Absalom Returns Home

Joab understood that the king’s heart was inclined towards Absalom. So he sent for a wise woman from Tekoa and told her to dress like a mourner who had been grieving a long time. He gave her the words to say, and she came before the king, bowed low, and asked for help.

The woman told a story about two sons. She said they had fought in a field, and one had killed the other. Now the rest of the family wanted the surviving son handed over to die too. She pleaded that her husband’s name and family line would not be wiped out. The king promised to protect her son.

Then the woman turned the matter towards the king himself. She asked why he had not brought back his own banished one. She spoke about life being like water spilled on the ground, and about God making a way so that a banished person is not left an outcast. The king realised Joab was behind her words, and she admitted it.

So the king told Joab to bring Absalom back. Joab went to Geshur and brought him to Jerusalem. But the king set a limit. Absalom could return to his own house, yet he was not to see the king’s face. He then lived in Jerusalem for two full years without coming before the king.

The passage notes that Absalom was greatly praised for his appearance, and that he cut his heavy hair at the end of each year. It also tells us he had three sons and a daughter named Tamar. After those two years, Absalom sent for Joab twice so he could speak to the king, but Joab would not come. Then Absalom’s servants set Joab’s barley field on fire.

When Joab came to ask why this had happened, Absalom explained that he wanted an answer from the king. He said it would have been better to remain in Geshur than to return without seeing the king, and if he were guilty, the king could put him to death. Joab told the king, Absalom came, bowed low, and the king kissed him.