Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of 2 Samuel
Chapter 15: The King Went Forth, Weeping
Absalom steals the hearts of Israel with flattery and false promises, then raises revolt, and David flees his own city. Weeping, barefoot, over the brook Kidron and up the mount of Olives, betrayed by his trusted counselor, the rejected king walks a road that centuries later his greater Son would walk toward the cross.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of 2 Samuel chapter 15. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Chapter 15 records Absalom's conspiracy and David's sorrowful flight, a scene rich with foreshadowings of Christ. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Absalom's Conspiracy (2 Samuel 15:1-12)
With flattery and false promises Absalom steals the hearts of Israel, then launches his revolt from Hebron.
So Absalom Stole the Hearts of the Men of Israel
"And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice! And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him. And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the LORD, in Hebron. For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the LORD shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD. And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose, and went to Hebron. But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron. And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were called; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not any thing. And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom."
Word Study
"stole the hearts," Hebrew ganav lev (גָּנַב לֵב), "to steal the heart, to deceive, win over by cunning." Absalom "stole the hearts (ganav lev) of the men of Israel." The phrase is exact: he did not win them honestly but stole them, by calculated flattery, staged accessibility, and empty promises. He rose early to catch petitioners, told each his cause was "good and right" (without hearing the other side), hinted the king neglected them, wished aloud he were judge, and embraced the people with a false kiss. It is the very portrait of the demagogue and the false shepherd, who feeds not the flock but himself, and gathers a following by telling people what they want to hear. Even his religious pretext, a "vow unto the LORD" in Hebron, cloaks rebellion in piety. He is the anti-type of the true King, who does not steal hearts by flattery but wins them by truth and by giving Himself. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matthew 7:15). The stolen heart is always stolen by a lie.
Explanation
Absalom launches a long, patient campaign to seize the throne. He surrounds himself with royal trappings, chariots, horses, and runners, and stations himself at the city gate, where legal cases were heard. To every petitioner he offers sympathy and flattery, assuring each that his cause is right, insinuating that David's government neglects him, and wishing aloud that he himself were judge. With a false embrace for all, "so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel." Having built his following, he asks leave to "pay a vow" at Hebron, David's old capital, and there raises the standard of revolt, proclaiming himself king. Crucially, he wins over Ahithophel, David's own trusted counselor, and "the conspiracy was strong." What David failed to see coming, the long fruit of his own house's brokenness, now breaks into open rebellion.
Gospel Focus
Absalom is the very image of the false leader who "steals hearts" by flattery rather than winning them by truth. He promised what he never meant to give, told people only what pleased them, and cloaked ambition in religion. The world and the church are full of such Absaloms, charming, accessible, promising justice and freedom, who lead the "simple" (verse 11) astray, for "by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple" (Romans 16:18). The safeguard is discernment rooted in truth, not being carried away by charisma and flattery. And how different is the true King. The Lord Jesus never stole hearts by telling men what they wished to hear; He spoke hard truth, called for the cross, and won hearts by laying down His life. Do not give your heart to every winsome voice; give it to the King who bought it with His blood. Test the shepherds by their fruit and their faithfulness to the truth, not by their flattering words.
David Flees, and Ittai's Loyalty (2 Samuel 15:13-23)
David abandons Jerusalem to spare it, and the foreigner Ittai vows undying loyalty to the rejected king.
Whether in Death or Life, Even There Will Thy Servant Be
"And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword. And the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint. And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, which were concubines, to keep the house. And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off. And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before the king. Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also an exile. Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go whither I may, return thou, and take back thy brethren: mercy and truth be with thee. And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the LORD liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be. And David said to Ittai, Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with him. And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness."
