans Hebrew","David Libre",David,"Times New Roman",Gisha,Arial,FreeSerif,FreeSans}אַבְשָׁלוֹם‎ Aḇšālōm, "father of peace"), according to the Hebrew Bible, was the third son of David, King of Israel with Maacah, daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur. When David heard that Absalom was killed, although not how he was killed, he greatly sorrowed. [2 Sam 14:27] From the language of 2 Samuel 18:18, "I have no son to keep my name in remembrance", it is implied that his sons died at an early age. He sent messengers throughout the land, proclaiming his kingship. A footnote in the New King James Version reads "Literally, "Jewish Yad Avshalom revealed as a Christian shrine from Byzantine era", "A Kuttner Above the Rest (But Wait, There's Moore! Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. Amnon fell in love with Tamar, raped her, then rejected her in disgrace. The bulk of Absalom’s story is told in 2 Samuel 13-19. David mourned his absent son, now branded with the guilt of fratricide. He allowed selfishness to rule him, instead of God's law. He loved Absalom dearly. It is probable too that the great tribe of Judah had taken some offence at Davids government. When King David learned of the rebellion, he and his followers fled Jerusalem. Known for: Absalom in the Bible was the third son of King David.Instead of imitating his father’s strengths, Absolom followed his pride and greed and tried to seize his father’s throne. 2 Samuel 13:1-39 ESV / 17 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. The natural avenger of such an outrage would be Tamars full brother Absalom. Meanwhile, Absalom took advice from his counselors on the best way to defeat his father. Absalom's story is one of pride and greed, about a man who tried to overthrow the plan of God. [7], The life and death of Absalom offered to the rabbis a welcome theme wherewith to warn the people against false ambition, vainglory, and unfilial conduct. More striking is the following: "Did one ever hear of an oak-tree having a heart? Joab killed Absalom with three darts through the heart. Hushai convinced Absalom to ignore Ahithophel's advice to attack his father while he was on the run, and instead to prepare his forces for a major attack. This revenge was executed at the time of the festivities connected with a great sheep-shearing at Baal-hazor. He "stole the hearts of the people of Israel". All rights reserved. Little is known of Absalom's family life, but we read in 2 Samuel 14:27 that he had three sons and one daughter. Compiled & Edited by BibleStudyTools Staff, Bible Dictionaries - Easton's Bible Dictionary - Absalom, Bible Dictionaries - Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary - Absalom, Bible Dictionaries - Smith's Bible Dictionary - Absalom, Encyclopedias - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Absalom (1), Encyclopedias - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Absalom (2), California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. [2 Sam 13:37][Joshua 12:5][Joshua 13:2] It was not until three years later that Absalom was fully reinstated in his father's favour and finally returned to Jerusalem. Orr, James, M.A., D.D. (father of peace ),third son of David by Maachah, daughter of Tamai king of Geshur, a Syrian district adjoining the northeast frontier of the Holy Land. "), is the inspiration for the text of several pieces of choral music, usually entitled, "Absalom, Absalom" is a song on the 1996 Compass CD, The story of Absalom is referred to several places in folk singer. In all probability it is the tomb of Alexander Jannæus (Conder, in Hastings' Dict. He returned accordingly, but two years elapsed before his father admitted him into his presence ( 2 Samuel 14:28 ). Father of Mattathias, a captain of the Jewish army (1 Macc 11:70; Ant, XIII, v, 7). "By his long hair the Nazirite entangled the people to rebel against his father, and by it he himself became entangled, to fall a victim to his pursuers" (Mishnah Soṭah, i. And again, elsewhere: "By his vile stratagem he deceived and stole three hearts, that of his father, of the elders, and finally of the whole nation of Israel, and for this reason three darts were thrust into his heart to end his treacherous life" (Tosef., Soṭah, iii. He was discovered there still alive by one of David's men, who reported this to Joab, the king's commander. "Absalom" is a song on Brand New Shadows's debut album, "Absalom" is an album by the experimental/progressive band, "Avshalom" (אבשלום) is commonly used as a male first name in contemporary, "Axel", "Aksel" and "Akseli" are common Germanic variants of "Absalom", which are used as male first names primarily in. [6] In a 2013 conference, Professor Gabriel Barkay suggested that it could be the tomb of Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great, based in part on the similarity to Herod's newly discovered tomb at Herodium. The vanity with which he displayed his beautiful hair, the rabbis say, became his snare and his stumbling-block. He brooded over the wrong for two years, and then invited all the princes to a sheep-shearing feast at his estate in Baalhazor, on the borders of Ephraim and Benjamin.