It was after the death of Saul, and David had returned from smiting the Amalekites and from restoring the plunder and captives that the Amalekites had taken, and David had stayed in Tziklag two days.

It was on the third day, and behold, a man came from the camp, from Saul, and his garments were torn, and earth was on his head, signs of mourning. It was when he came to David that he fell to the ground before David, the ruler, and prostrated himself.

David said to him: Where are you coming from? He said to him: I escaped from the camp of Israel.

David said to him: What happened there? Please tell me the details of the war. He said that the people had fled from the fighting, and also many of the people had fallen and died, and Saul and Yehonatan his son also had died.

David said to the lad who was telling him the events of the war: How do you know that Saul and Yehonatan his son have died, since according to your account, everyone scattered and fled, and there was no organized retreat?

The lad who was telling him said: I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, not as a soldier, and behold, Saul, who could barely stand, was leaning upon his spear, which he always kept at his side; and behold, the Philistine chariots and the horsemen overtook him. As this occurred on Mount Gilboa, the chariots could not have ascended very far up the slope. In any event, Saul saw the chariots and horsemen approaching him.

He, Saul, turned around and looked behind him and saw me and called to me. I answered: Here I am.

He said to me: Who are you? I said to him: I am an Amalekite. I am not one of your men; I just happen to be here. Although Saul had earlier fought against the Amalekites and had weakened them greatly, he had not entirely destroyed them. The Amalekites are mentioned as a formidable entity several times after Saul’s victory over them, including when they raided Tziklag.

He said to me: Please stand over me and put me finally to death, so that I need not suffer further as I die, for I am seized with paralysis but my life is still within me. Saul was very badly wounded as, in addition to the battle wounds and injuries from the arrows of the Philistines, he had also tried unsuccessfully to kill himself.

I stood over him, and put him to death, as he had requested, as I knew that he would not live after his fall. The Amalekite attempted to justify his action by claiming that Saul was about to die in any case and that he had asked to be killed to reduce his suffering. I took the golden crown that was on his head, and a precious bracelet that was on his arm, and I brought them here to my lord. Since Saul had pursued David, the Amalekite thought that it would be in his own interest to tell the story to him specifically. He assumed, incorrectly, that David would reward him for bringing Saul’s crown and bracelet to him (see 4:10).

David grasped his garments and rent them, as a sign of mourning for the death of the king and for the military defeat; and also all the men who were with him did so. They likewise tore their garments.

They lamented, wept, and fasted until the evening, for Saul, for Yehonatan his son, for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. The word “and” in the phrase “and for the house of Israel” is superfluous, as the designation “house of Israel” is synonymous with “the people of the Lord.” There are other examples of this linguistic style in the Bible.

David said to the lad who was telling him: From where, what nation, are you? Although the young man had already answered this question by relating his conversation with Saul (verse 8), perhaps David had paid attention only to the main facts of the story and had not taken in all the details. He said: I am the son of an Amalekite proselyte [ger]. The term ger can mean that he was a convert who had joined the congregation of Israel, or it could mean that he was a stranger in a foreign land. In general, the Sages question the halakhic status of Amalekite converts.

David said to him: How did you not fear to extend your hand to destroy the anointed of the Lord? How did you dare to kill him? David maintained that it was forbidden to harm someone who had been anointed king at God’s command.

David called one of the lads, and said: Approach and strike him. He smote him, and he died. Not only was the Amalekite not rewarded for his deed, but he was executed for it.

David said to him: Your blood is on your head; you are responsible for your own death, as your mouth testified against you, saying: I put the anointed of the Lord to death. Since you admitted to killing Saul, you are liable to be put to death. Although a court is not permitted to execute someone or even to administer lashes based on his confession, this conviction was either a provisional edict issued by David due to exigent circumstances or a ruling based on the right of a king to impose justice as he sees fit.

David lamented with this elegy for Saul and for Yehonatan his son.

He said, by way of introduction: This lamentation, which repeatedly invokes the valor of fallen warriors, is a song of war dealing with victories and defeats, whose purpose is to teach the sons of Judah the use of the bow, to encourage and prepare fighters for battle. There are short songs in the Bible that are associated with war, e.g., the songs concerning the first war against Amalek and the war against Moav, as well as longer compositions such as the Song at the Red Sea. Behold, it is written in the book of Yashar. This book was perhaps a collection of national songs.

The lamentation itself opens with its primary theme: The fall of Israel’s heroes in war. The magnificent [hatzevi] of Israel, the most beautiful and best of the nation. Tzevi literally means a deer. It is employed here as a symbol of beauty. On your heights, the mountains, is the slain, the soldiers of Israel lie dead. How the mighty have fallen.

Do not tell it, this event, in Gat, do not herald it in the streets of Ashkelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice in our downfall, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised delight. The outcome of the war was undoubtedly known by then in Gat and Ashkelon, the major Philistine cities. This is merely a poetic way of expressing the terrible nature of the tragedy; in addition to the disaster itself, the Israelites were also suffering from their enemies’ delight in their misfortunes.

Mountains of Gilboa, part of the Samarian mountain range. This is also a rhetorical address, this one to the mountains where the battle was waged: No dew and no rain upon you, or bountiful [terumot] fields which yield crops from which terumot, gifts to the priests, are taken. The battle was not confined to the Yizre’el Valley; rather, it spread to the hills of Gilboa, on the mountainous slopes rising from the southern edge of the valley. For there the shield of the mighty was besmirched, the shield of Saul was cast away, without being anointed with oil, broken and abandoned. It is possible that this shield was made of leather, and anointing those shields with oil was meant to strengthen the material. Furthermore, the image of a shield that has not been anointed with oil may symbolize a shield that did not deflect the arrows but was instead penetrated by them. Another possible interpretation of this phrase is: The king’s shield was left without its owner, Saul, who was anointed with oil.

From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Yehonatan was not withdrawn, it never recoiled; and the sword of Saul would not return empty, ever. They always succeeded in killing and defeating their enemies.

This lament was not composed by a distant poet evaluating these men generations later. Rather, it is a lamentation of someone who knew them well. Saul and Yehonatan, who were beloved and appealing in their lives. Although the relationship between the father and son was complex, largely because of David, Yehonatan was not merely the king’s heir, but also his beloved son, who was always at his side and served as the captain of his army. And in their death were not parted, since they were both killed in the same battle. As warriors, they were swifter than eagles and stronger than lions.

Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul. The mourning for the war heroes is attributed to women, as was the earlier exultation in victory. Although they did not participate in the battle, they are exhorted: Wail for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, colored garments, with finery, who placed ornaments of gold upon your garments. This lament does not mention Saul’s shortcomings or his complicated mood swings. Rather, he is depicted here as a great king who sought the best for his people, who improved the national economy, and who cared for the welfare of each individual Israelite.

How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the war! Especially, how did you, Yehonatan, fall? How is he slain upon your heights, the battlefield on the mountain?

I am distressed over you, my brother Yehonatan; you appealed to me greatly; your love for me surpassed the love of women. Your love for me was stronger and more emotionally powerful than that of women.

How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war, the heroes of Israel, are lost.

Since the war with the Philistines had ended with the scattered flight of the Israelite soldiers, its consequences were not yet fully apparent. The Philistines had won the battle and had restored for themselves control over large tracts of the country, but the public at large had not yet become aware of the fate of Saul and his sons. At the time, David was residing in Tziklag, which is listed among the cities of the inheritance of Simeon, but which had probably been under Philistine control for many years. It was thereafter that David, who had still not been fully informed of the current state of affairs, inquired of the Lord, saying: Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah? It can be inferred from the style of these focused questions, and the brevity of the responses, that David consulted God by means of the Urim and the Tumim. The Lord said to him: Go up. David said: Where shall I go up? He said: To Hebron. Hebron was the major city in the territory of Judah, perhaps its capital. It was well known as far back as the days of the patriarchs. David’s return from isolation, and his settlement in the most important city of Judah is thus a significant step, both symbolically and practically.

David went up there, and also his two wives went with him, Ahino’am the Yizre’elite and Avigayil the former wife of Naval the Carmelite.

David took up the men, around six hundred of them, who were with him, serving as his active military unit, each man with his household, and they settled in the cities of Hebron, which was originally part of the inheritance of Caleb. The Levites lived in Hebron, which also served as a city of refuge. It is likely that the city itself was not heavily populated, but that there were many smaller settlements in the surrounding area, called “environs of the city,” and David’s men resided there.

When David arrived in Hebron, the men of the tribe of Judah came and anointed David there as king over the house of Judah. Although they could not appoint him in the name of the entire nation, they decided that David, a member of their own tribe, would be their king. Since David had Samuel’s promise, as well as the major organized military force left in the land, they felt that there was no one more suitable for the throne. As David sought to establish his reign in Hebron, he heard rumors of what was happening on the broader national stage: They told David, saying: It was the men of Yavesh Gilad who took the bodies of Saul and his sons that were hanging on the wall of Beit Shan and who buried Saul in a dignified manner.

David sent messengers to the men of Yavesh Gilad and said to them: Blessed are you to the Lord, in that you acted with this kindness for your lord, for Saul, and you buried him. David began assuming the role of a king by sending the men of Yavesh Gilad an official message of gratitude as head of state and due to his familial ties to Saul, which he could still claim.

Now may the Lord act with kindness and truth for you, your deed; and I too, will do for you this benevolence, because you have done this thing. Perhaps he promised them protection against any possible retaliation by the Philistines, which the people of Yavesh Gilad feared.

Now, let your hands be strong, and be men of valor, as your lord, Saul, to whom you too were greatly attached, is dead. David added: And the house of Judah has anointed me king over them. I speak with authority, although I am not yet king over all Israel, only over the tribe of Judah.

Meanwhile, Avner son of Ner, who was the former army commander for Saul and his cousin, took Ish Boshet son of Saul, who had not been killed in the war and perhaps did not even participate in the fighting, and conveyed him from the portion of Benjamin, which was near Philistine territory, to the city of Mahanayim east of the Jordan, where he could reside in relative security. It should be noted that following the episode of the concubine in Giva, ties of marriage had been established between the tribe of Benjamin and the residents of the region of Gilad.

He crowned him first king over the Gilad, where Mahanayim was located, and then over the Ashurites, the tribe of Asher, over Yizre’el, in the inheritance of Manasseh, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and finally over all Israel. Avner considered Ish Boshet the rightful heir to the throne, and he sought to reestablish the dynasty of Saul through him. Ish Boshet was not the one designated to inherit his father’s position, and it is clear from the continuation of the story that he was not a strong leader. Avner was forced to proceed slowly, as the people were broken and disheartened from the war. Consequently, Ish Boshet’s reign over the Kingdom of Israel initially took shape on the eastern side of the Jordan River before being enlarged gradually and incrementally.

Ish Boshet son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned for two years. But the house of Judah followed David. They did not accept Ish Boshet as their king and thus remained a separate political entity from the other tribes. For generations prior to the formal split into two kingdoms, during the period when Israel was still a nation of disparate tribes, the tribe of Judah had existed as an independent unit.

The number of days that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. Apparently, David began to reign in Hebron before Ish Boshet was appointed king.

Relations between the newly-formed kingdoms were not friendly, but the two sides were not at war either. They each scouted and sought to determine their next move. Avner son of Ner and the servants of Ish Boshet son of Saul departed from Mahanayim to Givon. Ish Boshet wished to incorporate the area of Givon under his rule, as it belonged to the inheritance of Benjamin. Meanwhile, David reigned in Judah.

Yoav son of Tzeruya, who was the captain of David’s army, and the servants of David also went out to that same place, and they met them at the pool of Givon. These were sitting at the pool on this side, and those were sitting at the pool on that side. For now, the two camps avoided direct confrontation. They remained on opposite sides of the great pool, without coming into physical contact with each other.

Avner said to Yoav: Let the lads rise now and play before us. Let them engage in combat for the sake of competition and amusement. Yoav said: Let them rise.

They rose and crossed by number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ish Boshet son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. It is possible that the challenge began as a mere game or simulated battle, such as a fencing match, but as the confrontation was emotionally charged, spirits soon became enflamed.

Each man grabbed the head of his counterpart, and he stabbed his sword into the side of his counterpart. In their enmity, they stabbed each other to death. And they all fell down dead together. They called that place the Field of the Flints, or the plot of land belonging to the strong ones, or the swords, which is in Givon.

Due to the casualties both sides had suffered at the competition, open warfare broke out between Avner’s men and those of Yoav. The fighting was very fierce that day, and Avner and the men of Israel were routed before the servants of David. Perhaps Yoav’s men outnumbered Avner’s, and they may also have been more experienced soldiers. Since Israel’s defeat by the Philistines had greatly damaged Saul’s forces, Avner had been forced to draft new, inexperienced troops for his army.

The three sons of Tzeruya, David’s sister, who was probably older than he, were there, among David’s men: Yoav, Avishai, and Asa’el; Asa’el was swift of foot like one of the gazelles in the field.

As he was a fast runner, Asa’el pursued Avner, the captain of the opposing army; and he did not veer to go right or left from following Avner.

Avner looked behind him, while he was running, and said: Is that you, Asa’el? He answered: It is I.

Avner said to him: If you wish to gain some sort of achievement in the battle, or if you want to appear victorious, veer to your right or to your left, and seize one of the lads, and take his garments. Find someone else and seize his armor, as was customarily done to defeated soldiers, but leave me alone. But Asa’el was unwilling to turn aside from following him.

Avner added to Asa’el, saying: Turn aside from following me. Why should I smite you to the ground? If you do not cease pursuing me, I will be forced to kill you in self-defense. How will I show my face to Yoav your brother? Although Avner and Yoav were not friends, they did interact with one another as captains of their respective forces. Avner did not wish to ruin the relationship.

He, Asa’el, refused to turn aside, and Avner struck him with the back of the handle of the spear in the stomach, the area under the ribs where the liver is located. Avner was a skilled warrior. Instead of turning around and fighting as Asa’el may have expected, Avner decided to surprise him by attacking with his spear in an unusual manner to strike Asa’el in a soft, vulnerable spot of the body, and the spear went through Asa’el’s body and came out behind him, as a consequence of both the force of the blow and the fact that Asa’el was running so fast. He fell there and died in his place. It was that anyone from David’s men who came to the place where Asa’el fell and died came to a stop. They all paused in confusion and shock, as Asa’el was a relative of David and, it seems, also one of the heads of the army.

Yoav and Avishai, the brothers of Asa’el, pursued Avner, who had turned towards his base across the Jordan River. And the sun was setting, and they came to the hill of Ama, which was opposite Giah, on the way of the wilderness of Givon, meaning between Givon and the Judean Desert.

The children of Benjamin, who had previously fled, gathered behind Avner, and they became one unit and stood at the top of a hill.

Avner called to Yoav, and he said: Will forever the sword devour? Will we continue slaughtering one another incessantly? Surely you know that it, war, will ultimately be bitterness. For how long will you not say to the people to turn back from following their brethren? Instruct your soldiers to stop pursuing us. You have no reason to fight Ish Boshet’s men and the people of Benjamin.

Yoav said: You are responsible for what has transpired. As God lives, had you not spoken and suggested the showcase combat, then already in the morning the people would have forborne, each from following his brother. We would have separated in peace, even if not as friends.

Yoav sounded the shofar, to signal the end of the battle and to instruct his soldiers to disengage (18:16, 20:22), and the entire people stood, and did not pursue Israel any longer, and they did not continue to fight.

Avner and his remaining men went through the Arava all that night, and they crossed the Jordan, and went through the entire Bitron, a valley that dissects the land across the Jordan River, on the way to Mahanayim. And they came back to their base in Mahanayim. Apparently, the effort to incorporate Givon, in the territory of Benjamin, into the areas under the control of Ish Boshet failed. The forces of David, who controlled Judah, had pushed Avner’s soldiers back across the Jordan.

Yoav returned from following Avner, and he gathered the entire people; missing from David’s servants were nineteen men, who had been killed in the fighting, and Asa’el, who is singled out from the other casualties due to his importance.

The servants of David had smitten from Benjamin and of Avner’s men, a decisive blow; three hundred and sixty men had died.

They picked up Asa’el and buried him in a dignified manner in the grave of his father, which was in Bethlehem. Yoav and his men went all night, and the day broke for them at their base in Hebron.

The conflict between the militias of David and Ish Boshet was not limited to a single incident. The event at the pool of Givon had ended with a separation of the opposing forces, but the animosity and rivalry persisted. The war was long between the house of Saul and the house of David; as time passed, David grew stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker. Ish Boshet was apparently not an esteemed leader, and his men did not remain eager to fight on his behalf for long.

Sons were born to David in Hebron; his firstborn was Amnon, born to Ahino’am the Yizre’elite;

and his second son was Kilav, born to Avigayil, formerly the wife of Naval the Carmelite; the third was Avshalom, son of Maakha, daughter of Talmai king of Geshur, a small kingdom that perhaps maintained friendly ties with David. Alternatively, Geshur may have fought against David, and the king’s daughter may have been one of the captives. It becomes clear later in the book that Avshalom’s lineage as the grandson of the king of Geshur gave him a special status in the kingdom (13:37–38).

