Useful Bible Studies > 2 Samuel Commentary > chapter 13
Amnon drank much wine at the party. Absalom seemed a very generous host, and the wine was good. As the king’s oldest son, Amnon received special attention at the party. He, and the king’s other sons, were enjoying themselves very much. However, Absalom did not really organise that party so that they could enjoy themselves. For two years, he had been waiting for an opportunity to act against Amnon. Now at last the time had come.
Absalom gave the order. All his men rushed towards Amnon. There seemed to be great confusion - but in a moment, Amnon was dead.
The king’s other sons thought that their lives were also in danger. In their state of shock, nobody seemed to remember why Absalom had wanted to kill Amnon. However, they had with them their mules - strong animals like a horse. They got on their mules and escaped at once.
Mules ride quickly. It surprises us, therefore, that the king’s sons were not the first people to bring the news to King David.
However, they were not. Perhaps they stopped on the way back to gather together in a group. So someone else - perhaps another guest at the party, or one of the servants - reached David more quickly. That person had left the party in a great hurry. In all the confusion, he had not properly understood what had happened. So, he brought to David the wrong report that Absalom had killed all of David’s sons. That was, of course, truly terrible news for David, who loved his family deeply.
Next part: Jonadab's extraordinary reaction to the news (2 Samuel 13:31-33)
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