719 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God?.... That they would be so wicked as to slay my son, or that they are the people of God that would slay Absalom; people so cruel could not be reckoned such, as the king's sons; so Abarbinel; who gives it as the sense of Ephodaeus, that by the people of God are meant Absalom,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For we must needs die,.... As all must, herself, the king, and his sons, and indeed all men; this is the common case and lot of men; particularly she insinuates that David must die, and that there must be a successor named, and perhaps a dispute would arise about one; which might be fatal, if Absalom was not recalled in his lifetime; and that...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king,.... Of the case of Absalom, under a feigned one of hers: [it is] because the people have made me afraid; having heard of their whisperings, murmurings, and uneasiness among them, because Absalom was not sent for home, fearing there would be an insurrection in the nation, or...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For the king will hear,.... She was fully persuaded of it, as now he had heard her: to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man [that would] destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God; he had given his word and his oath that he would deliver her son from the avenger of blood, that neither he nor any other should destroy...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then thine handmaid said, the word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable,.... Or, "for rest" (q); what will give ease and satisfaction not only to her, but to all the people of Israel, when they shall hear of the king's intention and resolution to bring back Absalom: for as an angel of God, so [is] my lord the king; as they are very wise,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then the king answered and said unto the woman,.... Understanding plainly what she meant by all this, that the case she brought was a feigned one, and that the intention of it was to let him know the sense of the people with respect to Absalom, and the recall of him: hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee; he suspected that...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the king said, [is not] the hand of Joab with thee in all this?.... That is, is not this done by the advice, assistance, and direction of Joab? did not he form this scheme for thee, and direct thee to this method, and put thee upon prosecuting it? and the woman answered and said, [as] thy soul liveth, my lord the king; what I am about to say...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing,.... Feigned a story in such form and manner as had been delivered to the king, that it might be accommodated and applied to the case of Absalom, and to transfer it in a figure to the king, to use the apostle's phrase, 1 Corinthians 4:8; and my lord [is] wise, according to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the king said unto Joab,.... Who was present, or but at a little distance, waiting the issue of this affair: behold now I have done this thing; have agreed to recall Absalom, at the suit of this woman, which thou hast put her upon; or, according to the textual reading, "thou hast done this thing" (r); contrived this scheme, to let me know the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself,.... Or bowed so low as to the ground, in reverence of the king: and thanked the king; for giving him leave to fetch Absalom home, as if it was a favour done to himself: or "blessed" (s) him; wished all happiness and prosperity might attend him, in consequence of this grant, which he knew...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So Joab arose and went to Geshur,.... Where Absalom was with his grandfather, the king of the place; see 2 Samuel 13:37; and brought Absalom to Jerusalem; from thence, which, according to Bunting (t), was the distance of eighty eight miles from it. (t) Travels, &c. p 146, 148.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the king said,.... Very probably to Joab, when he informed him of Absalom's being come to Jerusalem: let him turn to his own house; depart from the king's palace, where Joab had brought him, and go to his own house, which was in Jerusalem; for here he had one before he fled to Geshur; see 2 Samuel 13:20; and let him not see my face; which he...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty,.... Which is observed to account in some measure for the interest he had in the affections of the people, both now and hereafter: from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him; not any spot, freckle, wart, scurf, or scab; nothing...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when he polled his head,.... Or cut off the hair of it; for that was one thing, a good head of hair which he had, that made him look very comely and beautiful: for it was at every year's end that he polled [it]; or cut it off once a year; but the Jews say (w) he was a perpetual Nazarite: because [the hair] was heavy upon him, and therefore he...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And unto Absalom there were born three sons,.... Who very probably died young; and the rather it may be thought so, since their names are not given, and more especially since it is said that Absalom had no sons, and therefore erected a pillar to keep up the remembrance of his name; unless it can be thought that that was set up before he had any...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem,.... After his return from Geshur: and saw not the king's face; all that time; which was owing either to the king's resentment of the fact committed by him, or to state policy.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king,.... To introduce him into his presence, being uneasy to be thus confined at his own house, and not suffered to come to court: but he would not come to him; knowing the king's mind, and being unwilling to disoblige him by a troublesome solicitation: and when he sent again the second...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Therefore he said unto his servants,.... That did his business for him in the field, in keeping his flocks, and tilling his ground: see Joab's field is near mine: for great personages in those days attended to husbandry: and he hath barley there, go and set it on fire; it being ripe, and so capable of being fired, and therefore must be some time...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto [his] house,.... Provoked at what he had done, and to know the reason of it; and which was answering Absalom's end: and said unto him, wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire? which was not only injurious to his property, but a malicious action.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Absalom answered Joab,.... Neither denying the fact, nor being ashamed of it, nor asking pardon for it; but endeavouring to vindicate it, by giving a reason as he thought sufficient for it: behold, I sent unto thee, saying, come hither, that I may send thee to the king; which was assuming great authority over a person in such an high office as...