The fourth was Adoniya son of Hagit; the fifth was Shefatya son of Avital;

and the sixth was Yitre’am, who was born to Egla, also David’s wife. All of these were born to David in Hebron, in addition to the other sons who were born to him from his other wives, after he moved to Jerusalem.

It was while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David that Avner grew stronger in the house of Saul. Avner was more than the head of the army; he was the most powerful individual in the kingdom and the de facto ruler.

Saul had a concubine, and her name was Ritzpa daughter of Aya. He, Ish Boshet, said to Avner: Why have you consorted with my father’s concubine? Although she was a widow and therefore unmarried at the time, a relationship with the concubine of a former king was seen as indicative of pretentions to the throne.

Avner was incensed at the words of rebuke delivered by the much younger Ish Boshet, and he said: Am I the head of the dogs, a leader of dogs, that belong to Judah, the tribe to which you are hostile? This expression may be rooted in the prevalence of shepherds in Judah and the lowly status of those who tended to the dogs belonging to those shepherds. Today I still act with kindness with the house of Saul your father, with his brethren and with his friends, and I have not delivered you into the hand of David, although I had the power to do so, and David deserves to reign. But yet you nevertheless complain and ascribe to me the iniquity of the woman today.

So shall God do to Avner and so shall He continue to do to him, an expression of an oath, just as the Lord has taken an oath to David that he will be king, so I will do for him; I will help him achieve that goal;

to remove the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.

He, Ish Boshet, was unable to respond another word to Avner, due to his fear of him.

Then Avner began to act in accordance with his oath. He sent messengers to David from his place, as he did not immediately approach David himself, but first sent representatives, saying: Whose is the land, the kingdom? It belongs to you, David. Others explain it is a reference to God, as Avner is taking an oath in His name. The messengers came, also saying: Establish your covenant with me; let us make a covenant with one another, and behold, my hand will be with you, I will support you, to turn all Israel to you. As he was able to make such an offer with confidence, Avner clearly had great power and influence over the nation.

He, David, said: Good; I will establish a covenant with you, but I request one matter of you, saying: You shall not see my face, unless you beforehand bring Mikhal daughter of Saul, who is actually my wife, when you come to see my face.

Seeking the return of his wife in an official, orderly manner, David sent messengers to Ish Boshet son of Saul, saying: Give me my wife Mikhal, your sister, whom, as you know, I betrothed to me with one hundred Philistine foreskins. Avner’s support provided David with the opportunity to demand that Mikhal be returned to him.

Indeed, Ish Boshet sent for Mikhal, and he took her from the husband, from Paltiel son of Layish.

Her husband Paltiel went with her, weeping after her as he went, as he was very much attached to her, to a place on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives called Bahurim. Avner said to him: Go, return home. And he, Paltiel, returned home as he had been commanded, as Avner was feared even by people who were more eminent than he.

As he promised, Avner began a campaign in support of David. The word of Avner was with the elders of Israel, saying: Both yesterday and the day before, you sought David to be king over you. You have always admired David. Even if you did not rebel against Saul and did not support David openly, you nevertheless thought it would be better if the youthful, triumphant David were king instead of Saul, with his unpredictable mood swings;

now act, as you wished to do back then, as the Lord has spoken of David, saying: By the hand of My servant David I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.

Avner also spoke specifically in the ears of the tribesmen of Benjamin, who would have naturally preferred the house of Saul, a member of their tribe. Since Avner himself came from Benjamin, his endorsement of David was of great significance. Avner also went to speak in the ears of David in Hebron that everything was good in the eyes of Israel, and in the eyes of the entire house of Benjamin. He went to report to David that he had the broad sympathy of the people.

Avner came to David to Hebron, in a stately manner, and with him were a delegation of twenty men. David made a feast for Avner and for the men who were with him, treating Avner with honor.

Avner said to David: I will rise and go, and gather all Israel to my lord the king; they will establish a covenant with you, and you will reign over all that your heart desires. David sent Avner, and he went in peace.

Behold, the servants of David and Yoav, who was leading them, came from a raid against the Philistines or enemies from one of the other nearby nations, and they brought much spoils with them. Avner was not with David in Hebron any longer, as he, David, had sent him away, and he went in peace.

Yoav and all the army that was with him arrived, and they told Yoav, saying: Avner son of Ner came to the king, and he sent him away, and he went in peace. Yoav understood that since the king had allowed Avner to proceed on his way, they must have reached an agreement. It seems that the developing relationship between David and Avner was not public knowledge. In general, David did not often take the counsel of his men and inform them of his plans but preferred to give them orders instead.

Yoav came to the king and said: What have you done? Behold, Avner came to you, and you should have used the opportunity to promptly seize him. Why did you send him away, and he went away?

You know Avner son of Ner, and you should realize that he came in a peaceful manner only to entice you, and to know your going and your coming, and to know everything that you do, your ways and your secrets. He came as a spy on behalf of the house of Saul.

Yoav departed from David and sent messengers after Avner; they brought him back from Bor HaSira, the name of the place to which Avner had gone; and David did not know. Perhaps Yoav sent the message in David’s name. In any case, Avner assumed that the message asking him to return was friendly in nature and that David was behind it.

Avner returned to Hebron, and Yoav took him aside into the gate to speak with him casually, or as a deceptive move. Since Avner returned innocently, when Yoav, who was loyal to David, began to speak with him a friendly manner, Avner was not suspicious of any impending threat. And he, Yoav, took advantage of the opportunity and smote him there in the stomach, the lower belly. This seems to be an efficient method of killing someone, but the verse also notes Yoav’s additional motive for having killed Avner in this specific way: And he died, for the blood of Asa’el his brother. Yoav thereby avenged his brother’s death from Avner, who had killed Asa’el in the same manner (2:23).

David heard afterward about the death of Avner, and he said: I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord forever, from any punishment for the shedding of the blood of Avner son of Ner. This deed was performed without my knowledge and against my wishes.

David added: It, guilt for the death of Avner, shall rest on the head of Yoav and on his father’s house; may there not be eliminated from the house of Yoav those who suffer from discharge, lepers, holders of a spindle, one who lacks all aptitude for skilled labor and is forced to engage in menial tasks such as spinning, or a cripple, or those who fall by the sword, or those who lack food.

Yoav and Avishai his brother killed Avner, because he killed their brother Asa’el at Givon in the war. The verse mentions the battle to stress that although they killed Avner to avenge their brother’s death, this was not justified. Avner had no choice but to kill Asa’el in self-defense, as Asa’el was chasing him with the aim of killing him.

David said to Yoav and to all the people who were with him: Rend your garments, and gird sackcloth, and lament before Avner. Although Yoav was the one who had killed Avner, David commanded him to lead the public ceremony mourning his death. Furthermore, in an exceptional act which deviated from the standard protocol, King David himself was walking after the bier, accompanying Avner to his final resting place. In addition to the genuine stress that David felt about Avner’s death, he took this unusual step to demonstrate his great respect for Avner.

They buried Avner nearby in Hebron. The king raised his voice, and he wept at the grave of Avner, and all the people wept for the loss of Avner, as he had been a renowned military captain in the days of Saul and was considered one of the great leaders of Israel.

The king lamented for Avner and said: Should Avner have died the death of a knave, a reprobate? As he was not a sinner or a criminal, why did he die in this manner?

Your hands, Avner, were not bound, and your feet were not put in iron shackles, as is done to a felon sentenced to death. Rather, as an innocent man falling before murderers, the iniquitous, so you fell. All the people wept exceedingly over him. In addition to mourning the loss of a great man, they wept further over the tragedy of the unjustified murder.

All the people came to serve David bread while it was still day, but David took an oath, saying: So shall God do to me, and so shall He continue, an expression that indicates an oath and acceptance of a harsh punishment in the event that the oath would be violated, if I taste bread or anything else before the setting of the sun. David accepted upon himself to fast until nightfall as an expression of mourning for Avner. Since Avner’s family was not present, David, who was Avner’s relative through marriage, took upon himself the role of the mourner. Later halakhic works also discuss the practice of appointing surrogate mourners for a person who died with no living relatives.

All the people were aware of David’s conduct, and it was good in their eyes; everything that the king did was good in the eyes of all the people. David’s elegy and his public display of mourning and sorrow over the death of Avner removed from the people’s minds any suspicion that David might have had a hand in his murder.

All the people and all Israel knew on that day that it was not an instruction from the king to put Avner son of Ner to death.

The king said privately to his closest servants, as an explanation of his mourning: You truly know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel.

Today I am young, and have just been anointed king, and these men, the sons of Tzeruya, are very powerful, too hard for me. I do not have the power to do anything against them, so I therefore say: May the Lord repay the evildoer in accordance with his evil. In his public declaration, David did not explicitly mention Yoav by name nor formally accuse him of any transgression. Nevertheless, from the context of his statement and from the phrase: “As a man falling before the iniquitous, you fell” (verse 34), it must have been clear that David viewed the killing of Avner as unlawful.

Saul’s son, Ish Boshet, heard that Avner had died in Hebron and his, Ish Boshet’s, hands slackened, as Avner had held the kingdom together, and all Israel panicked. The tragedy left a deep impression upon the people and led them to the conclusion that in the absence of Avner, it would not be possible for Ish Boshet to oppose David, who was constantly growing stronger.

Two men, commanders of troops, senior military officers, were with Saul’s son; the name of one was Baana, and the name of the second Rekhav; they were sons of Rimon the Be’erotite, of the children of Benjamin, as also Be’erot, although it had previously been inhabited by foreigners, was considered to be of the portion of Benjamin. It is possible that this parenthetical remark indicates that the two brothers were not from the Israelite people. Alternatively, it may indicate the exact opposite; although the brothers had fled their home town and had lived among the Philistines for a time, they were in fact members of the tribe of Benjamin.

The Be’erotites fled to Gitayim. In Nehemiah (11:33), Gitayim is listed among the cities of Benjamin. Others explain that this means that they fled to the city of Gat. And they are there, residing to this day; they did not return to their place of origin.

The narrative is now interrupted with a parenthetical aside to relate some information, the significance of which will become clear later. Yehonatan son of Saul had a son with crippled legs. His legs were damaged, and he was unable to walk due to an accident he suffered as a young boy. He was five years old when the news about the deaths of Saul and Yehonatan came from Yizre’el, and his nurse was carrying him as she fled. Since he was too young to escape on his own, the nurse took hold of him and fled, along with many others who feared the revenge of the victorious Philistines. It was in her haste to flee that he, the boy, fell and was permanently crippled, suffering an injury which never healed. His name was Mefivoshet.

Those brothers, the sons of Rimon the Be’erotite, Rekhav and Baana, went, and arrived in the heat of the day at the house of Ish Boshet; he was lying down for the midday rest.

They came into the interior of the house dressed as purchasers of wheat, or they snuck in with actual wheat purchasers. Although Ish Boshet was not a very powerful king, it can be assumed that he did have guards of some sort protecting his house. Therefore, the brothers had to use deception to enter, so they disguised themselves as wheat traders. And they smote him, Ish Boshet, in the lower stomach, and Rekhav and Baana his brother subsequently escaped. Alternatively, the verse may be interpreted to mean that the purchasers of wheat were in collusion with the two brothers; as they were granted entry to deliver wheat to the palace, they took advantage of the opportunity and killed the guard, which then allowed Rekhav and Baana to escape from the entrance room and enter the king’s chamber to commit the murder.

The verse describes the assassination of Ish Boshet in greater detail: They came into the house, to the inner room, while he, Ish Boshet, was lying on his bed in his bedroom and smote him and put him to death, and removed his head. They took his head, and went via the Arava, from Mahanayim through the Jordan Valley to Hebron, traveling all the night.

They brought the head of Ish Boshet to David to Hebron and said to the king: Behold the head of Ish Boshet, son of Saul, who was your enemy, and who sought your life. The Lord has provided a great revenge to my lord the king this day from Saul, and from his descendants.

David answered Rekhav and Baana his brother, sons of Rimon the Be’erotite, and said to them, employing language expressing an oath: As the Lord lives, He who has redeemed my life from every trouble:

For the one, that young Amalekite, who told me, saying: Behold, Saul is dead, and he was like a herald of good tidings in his eyes and I seized him and killed him in Tziklag; that is what I gave him as payment for the tidings. Rather than giving him a gift as he expected, I killed him for his deed, as he had murdered the king and taken his possessions, and he even rejoiced and took pride in what he had done. Now that man did not murder Saul; he merely informed me that he had slain the king at his own behest.

Your offense was even more severe. All the more so it shall be for the wicked men who killed an innocent, righteous man in his own house on his own bed, an entirely unjustifiable act. Truly I will seek his blood from your hands, avenge his death, and eliminate you from the earth.

David commanded his young men who were present at the scene, and they killed them; furthermore, they severed their hands and their feet as an act of degradation, and they hung them, their bodies as well as their severed hands and feet, at the pool in Hebron, so that all would see the punishment of those wicked men. They took the head of Ish Boshet, and buried it in the grave of Avner in Hebron. Since there was no nearer or more convenient burial place available, they buried Ish Boshet’s head alongside the body of Avner, who was his relative.

Then, in the wake of the preceding events, representatives of all the tribes of Israel came to David to Hebron, and they said, saying: Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. Do not view us as strangers; we are your family.

Even in the past, when Saul was king over us, you were actually the one who led Israel out to battle and led them in, as you were a military commander. Although David was not the chief officer of Saul’s army, he was one of its primary leaders. And already back then, the Lord said to you: You shall shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler, king, over Israel.

Thereafter, all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron, and King David established a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord. This was a bilateral agreement. The people accepted David’s reign upon themselves, while he granted a general amnesty, committing to take no actions to settle old scores, as some of the people had not supported him in the past. And thus, in Hebron, they anointed David as king over the entire nation of Israel.

David was thirty years old when he became king; he reigned for forty years, until his death. A period of forty years is deemed a significant amount of time. Units of this size appear multiple times in various contexts and often indicate a complete era.

In Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah. This amounts to a total of forty years and six months. There are several explanations for the small discrepancy. For example, it is possible that the number mentioned in the previous verse is simply an approximation.

Then, after he had been appointed king over all Israel, the king and his men went to Jerusalem to the Yevusites, inhabitants of the land, demanding that they accept his sovereignty and relinquish their independence. But King David was rebuffed by the representative of the Yevusites, as he said to David, saying: You will not come here unless you remove the blind and the lame,the Yevusite idols, saying: David will not come here.

David captured the fortress of Zion, which is the same place that is called the City of David. It acquired this new name after the conquest, when David took up residence there.

David said on that day: Anyone who smites a Yevusite, and does harm to the tzinor, an enigmatic term whose meaning is unclear. According to various commentaries, it may refer to the source of the city’s water, a tower, the locking mechanism of the city gate, or it may be a term for a stronghold. In any case, although the city was extremely well fortified, David and his men found a way to enter it. David promised his warriors that whoever succeeded in penetrating the city and reaching the tzinor, an object of great strategic significance, and whoever also removed the lame and the blind, whom David’s soul detests, would receive his just reward. Here, the reward is not specified, but in I Chronicles, it is related that David declared that the first one to successfully strike the Yevusites would be appointed captain of the Israelite army. Since Yoav succeeded in doing so, the king assigned him to the position. Therefore they, the people, would later say as a common proverb: The blind and the lame, any Yevusite or Canaanite, will not come into the house of the king. If the original declaration of the Yevusites referred to actual blind and lame people, who were perhaps displayed before David as a show of defiance, then this proverb means that such individuals were unwelcome in his house. However, it should be noted that later, David displayed kindness to the lame Mefivoshet by inviting him to dine regularly at his table. Regardless of the precise meaning of the difficult phrases, it seems that David did not conquer Jerusalem after an extended siege, but by a dramatic and rapid surprise attack.

David settled in the stronghold, and he called it the City of David. David built around from the Milo, a rampart or fortress, and inward, in the direction of the city. David filled in the lower area between the stronghold and the city itself, thereby unifying and enlarging the city. Although I Kings attributes the construction of the Milo to Solomon, it was apparently David who began the work of filling in the space between the Yevusite stronghold in the City of David and Mount Moriah.

David became steadily greater, and the Lord, God of hosts, was with him. The conquest of Jerusalem dispelled the sense of weakness that had been caused by the presence of a strong foreign enclave in the heart of the land. This important undertaking helped establish the legitimacy and authority of David’s government.

David was famous even before he became king of Israel, but now that he had become king of Israel, he could no longer be seen merely as a local, tribal phenomenon. Foreign leaders also acknowledged the transformation: Hiram king of Tyre, the distant kingdom to the north, sent messengers to David, and cedar wood, and expert carpenters, and masons of wall stones, and they built a house for David. As an expression of friendship with the new king, the king of Tyre constructed a magnificent house for David, built with wood from the great cedars of Lebanon. King David may well have composed Psalms 30 on this occasion.

