HOW ABSALOM MURDERED AMNON, WHO HAD FORCED HIS OWN SISTER; AND HOW HE WAS BANISHED AND AFTERWARDS RECALLED BY DAVID. FJAJ 7.40
1. WHEN the king was returned to Jerusalem, a sad misfortune befell
his house, on the occasion following: He had a daughter, who was yet a
virgin, and very handsome, insomuch that she surpassed all the most beautiful
women; her name was Tamar; she had the same mother with Absalom
Now Amnon,
David's eldest son, fell in love with her, and being not able to obtain
his desires, on account of her virginity, and the custody she was under,
was so much out of order, nay, his grief so eat up his body, that he grew
lean, and his color was changed
Now there was one Jenadab, a kinsman and
friend of his, who discovered this his passion, for he was an extraordinary
wise man, and of great sagacity of mind
When, therefore, he saw that every
morning Amnon was not in body as he ought to be, he came to him, and desired
him to tell him what was the cause of it: however, he said that he guessed
that it arose from the passion of love
Amnon confessed his passion, that
he was in love with a sister of his, who had the same father with himself.
So Jenadab suggested to him by what method and contrivance he might obtain
his desires; for he persuaded him to pretend sickness, and bade him, when
his father should come to him, to beg of him that his sister might come
and minister to him; for if that were done, he should be better, and should
quickly recover from his distemper
So Amnon lay down on his bed, and pretended
to be sick, as Jonadab had suggested
When his father came, and inquired
how he did, he begged of him to send his sister to him
Accordingly, he
presently ordered her to be brought to him; and when she was come, Amnon
bade her make cakes for him, and fry them in a pan, and do it all with
her own hands, because he should take them better from her hand [than from
any one's else]
So she kneaded the flour in the sight of her brother,
and made him cakes, and baked them in a pan, and brought them to him; but
at that time he would not taste them, but gave order to his servants to
send all that were there out of his chamber, because he had a mind to repose
himself, free from tumult and disturbance
As soon as what he had commanded
was done, he desired his sister to bring his supper to him into the inner
parlor; which, when the damsel had done, he took hold of her, and endeavored
to persuade her to lie with him
Whereupon the damsel cried out, and said,
"Nay, brother, do not force me, nor be so wicked as to transgress
the laws, and bring upon thyself the utmost confusion
Curb this thy unrighteous
and impure lust, from which our house will get nothing but reproach and
disgrace." She also advised him to speak to his father about this
affair; for he would permit him [to marry her]
This she said, as desirous
to avoid her brother's violent passion at present
But he would not yield
to her; but, inflamed with love and blinded with the vehemency of his passion,
he forced his sister: but as soon as Amnon had satisfied his lust, he hated
her immediately, and giving her reproachful words, bade her rise up and
be gone
And when she said that this was a more injurious treatment than
the former, if, now he had forced her, he would not let her stay with him
till the evening, but bid her go away in the day-time, and while it was
light, that she might meet with people that would be witnesses of her shame,
- he commanded his servant to turn her out of his house
Whereupon she
was sorely grieved at the injury and violence that had been offered to
her, and rent her loose coat, (for the virgins of old time wore such loose
coats tied at the hands, and let down to the ankles, that the inner coats
might not be seen,) and sprinkled ashes on her head; and went up the middle
of the city, crying out and lamenting for the violence that had been offered
her
Now Absalom, her brother, happened to meet her, and asked her what
sad thing had befallen her, that she was in that plight; and when she had
told him what injury had been offered her, he comforted her, and desired
her to be quiet, and take all patiently, and not to esteem her being corrupted
by her brother as an injury
So she yielded to his advice, and left off
her crying out, and discovering the force offered her to the multitude;
and she continued as a widow with her brother Absalom a long time. FJAJ 7.41
2. When David his father knew this, he was grieved at the actions of
Amnon; but because he had an extraordinary affection for him, for he was
his eldest son, he was compelled not to afflict him; but Absalom watched
for a fit opportunity of revenging this crime upon him, for he thoroughly
hated him
Now the second year after this wicked affair about his sister
was over, and Absalom was about to go to shear his own sheep at Baalhazor,
which is a city in the portion of Ephraim, he besought his father, as well
as his brethren, to come and feast with him: but when David excused himself,
as not being willing to be burdensome to him, Absalom desired he would
however send his brethren; whom he did send accordingly
Then Absalom charged
his own servants, that when they should see Amnon disordered and drowsy
with wine, and he should give them a signal, they should fear nobody, but
kill him. FJAJ 7.42
3. When they had done as they were commanded, the rest of his brethren
were astonished and disturbed, and were afraid for themselves, so they
immediately got on horseback, and rode away to their father; but somebody
there was who prevented them, and told their father they were all slain
by Absalom; whereupon he was overcome with sorrow, as for so many of his
sons that were destroyed at once, and that by their brother also; and by
this consideration, that it was their brother that appeared to have slain
them, he aggravated his sorrow for them
So he neither inquired what was
the cause of this slaughter, nor staid to hear any thing else, which yet
it was but reasonable to have done, when so very great, and by that greatness
so incredible, a misfortune was related to him: he rent his clothes and
threw himself upon the ground, and there lay lamenting the loss of all
his sons, both those who, as he was informed, were slain, and of him who
slew them
But Jonadab, the son of his brother Shemeah, entreated him not
