The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 431

sorvants.'' Abee.lom's was evidently the the thicket the bodyofthe unfortunate Abee.- popular c1mse, and, besides Urio.h's mlll'der, lam. The large elaughter of twenty thousand there must have been political reasons for men (ver. 7) proves that the defeated rebels discontent e.t work to me.ke David's govern• were vigorously followed. In carrying the mont so distasteful, news the negro evidently went be.ck by the Ver.18.-Abaalom,,, had tak8D. and reared route which the troops be.d followerl; while up for himself • pillar. In con tre.st with Ahime.az, using hie more developed intelloct, the heap of atones cast over his d iehonoured took e. longer course to the west, but one hotly, the no.rrator cnlle attention to the that avoided the tangles and the deep cle- costly memorial erected by Absalom in hie files of the forest. Strictly, the Kikkar, as lifetime. The three unnamed sons men- we have seen, was the name of the Jordan tioned in eh. xiv. 27 seem to have died in valley near Jericho; but it was probably their infancy, e.nd probo.bly e.leo their applicable also to the same sort of formation mother ; o.nd Abse.lom, instead of taking further north. On approaching Mahanaim, other wives to bear him sons, which would Ahimaaz would strike inland, e.nd the two have been in unison with the feelings of the routes would join one another; and -one time, manifested his grief by raising this reason which me.de Ahimaaz go more to the monument. 'We have no reason for suppos- west was the.t he did not wish the Cushite to ing that H we.s the result of vanity and know that he had a rival. He would thus ostentation. Ostentatious he we.a, and mag- go at a steady pa.cc, picking his wa.y through nificent, but his not marrying age.in is a the forest, while Ahimaaz was using his sign of genuine sorrow. The king's dale is utmost speed. •• the Valley of She.veh," mentioned in Gen. Ver. 24.-David aat between the two xiv. 17; but whether it we.e nee.r J eruee.lem, gates. The gateway was in a tower in the e.e Josephus asserts, or nee.r Sodom, is un- city we.lie, e.nd David was sitting in the certain. The pillar we.s probably e.n obelisk, space between the inner e.nd outer gates. or possibly e. pyre.mid, e.nd certainly was Over this spa.ce was e. chamber, mentioned not the Ionio column of Roman workman- in ver. 33, while the sentinel was posted ship shown in the Middle Ages and at the upon the front wall over the outer gate. present time e.s "Absalom's grave." This Ver. 25.-If he be a.lone. In case of is in the Kidron valley, about two furlongs defeat there would havA been e. crowd of from J eruealem. Abse.lom's place; literally, rnnaways in eager flight. And when soon Absalom's hand; the.t is, memorial_(see note afterwards a second conrier is seen, as he afao on 1 Sam. xv. 12). is a.lone, e.nd comes by e. different route, his Ver. 21.-Cnshi. This is not a proper e.ppeare.nce only suggests the- idea of com- no.me, but eigni:ll.es the.t he we.s an Ethi- pleter tidings. And qnickly the foremost is opian, that is,a negro slaveinJoab's service. recognized by his running e.s the son of the -1011b was unwilling to expose Ahimaaz to high priest, and David is then assUl'ed that tne king's displeaslll'e, and we gather from e.11 he.a gone well, beco.use J onb would not ver. 27 that the. sending of e. person of low have sent a man of such rank to be the rank would be understood to signify evil bearer of bad new~. The word good nw.y tidings. The bearer of good news received also mean that Ahimaaz w:i.s too brave a e. present, and therefore the passing over me.n to have fled from the battle, and must, all J oab's personal friends to send a slave therefore, have come OIi e.n erre.nd from Joe.b. we.a proof that the message we.s not expected Ver. 28.-And said unto the king, All is to bring the bearer honour or reward. And well; Hebrew, Peace. This was the ordi- Joab was quite right in supposing tho.t nary se.luta.tion among the Israelites, but its David would be more displeased e.t his son's hurried exole.mation on the pa.rt of the death than pleased at the victory. breathless runner was probably intended to Ver. 22.-Seeing . , . thou he.st no tidings convey the idea given in the Authorized rea.dy. Thie we.s not true ; there we.re most Version. He.th delivered up the men, etc ; important tidings ready. But it is the trans- Hebrew, hath hedged, or shut in (see upon lation which is in fault, Whe.t Joab said this expression the notu on 1 Sam. xvii. {G, is, "Seeing thou hast no tidiugs tlmt find," e.nd comp. Ps. :xx:xi. 8). Doth there and in that is, no message the.I will tiud for thee eh. :xxii. 20 prosperity is comps.red to the the king's favour and a reward. being in e. broad place, where there is free- Ver. :!3.-Ahimaaz re.n by the we.y of the dom to act (see also note on eh. xiii. 2). plain; Hebrew, tho kikkar, or Jordan valley. Ver. 29.-Is the young man Absalom safe 1 'l'he battle, l!.8 we saw in ver. 6, we.a fought literally, Is there peace t-0 the lad Absalo111 'I on the eastern side of the river, and Absa- Was this mere love for the handsome but lom's army, in their flight, would endeavour rebellious son, whose image comes back to to reach the fords of the Jordan (oomp. Judg. the father as he we.s when just reaching xii. 5); and probubly Joab had pur~ucd them mauhood? Certainly not. D,wid WO.ii for some clistuucc before tho nun fou11LI iu thinking of the Olllinous word:l, "Th~ swort.l 440 THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL, [oiI. xvtn. 1---33,