When these representatives of the foreign king arrived, David knew that the Lord had set him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after his arrival from Hebron, once his kingdom had been established. And yet more sons and daughters were born to David.

These are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shamua, Shovav, Natan, perhaps named after Natan the prophet, Solomon, who would eventually be David’s successor, even though he was not one of his elder sons;

Yivhar, Elishua, Nefeg, Yafia,

Elishama, Elyada, and Elifelet. Virtually none of these sons played an important role in history.

When the Philistines had last encountered David, he was serving as a kind of adjunct to their troops. After he returned to his homeland and was appointed king over Judah, they saw him as a minor tribal leader who posed no significant threat. Once he became king over all of Israel, they sought to take preemptive action: The Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, and all the Philistines took preemptive action and went up to Jerusalem to seek and capture David. David heard, and he went down to the fortress, which was apparently sufficiently fortified to prevent a Philistine infiltration. Since David was now king, his presence was necessary and had an effect on his surroundings; he could no longer flee to the wilderness as he had done in the past.

The Philistines came and they deployed in the Valley of Refaim. They might have planned to maintain an extended military presence in the valley and perhaps even to lay siege to Jerusalem.

David inquired of the Lord, saying: Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand? The Lord said to David: Go up, as I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.

David came to fight against the Philistines in a place that would later be called Baal Peratzim, and David smote them there. He said: The Lord has breached [paratz] my enemies forcefully before me, like a breach [peretz] or wave of water, which breaks through the banks of a river and causes fences to collapse. Therefore, because of David’s statement, he named the place Baal Peratzim.

The Philistines fled and they left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away. Alternatively, this means that he burned the images.

Then the Philistines came up again to attempt to fight David, and once more they deployed in the Valley of Refaim.

David again inquired of the Lord what to do. He said to David: Do not go up to confront them directly. Rather, you shall circle behind them, and come at them from the place that is opposite the mastic trees growing there.

It shall be that when you hear noise approximating the sound of marching at the tops of the mastic trees, you shall act decisively and attack them speedily, as then the Lord will have emerged before you to smite the Philistines’ camp. The sound of marching will be the sign that God is marching before you.

Although he was unaccustomed to attacking enemies using flanking maneuvers, David did so, as the Lord had commanded him, and he smote the Philistines from Geva until you approach Gezer. The battlefield was not limited to one spot. The Philistines fled from one place to another, while David struck them repeatedly.

David again gathered all the chosen of Israel, thirty thousand; a large group of select members of the people.

David and all the people who were with him from the noblemen [baalei] of Judah rose and went. Alternatively, they came from Kiryat Ye’arim, also known as Baala, which was in the territory of Judah. Most of the people with David were from there. David called upon them to take up from there to the City of David the Ark of God, upon which is called the name, the name of the Lord of hosts, who is seated amidst the cherubs. Alternatively, the first mention of “name” in this sentence means honor, and the verse is referring to the honor of the name of the Lord of hosts that resides upon the cherubs. David wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant, which symbolized the Divine Presence in Israel, to a permanent and more respectable location, near his own home.

They mounted the Ark of God onto a new cart, one that was whole and had not come in contact with any object of ritual impurity, and was therefore considered fit for carrying the ark. The ark had previously been returned by the Philistines in a cart, and this might have been the same vehicle. It is characterized as new because certain modifications were added, rendering it a new vessel in terms of the laws of ritual impurity. It is prohibited in Torah law to transport the ark in this manner, as it is supposed to be carried by Levites on their shoulders.And they conveyed it from the house of Avinadav, which was on the hill, and Uza and Ahyo, sons of Avinadav, were directing the new cart.

The procession advanced as follows: They conveyed it, the cart, from the house of Avinadav, which was on the hill, with the Ark of God, and Ahyo was walking before the ark, with Uza following right behind it.

David and the entire house of Israel were reveling before the Lord with all kinds of juniper wood, branches of juniper trees that they waved as an expression of joy, a common practice at celebrations. Alternatively, this refers to percussion instruments. They also played music with harps, with lyres, with drums, with timbrels, and with cymbals.

They came to a place called the threshing floor of Nakhon, and Uza extended his hand to the Ark of God and grasped it, since the oxen slipped. The movement of the cattle caused the ark to tilt to one side, and its fall seemed imminent. Instinctively, Uza rushed to grab hold of the ark.

The wrath of the Lord was enflamed against Uza, as even Levites are prohibited from touching the ark. It was permitted to carry the ark only by holding the bars that were attached to it for this purpose. And God smote him there for the error, and he died there near the Ark of God.

David was distressed because on that day, when all Israel were celebrating the procession of God’s ark, the Lord had lashed out in a breach [peretz] against Uza, killing him through divine intervention; and he therefore called that place, the threshing floor, Peretz Uza, and it is known by that name to this day.

David feared the Lord on that day, because of the death caused directly by the ark; and he said: How can the Ark of the Lord come to me?

David was unwilling to transfer the Ark of the Lord to him, to the City of David, and David diverted it to the house of Oved Edom the Gitite, a Levite who later served with his sons in the Temple.

The Ark of the Lord stayed in the house of Oved Edom the Gitite for three months, and the Lord blessed Oved Edom and his entire household. The divine blessing was noticeable in his household, as many children were born to his family.

It was told to King David, saying: The Lord has blessed the house of Oved Edom and everything that is his, due to the Ark of God. Until then, the ark had been considered a dangerous object, in accordance with the verse: “It was when the ark traveled, Moses said: Arise Lord, and may Your enemies be dispersed.” For this reason the ark had been previously brought into the war against the Philistines, where it was captured in battle. However, it was now discovered that the ark could also be a source of divine blessing. David went and took up the Ark of God from the house of Oved Edom to the City of David with rejoicing, in a grand ceremony.

This time the ark was carried on people’s shoulders, rather than by cart. It was when the bearers of the Ark of the Lord walked six paces, that he, David, would slaughter a bull and a fatling, a fattened ox. Since the journey was not long, after every six steps they stopped and offered animals.

David was so happy that he was dancing before the Lord, not quietly, or in a restrained manner, but with all his might, in a state of great excitement. He even performed a solo dance, in his role as the king of Israel and the host of the celebration. And David was not wearing his royal garments, but was girded with a linen ephod, a kind of skirt that was somewhat similar to the priestly vestment. He wore the attire of a simple servant of God.

David and all the house of Israel were taking up the Ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sounding of the shofar.

It was as the Ark of the Lord was entering the City of David that Mikhal daughter of Saul, who had returned to the active role of David’s wife, peered through the window. She did not participate in the celebration, which was apparently a men’s affair, but she watched the procession, probably along with other women. And she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord like a youngster or a lowly fellow, and she felt contempt for him in her heart.

They brought the Ark of the Lord, and they set it in its place within the tent that David had pitched for it, an enclosed place that David had designated for the ark; and David offered up burnt offerings before the Lord, and peace offerings. Since there was no permanent Tabernacle or Temple at the time, all were permitted to offer sacrifices, not just priests. Therefore, David probably performed the service himself.

David concluded offering up the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, and he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.

In addition to a verbal blessing, David also gave gifts to all the participants. He distributed to all the people, to the entire multitude of Israel who were present, both men and women, to each, several food items to take home: one loaf of bread, one portion of beef, a portion of the meat of the oxen that had been offered after every six steps, and one raisin cake, a food or drink made of grapes, perhaps a jug of wine. Afterward, the entire people went, each to his home. This concluded the ceremony of the transfer of the Ark of God to the City of David. Although it was not yet placed in a permanent home, at least the ark was no longer in a remote spot, but in a respectable location near the king’s own palace, in the city where it would remain.

David returned to bless his household. Mikhal daughter of Saul came out to meet David, finding it an opportunity to express her feelings, and said sarcastically: How honorable today was the king of Israel, who was exposed today before the eyes of the maidservants of his servants, in the manner that one of the idlers is exposed.

David said to Mikhal: I did this before the Lord, who chose me over your father and over his entire household, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. You claim that my behavior is unbefitting a king of Israel, but God chose me as king over your father and his supposedly more respectable family. Therefore, I will revel before the Lord, in gratitude to Him for all the kindnesses He has bestowed upon me.

And I would be demeaned even more than this; I am willing to make an even greater mockery of myself, and I would be lowly in my eyes; but with the maidservants of whom you spoke, in front of whom I have put myself to shame, with them, I would be honored. My actions actually caused them to have greater respect for me, and they are important enough to me for me to be honored among them.

Mikhal daughter of Saul did not have a child until the day of her death. This was a divine punishment for her criticism of David, when she should have respected him for serving God with all his heart. Alternatively, this quarrel caused a schism between David and Mikhal, and the king, who had many other wives, subsequently kept his distance from her.

It was when the king had settled in his house, and the Lord had given him respite from all his surrounding enemies, there were no ongoing wars at the time;

and the king said to Natan the prophet: See now, I am dwelling in a house of cedar that Hiram built for me, but the Ark of God dwells within the curtain. This is inappropriate; I must build a House for God.

Natan said to the king: Go, do everything that is in your heart, as the Lord is with you. Natan did not cite God’s answer; rather, he offered his own agreement to David’s request.

However, it was on that night and the word of the Lord was with Natan, saying:

Go and say to My servant, to David: So said the Lord: Shall you build Me a House for My living place?

It is not your duty to do so, for I have not dwelled in a house from the day that I took up the children of Israel from Egypt, to this day; I would make my way in a tent and in a tabernacle. Not even the Tabernacle in Shilo was a proper building; although its walls were made of stone, the curtains of the Tabernacle served as its roof.

Whenever I made my way among all the children of Israel, did I speak a word to any of the leaders of the tribes of Israel, whom I had commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying: Why did you not build Me a house of cedar? I have never asked them to perform this task.

Now, so you shall say to My servant David: So said the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from after the flock, to be ruler, king, over My people, over Israel.

I have been with you wherever you went, and I eliminated all your enemies from before you, and I made a great name for you, like the names of the most prominent men in the world. You are renowned in all the lands of the East as a great king.

I will make a secure place for My people Israel, and I will plant it, and they will dwell in their place and will no longer be disturbed, and iniquitous people will not continue to afflict it, as in the past,

since the day that I appointed judges over My people Israel. You do not have to deal with the same troubles that confronted Israel in the past. But to you I have given respite from all your enemies, as your kingdom is secure. The Lord has told you that the Lord will establish a house for you, a royal dynasty.

When your days are completed, when the time comes for you to die, and you lie with your fathers, I will set up your offspring after you. There will be one who will be born to you, who will emerge from your body, and I will establish his kingdom securely. Your son will reign after you.

That king, who will be born into a calmer, more peaceful world, he will build a House for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. His monarchy will never end.

I will have a special relationship with this future son of yours: I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to me who, when he commits iniquity, I will rebuke him with the staff of men, with which men strike their sons, and with the afflictions, the blows, of the children of men. I will punish him in the manner that one disciplines his son.

My kindness will not be removed from him, as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. My covenant with your descendants will remain forever.

Your dynasty and your kingdom will be resolute, it will stand firm, before you, in your lifetime, and forever; your throne will be established forever.

In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with this entire nightly vision, so Natan spoke to David.

David the king came, and he sat before the Lord; he remained there for a while. The Sages derive from the literal meaning of this statement that kings from the Davidic dynasty are permitted to sit in the Temple, even though this is prohibited to all other people. And he said: Who am I, my Lord God, and who is my household that You have brought me to this point, and granted me all the glories of royalty?

This, the gift of the monarchy, did not suffice in Your eyes, My Lord God, and You have even spoken of Your servant’s house in the distant future, for future generations; is this the prerogative of a person, My Lord God? Is this the standard gift for great men? What more could one ask for? Alternatively this is a statement: Only great men deserve this greatness.

What more can David, speaking in the third person, speak to You? You know Your servant, My Lord God. I am unworthy of all this goodness.

It is because of Your word and in accordance with Your heart, Your will, that You have done all this greatness, informing Your servant of it, as You wished. From his youth David considered himself a servant of God, whose main purpose in life was to fulfill God’s will, rather than to advance his personal status.

Therefore, You are great, My Lord God, as there is none like You, and there is no god besides You, according to, just like, all that we have heard with our ears.

Who is like Your people, like Israel, one unique nation on earth, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, and to make Himself a name, to publicize His name in the world, and to perform for you, Israel, greatness and awesome things, shocking deeds on behalf of Your land to the nations and their respective gods, in driving them out from before Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt.

You established for Yourself Your people Israel, as Your people forever, and You, Lord, became their God.

Now, Lord God, what more can I request? Let the matter that You have spoken about Your servant and about his house be established forever, and do as You have spoken. All I ask is that You fulfill Your promise to me.

May Your name be glorified forever, saying: The Lord of hosts is God and He will rule over Israel, and the house of Your servant David will be established and exist forever before You.

For You, Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed to the ear of Your servant, saying: I will build you a house, a royal dynasty; therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You, to give thanks for all that I have received and for Your promises about the future.

Now, my Lord God, You are God, who rules over everything, and who has the power to fulfill His promises; and Your words will be truth, they will be shown to be true, and indeed You have spoken to Your servant this benevolence.

Now, may You wish to bless the house of Your servant to be forever before You, for You, My Lord God, have spoken, and from Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.

It was thereafter that David smote the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Meteg HaAma, the name of a city or region. Alternatively, the phrase means the reins of authority. David removed Meteg HaAma from the possession of the Philistines.

He smote Moav, and he measured them, the Moavite soldiers, with a rope, a measuring device, laying them on the ground. He measured the length of two ropes to put to death, and one rope length to keep alive. He killed two-thirds of the soldiers. David was not interested in conquering Moav, but he wanted to destroy its military force. The Moavites became servants and bearers of tribute, taxes, to David, an expression of their submission and acceptance of David’s rule.

David smote Hadadezer son of Rehov, king of Tzova, when he, Hadadezer, attempted to extend his borders to the region of the Euphrates River by waging war. This war was waged far from the areas where the children of Israel lived.

David captured from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand infantry. David incapacitated all the chariots but, he preserved from them one hundred chariots, out of many hundreds of chariots.

Aram Damascus, another Aramean kingdom in Syria, whose capital city was Damascus, came to assist Hadadezer king of Tzova, and David smote twenty-two thousand men of Aram.

David installed senior officials in Aram Damascus, and the people of Aram became servants to David, bearers of tribute. Although David sometimes had to fight on two battlefronts at once, and his enemies often had the element of surprise, nevertheless the Lord saved David wherever he went (see 10:6–14).

David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.

From Betah and from Berotai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a great deal of bronze.

To’i king of Hamat, a city-state in the center of present-day Syria, heard that David had smitten the entire army of Hadadezer.

To’i sent Yoram his son to King David to greet him, and to congratulate him for his having waged war against Hadadezer and having smitten him, as Hadadezer had been a man of wars with To’i. As a sign of gratitude for defeating the king of Tzova, To’i sent a delegation to David, headed by his son, and in his hand were silver vessels, gold vessels, and bronze vessels, as gifts for David.

Those too King David consecrated to the Lord for the construction of the Temple, with the silver and gold that he consecrated from all the nations that he conquered,

from Aram, and from Moav, and from the children of Amon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek, and from the spoils of Hadadezer son of Rehov, king of Tzova.

David established a monument, he constructed a memorial commemorating his victories, or he became famous, upon his return from his smiting the Arameans in the Valley of Salt, eighteen thousand men.

He installed officials in Edom; in all Edom he installed officials, and all the Edomites became servants to David. The Lord saved David wherever he went.

David reigned over all Israel, not only Judah; and David performed justice and righteousness for his entire people. Like most kings of the time, David occasionally served as a judge as well as king. He also engaged in acts of charity and kindness.

The text provides a short list of David’s main staff: Yoav son of Tzeruya was commander-in-chief in charge of the army, and Yehoshafat son of Ahilud was chancellor, who would present to the king the pressing issues that required his decisions in the various areas of government;

Tzadok son of Ahituv and Ahimelekh son of Evyatar were priests. They were from the two original branches of the priesthood, the family of Elazar and the family of Itamar. And Seraya was the scribe, a kind of foreign minister who would write letters in the king’s name to other nations, in their languages;

Benaya son of Yehoyada was in charge of the regiments of the Keretites and the Peletites,and David’s sons were senior ministers. David assigned his mature sons to various positions, and they formed the core of his government.

David said: Is there anyone else, another descendant, who remains of the house of Saul, and I will act kindness with him for Yehonatan’s sake? Yehonatan was David’s beloved friend, with whom he had enacted a covenant. It is possible that any surviving family members of the defeated king were hiding in an undisclosed location for fear of retribution. However, David was not searching for them to kill them, but for the opposite purpose. This is why David later tells Mefivoshet: Do not fear (verse 7; see also 19:29).

The house of Saul had a servant, who apparently was not Jewish, and who had overseen the family’s finances for many years, and his name was Tziva; they summoned him to come to David. The king said to him: Are you Tziva? He said: Your servant. I am he.

