“And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:”
In token of mourning: for they used anointing to seem cheerful. Or, wife.
“And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.”
Hebrew, put words in her mouth .
“And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him. none: Heb. no deliverer between them”
Under this parable she describeth the death of Amnon by Absalom.
“And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth. upon: Heb. upon the face of the earth”
Because he hath slain his brother he ought to be slain according to the Law, Gen. 9:6 ; Exod. 21:12 .
“And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house: and the king and his throne be guiltless.”
Or, innocent. As touching the breach of the Law which punisheth blood, let me bear the blame.
“Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth. that: Heb. that the revenger of blood do not multiply to destroy”
Swear that they shall not revenge the blood, which are many in number.
“And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished.”
Why dost thou give contrary sentence in thy son Absalom?
“For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. neither: or, because God hath not taken away his life, he hath also devised means, etc”
Or, accept. God hath provided ways (as sanctuaries) to save them oft times, whom man judgeth worthy death.
“Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid.”
For I thought they would kill this mine heir.
“Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee. comfortable: Heb. for rest to discern: Heb. to hear”
Hebrew, rest . Is of great wisdom to discern right from wrong.
“And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:”
Hast not thou done this by the counsel of Joab.
“To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.”
By speaking further in a parable then plainly. Or, none can hide ought from the King.
“And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.”
Covering hereby his affection, and showing some part of justice to please the people.
“And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year's end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight.”
Which weighed 6 pounds 4 ounces after half an ounce the shekel.
“Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire. near: Heb. near my place”
The wicked are impatient in their affections, and spare no unlawful means to compass them. Or, possession.
“And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me.”
If I have offended by revenging my sister’s dishonor: thus the wicked justify themselves in their evil.