2 Samuel 18
John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Samuel 18
MacArthur points out that "The 4 uses of "the young man Absalom" (vv. 5, 12, 29, 32) imply that David sentimentally viewed Absalom as a youthful rebel who could be forgiven. (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible)
2 Samuel 18
MacArthur - A dense forest existed E of the Jordan River and N of the Jabbok River in Gilead, where the battle was waged. (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) Utley is probably correct commenting that "David had a smaller but better trained army. The element of surprise and the terrain were on his side. Apparently this battle occurred on the eastern side of the Jordan in the rocky and treacherous upclimb from the Jordan Rift Valley." Mahanaim two camps, a place near the Jabbok, beyond Jordan, where Jacob was met by the "angels of God," and where he divided his retinue into "two hosts" on his return from Padan-aram (Gen. 32:2). This name was afterwards given to the town which was built at that place. It was the southern boundary of Bashan (Josh. 13:26, 30), and became a city of the Levites (21:38). Here Saul's son Ishbosheth reigned (2 Sam. 2:8, 12), while David reigned at Hebron. Here also, after a troubled reign, Ishbosheth was murdered by two of his own bodyguard (2 Sam. 4:5-7), who brought his head to David at Hebron, but were, instead of being rewarded, put to death by him for their cold-blooded murder. Many years after this, when he fled from Jerusalem on the rebellion of his son Absalom, David made Mahanaim, where Barzillai entertained him, his headquarters, and here he mustered his forces which were led against the army that had gathered around Absalom. It was while sitting at the gate of this town that tidings of the great and decisive battle between the two hosts and of the death of his son Absalom reached him, when he gave way to the most violent grief (2 Sam. 17:24-27). The only other reference to Mahanaim is as a station of one of Solomon's purveyors (1 Kings 4:14). 2 Samuel 18:7 The people of Israel were defeated there before the servants of David, and the slaughter there that day was great, 20,000 men. BGT 2 Samuel 18:7 καὶ ἔπταισεν ἐκεῖ ὁ λαὸς Ισραηλ ἐνώπιον τῶν παίδων Δαυιδ καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ θραῦσις μεγάλη ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ εἴκοσι χιλιάδες ἀνδρῶν LXE 2 Samuel 18:7 And the people of Israel fell down there before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter in that day, even twenty thousand men. KJV 2 Samuel 18:7 Where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men. NET 2 Samuel 18:7 The army of Israel was defeated there by David's men. The slaughter there was great that day– 20,000 soldiers were killed. CSB 2 Samuel 18:7 The people of Israel were defeated by David's soldiers, and the slaughter there was vast that day-- 20,000 casualties. ESV 2 Samuel 18:7 And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the loss there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. NIV 2 Samuel 18:7 There the army of Israel was defeated by David's men, and the casualties that day were great--twenty thousand men. NLT 2 Samuel 18:7 and the Israelite troops were beaten back by David's men. There was a great slaughter that day, and 20,000 men laid down their lives. NRS 2 Samuel 18:7 The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. NJB 2 Samuel 18:7 There, the army of Israel was beaten by David's retainers; it was a great defeat that day, with twenty thousand casualties. NAB 2 Samuel 18:7 The forces of Israel were defeated by David's servants, and the casualties there that day were heavy-- twenty thousand men. the people: 2Sa 2:17 15:6 19:41-43 a great: Pr 11:21 24:21 twenty thousand men: 2Sa 2:26,31 2Ch 13:16,17 28:6 2 Samuel 18 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries DAVID'S TROOPS MASSACRE ABSALOM'S TROOPS The people of Israel were defeated there before the servants of David, and the slaughter there that day was great, 20,000 men - NJB = "the army of Israel was beaten by David's retainers; it was a great defeat that day." As alluded to above, David was apparently outnumbered but his losses (I am assuming the 20,000 in context of "Israel...defeated" speaks of Israel's troops not David's) are not even mentioned so great were the losses of Absalom's troops who are called the people of Israel. Indeed, this battle is a civil war, which are usually bloody wars. 2 Samuel 18:8 For the battle there was spread over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. the forest devoured, Ex 15:10 Jos 10:11 Jdg 5:20,21 1Ki 20:30 Ps 3:7 43:1 2 Samuel 18 