The king said: Is there no one else of the house of Saul, that I may act the kindness of God, genuine, enduring kindness, or a kindness that is motivated by David’s duty to God alone, with him? Tziva said to the king: There is another son of Yehonatan, who is crippled in his legs, and is therefore not well known.

The king said to him: Where is he? Tziva said to the king: Behold, he is in the house of Makhir son of Amiel in Lo Devar.

King David sent, and he took him from the house of Makhir son of Amiel from Lo Devar.

Mefivoshet, son of Yehonatan, son of Saul, came to David, fell on his face, and prostrated himself. David said: Mefivoshet. He said: Behold, your servant. This was apparently a standard response to an address from a dignitary or king.

David said to him: Do not be afraid, as I will perform a double kindness with you for the sake of Yehonatan your father. I will return to you the entire field of Saul your father. This was the first act of kindness. The status of Saul’s inheritance at that point was unclear. Apparently, it had been taken by David as the next king, and the surviving members of Saul’s family preferred to remain anonymous and did not attempt to claim it. In his second act of kindness, David offered Mefivoshet personal honor: And you will eat bread at my table always.

He, Mefivoshet, prostrated himself and said: What is your servant that you have turned to a dead dog like me? Who am I to deserve this great honor? The same phrase, “dead dog,” was employed by David himself many years earlier, to Mefivoshet’s grandfather, Saul himself.

The king summoned Tziva, Saul’s lad, and said to him: I have given everything, all the property that belonged to Saul, and to all his house, to your master’s son, Mefivoshet.

You shall continue serving in your role: Work the land for him, you, and your sons, and your servants, and you shall bring it in, the produce, and it will be for your master’s son for food, and he will consume it. Saul’s grandson will receive the profits from this field as an inheritance, with which he can support his household after all expenses have been deducted, but as for Mefivoshet himself, your master’s son will eat food at my table always. You need not be concerned with his own sustenance, as he will eat at my table, while he will retain the profits from the field. Tziva had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

Tziva said to the king: In accordance with everything that my lord the king commands his servant, so your servant will do. Mefivoshet has been eating at my table like one of the king’s sons. I have always treated him with respect, and I never ridiculed him. I admit that I was afraid to claim his rights on his behalf, but now I am happy to return all of his property.

Mefivoshet had a young son, and his name was Mikha. All the residents of Tziva’s household were now servants to Mefivoshet.

Mefivoshet settled in Jerusalem, as he was eating at the king’s table always. Not only did the quality of his meals improve, but his status changed as well, as Mefivoshet was now a member of the royal household. And he was crippled in both his legs. This disability has already been mentioned (4:4, 9:3); it is reiterated in explanation of why Mefivoshet was not especially active. The observation is also important for the continuation of the story of Mefivoshet below (see 16:1–4, 19:25–31).

The following event did not necessarily occur immediately after the unrelated previous episode involving Mefivoshet. It was thereafter that the king of the children of Amon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead.

David said to himself: I will act with kindness with Hanun son of Nahash, as his father acted with kindness with me. Apparently, the king of Amon and the king of Moav had offered support to David when he fled from Saul, and had even provided his parents with sustenance. David sent to console him over his late father by means of his servants. David’s servants came to the land of the children of Amon, to see the new king.

The princes of the children of Amon said to Hanun their master: Is David honoring your father in your eyes, in that he sent consolers to you? Do you truly believe that he wishes to honor your father? Isn’t it in order to examine the city, to spy it and to reconnoiter it, that David sent his servants to you? His messengers are spies, not consolers.

Hanun took David’s servants, and he shaved half of their beards, an act of humiliation, and he cut their long garments in half, until their buttocks, so that they appeared half-naked, and he sent them away. This was his response to what he considered the duplicity of David and his men.

They reported to David what the king had done, and he sent men to meet them. The members of the delegation did not wish to return directly to the king, as the men were greatly humiliated. The king said: Stay in Jericho until your beards grow, and return. You need not come to me immediately.

Following their brazen actions, which were aimed at shaming David, the children of Amon saw that they had become odious to David, and they grew concerned about his response, so the children of Amon sent and they hired military forces from Aram Beit Rehov, and Aram Tzova, two Aramean kingdoms in the Syrian region, twenty thousand infantry, and from the king of Maakha, a small local province in the same area, and one thousand men arrived, and also from the men of the land of Tov, twelve thousand men.

David heard and sent Yoav and the entire army of the mighty to attack the Amonites immediately. Since the land of Amon did not have adequate defenses, the Israelite army reached all the way to the capital city.

The children of Amon came forth from the city, and deployed for battle at the entrance of the gate, to defend their city; Aram Tzova, and Rehov, the men of Tov and Maakha, the hired soldiers, were by themselves in the field, without the children of Amon, as they threatened David’s men from the rear.

Yoav saw that the face of the battle was before and behind him and he chose from all the chosen of Israel, an elite unit, and he deployed against the Arameans. He reasoned that the Arameans would bring a larger, stronger, and more experienced force than the Amonites.

The rest of the people he placed into the hand of Avshai, Avishai, his brother, and he deployed them against the children of Amon. Yoav was not overly concerned about the Amonites, but had he turned his entire force to the Arameans, the Amonites would certainly have attacked him from behind. Therefore, he sent a large unit under the command of Avishai to halt the Amonites’ advance.

He said to Avishai: If Aram overpowers me, you will be my salvation, and if the children of Amon overpower you, I will come to save you. Although we are fighting on two fronts, our forces can assist one another, so that if one is in trouble, the other can provide additional manpower.

Next Yoav addressed the army: Be strong, and let us be strengthened for the sake of our people and for the sake of the cities of our God, and the Lord will do what is good in His eyes.

Yoav and the people who were with him advanced to the battle against Aram, and they fled from before him. Yoav was an excellent commander, and he was accompanied by powerful warriors, while the Aramean force consisted of mercenaries who had no particular desire to endanger their lives in battle.

The children of Amon saw that Aram had fled, and they fled from before Avishai and entered the city to entrench themselves there. Yoav departed from the battlefront; he returned from the encampment adjacent to the children of Amon, and he came to Jerusalem for a brief respite from the battlefield. As the war was not yet completed, some Israelite battalions stayed behind to continue the siege against the children of Amon.

Aram saw that it was routed before Israel, that they had been struck, and they gathered together to plan their reprisal. Through this battle, David had demonstrated that not only was he capable of guarding the borders of his land, but he was also prepared to expand his kingdom by conquering additional territory. The Arameans knew that David would not forgive them for their intervention in the war with Amon, and therefore they readied themselves for an attack.

Hadadezer sent a request for assistance, and he brought out Aram from beyond the river, those Arameans who lived on the other side of the Euphrates, in the Aramean homeland; and they came to Helam, a place northeast of the Jordan River, with Shovakh, commander of the army of Hadadezer marching before them.

It was reported to David, and he gathered all Israel, and crossed the Jordan. This second operation east of the Jordan River was led by David himself. And he came to Helam, where the Aramean soldiers had gathered on the plain. Aram deployed against David, and waged war with him.

Aram was routed and fled from before Israel, and David slew from Aram seven hundred charioteers, and forty thousand horsemen, a very large force, and he also smote Shovakh, commander of his army, of Hadadezer, and he died there. Shovakh was a prominent military officer.

All the kings, subjects of Hadadezer, saw that they were routed before Israel, and they made peace with Israel, and served them. They officially accepted David’s authority upon themselves. Israel was now considered the ruling nation, and the Arameans had to pay taxes to David. Aram feared saving the children of Amon any longer.

The war between David and the Amonites had not yet concluded. It was at the turn of the year, after a year, at the time when kings go forth to their battles, in the summer or the spring, and David sent Yoav, and his servants with him, and all Israel; they destroyed the children of Amon, they inflicted heavy damage upon them, and besieged their capital, Raba. And meanwhile, David stayed in Jerusalem.

It was one day at evening time, and David rose from upon his bed, after taking a rest, and he was walking on the roof of the king’s house. Most of the roofs at that time were flat. Among other purposes, they were used for taking a stroll. Evidently, the king’s house was taller than the surrounding houses, and therefore David could see the entire city from his roof without being seen. He saw a woman bathing in her house, while he was strolling on the roof. Alternatively, he saw a woman bathing on the roof of her house; and the woman was of very fair appearance and she found favor in David’s eyes.

David sent and he inquired about the identity of the woman who lived there. One, the messenger, said: Isn’t that Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, wife of Uriya the Hitite? Eliam and Uriya were two of David’s warriors.

David sent messengers and he took her. She came to him, and he lay with her, and she had been purifying through her bathing from her impurity. She returned to her house.

This deed would have remained a one-off occurrence, but it had a consequence: The woman conceived, as this act of relations was performed at the appropriate time for conception; and she sent and told David. She said: I have conceived your child.

David sent an order to Yoav: Send me Uriya the Hitite. Yoav sent Uriya to David.

Uriya came to him and David asked about the status of Yoav and the status of the people, and the status of the war, as Uriya was an officer in the army.

David said to Uriya: Now that I have received your report, go down, return to your house to rest, and wash your feet, a euphemism for marital relations. Uriya went out from the king’s house, and the king’s gift went out after him. As befitting a warrior returning from the battlefront, the king sent Uriya a gift. David thought that if Uriya returned home after a significant period’s absence, he would certainly engage in relations with his wife. Consequently, the child born in a few months’ time would naturally be considered Uriya’s own son, and the identity of the real father would never be revealed.

Uriya lay at the entrance of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, the military force stationed around the house of the king, and he did not go down to his house.

They told David, saying: Uriya did not go down to his house. David said to Uriya: Haven’t you come from a journey? Why didn’t you go down to your house?

Uriya said to David: The ark that accompanied Israel to war, which presumably was not the actual Ark of the Covenant, and Israel and Judah, the rest of my tribe, are dwelling in booths, in a camp; and my lord Yoav, and the servants of my lord, are encamped out in the open field, far from their homes, and I should go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife and enjoy this respite? Uriya swore: By your life, the king, and by your soul, I will not do this thing. David’s plan failed.

David said to Uriya: Stay here today as well, and tomorrow I will send you away, back to the battlefront. Uriya stayed in Jerusalem that day, and the next day.

David called him, and he, Uriya, ate and drank before him, and he got him drunk. David gave Uriya wine in the hope that he would change his mind, return home, and engage in relations with his wife. But he came out from David in the evening to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, and he did not go down to his house.

The problem remained unresolved. Since Uriya had not returned home, it would be obvious to all that the child was illegitimate. It was in the morning that David wrote a letter, which supposedly contained orders about the war, to Yoav, his commander-in-chief, and he sent it in the hand of Uriya.

He wrote in the letter, saying: Place Uriya at the front of the fighting. He would certainly have been standing in the frontlines, as in ancient times commanders in the army of Israel would enter battle before their soldiers, and retreat from behind him, so that no one would be protecting him, that he be smitten by the enemy, and die.

David did not instruct Yoav to kill Uriya himself, but rather to cause his death indirectly. He gave the sealed letter to Uriya, under the assumption that Uriya would not open a letter that was not meant for him. Yoav accepted these unusual orders without question. He may have thought that they were based on important tactical considerations on David’s part, and therefore he was prepared to execute the command. It was while Yoav was guarding the city, Rabat Amon, that he positioned Uriya at, across from, a place that he knew that valiant men were there, waiting inside.

The men of the city emerged, as is the manner of a besieged army to send out soldiers every so often for a surprise attack against those waiting on the other side, and they battled with Yoav, and some of the people of the servants of David fell, and also Uriya the Hitite died during the course of the battle.

Yoav sent a letter or a messenger and reported to David all the matters of the war. Several days had passed since Uriya had reported the latest from the battlefront, and Yoav wished to update David on the new developments.

He commanded the messenger, saying: When you conclude telling all the matters of the war to the king,

it shall be that if the king’s fury is aroused, and he says to you: Why did you approach the city to fight without all necessary precautions? Didn’t you know that they shoot arrows and throw stones from atop the wall?

Who smote Avimelekh son of Yerubeshet, Yerubaal, also known as the judge Gideon? Didn’t a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from atop the wall, and he died at the city of Tevetz? Some identify this city with the modern-day Palestinian city of Tubas. If so, why did you approach the wall with such impulsiveness? You shall say, in response to his angry reaction: Also your servant Uriya the Hitite is dead. Yoav knew that David wanted Uriya dead, for whatever reason. However, as he wanted to report about the mission without arousing the messenger’s suspicion, he gave him an ambiguous message. The messenger was instructed to explain to David that the operation was not undertaken by a small or incapable unit which had no chance of success. Rather, the unit was led by a commander whom the king had known for many years, and he himself was a casualty. Therefore, the decision would appear to be a tactical error on the part of the commander who authorized the mission, and Yoav could thus let David know of Uriya’s death in an apparently innocent manner.

The messenger went, and he arrived and reported to David everything that Yoav had sent him.

The messenger said to David: When the men overpowered us, and came out to us from the besieged city to the field to fight us, and we attacked back, we were upon them, and repelled them up to the entrance of the gate.

During the battle on the ground, the archers shot at your servants from atop the wall, and some of the king’s servants died, and your servant, Uriya the Hitite, also died. The messenger related the entire incident in all its details. Just as Uriya was unaware that he was conveying a letter with instructions for his own death, so too, Yoav’s messenger did not fully understand the true significance of his report.

David said to the messenger: So you shall say to Yoav: Let this matter not be grave in your eyes, as you know that war always exacts a price, as in this or that one the sword will consume, and even quality soldiers are sometimes killed. Intensify your war against the city, and destroy it. Encourage him, Yoav. Tell him that the king has heard the report, understands the situation, and wants the fight to continue.

The wife of Uriya heard that Uriya her husband died, and she lamented properly over her husband. His death was not kept a secret; the messenger may even have informed her personally.

The mourning passed, and David sent and brought her to his house; she became his wife. To all appearances, the story was simple: The king comforted a widow whose husband died in battle, and married her, perhaps out of the goodness of his heart. And she bore him a son, who had, of course, been fathered by David while her husband was still alive. The matter that David did was grave in the eyes of the Lord. This incident, as described in the text, involved two transgressions, both of which entail the death penalty. First, adultery with a married woman, for which the primary responsibility was David’s. Even if Bathsheba was a willing participant to a certain extent, the deed was not primarily in her control. The second transgression was murder.

The Lord sent Natan the prophet to David to deliver a harsh rebuke for his deeds. He came to him with a parable through which he hoped that David would realize the severity of his actions by himself, so that the prophet would not have to castigate him directly. And Natan said to him: There were two men in a city, one rich and one poor.

The rich man had a great deal of flocks and cattle.

The poor man had nothing save one little ewe that he had bought; he took care of it, by feeding and caring for it himself, and it grew up together with him and with his children. Since this lamb was the poor man’s only possession, he treated it like an actual member of his household. It would eat from his bread, and it would drink from his cup, and it would lie in his bosom; it became like a daughter to him. The lamb was not merely his property; it was also a beloved, treasured creature.

A traveler came to the rich man. He, the rich man, was loath to take from his flock or slaughter an animal from his cattle to prepare for the guest who had come to him, and he took the ewe of the poor man and prepared it for the man who had come to him. Natan relates the story of this injustice as though it had occurred in an actual city, and he asked the king to judge the behavior of the rich man.

David’s wrath was greatly enflamed against the rich man, and he said to Natan: As the Lord lives, I swear that the man who does this is deserving of death. This is not simply an act of robbery; appropriating the poor man’s most precious item is a terrible injustice.

He shall pay fourfold for the ewe, because he performed this matter, and because he had no compassion on the poor man’s only possession, his precious lamb which meant everything to him.

Natan said to David: You are the man! This is not a hypothetical story; rather, it describes you and your deeds. So said the Lord, God of Israel: I anointed you as king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

I gave you the house of your master, which you inherited from him, and your master’s wives I gave you in your bosom. This does not mean that David married Saul’s wives; rather, the verse is referring to Mikhal, Saul’s daughter. And I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that were not enough, and you wanted more property or wives, I would add for you so much more, you could receive more.

Why did you debase the word of the Lord, to do evil in My eyes? Uriya the Hitite you indirectly smote with the sword, as in effect, you ordered his death, and his wife you took for yourself as a wife, and killed him with the sword of the children of Amon. You did not dare to kill him outright; instead, you cunningly sent him to die at the hand of the enemy.

Now, just as you declared with regard to the rich man that he should be executed, the sword will not turn away from your house forever, as death will pursue your household in all generations, because you have debased Me and My commands, and you have taken the wife of Uriya the Hitite to be your wife, thereby showing no self-restraint.

So said the Lord: Behold, I will arouse harm against you from your house. Your punishment will come from your own family. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, someone else, and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun, publicly. This prophecy came to pass with Avshalom’s rebellion against his father (16:22).

For you acted in secret, but I will do this matter before all Israel, and before the sun.

David said to Natan: I have sinned to the Lord. Natan said to David: Since you sincerely regret your misdeeds, the Lord has expunged even your sin; you will not die. The curse of the sword will not fall directly upon you.

