Useful Bible Studies > 2 Samuel Commentary > chapter 14

David alone had power to bring Absalom back

2 Samuel 14:15-16

Now that she had given her advice to King David, the woman returned to her story. She knew that she had no authority over David. She could not force him to do anything. If she tried, David would be less willing to listen to her. She had to allow David to make his own decision about whether Absalom could return.

So, the woman spoke about her own family again. She said that her relatives had made her afraid. That was why she appealed to the king. As the king, David was able to act powerfully to deal with such matters.

By these words, the woman showed that she respected David greatly. However, she also wanted to emphasise that only David could make the decision about such matters. So really, at the same time as she spoke about her family, she was urging David to decide about Absalom.

Then in verse 16, she added one final argument. She pretended that she was merely speaking about her own family. However, her real meaning was again about Absalom. She reminded David that each family in Israel had their proper place in the land. Israel is the country that God promised to the Jews, the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

If someone killed the woman’s son, she and her son would lose their place in that land. That would be terrible. However, while Absalom remained abroad, he too had lost his place in that land. So the woman was urging David not to allow that situation to continue.

Next part: The woman praises David (2 Samuel 14:17)

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