to indulge his sorrow so far, for as to the rest of his sons he did not
believe that they were slain, for he found no cause for such a suspicion;
but he said it might deserve inquiry as to Amnon, for it was not unlikely
that Absalom might venture to kill him on account of the injury he had
offered to Tamar
In the mean time, a great noise of horses, and a tumult
of some people that were coming, turned their attention to them; they were
the king's sons, who were fled away from the feast
So their father met
them as they were in their grief, and he himself grieved with them; but
it was more than he expected to see those his sons again, whom he had a
little before heard to have perished
However, their were tears on both
sides; they lamenting their brother who was killed, and the king lamenting
his son, who was killed also; but Absalom fled to Geshur, to his grandfather
by his mother's side, who was king of that country, and he remained with
him three whole years. FJAJ 7.43
4. Now David had a design to send to Absalom, not that he should come
to be punished, but that he might be with him, for the effects of his anger
were abated by length of time
It was Joab, the captain of his host, that
chiefly persuaded him so to do; for he suborned an ordinary woman, that
was stricken in age, to go to the king in mourning apparel, who said thus
to him: - That two of her sons, in a coarse way, had some difference between
them, and that in the progress of that difference they came to an open
quarrel, and that one was smitten by the other, and was dead; and she desired
him to interpose in this case, and to do her the favor to save this her
son from her kindred, who were very zealous to have him that had slain
his brother put to death, that so she might not be further deprived of
the hopes she had of being taken care of in her old age by him; and that
if he would hinder this slaughter of her son by those that wished for it,
he would do her a great favor, because the kindred would not be restrained
from their purpose by any thing else than by the fear of him
And when
the king had given his consent to what the woman had begged of him, she
made this reply to him: - "I owe thee thanks for thy benignity to
me in pitying my old age, and preventing the loss of my only remaining
child; but in order to assure me of this thy kindness, be first reconciled
to thine own son, and cease to be angry with him; for how shall I persuade
myself that thou hast really bestowed this favor upon me, while thou thyself
continuest after the like manner in thy wrath to thine own son? for it
is a foolish thing to add willfully another to thy dead son, while the
death of the other was brought about without thy consent." And now
the king perceived that this pretended story was a subornation derived
from Joab, and was of his contrivance; and when, upon inquiry of the old
woman, he understood it to be so in reality, he called for Joab, and told
him he had obtained what he requested according to his own mind; and he
bid him bring Absalom back, for he was not now displeased, but had already
ceased to be angry with him
So Joab bowed himself down to the king, and
took his words kindly, and went immediately to Geshur, and took Absalom
with him, and came to Jerusalem. FJAJ 7.44
5. However, the king sent a message to his son beforehand, as he was
coming, and commanded him to retire to his own house, for he was not yet
in such a disposition as to think fit at present to see him
Accordingly,
upon the father's command, he avoided coming into his presence, and contented
himself with the respects paid him by his own family only
Now his beauty
was not impaired, either by the grief he had been under, or by the want
of such care as was proper to be taken of a king's son, for he still surpassed
and excelled all men in the tallness of his body, and was more eminent
[in a fine appearance] than those that dieted the most luxuriously; and
indeed such was the thickness of the hair of his head, that it was with
difficulty that he was polled every eighth day; and his hair weighed two
hundred shekels (15)
Of this weight of Absalom's hair, how in twenty or thirty years it might
well amount to two hundred shekels, or to somewhat above six pounds avoirdupois,
see the Literal Accomplishment of Prophecies, p. 77, 78. But a late very
judicious author thinks that the LXXX. meant not its weight, but its value,
Was twenty shekels. � Dr. Wall's Critical Notes on the Old Testament, upon
2 Samuel 14:26. It does not appear what was Josephus's opinion: he sets
the text down honestly as he found it in his copies, only he thought that
"at the end of days," when Absalom polled or weighed his hair,
was once a week.
which are five pounds
However, he dwelt in Jerusalem two years, and became
the father of three sons, and one daughter; which daughter was of very
great beauty, and which Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, took to wife afterward,
and had by her a son named Abijah
But Absalom sent to Joab, and desired
him to pacify his father entirely towards him; and to beseech him to give
him leave to come to him to see him, and speak with him
But when Joab
neglected so to do, he sent some of his own servants, and set fire to the
field adjoining to him; which, when Joab understood, he came to Absalom,
and accused him of what he had done; and asked him the reason why he did
so
To which Absalom replied, that "I have found out this stratagem
that might bring thee to us, while thou hast taken no care to perform
the injunction I laid upon thee, which was this, to reconcile my father
to me; and I really beg it of thee, now thou art here, to pacify my father
as to me, since I esteem my coming hither to be more grievous than my banishment,
while my father's wrath against me continues." Hereby Joab was persuaded,
and pitied the distress that Absalom was in, and became an intercessor
with the king for him
And when he had discoursed with his father, he soon
brought him to that amicable disposition towards Absalom, that he presently
sent for him to come to him; and when he had cast himself down upon the
ground, and had begged for the forgiveness of his offenses, the king raised
him up, and promised him to forget what he had formerly done. FJAJ 7.45