However, because you have scorned the enemies of the Lord, a euphemism for God, with this matter, therefore verily the child that is born to you from Bathsheba will die.

Natan went to his house and the Lord afflicted the child that Uriya’s wife bore to David, and he was gravely ill, to the extent that he was in mortal danger.

David entreated God on behalf of the boy; David fasted, and when he would go to sleep in his house, he would lie on the ground, without eating.

The elders, the dignitaries, of his house accosted him, to raise him from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. Rather, he continued to lie down and fast.

It was on the seventh day of David’s prayers to God and his fasting that the child died. The servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child had died, as they said to each other: Behold, when the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he did not heed our voice; how will we tell him that the child is dead, and he will do harm? If we inform him that the child is dead, who knows what he might do to himself?

David saw that his servants were whispering, and David understood that the child had died. David said to his servants: Has the child died? They said: Yes, he is dead.

David rose from the ground, and he bathed, anointed himself with oil, changed his garment, and came to the House of the Lord to pray, and prostrated himself. He entered his house and requested food, and they placed bread before him, and he ate. After hearing the sad news, the king returned to his normal lifestyle and began to act as though the entire matter was behind him.

His servants said to him, after observing his strange reaction to the child’s death: What is this thing that you have done? For the living child you fasted and wept, and when the child died, you rose and ate food, as though nothing is wrong.

He said: While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, as I said: Who knows? Perhaps the Lord will favor me, and the child will live. Perhaps God will be kind to me, and the child will be healed. I fasted and wept not only because the child’s illness pained me, but also because I was doing my utmost to help him by requesting of God to cure him from his sickness.

But now that he, the child, is dead, why should I fast? The fasting was part of my supplication to God to spare the child; it was not that I was physically unable to eat. Can I now restore him any longer, even if I continue to fast? After all, I am going to him, as the child exists in the World to Come, and I will see him when I pass away; but he will not return to me.

David consoled Bathsheba his wife in her mourning for her son. Bathsheba was certainly overcome with emotion following the incident with David and the subsequent death of her child. David therefore wished to raise her spirits. Accordingly, he issued various promises to her, including the assurance that if they had another child, that son would rule after David. Bathsheba later reminded David of this promise. And he, David, came to her and he lay with her. She bore a son and named him Solomon. This name may have symbolized that there would now be peace [shalom]. Unlike the first son who, according to the plain meaning of the text, was born from an adulterous relationship, and entered the world in pain and suffering, this child was born after the matter was apparently resolved. Bathsheba was now David’s lawful wife, and the birth of the new child concluded the episode to a certain extent, both in the heavenly realm as well as on earth. And already from the beginning of this child’s conception, the Lord loved him.

He, God, sent at the hand of Natan the prophet, who this time did not come to rebuke David, but for the opposite reason: And he called his, Solomon’s, name Yedidya, which means beloved of God, for the Lord, as God loved him.

Yoav fought against Raba, of the children of Amon, and he captured the royal city, the compound of the king’s palace, which was like its own district, similar to the king’s fortress in Jerusalem. Yoav did not conquer the entire city, but successfully conquered its stronghold.

Yoav sent messengers to David, and said: I waged war against Raba, and I also captured the water city, the district of the city where the water sources are located.

Now that I have conquered the water source and the city has no chance of holding out, gather the rest of the people in the army, and encamp against the remaining part of the city and capture it, lest I take the city, and it will be called after my name. Yoav’s interest here is David’s honor. He wants David to be credited with the victory despite the fact that he would only be completing a conquest that had mostly been carried out already.

David gathered the entire people, went to Raba, fought against it, and captured it.

He took their king’s [malcam] crown; alternatively, this is the name of a god, as Molekh, or Malcam, was the chief deity of Amon; from upon his head; its weight was one talent of gold, and in it a precious stone was inlaid, and it was set on David’s head every so often; not for significant lengths of time, as it was very heavy. Alternatively, this means that the crown was suspended above David’s head rather than placed directly on it. He removed the spoils of the city, a vast amount.

He brought out the people who were in it, in Amon, who opposed him. However, at least one of the prominent residents supported David (see 17:27). Apparently, David left some sort of governmental administration in Amon. And set upon them with saws, with iron picks, and with iron axes. David killed the residents of the city while severely torturing them. His soldiers hacked the people, tore their flesh, and split their bodies. Alternatively, they subjugated the people to hard labor. And passed them through the brick kiln; they trampled them in the location where bricks were produced.Alternatively, they forced them to produce bricks, similar to the labor of the Israelites in Egypt. So he would do, and in fact did, to all the cities of the children of Amon. Since the war broke out as a result of the national insult caused by the humiliation of the Israelite king’s messengers (see 10:4), David exacted brutal punishment that was intended to intimidate the Amonites and surrounding nations and to restore honor to Israel. David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

It was after that [ah·], and Avshalom son of David had a fair sister, and her name was Tamar. There does not appear to be any causal or chronological connection between the military victory over Amon and the incident that follows. This observation is supported by the Midrash, which states that when an incident is introduced with the term aĥar, it occurred shortly after what was described previously, but when it is introduced by the term aĥarei, it occurred a significant amount of time after the events described previously. The verse describes Tamar as Avshalom’s sister (see also verse 4), apparently indicating that she was not David’s daughter. This provides important background for the story. Tamar and Avshalom were children of the same mother: Maakha, daughter of the king of Geshur. Apparently, Tamar had been conceived or born before David married Maakha. She was raised in David’s household, but as far as David and his family members were concerned, her status was not that of an adopted daughter or sister. Others claim that Tamar was indeed a biological daughter of Maakha and David; however Maakha had conceived her before she converted to Judaism, in accordance with the opinion that the law of a woman taken captive permits relations with her before she converts. Consequently, from a halakhic perspective, Tamar was not considered a sister of Amnon. Amnon son of David loved her. Amnon, as David’s eldest son and the crown prince, was accustomed to a life of indulgence and to a feeling of power and authority. Due to that sense of entitlement, when he fell in love with Tamar, he was neither inclined nor equipped to control himself.

Amnon was so distressed that he fell ill due to his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and in keeping with the common behavior of virgins, she lived privately in her quarters and did not come into contact with Amnon. And yet it was beyond Amnon to do anything, to initiate any contact, with her.

Amnon had a friend, and his name was Yonadav son of Shima, also called Shama; Shima was David’s older brother. Yonadav, who was presumably older than his cousin Amnon, was a very clever [h·] man. Yonadav was shrewd and could give advice that was very effective, though not necessarily morally sound. Although the word ĥakham means wise or clever, it does not necessarily refer to an individual of high moral stature.

He said to him, to Amnon: Why are you so pathetic morning after morning, son of the king? The fact that you look miserable every morning, before the day has even started, clearly indicates that you are distressed. Won’t you tell me what is disturbing you? Amnon said to him: I love Tamar, sister of my brother Avshalom.

Yehonadav said to him: I have an idea. Lie on your bed and make yourself ill. Your father will come to see you; say to him: Please let my sister Tamar come and serve me food. Let her prepare the food before my eyes, so that I will see her prepare it, and perhaps the sight and smell of the food will stimulate my appetite, and I will eat from her hand, as I am currently unable to eat anything. This is the ruse suggested by Yonadav to get Tamar to go to Amnon’s room.

Amnon lay down and made himself ill. The king, as expected, came to see him, and Amnon said to the king: Please let my sister Tamar come and prepare me two pancakes before my eyes, and I will eat from her hand. These pancakes [levivot] were apparently similar to the food known as levivot in modern Hebrew; they were composed primarily of dough, perhaps together with other ingredients, and were fried in oil.

David innocently sent to Tamar at the house, saying: Please go to the house of your brother Amnon, and prepare the food for him.

Tamar went to the house of Amnon her brother, and he was lying down. She took the dough, kneaded and prepared pancakes before his eyes, and cooked the pancakes.

She took the pan and set them out before him, but he refused to eat. Amnon said: Send out every man from before me. He asked all of his servants and visitors to leave. And every man went out from before him.

Amnon said to Tamar: Bring the food that you have prepared into the room, and I will eat from your hand. Tamar took the pancakes that she had prepared and brought them to Amnon her brother, to the room.

She served them to him to eat, while he was still lying in bed, and he took hold of her forcefully and said to her, coarsely: Come lie with me, my sister.

She answered him: No, my brother, do not afflict me, for so shall not be done in Israel; perhaps in neighboring countries they allow young men who desire young women to do as they please, but this is certainly not the case in Israel. Do not perform this despicable act.

As for me, where will I carry my shame? How could I endure the resulting disgrace? And you will be considered like one of the knaves in Israel. Now, please, if you desire me, speak to the king, as although he has not thought of it before, he will not withhold me from you.

He was unwilling to heed her voice. Amnon desired Tamar; it is not clear that he genuinely loved her, despite his declaration that he did. Apparently, Amnon did not consider the possibility of marrying Tamar, and Yonadav did not suggest it. It is possible that as the prince who might one day become king, Amnon did not see Tamar as having sufficiently distinguished lineage for him. Tamar resisted, and he overpowered her, and forced her and lay with her.

Once he had fulfilled his desire, Amnon hated her with exceedingly great hatred, as the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had previously loved her. Amnon said to her: Rise, go away immediately.

She said to him: Do not do this, for this is a greater evil, to send me away publicly, than the other humiliation, the rape, that you did to me. It is possible that Tamar wanted to remain in his room until she was able to calm down, and leave later, without others noticing. Alternatively, perhaps her protest concerned marriage. Torah law requires a man who rapes a virgin to marry her, if she so desires. He was unwilling to heed her.

He called his lad, his servant, and said: Please send this one away from me, and lock the door behind her so that she cannot reenter. Amnon did not even refer to Tamar by name.

When Tamar had come to Amnon, there was an embroidered tunic, a tunic of embroidered stripes of many colors, or of strips of cloth sewn together, beautiful and special, similar to that given by Jacob to his beloved son, Joseph, upon her other garments, for so would the king’s virgin daughters wear robes. They would wear these robes over their other clothing as a sign of honor and an indication of their elevated status. His servant took her out and locked the door behind her.

Tamar took ashes and placed them on her head, and rent the embroidered upper tunic that was upon her. She placed her hand on her head and went, crying out as she walked, in her pain and despair.

Avshalom her brother said to her when she returned to her house: Has Aminon your brother been with you? Avshalom referred to Amnon derisively as Aminon. It is possible that Avshalom realized what had occurred before anyone else, as Avshalom naturally had greater concern and sensitivity for his sister, he knew Amnon well, and was approximately the same age. He also may have realized that such an act was entirely consistent with Amnon’s general behavior. Now, my sister, be silent, do not generate a scandal. In general the victim of rape, or her father, would press charges against the aggressor but that is not going to happen in this case, for he is your brother, do not set your heart on this matter; since you cannot do anything about it, keep the matter quiet. This practical advice did not console Tamar, and so Tamar stayed alone and in desolation in the house of Avshalom her brother. This indicates that the grown children of the king did not live in the royal palace, but rather in small houses of their own.

King David heard of all these matters, for Tamar had gone out yelling and crying, and with torn clothes, in order to publicize what had occurred, and he was greatly incensed, or pained. Nonetheless, the text does not mention that David took any action to aid Tamar, who was under his custody, or that he rebuked Amnon.

From that time, Avshalom did not speak to Amnon, either good or bad; he was not even able to speak to him in order to rebuke him, for Avshalom hated Amnon over the matter that he had violated Tamar his sister.

Due to Avshalom’s deep hatred for Amnon, which he had no way to express, he began to consider actually causing Amnon harm. It was after two years, and they were shearing for Avshalom in Baal Hatzor, which is alongside Ephraim, and Avshalom invited all the king’s sons to celebrate the shearing with him, as it was customary to hold a great celebration at the conclusion of the shearing.

Avshalom came to the king and said: Behold now, they are shearing for your servant; let the king and his servants please go with your servant.

The king said to Avshalom: No, my son, please let us not all go, that we not be a burden to you. I am happy for you, but it will be unnecessarily burdensome to you if my entourage and I join your private celebration. He implored him, but he was unwilling to go, and he blessed him. The king wished Avshalom well but did not agree to attend the celebration.

Avshalom said: If you do not join us, please, let my brother Amnon go with us. Avshalom was insulted, or at least displayed insult, at the king’s refusal to attend, and demanded that he at least send his eldest son to represent him. The king said to him: Why should he go with you? Why do you require his presence? David did not feel comfortable with this request, as he knew of the tense relationship between Avshalom and Amnon.

Avshalom implored him again, and the king agreed, and he sent Amnon with him, and all the king’s sons. David knew that Avshalom was not trying to draw close to Amnon, but assumed that he wanted the honor of the participation of the prince.

Avshalom commanded his lads, saying: See now, when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, when he is drunk at the celebration of the shearing, and he won’t have full use of his faculties, I will say to you: Smite Amnon, and put him to death. Do not be afraid. Wasn’t it I who commanded you? It is no small matter to kill a man without trial, especially the king’s eldest son, but the responsibility for the act will not fall upon you, as you are expected to simply fulfill my commands. Be strong, and be valiant men.

Indeed, during the celebration, Avshalom’s lads did to Amnon as Avshalom had commanded. When they saw this murder carried out in front of their eyes, all the king’s other sons rose; each man rode on his mule and fled.

It was when they were still on the way, and it is possible that due to their fear and shock they did not take the quickest route home, that the rumor came to David, saying: Avshalom has smitten all the king’s sons, and not one of them remains. David received the message that there had been murder among his sons, and although none of his sons had returned home yet, the message received was erroneous, that Avshalom had killed them all.

The king rose and rent his garments and lay on the ground; all his servants were standing by him with rent garments, due to the horrific tragedy that had struck the royal household.

Yonadav, son of Shima, David’s brother, spoke up and said: Let my lord not say that they have put all the lads, sons of the king, to death, as I would assume that Amnon alone is dead. Avshalom had no reason to kill the other sons of the king, whereas he had a clear motive to kill Amnon; for according to Avshalom it has been determined from the day that he violated Tamar his sister. Avshalom has been planning to kill Amnon since the day that he raped Tamar.

Now let my lord, the king, not set a matter in his heart, saying: All the sons of the king have died, for Amnon alone is dead. Yonadav’s cleverness is again manifest in his comments here; of course, he did not reveal his part in the original plot.

Avshalom fled in a different direction than the rest of the king’s sons, as he was afraid that he would be punished harshly for his actions. The lad who was the lookout on top of the city wall, whose job was to relay what was happening from afar, lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, a large group of people was traveling from the road to his rear [ah·], along the hillside. Alternatively, this phrase may be translated to mean that they were coming from the west as, in the Bible, kedem, meaning before, connotes east, while aĥor, meaning behind, connotes west. He could not identify the people in the crowd.

Yonadav said to the king: Behold, the king’s sons have come; in accordance with the words of your servant, so it was. My prediction has been proven correct.

It was as he concluded to speak, and behold, the king’s sons came. They raised their voice and wept, and also the king and all his servants wept a very great weeping. They were all shocked about Amnon’s death, and the fact that a murder had occurred within the family.

Avshalom fled and went to Talmai, son of Amihud, king of Geshur, who was apparently his grandfather. Avshalom’s mother was from Geshur, and therefore he was confident that the king would not extradite him. He, David, mourned for his son Amnon every day. It is likely that he was also quite upset about his son Avshalom’s actions. Furthermore, David’s sorrow was presumably amplified by his own unknowing role in the sequence of events. It was David who sent Tamar to Amnon (verse 7) and who sent Amnon to Avshalom (verse 27). In addition, he had not demanded redress of Tamar’s humiliation.

Avshalom fled and went to Geshur, and he was there three years.

King David yearned to go out to Avshalom, for he was consoled over Amnon, as he was dead. As demonstrated in the previous story as well, even when David mourned his dead children he realized that they would not return, and that it was necessary to continue with life. Consequently, his mourning for Amnon dimmed with time, whereas his longing for Avshalom remained at full strength.

Yoav son of Tzeruya sensed that the king’s heart was toward Avshalom; that he yearned for his son. The relationship between Yoav and David was complex (see 3:24–39; 16:10; 19:23), however, it was close, and Yoav was concerned for David’s well-being. Whether David mentioned it explicitly or not, Yoav perceived that he missed his son. Yoav did not dare act on his own to bring back Avshalom, but employed a strategy to indirectly cause him to return.

Yoav sent to the town of Tekoa, and he took from there a wise woman who would know how to play her unusual role convincingly. And he said to her: Please mourn, and please wear mourning garments, and do not anoint with oil, and through your attire and your lack of cosmetics, you shall be as a woman mourning for a dead person for these many days.

You shall come to the king and speak to him in this manner. Yoav placed the words in her mouth. Yoav did not tell her exactly what to say, but explained his goals: She was to put on a performance that would lead David to allow the return of his son Avshalom. Yoav expected that she would have the wisdom to successfully fulfill her mission.

The Tekoan woman said to the king, and she immediately fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and she said: May the king provide salvation. I need your direct assistance.

The king said to her: What is it with you? She said: Indeed, I am a widow, and my husband died.

