2 Samuel 14:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: There were born to Absalom three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.

NIV: Three sons and a daughter were born to Absalom. His daughter’s name was Tamar, and she became a beautiful woman.

NASB: And to Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a woman of beautiful appearance.

CSB: Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman.

NLT: He had three sons and one daughter. His daughter’s name was Tamar, and she was very beautiful.

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

NKJV: To Absalom were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a woman of beautiful appearance.

By all worldly appearances, everything about Absalom suggests he'd make a good king. He's handsome and charming (2 Samuel 14:25–26; 15:1–6). At this point of the story, he has heirs and a beautiful daughter. However, Absalom will later erect a pillar as his legacy. He'll say, "I have no son to keep my name in remembrance" (2 Samuel 18:18). This suggests his sons all died at a young age.

Absalom's beautiful daughter is named after his sister. They had a brother, Amnon, by another of David's wives. Amnon lusted for Tamar and defiled her. David was angry with Amnon but didn't act. Absalom murdered Amnon and fled to his mother's father, the king of Geshur (2 Samuel 13). After the attack, Absalom invited his sister to live with him (2 Samuel 14:20). Two years later, Absalom was in exile. No further mention is made of his sister.

By naming his daughter after his sister, Absalom establishes an ongoing reminder. It seems to say that what he did to Amnon was justified—if not by the law, then by common decency. It frames him as a man of justice. Common people can trust his judgment. It's unclear if this was his explicit intent in naming his daughter, but a brand of common-man's-populism becomes his method to wins the peoples' hearts (2 Samuel 15:1–6).

Second Samuel 14:25–27 gives context for the surrounding chapters. David is handsome and loved (1 Samuel 16:12; 2 Samuel 5:1–3). His son, Absalom, will use good looks and charm to steal the people's hearts and grasp at David's throne (2 Samuel 15—17). Absalom's hair is so thick that it will get caught in a tree branch, leaving him vulnerable to Joab's javelins (2 Samuel 18:9–15). Absalom also has a beautiful daughter, named Tamar after the sister whom David neglected after she was raped (2 Samuel 13). This is a major factor in Absalom's rebellion against his father (2 Samuel 15).

Second Samuel 14 sets the scene for Absalom's rebellion against David. Joab wants David to forgive Absalom for murdering his brother and end his exile. Joab has a woman pretend to be a widow, who tells a story about a murderous son to convince David to pardon his own son. David brings Absalom home to Jerusalem, but not to the court or family. Joab eventually convinces David to see Absalom and the two are officially reconciled. With freedom, status, and ambition, Absalom starts a campaign to draw the people's hearts away from David and toward himself (2 Samuel 15:1–6).

Second Samuel 14 continues God's promise that tragedy will plague David's family. This is a curse for David's sin against Uriah and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:9–11). David's son Amnon raped his own half-sister Tamar. Tamar's full brother Absalom avenged her by killing Amnon, then fled to his maternal grandfather (2 Samuel 13). David thinks about Absalom, and Joab convinces David to bring him home and reconcile with him. Absalom wins the hearts of the people and takes the throne while David flees. Eventually, Absalom will be dead, and David will be a chastened man and wiser king. (2 Samuel 15–20).

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.