Friday 31 January 2025
The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (v. 33)
Background
The two books of Samuel revolve around the career of David as he becomes king over the feuding tribes of the Israelites. Absalom, David's favourite son, initiates a coup against his father (2 Samuel 15:1-12). As the armies battle it out, David urges his commanders to "deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom" (2 Samuel 18:5).
David’s troops defeat Absalom’s army and among the casualties is Absalom, who is discovered by David’s soldiers and is killed by Joab, one of David’s generals. Two messengers run from the battlefield with the news. Ahimaaz, son of the priest Zadok, sets off second, but arrives first, and is economical with the truth, not telling David about the death of his son. The other messenger, a native of Cush (Ethiopia), is more forthright.
The story powerfully expresses David’s desperate grief at the death of Absalom in the haunting words of verse 33: "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!"
‘The young man’ of verse 5 has now become ‘my son’, with five-fold repetition. David has given voice to grief before, in lamenting the death of his friend Jonathan (2 Samuel 1) and the death of his wife Bathsheba’s first child (2 Samuel 12:15-23), but this is unparalleled in raw emotion.
To Ponder:
- Can you identify with David in his profound sense of loss?
- Why do you think the writer of 2 Samuel chose to tell the story this way?
Prayer
Loving God, when we are overwhelmed by grief and lose sight of you, hold on to us. For your love’s sake. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Martin Wellings
Martin Wellings is a Methodist presbyter, serving in north London.