Word Study
"the brook Kidron," Hebrew nachal Qidron (נַחַל קִדְרוֹן), the ravine east of Jerusalem, toward Olivet. David, the rejected king, "passed over the brook Kidron" toward the wilderness. Centuries later, "when Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron" (John 18:1) to Gethsemane and His arrest, treading the same path in His own rejection. The foreshadowing is striking, and it deepens in Ittai the Gittite, a foreigner, "a stranger, and also an exile," who had come to David only "yesterday," yet who binds himself to the rejected king with words that ring like true discipleship: "whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be." When David gives him every excuse to leave for safety and comfort, Ittai chooses the exiled king over ease, casting his lot wholly with him. This is the heart of following Christ: to cleave to the rejected King through death and life alike, "whither thou goest, I will go" (Ruth 1:16); "Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life" (John 6:68). The true disciple follows the King not for the crown's comfort but for the King Himself, even into exile and reproach.
Explanation
When word comes that Israel's heart has turned to Absalom, David makes the hard, selfless choice to flee rather than fight in the city, sparing Jerusalem the sword. He leaves with his household and loyal guard. On the way he meets Ittai the Gittite, a recent foreign ally, and generously urges him to turn back and save himself, for this is not his fight. But Ittai refuses in the noblest terms, vowing to stay with David in death or life. Deeply moved, David lets him come. Then the whole company crosses the brook Kidron, weeping, and heads for the wilderness. It is a scene of sorrow and of sifting: the rejected king walks out of his city in tears, and around him the true-hearted, even a foreigner, reveal themselves by their willingness to share his rejection.
Gospel Focus
David's flight foreshadows his greater Son. As David crossed the Kidron in rejection, so Jesus crossed the same brook toward Gethsemane and the cross. And as Ittai clung to the exiled David, so the true disciple clings to the rejected Christ. Note that Ittai was "a stranger, and also an exile", a Gentile, an outsider, yet his loyalty outshone that of native Israel; grace ever gathers unlikely people to the King. His confession, "whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be," is the language of full-hearted discipleship, choosing the King over comfort, sharing His reproach rather than seeking one's own safety. "If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be" (John 12:26). The times that sift a kingdom reveal the true from the false; adversity shows who follows the King for His own sake. Will you, like Ittai, cross the Kidron with the rejected King, or turn back for ease?
The Ark Sent Back, and Ahithophel's Betrayal (2 Samuel 15:24-37)
David submits to God's will, weeps up Olivet, prays against his betrayer, and sends Hushai back to counter Ahithophel.
Let Him Do to Me as Seemeth Good Unto Him
"And lo Zadok also, and all the Levites were with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God: and they set down the ark of God; and Abiathar went up, until all the people had done passing out of the city. And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me again, and shew me both it, and his habitation: But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him. The king said also unto Zadok the priest, Art not thou a seer? return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. See, I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness, until there come word from you to certify me. Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem: and they tarried there. And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up. And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. And it came to pass, that when David was come to the top of the mount, where he worshipped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head: Unto whom David said, If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me: But if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father's servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel. And hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests? therefore it shall be, that what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the king's house, thou shalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz Zadok's son, and Jonathan Abiathar's son; and by them ye shall send unto me every thing that ye can hear. So Hushai David's friend came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem."
Word Study
"here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good," a confession of total submission to God's will. David sends the ark back to Jerusalem rather than clutch it as a talisman (unlike Israel in 1 Samuel 4), saying, "if I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me again", and if not, "here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him." It is the language of perfect surrender, echoing Eli's "It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good" (1 Samuel 3:18) and anticipating the greater Son's "not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). Yet David's submission is not passive: he also prays, "turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness," and acts, sending his friend Hushai back to counter that counsel. Faith submits to God and yet uses the means God provides, prayer and prudence together. And the betrayal by Ahithophel, David's trusted counselor who "did eat of my bread" (Psalm 41:9), makes David a type of Christ betrayed by Judas; indeed both betrayers came to the same end, hanging themselves (2 Samuel 17:23; Matthew 27:5). Weeping, barefoot, betrayed, up the mount of Olives, David walks the very ground where his greater Son would sweat and pray.