Your maidservant has but two sons; as my husband died, they are all I had left, and the two of them fought in the field, and there was no rescuer to come between them. One smote the other and killed him.

And as a result of this incident, behold, the entire family rose against your maidservant and said: Deliver the one who smote his brother, and we will put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed, in accordance with the law of a blood redeemer, and they are demanding: We will destroy the sole surviving heir as well. They will extinguish my ember that remains, so as not to leave my husband a name and a remnant on the face of the earth. I have lost my husband and one of my sons and now they want to kill my other son so that my husband and I will have no living descendants.

The king said to the woman: Go to your house, and I will issue a command concerning you. In your case they will not apply the law of the blood redeemer.

David’s general promise to deal with the issue did not suffice for the woman; she wanted to extract a more decisive answer from the king. The Tekoan woman said to the king: My lord the king, if I have been imprecise with regard to the details, or if there has been some wrongdoing, the iniquity is upon me, and upon my father’s house, and the king and his throne are innocent.

The king said in a more decisive and emotive manner: Anyone who speaks to you about turning in your son, bring him to me, or refer him to me, and he will not continue to disturb you.

She said: May the king please remember the Lord your God, so that the blood avenger will not destroy more, and they will not destroy my son. She requested in the name of God that her son not be harmed. Alternatively, she requested that the king affirm his guarantee with an oath. He said: As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son will fall to the ground. The king took an oath that he would ensure that her son would not be harmed.

It can be assumed that the woman presented her case in a convincing manner, but, of course, the case was not entirely unfamiliar to the king, as a similar issue had arisen in his own family. The woman said: Please, may your maidservant speak a further matter to my lord the king. He said: Speak.

The woman said: You have come to my aid with your decision, but why did you think in this manner concerning the people of God? Look what you are doing to the nation of Israel. From the king’s speaking in this manner, it is as though he is guilty, in the king not returning his own banished one. You too have such a son. Despite your words, you are treating him as one found guilty and liable to be executed. Although Avshalom is culpable for his deeds, presumably, he would not have been sentenced to death, as he personally did not kill Amnon but rather commanded his servants to do so.

For despite the severity and repulsive nature of Avshalom’s crime, we will die sooner or later, and we are like water spilled on the ground that cannot be gathered up again, in that death is irreversible; God does not take a life without devising thoughts that no one is banished from Him. Since death is irreversible, unless there is no other choice, God does not kill a sinner, so that he will not be totally lost.

Now, the fact that I came to speak this matter, my story, or my allusion to Avshalom, to my lord the king, although the people frightened me and your maidservant said: I will speak now to the king; perhaps the king will act at the word of his maidservant. I have come to speak to the king despite the fact that the people have made me afraid and sought to compel me not to raise the issue. I know that this is a sensitive topic for the king, and the king has demonstrated through his actions that he does not forgive Avshalom.

For I hoped that nonetheless the king will listen, to deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of God, meaning life.

Your maidservant said: May the word of my lord the king be for my comfort and the comfort of my son; or for the comfort of the king and his son. Alternatively, the woman asked the king not to reject her suggestion outright but to consider it in a relaxed fashion. As just like an angel of God, so is my lord the king wise and fit to listen to the good and the bad. I am merely raising the topic; you issue the decision, and may the Lord your God be with you.

The king answered and said to the woman: Please do not conceal from me that which I ask of you. The woman said: Let my lord the king speak.

The king said: Is the hand of Yoav with you in all this? Even if the woman’s story was true, she had not stopped at her own story, but had essentially said to the king: If you are concerned for the pain and distress of one woman, and agree that the victim is not helped by the death of his killer, why don’t you act accordingly? This elaboration would have been quite uncommon from a woman who had come to cry to the king about her personal difficulty; therefore, David suspected that there was additional background and motivation for her presentation. The woman answered and said: By your soul, my lord the king, no one can turn right or left from anything that my lord the king has spoken; you are absolutely correct, as your servant Yoav, it was he who commanded me to do this, and he placed all these words in the mouth of your maidservant.

It was in order to turn the matter about that your servant Yoav did this thing; my lord is wise, with the wisdom of an angel of God, to know everything that is in the land, as evidenced by the fact that you realize that Yoav initiated my presentation.

After the details had been clarified and the woman from Tekoa had been sent home, the king said to Yoav: Behold now, I have done this matter that you suggested through the woman from Tekoa; since you initiated it, you go and bring back the lad Avshalom, and I will grant him clemency.

Yoav fell on his face to the ground and prostrated himself, and he blessed the king. Yoav said: Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, in that the king has performed the request of your servant. David could have perceived Yoav’s actions as an unwelcome intrusion by a subordinate into his personal and familial affairs. Yoav therefore thanked the king for listening to his suggestion and even deciding to act upon it rather than rejecting it.

Yoav rose and went to Geshur and brought Avshalom to Jerusalem.

The king said: Let him turn aside to his house, and he shall not see my face. I am not interested in seeing him. Avshalom turned aside to his own house, and he did not see the face of the king.

The verse presents a detail relevant for upcoming events. There was no man in all of Israel so very remarkably beautiful as Avshalom; from his foot even to the top of his head there was no blemish upon him.

When he would cut the hair of his head, it was at the end of every year that he would cut his hair, for it weighed upon him and he would cut his hair; he would weigh the hair of his head; it was two hundred shekels, by the king’s weight. Avshalom’s hair was long and abundant. According to the accepted estimate that the ancient shekel weighed 11 g, two hundred shekels are equivalent to approximately 2 kg. He grew out his hair in fulfillment of a nazirite vow, or for aesthetic purposes. Avshalom looked impressive both because he was naturally good looking and because of his hair.

Another point unrelated to the current story but that becomes relevant later: Three sons and one daughter were born to Avshalom, and her name was Tamar; she was a woman of fair appearance. It is not known what became of Avshalom’s sister, Tamar, but he apparently named his daughter after her, and there must have been a deep connection between them.

Avshalom lived for two full years in Jerusalem, and he did not see the king’s face. Despite the fact that the king returned Avshalom from his exile, he continued to refuse to speak to him.

Avshalom sent for Yoav, to send him to the king; Avshalom sent Yoav a message, requesting that since he had already helped him return to Jerusalem, could he please continue to help by arranging for him to be reunited with the king. But he, Yoav, was unwilling to come to him. He sent again, a second time, but he was still unwilling to come. It is possible that Yoav did not like Avshalom, and had instigated his return only because he thought it would calm David, but now that Avshalom was back he did not want to intercede further.

When Avshalom saw that Yoav did not want to speak with him, he said to his servants: See, Yoav’s field is next to mine, or near my property, and he has barley growing there. Go and set it on fire. Avshalom’s servants, who had already demonstrated absolute obedience to whatever their master would command (see 13:29), set the field of Yoav, the army general, on fire.

Yoav rose and he came to Avshalom, to his house, which he had not done till that point, and he said to him: Why did your servants set my field on fire?

Avshalom said to Yoav: Behold, I sent to you, saying: Come here, and I will send you to the king, saying in my name: Why did I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to still be there, living in tranquility; now I am near my father but cannot see him. Now let the king call me and allow me to see the king’s face, and if he decides that there is iniquity in me, let him put me to death. A life of exile in my own home, in which I am distanced from my father, the central figure of the nation, is more difficult for me than living in Geshur.

Yoav came to the king and told him these words. It is possible that Yoav did not want to reunite Avshalom with David, but was not deeply opposed to doing so. Furthermore, he understood that Avshalom would spare no means of pressure to achieve his goal. He, David, summoned Avshalom, and he came to the king, and prostrated himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Avshalom. It appears that the relationship between them was fully restored, at least on a superficial level.

It was thereafter that Avshalom prepared for himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men running before him. He established himself as the heir to the throne.

Avshalom would rise early and stand alongside the way of the city gate, where the courts were located; any man who had a dispute would come to the king for judgment, and Avshalom would call to him, as though he was interested in his welfare, and say: From what city are you? He, that man, would say: Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel. Each person would specify which region he was from.

Avshalom would say to him: See, your matter is good and proper, but there is no one to hear you on behalf of the king. The king is too preoccupied to pay attention to your needs.

Avshalom would also say to passersby: If only I were appointed judge in the land, and to me every man who would have a dispute or judgment would come, and I would judge him equitably. Unfortunately, I do not have the power to do anything at present, but I am on your side.

It would be that when a man would approach to prostrate himself to him, he, Avshalom, would extend his hand, and grasp him, and kiss him. He put on a display of friendship and affection toward all those who came before the king.

Avshalom acted in this manner to all Israel who would come for judgment to the king, and Avshalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. People grew fond of this son of the king who treated them so charmingly.

It was at the end of forty years from when Israel first requested a king, or from David’s anointment, or from when David separated himself from Saul, and Avshalom said to the king: Please let me go and pay my vow, perhaps a vow of naziriteship, that I vowed to the Lord, in Hebron.

For your servant took a vow while I lived in Geshur in Aram, saying: If the Lord restores me to Jerusalem, then I will worship the Lord. I will do something in His honor, e.g., bring offerings.

The king said to him: Go in peace. He rose and he went to Hebron. Avshalom deliberately chose Hebron, the capital of Judah and the place where David first reigned.

Avshalom sent spies, agents he had planted, throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying: When you hear the sound of the shofar, know that this is the sign of the commencement of my reign, and you shall say: Avshalom has become king in Hebron.

With Avshalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem, perhaps to sacrifice offerings in Hebron, who were invited for that purpose, and went innocently; they did not know anything. It never occurred to them that they were in effect supporting a rebellion against the king. Thus, Avshalom arrived in the city accompanied by a very large entourage.

Avshalom sent for Ahitofel the Gilonite, David’s advisor, from his city, from Gilo, when he was slaughtering offerings. Ahitofel, the king’s advisor and an important individual in his own right, conspired with Avshalom. Ahitofel was considered the wisest person in Israel, and all would accept his counsel (see 16:23). The conspiracy of the rebellion became strong, and the people increasingly were with Avshalom. Throughout the land the populace spoke of the new king Avshalom, and people began to join his ranks.

The informant came to David, bringing news from the land, saying: The heart of the men of Israel is after Avshalom. Avshalom has declared himself king, and the people are following him.

David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem: Rise, and let us flee, as if my son arrives, there will be no remnant for us due to Avshalom. Hasten to go, lest he hasten and overtake us, and bring down harm upon us, and smite the city by the sword. Avshalom has the strength to strike the city, and I cannot protect it from him.

The king’s servants said to the king: Whatever my lord the king will choose, behold, we are your servants. We are with you, ready for your orders.

The king set out with his entire household in his wake. The king left ten concubine women to keep the house. David left them at home under the assumption that no one would touch his quasi-official wives.

The king set out, and all the people in his wake, and they stopped at a remote house, in a place or house that was located far from the city.

All his servants were passing alongside him, and all the Keretites, and all the Peletites, the king’s guard (see 8:18), and all the Gitites, the Philistines from Gat who had joined David’s army, six hundred men who came with him from Gat, on his account, were passing before the king. This was a kind of roll call, in which all those who remained loyal to the king marched before him.

The king said to Itai the Gitite, who perhaps met David when he wandered to Gat, and might have been the commander of the Gitites: Why should you also go with us? Return, and remain with the new king, who would welcome your services; for you are a foreigner, and you are also an exile. You have no connection to our family or our people. There is no reason for you to become involved with the quarrels of a different nation. It is best for you to return to your place.

Yesterday, recently, you arrived, and today I will move you to go on this difficult journey with us, and I am going wherever I will go. I do not know where I am headed, or what will become of us. Return, and return your Gitite brethren with you, in kindness and truth.

Itai answered the king, and said: As the Lord lives and by the life of my lord the king, in the place where my lord the king will be, whether for death or for life, there your servant will be. He swore that he would always remain with David, thereby expressing his deep, personal loyalty to the king.

David said to Itai: Go on, pass along with all the others. Itai the Gitite and all his men, and all the children who were with him, passed along. The Philistine battalion, with their families, joined David.

The entire land, all the residents of that area, was weeping in loud voice, and all the people of the king were passing along. The king was passing south of Jerusalem, through the Kidron Valley, and all the people were passing along the way of the wilderness, the road that ran alongside the wilderness.

Behold, Tzadok the priest and all the Levites with him were carrying the Ark of the Covenant of God. They set down the Ark of God, and Evyatar, who was also a priest, went up, until all the people concluded passing from the city. David was accompanied by those who were personally loyal to him, his close servants, and also foreign troops that had ties with David alone, while the priests brought the Ark of God.

The king said to Tzadok: Restore the Ark of God to the city; if I will find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will restore me, and He will allow me to see it, the ark, and His abode.

If, through His orchestration of future events, He will say this: I do not desire you, then here I am; may He do to me as it is good in His eyes. In any case, we should not take the Ark of God with us on our wanderings. Perhaps I will somehow find my way home, but if not, that is a sign that I have not found favor in God’s eyes, and I accept His verdict.

The king said to Tzadok the priest: Do you see? You understand what I am saying; return to the city in peace. I appreciate your loyalty, but you and Evyatar should remain with the ark; and Ahimaatz your son, and Yehonatan son of Evyatar, your two sons, will be with you.

See, I will tarry in the plains of the wilderness until arrival of word from you to report to me. The younger, faster sons, Ahimaatz and Yehonatan, will update me on events in the city.

Tzadok and Evyatar restored the Ark of God to Jerusalem, and they stayed there.

David went up on the ascent of the Mount of Olives; he turned east at the Kidron Valley and passed along the range of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went up, and his head was covered, and he was walking barefoot as a sign of mourning, and all the people who were with him, each man covering his head, and they went up, weeping over their dire situation as they went up.

David was told, saying: Ahitofel is among the conspirators with Avshalom. Avshalom was a hasty, charismatic character, but not the cleverest of individuals. Consequently, his collaboration with Ahitofel, who was a levelheaded, intelligent, and perhaps less pretentious person, made David far more worried. David therefore said, in prayer: Please foil the counsel of Ahitofel, Lord.

It was as David was coming to the peak of the Mount of Olives, where he would prostrate himself to God, as it was a place of prayer for him, and there may also have been an altar there, and behold, Hushai the Arkite, a friend of the king, and his close confidant, came out and met him, with his tunic torn, and earth on his head. He was mourning in solidarity with David.

David said to him: If you continue with me, you will be a burden upon me, as you are no longer young and you would be of little assistance in battle;

but if you return to the city, and say to Avshalom: I will be your servant, king; as I have always been your father’s servant, now I am your servant, then you will be in a position to counter for me the counsel of Ahitofel. You too are known to be a wise man, and if you approach Avshalom and inform him that you have accepted his rule, then I expect he will appoint you as one of his advisors; he will likely seek to incorporate as many people as possible from my government into his, in order to consolidate his new reign.

Aren’t Tzadok and Evyatar, the priests, with you there? Know that they too are loyal to me, and it shall be that everything that you hear from the king’s house, you shall tell to Tzadok and Evyatar the priests.

Behold, with them are their two sons, Ahimaatz for Tzadok, and Yehonatan for Evyatar; by their hand you shall send to me everything that you hear. I will thereby be informed of fresh developments.

Indeed, Hushai, David’s friend, came back to the city, and Avshalom was also coming to Jerusalem, the capital of the kingdom. David had not yet gone far, while Avshalom had already managed to travel from Hebron to Jerusalem, a distance of more than 30 km. On his way, he had gathered together an army and organized his troops.

David had passed a little past the peak of the mountain, in the direction of the wilderness, and behold, Tziva servant of Mefivoshet came and met him with a pair of saddled donkeys, and upon them were two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters, or packages, of raisins, one hundred dried figs, and a skin or earthenware jug of wine.

The king said to Tziva: What are these of yours? Tziva said: The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, so that you should not have to travel by foot; and the bread and dried figs for the lads to eat, and the wine, for the weary and thirsty in the wilderness to drink. These are the provisions that I have to offer you for your journey.

The king said: Where is your master’s son, Mefivoshet? Tziva said to the king: Behold, he currently remains in Jerusalem, as he said to himself: Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me. He sees the rebellion and its upheavals as an opportunity for him, as he hopes that with your removal from your throne, the people will choose him, the heir to the dynasty of Saul, for their new king, rather than appointing Avshalom, your son.

The king said to Tziva: Behold, all that belongs to Mefivoshet is yours. Since you remained loyal to your king while Mefivoshet betrayed me, you will receive everything that belongs to him. The legal force of this declaration is unclear, as David was an exile, and had virtually no power at the time. Nevertheless, he gave Tziva a promise that he hoped to fulfill when circumstances would allow. Tziva said: I prostrate myself; may I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king.

King David came to a place called Bahurim, and behold, a man from there, from the family of the house of Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, came out; his name was Shimi son of Gera; he was cursing David as he came out.

Shimi did not merely spew invective, he also stoned David with stones, and all the servants of King David, not with the intention of causing physical harm, but as a gesture of hatred and contempt; and all the people, and all the mighty were to his, David’s, right and to his left.

