Ira M. Pricb. ABROAD. — In its modem meaning of ' in (oi ' to ') another country,' a. is not used in AV or RV. The nearest approach ia Jn 11" ' The children of God that are scattered a.' On the other hand a. is used in senses now whoUy or nearly obsolete. 1. It signifies specially outside one's own dwelling, the opp. of ' at home.' Lv 18' ' Whether she be bom at home or bom a.' i La V ' A. the sword bereaveth, at home there is BS death ' ; Jg 12' ' Thirty daughters he sent a., and thirty daughters he brought in from a. for his sons ' ; Dt 23'" ' Then shall he go a. out of the camp ' ; Lk 8" ' Neither anything hid that shall not be known and come a.' (KV ' to light') ; Sir 26* ' A drunken woman and a gadder a.' Cf. —
• where as he lay So sick alway
Be might not come abroad.'
—Sir T. More, A Merry J4$t,
2. On the outside of anything : Lv 13" ' II a leprosy break out a. in the skin.' 3. In the general sense of openly, freely, \videlv : Mk 1" ' But he went out, and "began to publisn it mncb, and to blaze a. the matter ' ; Ro 16" ' For your obedience is come a. unto all men ' ; 5' ' The love of God is shed a. in your hearts.' J, Hastinos.
ABRONAH (nj'i3S). — A station in the joomeyings, occurs only Nu 33'^- ", AV Ebronah.
ABSALOM (dSpaiii, in 1 K 15»-"'o'iS|?-3i<AbiBhalom, ' father is peace '), the third son of David (2 S 3*, 1 Ch 3'). He first comes into prominence in con- nexion with the story of his sister Tamar (2 S 13). After the foul outrage done to the latter by Amnon, David's eldest son, A. determined upon revenge, but concealed his purpose for two years. At the end of this period ne gave a feast at the time of sheep-shearing, and invited the king and his sons. David declined for himself, but permitted Amnon and his brothers to go. While the feast was at its height, the servants of A., upon a signal given by their master, fell upon Amnon and slew him. Having thus avenged the afTront put upon his sister, A. fled to the court of his maternal grandfather, Talmai, the king of Geshur, where he remained for three years. Then Joab, percei\-ing that David longed for a reconciliation with his son, contrived, tlirough the medium of ' a wise woman of Tekoah,' to procure a reversal of the virtual sentence of banish- ment, and A. returned to Jems., but was not per-
ABSALOM
ABSALOM
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mitt«d to ( pproach the presence of the king. This unnatural ixjndition of things continued for two years, wlieu A. applied to Joab to use his interest at court to procure a full reconciliation. David's general had, however, for some reason become less hearty in the matter, and declined even to meet A., until the latter resorted to the expedient of ordering his servants to set fire to Joau's barley field. When the owner of the field came in person to demand an explanation of this injury, he was at lengtli persuaded to intercede with the king on behalf of his son, and his mediation proved success- ful. It is easy to conceive that DaWd, by his injudicious mingling of leniency and severity, had completely forfeited the confidence of his son, and it was doubtless from this occasion onwards that A. began to hatch the plot that proved fatal to him, and which has gained for his name an unenviable immortality. He took advantage of a misunderstanding that seems to have existed be- tween David and the men of Judah, and set him- self sedulously to gain the confidence and atfection of all visitors to the court. In particular, those who came to have matters of law decided were flattered by the attentions of the heir-apparent, who al.so was careful to drop hints that the king might do far more to expedite the administration of justice, and that if he (Absalom) were only judge, a very dilferent state of things would be inaugur- ated. Thus he 'stole the hearts of the men of Israel.' He was greatly helped in the accomplish- ment of his scheme by the extraordinary personal charms he possessed (2 S 14'-^"*').
How long this preparatory sta^e lasted is un- certain. The forty years of 2 S 15' manifestly cannot be correct, ana should perhaps be read _/b«r years. When at length he judged that the time was ripe for the execution of his rebellious enter- prise, A obtained leave of absence from his father, on pretence of having to go to Hebron to pay a vow he had ma*le during his sojourn in Geshur. His emissaries were at work throughout the whole land, preparing for a general rising, and his adherents became daily more numerous. At the very outset he gained over David's famous counsellor Ahithophel the Gilonite, who may have had rea-ions of his own for deserting the king (see Bath.sheba). So alarming were the reports which reached David, that he resolved to abandon the capital and save himself and his household by flight to the eastern Jordanic territory. He was accompanied by the faithful Cherethites and Pele- thites, to whom were added on tliis occasion a body of (littites who ha<l prob.'ibly formed part of David s followers in the old days at Ziklag. The otler of Zailok and Abiathar to a«companv him with the ark was declined, and Hushai the Archite was also directed to remain at Jerusalem and do his utmost to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel. L'poii Absalom's arrival in Jerusalem, llushai played the part of rebel so skilfully that he gained the com- plete confidence of the aspirant to the throne. Ahithophel first of all counselled A. to take a step which would make the breach between him and his father irreparable (2 S 16''"''), and then advi.sed that prompt measures should be taken to pursue and destroy David before he could rally around him any considerable number of troops. Hushai counselled delay and cautious measures, and his advice was followed, to the chagrin of Ahithophel, who, seeing that all was lost, went and set his house in order and hanged himself. The two sons of Zadok and Abiathar were despatched by llushai with intelligence to David of what had transpircil at Jerusalem. The3'oungmen were hotly iiursucd, and narrowly escaped capture, but evadin" their pursuers by stratagem reached David, who the same niglit with his whole coinjiany passed over