Explanation
The priests Zadok and Abiathar bring the ark of God with the fleeing king, but David sends it back to Jerusalem. He will not treat it as a lucky charm; he trusts that if God delights in him, God will restore him to the ark and its dwelling, and if not, he submits to whatever God sees good. He also enlists the priests and their sons as a secret line of communication. Then David climbs the mount of Olives, weeping, his head covered and feet bare in mourning, and his people with him. Hearing that his trusted counselor Ahithophel has joined the revolt, David prays that his counsel be turned to folly. At the summit, where he worships, he meets his loyal friend Hushai, and instead of taking him along as a burden, sends him back to Absalom's court as a mole, to defeat Ahithophel's counsel and relay intelligence. So David submits to God, prays, and wisely acts, all at once.
Gospel Focus
David on Olivet is a moving portrait of faith in the fire, and a foreshadowing of Christ. His surrender, "here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good," is the very posture of trust, laying down all rights and resting in God's will, as his greater Son would in Gethsemane on this same mountain, "not my will, but thine, be done." His submission was not fatalism: he prayed against Ahithophel and sent Hushai to work, showing that trusting God and using means are not opposed but joined; "commit thy works unto the LORD" (Proverbs 16:3), then labor. And the betrayal by his intimate friend, who ate his bread, makes David a type of the Lord Jesus, betrayed by Judas over the very bread of fellowship (John 13:18, citing Psalm 41:9). The rejected king, weeping over the Kidron and up Olivet, betrayed by a friend, submitting to the Father, points unmistakably to the Man of Sorrows. Learn from David to surrender your will to God in the day of trouble, to pray, to act wisely, and to see in his sorrow the shadow of the greater King who bore infinitely more for us.
Chapter 15 in Review
2 Samuel 15 records Absalom's rebellion and David's sorrowful flight. Over years Absalom "stole the hearts of the men of Israel" with flattery, staged sympathy, and false promises, then raised revolt at Hebron, winning even David's counselor Ahithophel. When the conspiracy grew strong, David fled Jerusalem to spare the city, and on the way the foreign exile Ittai vowed undying loyalty, "whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be." The king crossed the brook Kidron weeping, sent the ark back in humble submission, "let him do to me as seemeth good," climbed Olivet barefoot and in tears, prayed against Ahithophel's counsel, and sent his friend Hushai back to defeat it.
For the Apostolic reader, the chapter is thick with foreshadowings of Christ. Absalom is the false shepherd who steals hearts by flattery, against whom we must test every winsome voice by the truth. Ittai models the true disciple who cleaves to the rejected King through death and life. And David, betrayed by the friend who ate his bread, crossing the Kidron, weeping up the mount of Olives, submitting to the Father's will, walks the very ground and the very sorrow that his greater Son would walk toward the cross. Faith in the fire submits to God, prays, and acts wisely, all at once.
- Absalom "stole the hearts" by flattery and false promises; test the shepherds by truth, not charm.
- Ittai the foreign exile chose the rejected king over comfort, "whether in death or life", true discipleship.
- David submitted, "let him do to me as seemeth good," yet also prayed and acted; faith joins surrender to means.
- Kidron, Olivet, and betrayal by a bread-sharing friend make David a vivid type of Christ in His passion.
Questions for Reflection
- Whose voices have "stolen your heart"? Do you test them by truth, or follow flattery?
- Would you, like Ittai, follow the rejected King into exile and reproach, or turn back for ease?
- Can you say with David, "let him do to me as seemeth good," while still praying and acting wisely?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). The Hebrew terms are standard and can be checked in any Hebrew lexicon. Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Absalom steals the hearts of Israel; the false shepherd: 2 Samuel 15:1-12; Matthew 7:15; Romans 16:18.
- David flees over Kidron; Ittai's loyalty; following the rejected King: 2 Samuel 15:13-23; John 18:1; Ruth 1:16; John 6:68; John 12:26.
- Submission, prayer, and means; betrayed by a friend; a type of Christ: 2 Samuel 15:24-37; 1 Samuel 3:18; Luke 22:42; Proverbs 16:3; Psalm 41:9; John 13:18.