Day 125-11

VIII - The Reign of David - 1025-985 B.C. ~ cont.

B. David's sin and its consequences ~ cont.

2. Absalom's rebellion ~ cont.

p. Battle of Mt. Ephraim - 2 Samuel 18:1-8

q. Slaying of Absalom (apx 30 years) by Joab - 2 Samuel 18:9-18

r. News brought to David - 2 Samuel 18:19-33; Psalm 10:1-18
s. Joab reproaches David for his grief - 2 Samuel 19:1-10; Psalm 122:1-9

{pages 552 - 556}

For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the country: and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.  (2 Samuel 18:8)

I've always found that intriguing that more people were slain by the forest, than by the sword.  Quite a few lost their lives that day.

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.  (2 Samuel 18:7)

Gill's commentary:

 For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the country,.... Or the warriors were scattered, as the Targum; Absalom's soldiers, their ranks were broken, and they were thrown into the utmost confusion, and ran about here and there all over the field or plain in which the battle was fought, and into the neighbouring wood: 

and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured; there were more slain in it the in the field of battle, what by one thing or another; as by falling into pits and on stumps of trees, and being entangled in the bushes, and could make but little haste, and so were overtaken by David's men, and slain; insomuch that, as Josephus (h) observes, there were more slain fleeing than fighting, and perhaps some might perish by wild beasts; so the Targum,"and the beasts of the wood slew more of the people than were slain by the sword;''and so the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words to the same purpose.

This verse has puzzled me:

Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the king's dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called unto this day, Absalom's place.  (2 Samuel 18:8)

Because in 2 Samuel 14:27:

And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.

So which is it, sons or no?

Gill on 14:27:

And unto Absalom there were born three sons,.... Who very probably died young; and the rather it may be thought so, since their names are not given, and more especially since it is said that Absalom had no sons, and therefore erected a pillar to keep up the remembrance of his name; unless it can be thought that that was set up before he had any sons, which is not so likely; see 2Sa_18:18,

and one daughter, whose name was Tamar; and whom he named after his sister Tamar, who was ravished by Amnon; the Septuagint version in some copies adds,"and she became the wife of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, and bore to him Abia;''and so says Josephus (b); see 1Ki_15:22, 

she was a woman of a fair countenance; as was her aunt, after whom she was named, 2Sa_13:1; by this it appears that she lived to a woman's estate, though the sons of Absalom died young.

Interesting thought about the daughter of Absalom, Tamar...I did a quick search on Tamar and do not see her name connected with Rehoboam.  Which then made me wonder what Tamar means.  I have probably researched it before, but obviously did not retain it.  Repetition is good.  :-)

Tamar - H8559 - The same as H8558; Tamar, the name of three women and a place.

• H8558 - From an unused root meaning to be erect; a palm tree.

I found the word Tamar and H8559 each 24 times.

I like the depth of thought that a palm tree invokes.  So...rabbit trailing...lol...found quite a few sites on palm trees, sharing this one as I thought it gave a concise overview, Palm Tree.  I found this one encouraging as well, The palm tree in the Bible.

Enjoyed the verse below and the reminder it gave for those of the household of faith.

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  (Psalm 92:12)