So said Shimi as he cursed: Depart, depart, man of blood, and wicked man.

The Lord is returning upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead you became king. You rebelled against Saul, brought down his kingdom and reigned in his stead, and now your evil has been visited upon you. And the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Avshalom your son. Behold, you are ensnared in your evil; you will remain in your state of wickedness, for which you are being punished, because you are a man of blood.

Avishai son of Tzeruya said to the king: Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me cross to the other side, to where Shimi stands, and I will remove his head. Avishai was more than capable of carrying out this threat.

The king said: What is there between me and you, sons of Tzeruya? We think so differently from one another. I cannot agree to such a deed. He curses because the Lord said to him: Curse David. There must be a divine reason why this man has come to curse me at this stage. It is part of my atonement, or the divine punishment I deserve. Consequently, who can say to him: Why did you do so? I will not stop him.

David said to Avishai, and to all his servants: Behold, my own son, Avshalom, who emerged from my innards, seeks my life, all the more so this Benjamite. He is a stranger to me and has other ties of loyalty. Leave him and let him curse, because the Lord said to him. This is not a private matter, but a sign from God.

Perhaps the Lord will see the tears in my eye, or look upon my situation, and the Lord will repay me goodness instead of his curse this day. David considered Shimi’s curses a necessary stage in his atonement, and hoped that if he accepted his insults without responding, God would forgive him and come to his aid.

David and his men went on the way, and Shimi was going on the side of the mountain opposite him, and cursing as he went, and he threw stones, and cast dirt, continuing his disparagement of David.

The king and all the people who were with him arrived at the plains of the wilderness; they were weary, and rested and refreshed themselves there.

Avshalom, and all the people, that is, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahitofel was with him.

It was when Hushai the Arkite, David’s friend, came to Avshalom that Hushai said to Avshalom: Long live the king, long live the king.

Avshalom said to Hushai: Is this your kindness and loyalty to your friend? Is this how you treat your good friend, the former king? Why didn’t you go with your friend?

Hushai said to Avshalom: No, I do not accept that reasoning; for he whom the Lord, this people, those around you, and the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will stay. Since you are the chosen king, and God is with you, I will henceforth be loyal to you.

Secondly, whom should I serve? David has been dispossessed of the crown, and will likely be killed, exiled, or will disappear. Isn’t it appropriate that I fill the same role I filled for him, before his son? As I served before your father, so I will be before you. Avshalom apparently accepted Hushai’s statement and appointed him one of his close counselors.

Avshalom said to Ahitofel, his chief advisor: Give your counsel, what shall we do? What should be our next steps?

Ahitofel said to Avshalom: Go consort with your father’s concubines, whom he left to keep the house. By engaging in intercourse with the concubines of the previous king, you will vividly demonstrate that you are his replacement. This is certainly a morally dubious act, but it will be known to all. All Israel will then hear that you have become loathsome to your father. Through this act, you will become detested by your father. If so far the people still have their doubts, and are not rushing to show support for you, the young, rebellious son of an experienced and successful king, as they fear David’s retribution if and when he returns to the throne, they will now understand that there will be no reconciliation between father and son. And the hands of everyone who is with you, your active followers and those who wish to support you, but are wavering, will be strengthened. Ahitofel was the cleverest man in Israel, but he was by no means a moral individual. Rather, he was motivated solely by political considerations. In his mind, the step he was proposing was an easy one to execute, it did not exact a heavy price, and its symbolic meaning would be clear: Avshalom had taken over the throne in an absolute manner from his father, who no longer existed in his eyes.

They pitched a tent for Avshalom on the roof, and Avshalom consorted with his father’s concubines before the eyes of all Israel. Everyone saw the concubines being brought to Avshalom in the tent. This was the fulfillment of Natan’s prophecy to David following his sin with Bathsheba, that the deed David performed in private would be carried out in public before all of Israel (see 12:11–12). It is even possible that this public event was performed on the same roof where David had been when the episode involving Bathsheba began (see 11:2).

Such a public act was certainly improper, especially with the concubines of Avshalom’s own father. Even if there might have been a certain legitimacy to Avshalom’s claim to the throne, this was an extremely crude way of asserting it. Therefore, the verse offers a parenthetical aside by way of explanation: The counsel of Ahitofel that he counseled in those days was like a man would inquire of the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahitofel both with David and with Avshalom. The counsel of Ahitofel was considered the last word during his time. The practical authority of his pronouncements in that society was so great that they were accepted like the word of God. None dared dispute his advice. Therefore, even if Avshalom himself would never have entertained such an idea, once Ahitofel had made the suggestion he accepted it without hesitation. Just as his father David used to listen to Ahitofel’s counsel, and granted much weight to his statements, Avshalom followed suit, as he followed without much reserve the system that had worked for his father.

Ahitofel said to Avshalom: Please let me choose twelve thousand men, as I do not need more than that. Stay where you are and do not go out to fight against your father, and I will rise and pursue David tonight.

I will come upon him, and he will be weary and discouraged, and I will strike terror into him; all the people who are with him will flee, and then I will smite the king alone. I will ensure that the soldiers pursue the king and kill him, so that a large-scale war will be unnecessary;

Once David is dead, I will restore all the people to you, just as after Saul’s death, everyone, the entire nation, was restored to the man whom you seek, David. If we act in this manner, the entire people, your men and David’s, will be at peace. There will be no need for any more fighting.

The plan made sense to Avshalom and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel. Avshalom arranged a meeting of his council of prominent figures, and they all considered Ahitofel’s recommendation to be logical and effective.

Avshalom said to one of his men: Call now Hushai the Arkite as well, and we will hear what he too has to say. We must hear a second opinion.

Hushai came to Avshalom, and Avshalom said to him, saying: Ahitofel spoke in this manner. Shall we act upon his words? If not, speak you.

Hushai said to Avshalom: Although Ahitofel is very wise, this time the counsel that Ahitofel has counseled is not good. Hushai was careful not to insult Ahitofel too much, emphasizing that his mistake was a rare one.

Hushai said: You know your father and his men; that they are mighty, and they are now embittered, like a bereaved bear that has lost its whelps in the field and is unafraid of attacking anything in its way. Your father is an experienced man of war, and he will not let the people sleep the night. He will not let his men lodge together in the open.

Behold, he is hiding now in one of the pits, caves, or in one of the other concealed places; if we send the army, he will have the advantage of surprise, as well as the advantage of operating in his own territory. It shall be that when some of them fall at the outset, when your forces suffer the first casualties of war, and whoever hears, one among the people, or soldiers standing behind them, who are unable to see what is happening in the darkness, they will say: There is a rout of the people who follow Avshalom.

Even if one who hears this is a valiant man, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, he will melt, he will be terrified, as all Israel knows that your father is mighty, and those with him are valiant men. This will undermine the morale of your men.

If I am giving counsel, it is that you take a different course of action: All Israel, a large military force, should be gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, like the sand that is upon the sea in abundance, and you yourself should go to the battle, at the head of this army.

We will come to him, David, in one of the places where he is found, and we will descend upon him as the dew falls on the ground. Just as the dew falls silently everywhere, so too, David will be defeated without commotion. From him and from all the men who are with him there will not remain even one.

If he will be gathered in a fortified city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it into the ravine by rope, as it were, until even a pebble will not be found there.

Avshalom and all the men of Israel said: The counsel of Hushai the Arkite is better than the counsel of Ahitofel. All of those present identified with Hushai’s reasoning, as they were concerned about a face-to-face confrontation with David. Although they had a much larger army than the exiled king, they preferred to amass additional forces before the battle. According to the Masoretic formatting of the text, there is an empty space in the middle of this verse in order to highlight the transition to the following statement: For the Lord had commanded to nullify the good counsel of Ahitofel, which was better than Hushai’s advice, in order for the Lord to bring harm upon Avshalom. Had Ahitofel’s proposal been implemented, David would have stood no chance.

Hushai said to Tzadok and to Evyatar the priests, following the decision of Avshalom and his council: So and so, Ahitofel counseled Avshalom and the elders of Israel, and so and so, I counseled. Hushai reported that his suggestion was apparently accepted.

Nevertheless, he added: Now, send quickly, and tell David, saying: Do not stay the night in the plains of the wilderness, and even cross over to a safer location, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed; lest damage be inflicted upon him. Although Hushai had temporarily delayed the attack, he was worried that the decision might be reversed. He therefore advised David to prepare his men for battle.

Yehonatan and Ahimaatz were waiting in Ein Rogel; they hid outside the city so as not to raise suspicion. And the maidservant of the family of Tzadok went and told them the information, and they would go and tell King David, for they could not be seen coming to the city.

A lad saw them and reported to Avshalom. They apparently raised his suspicions, perhaps because they were not inside the city. Yehonatan and Ahimaatz sensed this, and so the two of them went quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard and they descended there, to hide in the well.

The woman of the house took the covering and spread it over the opening of the well, and scattered groats, hulled kernels of grain, on it, pretending that she intended to cull the better kernels, or to dry them; and nothing was discovered.

Avshalom’s servants came to the woman in the house to search for the two young men, and said: Where are Ahimaatz and Yehonatan? The woman said to them: They crossed the brook of water. They, Avshalom’s servants, sought and did not find the two men and they returned to Jerusalem.

It was after their departure that they, Yehonatan and Ahimaatz, came up from the well, and went and reported to King David what had happened in Jerusalem. They said to David: Rise, and quickly cross the water, the Jordan River, as thus has Ahitofel counseled about you, to destroy you here before you can organize yourselves.

David and all the people who were with him rose, and they crossed the Jordan to a safer location, where they received more support from the local residents. The Jordan River was also a natural obstacle that would hinder the movement of Avshalom’s army. By the morning light there was not one absent who had not crossed the Jordan.

Ahitofel saw that his counsel was not implemented. Since he was a very clever man, he was aware of Avshalom’s weakness, and concluded that there was no chance that he would succeed. And consequently, he saddled a donkey, rose, and went to his house, to his city, Gilo. He instructed his household, left a will for his family, and strangled himself, and died. As one of the leaders of the rebellion, Ahitofel was sure that when Avshalom was defeated, he would fall with him, as when David would return, he would certainly take revenge against him. Rather than waiting for this to happen, Ahitofel preferred to hang himself. And he was buried in the grave of his father. This was another benefit Ahitofel derived from his suicide; he was buried among his ancestors’ graves, as an honorable person. Had he been executed as an insurgent, he may well have been buried somewhere dishonorable, and his property might have been confiscated as well, in accordance with the law of one who rebels against the king.

David came to Mahanayim, a city east of the Jordan River, and Avshalom crossed the Jordan, he and the men of Israel with him. Avshalom’s camp prepared for war.

Avshalom appointed Amasa as commander over the army in place of Yoav. Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Yitra the Israelite, who had consorted with Avigal, daughter of Nahash, sister of Tzeruya, mother of Yoav. Amasa was the nephew of David’s sister Tzeruya, and since he was a military man, Avshalom put him at the head of the army.

Israel and Avshalom encamped in the land of the Gilad.

With the arrival of David at Mahanayim, there were Shobi son of Nahash of Raba of the children of Amon, and Makhir son of Amiel of Lo Devar, and Barzilai the Giladite of Rogelim, who had all arrived;

with bedding, bowls, earthenware vessels, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, wheat kernels, or flour, parched for preservation, beans, lentils, and roasted beans of these species as well,

and honey, butter, sheep, and cows’ cheese, alternatively, cuts of cattle meat, ready to be cooked. All these they presented to David and to the people who were with him to eat, as they said: The people are hungry, weary, and thirsty in the wilderness.

After receiving some help from local residents and friends, David counted the people who were with him, conducting a military roll call, and he appointed commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds over them.

David sent the people; one-third he placed under the command of Yoav, one-third under the command of Avishai, son of Tzeruya, brother of Yoav, and one-third under the command of Itai the Gitite, a loyalist of David who was perhaps the commander of the foreign regiments. The king said to the people: As commander-in-chief, I too will go out to battle with you, just as other leaders of Israel led their forces into battle.

The people said: You shall not go out, for if we are defeated in battle and flee, they will not pay attention to us; it will be merely one battle of a larger war. If half of us die, they will not pay attention to us, as now there are ten thousand like us, another ten thousand to replace us. Now it is better that you help us from the city, serving as general commander of the forces from behind; if you go into battle and something happens to you, the defeat will be final.

The king said to them: That which is best in your eyes I will do. The king stood next to the gate at the entrance to the city of Mahanayim, and all the people emerged in orderly fashion, by hundreds and by thousands.

The king instructed Yoav, Avishai, and Itai, the heads of the brigades, saying: Be gentle and compassionate for me with the lad, with Avshalom. Alternatively, David commanded them to cover for Avshalom and save him. David still loved Avshalom; this is apparent from his referring to him as a “lad.” He did not see malice in Avshalom’s actions, but considered them acts of juvenile stupidity. All the people heard when the king commanded all the commanders about the matter of Avshalom. He gave open, general instructions to avoid harming his son as much as possible.

The people, David’s men, deployed in the field against the men of Israel, those with Avshalom; and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim, east of the Jordan River. Perhaps the people of Ephraim, whose territory in the Land of Israel was not far from the Jordan River, took their sheep to graze in this forest.

The people of Israel, Avshalom’s army, which was gathered from several tribes but was neither organized nor trained, were routed there before the servants of David, at whose head were more experienced commanders. Furthermore, David’s men were presumably more motivated, as for them this was a war of survival. Therefore, they successfully defeated Israel. And the casualties there that day were great; twenty thousand men.

The battle there spread across the face of the entire land, as people retreated and scattered across the entire region, and the forest consumed more of the people than the sword consumed on that day. Many men were killed by running into trees and other hazards, such as falling into pits. Consequently, flight into the forest caused many casualties.

Avshalom happened to come before a group of the servants of David. At that time, Avshalom was riding on his mule, and the mule came under the thick, intertwined branches of the great terebinth, whose boughs were very low, and his head was caught in the branches of the terebinth. As stated above (14:26), Avshalom had long, flowing hair. And he was suspended, hanging between the heavens and the earth, and the mule that was under him passed ahead without its rider.

One man saw, and reported to Yoav and said: Behold, I saw Avshalom hanging from the terebinth.

Yoav said to the man who told him: Behold, you saw; why did you not smite him there to the ground, killing him on the spot? Had you done so, it would have been incumbent upon me to give you ten silvers and one belt, as a reward for your important act.

The man said to Yoav: Even were I to weigh not ten, but one thousand silver pieces in my hand, I would not extend my hand against the king’s son, as in our ears the king commanded you, and Avishai, and Itai, saying: Take care, whoever is in a position to do so, of the lad Avshalom.

Or if I had acted deceitfully on my own, betraying the trust that was vested in us, and had killed Avshalom secretly according to your wishes, no matter is hidden from the king; ultimately it would have been discovered, and you would have stood aside. You would not have accepted responsibility, and the king would have punished me, not you.

Yoav said: It is not right that I implore you, or delay until you obey my order. Alternatively, Yoav said to him: Please, do not talk nonsense. He, Yoav, took three staves, thin branches or sharp wood poles, in his hand, and he thrust them into the heart of Avshalom, while he was still alive and hanging in the heart of the terebinth.

Ten lads, bearers of Yoav’s armor, circled around and smote Avshalom and put him to death.

Yoav sounded the shofar; a special blast that announced the end of the battle and instructed the return of the forces to their base. And the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Yoav restrained the people from continuing the fight. After Avshalom’s death, Yoav saw no point in further bloodshed.

They took Avshalom, and they cast him in the forest into the great pit, and they raised upon him a very great pile of stones, and all Israel that were with Avshalom and heard of his death fled, each to his tent, as continuing the rebellion became pointless.

Avshalom had acquired and raised the monument that is in the valley of the king in his lifetime. He had built for himself a memorial or mausoleum in the king’s valley next to Jerusalem, as he said: I do not have a son in order to memorialize my name. Although he had three sons (see 14:27), perhaps they died, or were unworthy of succeeding him. He called the monument by his name, and it is called the shrine of Avshalom to this day. This monument was not built on Avshalom’s grave, which was in a pit east of the Jordan River, as above.

Ahimaatz son of Tzadok the priest, who accompanied David’s army, said: I will run now to the city where the king is staying, and bring tidings to the king that the Lord has vindicated him, has done justice for him and saved him, from the hand of his enemies.

Yoav said to him: You will not be a man of tidings this day, as these tidings will not please the king; you will bring other good tidings, another day. This day you will not bring tidings, as the king’s son is dead.

Yoav said to the Kushite, who apparently served in the king’s foreign legion, and was a member of Yoav’s camp: Go tell the king what you have seen. Yoav spared Ahimaatz, and instead sent a simple soldier, who did not understand the significance of his message to the king. The Kushite prostrated himself to Yoav his commander, and ran.

Ahimaatz son of Tzadok said again to Yoav: Come what may, please let me, too, run after the Kushite. Perhaps Ahimaatz thought that he could soften the king’s response if he were present. Yoav said: Why will you run, my son, and there are no good tidings found with you? It will be inappropriate, or ineffective, for you to be the one to deliver this news to the king.

