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Defeat and death of Absalom 2 Samuel 18:2. And David sent men - a third part under the leadership of Joab, a third part under the leadership of Abishai the son of Zerui, the brother of Joab, a third part under the leadership of Ephthah the Gittite. And the king said to the people: I myself will go with you. “And David sent men” on a campaign against Absalom. 2 Samuel 18:3. But the people answered him: do not go; for even if we run, they will not pay attention to it; even if half of us die, they won’t pay attention either; and you alone are the same as there are ten thousand of us; So, it is better for us that you help us from the city. Concerned about the safety of the king, the military leaders probably also had in mind the fact that a father in a war with his son would not have the composure necessary to lead a battle. 2 Samuel 18:4. And the king said to them, “I will do whatever pleases you in your eyes.” And the king stood at the gate, and all the people came out in hundreds and thousands. “And the king stood at the gate” of the city of Mahanaim. 2 Samuel 18:6. And the people went out into the field to meet the Israelites, and there was a battle in the forest of Ephraim. By the forest of Ephraim, some (Hugo Grotius and others) mean the place in eastern Transjordan, where Judge Jephthah once struck down the Ephraimites (Judges 12:1–6). 2 Samuel 18:8. The battle spread throughout that country, and the forest killed more people than the sword destroyed that day. “And the forest destroyed more people than the sword destroyed in that day.” Absalom's defeated army rushed to seek protection in the forest, but here they were either met by an ambush, or simply scattered and exterminated separately. 2 Samuel 18:17. And they took Absalom and threw him into a deep hole in the forest, and heaped a huge pile of stones over him. And all the Israelites fled, each one to his tent. "All the Israelites" who made up Absalom's army. 2 Samuel 18:18. Absalom, during his lifetime, took and erected a monument for himself in the royal valley; for he said, I have no son, that the memory of my name may be preserved. And he named the monument after himself. And it is called “the monument of Absalom” to this day. In the vicinity of Jerusalem, in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, to this day there is a monument called the Tomb of Absalom. According to scientists, from ancient times Jewish rabbis ordered the parents of disobedient children to take the latter to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, to the Tomb of Absalom, and, after telling them the story of the disobedient son of David, force them to throw stones at the monument (Geiki, “The Holy Land and the Bible”). When asked why, having noted above (2 Sam. 14:27) that Absalom had three sons and one daughter, the writer now reports that Absalom erected a monument to himself to perpetuate himself due to the absence of sons, Blessed Theodoret replies: “Both are true, for it is probable both that he gave birth to children and that his children died. Josephus (Flavius) notes that Absalom did this because the children could not live long; the building could have preserved the memory of him longer” (Blessed Theodoret, interpretation of 2 Kings, question 34). 2 Samuel 18:21. And Joab said to Hushai, Go, tell the king what you have seen. And Hushai bowed to Joab and fled. This does not mean the king’s adviser Hushai (2 Kings 15:32–37, 17:5–16), but someone else. According to Vlastov (“The Holy Chronicle,” vol. IV), instead of “Hushii,” in this case one should read “Chushit” or “Cushite,” that is, a Jewish settler, slave or mercenary “from the Ethiopians.” 2 Samuel 18:24. David then sat between two gates. And the watchman went up to the roof of the gate to the wall and, raising his eyes, saw: behold, one man was running. “Between the two gates” of the city wall - external and internal. 2 Samuel 18:25. And the watchman shouted and informed the king. And the king said: If he is alone, then the message is in his mouth. And he came closer and closer. “If he is alone, then the news is in his mouth,” that is, if he goes alone, then this is, in all likelihood, a messenger about the successful course of military operations, since those defeated in battle do not walk, but run, and in whole groups. 2 Samuel 18:29. And the king said, Is the child Absalom well? And Ahimaaz said, I saw great excitement when the kings' servant Joab sent thy servant; but I don't know what was [there]. Wanting to please the king with the pleasant news of the victory of his army, Ahimaas did not dare to inform his father about the death of his son. You might be interested in: