# Absalom rebels; David flees across the Jordan United Kingdom · Draft · BSB Content revision: 54df81d1f18480cf · No editorial review date recorded [Citation / readable page](https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/reference/events/absalom-rebellion/) [Open interactive map](https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/?event=absalom-rebellion) [Markdown](https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/reference/events/absalom-rebellion/index.md) [JSON](https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/reference/events/absalom-rebellion/index.json) Date: David’s reign · Absalom’s rebellion Absalom wins support, declares his rule from Hebron and enters Jerusalem. David flees, sends the ark back to the city and crosses the Jordan. Hushai’s counsel buys time, and supporters provide for David at Mahanaim. The flight includes Shimei’s curses and disputed claims about Mephibosheth. Absalom also takes David’s concubines in a public assertion of power, exposing women in the household to further harm. The route crosses the Jordan, but the ford is not identified. ## Primary Scripture [2 Samuel 15:1–17:29 (BSB)](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Samuel%2015%3A1%E2%80%9317%3A29&version=BSB) 15:1 Some time later, Absalom provided for himself a chariot with horses and fifty men to run ahead of him. 15:2 He would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone had a grievance to bring before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out and ask, “What city are you from?” And if he replied, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel,” 15:3 Absalom would say, “Look, your claims are good and right, but the king has no deputy to hear you.” 15:4 And he would add, “If only someone would appoint me judge in the land, then everyone with a grievance or dispute could come to me, and I would give him justice.” 15:5 Also, when anyone approached to bow down to him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him. 15:6 Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for justice. In this way he stole the hearts of the men of Israel. 15:7 After four years had passed, Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a vow I have made to the LORD. 15:8 For your servant made a vow while dwelling in Geshur of Aram, saying: ‘If indeed the LORD brings me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the LORD in Hebron.’” 15:9 “Go in peace,” said the king. So Absalom got up and went to Hebron. 15:10 Then Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear the sound of the horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’” 15:11 Two hundred men from Jerusalem accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and they went along innocently, for they knew nothing about the matter. 15:12 While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from his hometown of Giloh. So the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing. 15:13 Then a messenger came to David and reported, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.” 15:14 And David said to all the servants with him in Jerusalem, “Arise and let us flee, or we will not escape from Absalom! We must leave quickly, or he will soon overtake us, heap disaster on us, and put the city to the sword.” 15:15 The king’s servants replied, “Whatever our lord the king decides, we are your servants.” 15:16 Then the king set out, and his entire household followed him. But he left behind ten concubines to take care of the palace. 15:17 So the king set out with all the people following him. He stopped at the last house, 15:18 and all his servants marched past him—all the Cherethites and Pelethites, and six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath. 15:19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you also go with us? Go back and stay with the new king, since you are both a foreigner and an exile from your homeland. 15:20 In fact, you arrived only yesterday; should I make you wander around with us today while I do not know where I am going? Go back and take your brothers with you. May the LORD show you loving devotion and faithfulness.” 15:21 But Ittai answered the king, “As surely as the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be!” 15:22 “March on then,” said David to Ittai. So Ittai the Gittite marched past with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. 15:23 Everyone in the countryside was weeping loudly as all the people passed by. And as the king crossed the Kidron Valley, all the people also passed toward the way of the wilderness. 15:24 Zadok was also there, and all the Levites with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had passed out of the city. 15:25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, He will bring me back and let me see both it and His dwelling place again. 15:26 But if He should say, ‘I do not delight in you,’ then here I am; let Him do to me whatever seems good to Him.” 15:27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace—you with your son Ahimaaz, and Abiathar with his son Jonathan. 15:28 See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” 15:29 So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and stayed there. 15:30 But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went up. His head was covered, and he was walking barefoot. And all the people with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went. 15:31 Now someone told David: “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David pleaded, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!” 15:32 When David came to the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Archite was there to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head. 15:33 David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. 15:34 But you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me if you return to the city and say to Absalom: ‘I will be your servant, my king; in the past I was your father’s servant, but now I will be your servant.’ 15:35 Will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be there with you? Report to them everything you hear from the king’s palace. 15:36 Indeed, their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with everything you hear.” 15:37 So David’s friend Hushai arrived in Jerusalem just as Absalom was entering the city. 16:1 When David had gone a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a pair of saddled donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 16:2 “Why do you have these?” asked the king. Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the wilderness.” 16:3 “Where is your master’s grandson?” asked the king. And Ziba answered, “Indeed, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he has said, ‘Today, the house of Israel will restore to me the kingdom of my grandfather.’” 16:4 So the king said to Ziba, “All that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours!” “I humbly bow before you,” said Ziba. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king!” 16:5 As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the family of the house of Saul was just coming out. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and as he approached, he kept yelling out curses. 16:6 He threw stones at David and at all the servants of the king, though the troops and all the mighty men were on David’s right and left. 16:7 And as he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you worthless man of bloodshed! 16:8 The LORD has paid you back for all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, you have come to ruin because you are a man of bloodshed!” 16:9 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!” 16:10 But the king replied, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses me because the LORD told him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why did you do this?’” 16:11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son, my own flesh and blood, seeks my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone and let him curse me, for the LORD has told him so. 16:12 Perhaps the LORD will see my affliction and repay me with good for the cursing I receive today.” 16:13 So David and his men proceeded along the road as Shimei went along the ridge of the hill opposite him. As Shimei went, he yelled curses, threw stones, and flung dust at David. 16:14 Finally, the king and all the people with him arrived, exhausted. And there he refreshed himself. 16:15 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him. 16:16 And David’s friend Hushai the Archite went to Absalom and said to him, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” 16:17 “Is this the loyalty you show your friend?” Absalom replied. “Why did you not go with your friend?” 16:18 “Not at all,” Hushai answered. “For the one chosen by the LORD, by this people, and by all the men of Israel—his I will be, and with him I will remain. 16:19 Furthermore, whom should I serve if not his son? As I served in your father’s presence, so also I will serve in yours.” 16:20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give me counsel. What should we do?” 16:21 Ahithophel replied, “Sleep with your father’s concubines, whom he has left to take care of the palace. When all Israel hears that you have become a stench to your father, then the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.” 16:22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. 16:23 Now in those days the advice of Ahithophel was like the consultation of the word of God. Such was the regard that both David and Absalom had for Ahithophel’s advice. 17:1 Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David. 17:2 I will attack him while he is weak and weary; I will throw him into a panic, and all the people with him will flee; I will strike down only the king 17:3 and bring all the people back to you as a bride returning to her husband. You seek the life of only one man; then all the people will be at peace.” 17:4 This proposal seemed good to Absalom and all the elders of Israel. 17:5 Then Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Archite as well, and let us hear what he too has to say.” 17:6 So Hushai came to Absalom, who told him, “Ahithophel has spoken this proposal. Should we carry it out? If not, what do you say?” 17:7 Hushai replied, “This time the advice of Ahithophel is not sound.” 17:8 He continued, “You know your father and his men. They are mighty men, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Moreover, your father is a man of war who will not spend the night with the troops. 17:9 Surely by now he is hiding in a cave or some other location. If some of your troops fall first, whoever hears of it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.’ 17:10 Then even the most valiant soldier with the heart of a lion will melt with fear, because all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man who has valiant men with him. 17:11 Instead, I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beersheba—a multitude like the sand on the seashore—be gathered to you, and that you yourself lead them into battle. 17:12 Then we will attack David wherever we find him, and we will descend on him like dew on the ground. And of all the men with him, not even one will remain. 17:13 If he retreats to a city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it down to the valley until not even a pebble can be found there.” 17:14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had purposed to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom. 17:15 So Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, “This is what Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what I have advised. 17:16 Now send quickly and tell David, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but be sure to cross over. Otherwise the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.’” 17:17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, where a servant girl would come and pass along information to them. They in turn would go and inform King David, for they dared not be seen entering the city. 17:18 But a young man did see them and told Absalom. So the two left quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it. 17:19 Then the man’s wife took a covering, spread it over the mouth of the well, and scattered grain over it so nobody would know a thing. 17:20 When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” “They have crossed over the brook,” she replied. The men searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem. 17:21 After the men had gone, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climbed up out of the well and went to inform King David, saying, “Get up and cross over the river at once, for Ahithophel has given this advice against you.” 17:22 So David and all the people with him got up and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, there was no one left who had not crossed the Jordan. 17:23 When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his affairs in order and hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb. 17:24 Then David went to Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. 17:25 Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra, the Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab. 17:26 So the Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead. 17:27 When David came to Mahanaim, he was met by Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim. 17:28 They brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, as well as wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, 17:29 honey, curds, sheep, and cheese from the herd for David and his people to eat. For they said, “The people have become hungry, exhausted, and thirsty in the wilderness.” ## Related Scripture [2 Samuel 12:11–12 · prophecy](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Samuel%2012%3A11%E2%80%9312&version=BSB) The account presents public wrongdoing within the household against Nathan’s earlier warning. ## Location evidence Mahanaim is represented by a proposed site near the Jabbok. Jerusalem and Hebron are identified cities; the map does not connect them with an invented escape itinerary. Event map marker: Proposed site; \[longitude, latitude\] = \[35.68667, 32.18575\]. This is a teaching marker, not an exact event venue. Hebron: Identified site. Coordinates \[longitude, latitude\]: \[35.10222, 31.525087\]. Classification source: editorial. [OpenBible · Hebron](https://www.openbible.info/geo/ancient/a85151a/hebron) Mahanaim: Proposed site. Coordinates \[longitude, latitude\]: \[35.68667, 32.18575\]. Classification source: editorial. [OpenBible · Mahanaim](https://www.openbible.info/geo/ancient/ae5bfe9/mahanaim) Jerusalem: Identified site. Coordinates \[longitude, latitude\]: \[35.234167, 31.776667\]. Classification source: editorial. [OpenBible.info: Jerusalem (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.openbible.info/geo/ancient/a15257a/jerusalem) [OpenBible · Mahanaim](https://www.openbible.info/geo/ancient/ae5bfe9/mahanaim) ## For the class Why does David send the ark back instead of taking it as a guarantee of safety? ## Interpretation and reuse Narrative order is a reading arrangement, not a proven chronology. Dates retain their stated uncertainty. An identified locality does not establish the exact venue or prove an event. Region extents and routes are illustrative, not surveyed boundaries or ancient roads. Draft material has not completed editorial review. Record source: editorial (content/authored/united-kingdom.json) Place coordinates from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding Data, CC BY 4.0. Teaching stops, summaries and regional extents are original editorial content of this atlas. Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain. https://berean.bible/licensing.htm [Use this atlas with AI / data documentation](https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/reference/ai/)