2 Samuel 15:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.

NIV: All his men marched past him, along with all the Kerethites and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.

NASB: Now all of his servants passed by beside him, and all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had come with him from Gath, passed by before the king.

CSB: while all his servants marched past him. Then all the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and the people of Gath—six hundred men who came with him from there —marched past the king.

NLT: to let all the king’s men move past to lead the way. There were 600 men from Gath who had come with David, along with the king’s bodyguard.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Then all his servants passed before him; and all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had followed him from Gath, passed before the king.

Absalom and his forces, all Israelites, are bearing down on Jerusalem to kill David and take the throne. Absalom has spent four years manipulating people into looking to him for the justice he claims David won't give. David's personal counselor Ahithophel, most of the army, and the elders of Judah follow him (2 Samuel 15:31; 17:25; 19:11).

David doesn't want a war in the city, so he and those loyal to him are fleeing. They pause before going out of the city gate to organize (2 Samuel 15:17). As the people pass, David counts how many he can count on.

Besides his servants, the first to leave the city are three groups of Philistine soldiers and their families. The Cherethites and Pelethites are David's personal bodyguards (2 Samuel 8:18). As foreigners, they're less likely to seek their own political power and more likely to remain loyal to the king who pays them. The Cherethites were victims of the same Amalekites who took David and his men's families and burned their city to the ground (1 Samuel 30:13–14). It's possible David saved the Cherethites' families when he saved his own.

The 600-man Gittite mercenary group is a little more obscure. When David was running from Saul, Achish the king of Gath agreed to protect David and his men (1 Samuel 27). After David became king, he took Gath and greatly weakened the Philistine hold on the area (1 Chronicles 18:1). The Gittite commander Ittai is unwavering. David urges him to stay and serve Absalom as king, but Ittai pledges his service in life or death (2 Samuel 15:19–21). David rewards him by putting one-third of the remaining army under his command (2 Samuel 18:2).

Second Samuel 15:18–23 recounts how some Gentiles were even more loyal to David than his fellow Israelites. David's son Absalom is marching toward Jerusalem, intent on taking the throne. David and his household are fleeing the city. With them are three Philistine military units who serve David. Even after David urges them to avoid the inevitable war and go home, they stay with him. Much of David's army stays with Absalom (2 Samuel 17:25). Farther on, David will encourage the priests, their sons, and his advisor to stay. He trusts them to either foil Absalom's plans or send warning (2 Samuel 15:24–37).

God's curses against David continue (2 Samuel 12:10–12). David's son Absalom stages a coup. His followers declare him king and escort him to Jerusalem. David and those faithful to him flee the city for the wilderness. He leaves behind two priests, their sons, and an advisor to thwart Absalom's plans. As he travels, David willingly endures every humiliation, not knowing which are from God. Joab kills Absalom, and the kingdom is restored (2 Samuel 16—18). Absalom's betrayal is not recorded in 1 Chronicles.

Second Samuel 15 continues the fulfillment of God's curse on David. As he betrayed his friend Uriah, so someone from David's house will betray him (2 Samuel 12:11). David's son Absalom steals the people's hearts and declares himself king. David and his household flee the city, leaving behind ten concubines and five spies. The spies protect David until Joab can kill Absalom in battle. David is humbled and forgives his enemies (2 Samuel 16—19).

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.