2 Samuel 15:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And at the end of four years Absalom said to the king, "Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the Lord, in Hebron.

NIV: At the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, "Let me go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the Lord.

NASB: Now it came about at the end of four years that Absalom said to the king, 'Please let me go and pay my vow which I have made to the Lord, in Hebron.

CSB: When four years had passed, Absalom said to the king, "Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a vow I made to the Lord.

NLT: After four years, Absalom said to the king, 'Let me go to Hebron to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and fulfill a vow I made to him.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Now it came to pass after forty years that Absalom said to the king, “Please, let me go to Hebron and pay the vow which I made to the Lord.

It's been nine years since Absalom asked his father, David, if he could leave Jerusalem to celebrate the sheep-shearing season with his servants and his brothers. David let him go with his blessing. Once Absalom made sure everyone had enough to eat and drink, he signaled his servants to kill his brother Amnon, who had raped his sister, Tamar's (2 Samuel 13:23–29). Absalom went to his grandfather, the king of Geshur, and stayed under his protection (2 Samuel 13:35–38). After three years, Joab convinced David to allow Absalom to come home, but it was another two years before David agreed to reconcile with his son (2 Samuel 14:21, 28–33).

Now, four years later, Absalom asks David's permission to leave the city to fulfill a vow. He claims that when he was in Geshur, he promised God that if God allowed him to come home, he'd offer worship in his hometown of Hebron (2 Samuel 3:2–3). David sends him in peace. David doesn't know Absalom has spent the last four years poisoning the people against David. When Absalom returns to Jerusalem, it won't be as a devout and devoted prince; it will be as a self-designed king bent on destroying his father (2 Samuel 15:8–12).

In Second Samuel 15:7–12, David's son prepares treason. Absalom has been manipulating visitors to Jerusalem for four years. He claims David won't give them justice, but Absalom would if he had the authority. Absalom goes to Hebron, where David was crowned king of Judah (2 Samuel 2:4), and calls on his supporters to declare him king. Afraid of a battle in Jerusalem, David gathers his household and staff and flees the city. Along the way, David discovers who his friends are (2 Samuel 15:13–37).

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.