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries FOREST FIGHTS FOR DAVID For the battle there was spread over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured That is, probably, many more were slain in pursuit through the wood than in the battle, by falling into swamps, pits, etc., and being entangled and cut down by David's men. Such is the relation of Josephus; but other versions such as the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic state that they were devoured by wild beasts in the wood. This description reminds me of the scene in the Lord of the Rings where the trees came alive and fought against the evil enemy. Guzik on forest devoured - This phrase implies that God fought for David in unusual ways. Soldiers loyal to Absalom seemed to be “swallowed up” by the woods. Spurgeon on forest devoured - Perishing not only by the sword, but among the thick oaks and tangled briers of the wood, which concealed fearful precipices and great caverns, into which the rebels plunged in their wild fright when the rout set in. Adam
2 Samuel 18
MacArthur - In spite of all the harm that Absalom had caused, David was preoccupied with his personal loss in a melancholy way that seems to be consistent with his weakness as a father. It was an unwarranted zeal for such a worthless son, and a warning about the pitiful results of sin. (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) G Campbell Morgan (borrow Life applications from every chapter of the Bible) - Would God I had died for thee, 0 Absolom, my son, my son!—2 Sam. 18.33. Following the advice of Hushai, Absalom delayed until he had gathered together a great army. That strategically was his undoing. It gave David time also to gather an army and set them in orderly array. The forces met and fought in the forest of Ephraim. Absalom was slain by Joab, in whose heart there was no pity for him. That his action was warranted from the standpoint of national safety, there can be no doubt. In this hour David's cup of sorrow was filled to the full. Everything in the story leads up to, and culminates in, this wail of anguish over his dead boy. It is very brief, but it thrills with agony. Five times he repeated the words, "my son." This surely had a deeper note in it than that of the merely half-conscious repetition of words occasioned by personal grief. The father recognized how much he was responsible for his son. It is as though lie had said: He is indeed my son, his weaknesses are my weaknesses, his passions are my passions, his sins are my sins. Out of an that sense there came the deepest cry of all "Would I had died for thee!" Here surely David reached the profoundest moment of his suffering. May none of us ever experimentally enter into its awful consciousness! In order that we may not, we need to ponder all the story carefully, and learn the solemn lessons it teaches of parental responsibility. Death of a Child The late Joe Bayly wrote about the death of the young from firsthand experience. He lost three children: one at 18 days, after surgery; another at 5 years, with leukemia; the third at 18 years, after a sledding accident complicated by mild hemophilia. Joe said, "Of all deaths, that of a child is most unnatural and hardest to bear." He did not underestimate the grief of parents. "When a child dies," he added, "part of the parents is buried." David knew that experience. He had watched his young son Absalom grow up, the boy with the long, flowing hair. Perhaps he had been his favorite. Absalom had certainly shown great promise as a future leader, if not king, of Israel. Then came the tragic incident with Absalom's sister Tamar and his half-brother Amnon (2 Sam. 13:1-14). The young man turned bitter and eventually murdered Amnon (14:23-29). Later he plotted a rebellion against his father, which almost succeeded (2 Sam. 15:1-18:18). Yet despite all that, David mourned his boy's death as though he had been the perfect son. The death of a child is a catastrophic blow even if he has the heart of a rebel. God understands the pain every parent feels when he or she loses a child. He Himself had to stand apart and watch His beloved Son die on the cross. He walked the same valley of deep sorrow as every grieving parent. And God understands as well when the one you sorrow for has been a wayward son or daughter. Ezekiel 33:11 says, "'As I live,' says the Lord God, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.'" God grieves even when the wicked die. If you are grieving for a child today, take comfort in God's understanding. He will sustain you through each surge of sorrow. His loving arms will uphold you all along the way. (Back to the Bible) God is also a grieving parent.