Ahimaatz did not acquiesce, saying: Come what may, I will run; I feel that I must do so. He, Yoav, said to him: If you insist, run. Ahimaatz ran via the wide plain, rather than the paved road, and by taking that shortcut he passed the Kushite.

David was sitting between the two gates of the city, that were built for its protection. The lookout went to the roof of the gate, to the wall, and lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, an unidentified man was running alone.

The lookout called and reported to the king. The king said: If he is alone, there are tidings in his mouth. If our forces had been defeated, many people would be fleeing, so there is no need for concern. He, the runner, went on, continuing to approach.

The lookout saw another man running, and the lookout called to the gatekeeper and said: Behold, a man running alone. The king said: He too is a bearer of tidings. David reasoned that if two individuals arrived running, they were certainly sent to relate what had happened.

The lookout said: I see the gait of the first is like the gait of Ahimaatz son of Tzadok. The king said: That is a good man, and he is coming with good tidings. He is certainly running in order to bring us good news.

Ahimaatz called when he finally reached the city, and said to the king: All is well. He prostrated himself to the king with his face to the ground and said: Blessed is the Lord your God, who delivered the men who raised their hand, rebelled, against my lord the king into his hands. Ahimaatz thereby informed the king of the victory in battle.

The king said: Is it well with the lad Avshalom? David’s first question was about his beloved son. Ahimaatz said, evasively: I saw the great tumult which signified our victory, causing Yoav to send the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I did not know what it was. I do not know the precise details of the victory, as I did not see anything myself.

The king said: Turn aside and stand here, next to me. He, Ahimaatz, turned aside and stood,

and behold, the Kushite came, and the Kushite said: Let the tidings be given to my lord the king, that the Lord has vindicated you today from the hand of all who rose against you. The Kushite brought the same news of the victory.

The king said to the Kushite: Is it well with the lad Avshalom? The Kushite, who was unafraid to relate the truth, said: May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise against you for harm, be like the lad.

David understood that Avshalom had been killed, and the king was greatly upset [vayyirgaz]. Although this word often refers to anger, here it conveys emotion and shock, rather than anger. And he went up to the upper story of the gate, the location of the city guards, and wept. So he said as he went: My son, Avshalom, my son, my son Avshalom. If only I had died in your stead, Avshalom, my son, my son. David mourned so greatly for Avshalom that he would have sacrificed his life for him.

It was reported to Yoav: Behold, the king is weeping and mourns over Avshalom.

The word spread, and despite the victory, the salvation of that day became mourning for all the people, as the people heard that day, saying: The king is not happy about the triumph; rather he is grieving over his son.

The people, David’s soldiers, stole into the city that day as people who have been humiliated steal away in their flight in war; as soldiers flee in shame from a war they have lost.

The king covered his face with his garment, and the king cried in loud voice: My son, Avshalom, Avshalom, my son, my son.

Yoav came to the king to the house, and said: Today, with your behavior, you have shamed the faces of all your servants who rescued your life today, and the lives of your sons and your daughters, the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines,

by loving those who hate you and hating those who love you; for you have declared today that you do not have princes and servants. All your officers, servants, soldiers, and family members who were harmed by Avshalom are unimportant to you, as today I know that were Avshalom alive, and all of us dead today, it would have been preferable in your eyes, you would have been happier.

Now rise, emerge and speak to the heart of your servants; show them a happy face and thank them for their efforts. For by the Lord I have taken an oath that if you do not emerge, no man will spend the night with you; no one will stay with you, because you are ignoring your loyal soldiers. That will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now. This time, you will be completely alone.

King David realized that Yoav was right, and it was wrong of him to attach greater importance to his son who had rebelled against him and humiliated him than to the people who had been willing to risk their lives for him. Therefore, although his heart was bitter, the king rose and sat at the gate. They told all the people, saying: Behold, the king is sitting at the gate, he is ready to greet you. And all the people came before the king. Presumably, David offered them words of praise and encouragement. And in the meantime, all the people of Israel who had participated in Avshalom’s rebellion fled, each to his tent.

Sometime later, the entire people were deliberating in all the tribes of Israel, saying: The king saved us from the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us from the hand of the Philistines. Now, he fled from the land, away from Avshalom. The rebellion that we joined was morally wrong.

Furthermore, Avshalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in the war. Therefore, David is the king; now, why are you silent with regard to restoring the king? We must clearly express our joy over the return of David’s reign.

David was aware of this discussion. King David sent to Tzadok and to Evyatar, the priests, saying: Speak to the elders of Judah, saying: Why will you be last to restore the king to his house? If you hesitate, the other tribes will precede you in renewing David’s rule. The word of all Israel had come to the king, to his house. The king was aware of what was being said, and he knew that it might cause tension between the tribe of Judah and the other tribes of Israel.

David continued, conveying a personal message to the tribe of Judah: You are my brethren, members of my tribe, you are my bone and my flesh, and I am your natural king; why should you be last to restore the king?

Say to Amasa, who was the commander of Avshalom’s army: Aren’t you my bone and my flesh? They were family, as Amasa was the son of David’s sister (17:25). So shall God do to me and so shall He continue, if you will not, meaning: I swear that you will be commander of the army before me all the days, in place of Yoav. David was angry with Yoav for disobeying his warning not to harm Avshalom. Presumably, he was also offended by Yoav’s harsh words to him, and he felt that Yoav was gaining too much power in the kingdom.

He, Amasa, swayed the heart of each man of Judah, as one man; they sent to the king: Return, you and all your servants.

The king returned from Mahanayim, east of the Jordan River, and came to the Jordan. The tribe of Judah came to Gilgal to go to meet the king, to cross the king over the Jordan. They wished to escort the king formally across the Jordan.

Shimi son of Gera the Benjamite, of Saul’s family, who was from Bahurim, and who had cursed David on his way into exile, hastened and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David. He knew that unless he made amends with David, he was doomed.

One thousand men of Benjamin were with him, accompanying Shimi. And Tziva, servant of the house of Saul, also came, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him. They forded the Jordan before the king, to escort him on his return.

The message, the decision of the tribes of Israel to reinstate David as king, was circulated, and therefore they arranged to bring the king’s household across. Alternatively, this means they used a bridge, or that a ferry or a group of people crossed to take the king’s household over the Jordan, and to do that which was good in his eyes. Shimi son of Gera fell before the king, bowing in submission, as he crossed the Jordan.

He said to the king: Let my lord not ascribe iniquity to me, and do not remember the iniquity committed by your servant on the day that my lord the king came out from Jerusalem, for the king to take to his heart.

For your servant knows that I sinned, and behold, I have come today, first of all the house of Joseph, referring to the tribes of Israel other than Judah, or to Israel in its entirety, to come down to meet my lord the king.

Avishai son of Tzeruya answered and said: Should Shimi not be put to death because of this entreaty and flattery? For, after all, he cursed the anointed of the Lord, the king, and he deserves to be executed for this sin.

David said: What is there between me and you, sons of Tzeruya, that you should be an adversary, an agent of discord and censure, to me today? You are conveying a negative attitude about the situation. Shall any man be put to death today in Israel? For truly I know that today I am king over Israel. Since people had come toward David, and willingly renewed his rule over them, David understood that he was being reinstated. He considered it inappropriate to kill anyone on that day. Furthermore, in this situation, David was no longer dependent on the several members of the military who were with him, and he could disavow the sons of Tzeruya without concern for his standing vis-à-vis Shimi and similar people.

The king said to Shimi: You will not die. The king took an oath to him that he would not kill him.

Meanwhile, Mefivoshet son of Saul, actually Saul’s grandson, came down to meet the king. Following the kindness performed by David for him, returning all of his property to him and inviting him to eat at his table as one of the kingdom’s dignitaries, Mefivoshet was obviously grateful and indebted to David. Presumably, his loyalty to David also stemmed, to some degree, from the special friendship between David and his father Yehonatan. Therefore, he had lamented David’s flight: He had not treated his feet, had not trimmed his mustache, and had not laundered his garments from the day of the king’s departure until the day that he came in peace. Mefivoshet had conducted himself as a mourner during this entire period.

It was when he, Mefivoshet, came to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him: Why didn’t you go with me, Mefivoshet? Tziva had previously told David that not only was Mefivoshet not distressed by the king’s plight, but he had even had aspirations toward royalty during the political shake-up (see 16:3).

He said: My lord king, my servant, Tziva, deceived me; for your servant, referring to himself, said: I will saddle for myself the donkey, ride upon it, and go with the king, for your servant is crippled, and I cannot go easily like most people. However, Tziva did not help me, but rather went by himself.

Furthermore, he, Tziva, slandered your servant to my lord the king, telling lies about me. My lord the king is as an angel of God; do that which is good in your eyes.

For my father’s entire house was nothing but deserving of death to my lord the king; my father’s family persecuted you during Saul’s reign, and you could have taken revenge against them for the troubles that they caused you, but instead you placed your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right do I have to cry out any more to the king? I do not have the right to make any claims or demands.

The king said to him: Why do you speak any more of your matters? I say, I order, that you and Tziva shall divide the property. David had previously promised Tziva Mefivoshet’s entire estate. Now he ordered that the servant could keep half of it, but he had to return the other half to Mefivoshet.

Mefivoshet said to the king: Even let him take it all, since my lord the king has come in peace to his house. I am so happy that you have returned that I do not mind even if he takes everything.

Barzilai the Giladite, one of the king’s supporters and benefactors in exile, came down from his home town of Rogelim, east of the Jordan; and he crossed the Jordan with the king, getting there before him, to send, escort him, across the Jordan. Barzilai parted from David like a host who affectionately bids farewell to a privileged guest.

Barzilai was very elderly, eighty years old, and he had supported the king during his stay at Mahanayim, as he was a very wealthy man. He was wealthy and respected.

The king said to Barzilai: Cross you with me, let us continue together, and I will support you with me in Jerusalem; you will be among those who eat at my table. Just as you sustained me, I will take care of you, in royal fashion.

Barzilai said to the king: How many are the days of the years of my life that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? I am too old to accede to such a request.

I am eighty years old today, do I distinguish between good and evil? My mind is not clear, and my full strength is no longer with me. Does your servant taste that which I eat or that which I drink? Do I taste the flavor of what I eat? Do I hear anymore the voice of songsters and songstresses and enjoy it? I am an old man, and I will not be able to enjoy all of the pleasures that the king can offer me during the twilight of my life. Why should your servant be a burden for my lord the king any longer?

Your servant will cross the Jordan and continue with the king just a bit, a short distance; why should the king reward me with this reward? Thank you for your offer, but it does not suit me.

Please let your servant stay and I will die in my city, near the grave of my father and my mother. Let me return home, where I will live for as long as possible and then be buried in my hometown. Behold, your servant Kimham, my son, will cross with my lord the king; do with him that which is good in your eyes. If you wish to repay my family with kindness, my son is much younger than I, and he will enjoy living in the king’s palace in my stead. It appears from elsewhere in the Bible that the descendants of Barzilai were indeed among those who would eat at the king’s table for many years.

The king said, using the same expression: Kimham will cross with me, and I will do to him that which is good in your eyes, and anything that you shall choose for me, I will do for you.

All the people crossed the Jordan, and the king crossed too. The king kissed Barzilai as they parted, expressing his love and respect for him, blessed him, and he returned to his place.

The king crossed to Gilgal, and Kimhan crossed with him, and all the people of Judah brought the king across, and also half, or part of, the people of Israel. One reason that the members of the tribe of Judah came in their multitudes is because they knew that the king wanted them to be there. Many people from the other tribes also arrived to participate in a kind of re-coronation ceremony for the king.

Behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king: Why did our brethren, the men of Judah, abduct you, treating you as though you were their private property, and bring the king and his household across the Jordan, and all of David’s men with him? This last clause can be read as a statement that is not part of the complaint of the men of Israel: And all of David’s men were with him at the time. Consequently, a dispute developed between the tribes.

Apparently, the king himself did not respond, and instead, all the men of Judah answered all the men of Israel: Because the king is related to me, as he is from my tribe; why are you incensed over this matter? Did we eat from the king? We have not partaken of the king’s food, nor accepted anything from him. Or did he marry us? Some explain: Or has any gift or preferential treatment been given us? We are merely bringing the king home, and you may join us, if you wish.

The men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said: I have ten parts in the king, even in David; I am more than you. You are a single tribe, perhaps with some from the tribes of Benjamin or Simeon joining you, whereas we are ten tribes. David reigns over all Israel, and we represent the vast majority of the people. You did not prove that you are closer to the king than we are, during the rebellion or afterward. Why did you slight me? Wasn’t it my word that was first to restore our king? We took the initiative in restoring the king (19:10); why are you depriving us of our rights? The words of the men of Judah were harsher than the words of the men of Israel. The statements of the members of Judah were harsher and more forceful than the arguments of the representatives of the other tribes of Israel.

There happened to be there an unscrupulous man, whose name was Sheva son of Bikhri, a Benjamite; he sounded the shofar and said: We have no portion in David, nor an inheritance in the son of Yishai. Each man to his tents, Israel. We have no ties binding us to David; let us return to our homes. If the children of Judah are so interested in David, and he wants them, we want no share in such a king. It is likely that the people of Benjamin, Saul’s tribe, did not fully support David, and the statement of Sheva the son of Bikhri expressed the feelings of many other members of his tribe.

All the men of Israel listened to Sheva, and indeed abandoned following David, following Sheva son of Bikhri. This was not a full-fledged rebellion; rather, Sheva misled the people by saying that David was the king of Judah alone, as was in fact the case when he first ascended to the throne. Similar uprisings occurred in later generations. The men of Judah held fast to their king, and accompanied him from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

David came to his house in Jerusalem. In his first act upon his return, the king took the ten concubine wives whom he had left to keep the house, those whom Avshalom had raped, and placed them in a guarded house where he cared for them, and he supported them, but he did not consort with them. He never again engaged in sexual relations with them, as the king was forbidden to return to those women after Avshalom had slept with them. They were bound, left alone, unable to be with David or to marry other men, until the day of their death, in a status of living widowhood, widows whose husbands are alive.

David faced a new problem: His abandonment by the people of Israel. Even if no war had been declared, the king had to deal with this fresh revolt. The king said to Amasa, his newly-appointed captain of the army: Mobilize the men of Judah within three days, and present yourself here. You must come back here after you have drafted an army from the men of Judah in order to impose my authority over the rest of Israel.

Amasa went to mobilize Judah, but he was late for the appointed time that he, David, had set for him. He was unable to fulfill the task within the designated time. It is unclear whether this was due to a lack of willingness on the part of the members of the tribe, Amasa’s ineffectiveness, or even an understated act of betrayal on his part. Whatever the reason, considering the tense situation of the time, this was a real failure.

David said to Avishai: Now Sheva son of Bikhri will harm us more than Avshalom. Avshalom had received his authority from the king, and his seizing the throne was in essence an internal matter within the royal household. By contrast, Sheva the son of Bikhri is a stranger who claims to represent the entire people, and therefore his insurgence might become a sweeping national revolt. Consequently, we must act: Take your lord’s servants, my servants, and pursue him, Sheva, lest he find himself fortified cities and escape our eyes. If he has not yet taken up a firm position, it will be relatively easy to catch him, but if he has managed to entrench himself inside a city, the operation will be far more complicated.

Yoav’s men, the military officers and soldiers who were loyal to Yoav, went out after him, and the troops of the Keretites and the Peletites, King David’s foreign legion, and all the renowned mighty men loyal to David, who are listed by name at the end of the book (23:8–39); they went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheva son of Bikhri. David had not spoken directly to Yoav, but only to Avishai, who had not been removed from his post. Yoav, by contrast, had been deposed from his position as captain of the army, at least in theory. Nevertheless, he too joined the chase, and even took charge of the mission.

They were at the great stone that is in Givon, and Amasa came before them. Amasa had finally returned, presumably with his men. Yoav was girded with his battle garments, and upon him there was a belt with a sword attached close on his waist, placed in a scabbard, and he came forward, and it, the sword, fell from the scabbard. It seems that he positioned the sword in such a fashion that it fell out easily, so that it was now no longer in its place but loose in his hand.

Yoav said to Amasa: Is all well with you, my brother? As well as being relatives, officially they were now allies. Yoav’s right hand grabbed Amasa by the beard as though to kiss him.

Amasa was not vigilant of the sword that had fallen and was still in Yoav’s hand, and he, Yoav, smote him with it in the lower stomach, and he spilled his innards to the ground. The sword pierced Amasa so deeply that his innards spilled out. He did not do it to him again; there was no need for Yoav to strike him twice. And he, Amasa, died from that single thrust. Yoav and Avishai his brother pursued Sheva son of Bikhri. They immediately returned to fulfill their mission.

A man from Yoav’s lads stood over him, Amasa’s corpse, and said to those congregating around the body: Anyone who wants Yoav, and who is for David, after Yoav. Do not tarry here, but continue on your mission.