2 Samuel 18 9

2 Samuel 18:9 kjv

And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away.

2 Samuel 18:9 nkjv

Then Absalom met the servants of David. Absalom rode on a mule. The mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree, and his head caught in the terebinth; so he was left hanging between heaven and earth. And the mule which was under him went on.

2 Samuel 18:9 niv

Now Absalom happened to meet David's men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom's hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.

2 Samuel 18:9 esv

And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.

2 Samuel 18:9 nlt

During the battle, Absalom happened to come upon some of David's men. He tried to escape on his mule, but as he rode beneath the thick branches of a great tree, his hair got caught in the tree. His mule kept going and left him dangling in the air.

2 Samuel 18 verses

2 Samuel 18 9 Meaning

2 Samuel 18:9 describes the critical moment of Absalom's entrapment during the battle with David's forces. While riding his royal mule through a dense forest, he passes under the low, thick branches of a large terebinth tree. His head, or potentially his famously heavy hair, becomes firmly snared in the branches, leaving him suspended between the sky and the ground, abandoned by his moving mule. This unusual incident sets the stage for his eventual death, portraying a divine judgment against his rebellion through natural means.

2 Samuel 18 9 Context

2 Samuel chapter 18 details the climactic battle in the Forest of Ephraim between the loyalists of King David and the rebellious forces led by Absalom. David, though forbidden from joining the actual fight for his own safety and strategic reasons, gives strict orders to his commanders to deal gently with Absalom. This chapter marks the decisive end to Absalom's revolt, highlighting God's sovereignty over the fate of kings and kingdoms. Verse 9 itself occurs during the heat of this battle, presenting the highly unusual and ironic means by which Absalom is halted, exposing his vulnerability despite his previous success in seizing Jerusalem and raising a large army. Historically, the civil war highlights the volatile nature of succession in ancient Israel and the profound consequences of sin within a divinely appointed monarchy, particularly given David's own past sins and Absalom's deep-seated pride and ambition. The "Forest of Ephraim" is also significant as it indicates an atypical battleground where the terrain itself becomes a factor, a place perhaps less conducive to traditional army maneuvers and more to individual encounters, almost highlighting a direct, divinely-orchestrated entrapment rather than a human military defeat.

2 Samuel 18 9 Word analysis

• And Absalom met: Absalom, from Hebrew אבשלום (Avshalom), meaning "my father is peace," a poignant and ironic name for the one who shattered peace and rebelled against his own father. His personal encounter emphasizes that this isn't just a military mishap, but a direct, divinely permitted event.
• the servants of David: Refers to David's military forces, distinct from the broader rebel army. Absalom is in active combat, indicating his position as a commander, embodying his self-proclaimed kingship.
• Absalom was riding on his mule: The mule (Hebrew: פִּרְדּוֹ, pirdo) was a royal animal, especially suitable for traversing rough terrain but also a symbol of royal authority. Solomon would later ride David’s royal mule at his anointing (1 Kgs 1:33), contrasting Absalom's illegitimate use for war with its legitimate use for peaceful succession. Riding on it also places Absalom in an elevated, exposed position.
• and the mule went under: This seemingly passive action by the animal highlights the accidental yet predestined nature of the event. It moves him into the exact point of entrapment.
• the thick branches: Hebrew: סֹבֶךְ (sovekh), implying a tangled, intertwining, dense thicket, which suggests a snare or trap. It highlights the difficulty of movement and entanglement.
• of a great terebinth: Hebrew: הָאֵלָה֙ (ha'eilah), referring to a large, robust tree. Terebinth trees (Pistacia palaestina) were known for their significant size, longevity, and sturdy, sometimes spreading branches. These trees were also sometimes associated with ancient idolatrous practices or sacred groves (e.g., Isa 1:29-30), which can add a layer of symbolism regarding the spiritual landscape of Israel, though here it functions primarily as a natural trap.
• and his head caught fast: Hebrew: רֹאשׁוֹ בָאֵלָה֙ (ro'sho va'eilah), literally "his head in the terebinth." This is crucial. While Absalom was known for his very thick, heavy, and impressive hair (2 Sam 14:26), the text explicitly says "head." Scholars debate if "head" implies his hair got caught, or simply that the branches were too low for him while seated on the mule, and his head struck and became lodged. The phrase "caught fast" (לָכַד lakad meaning "to catch, seize, capture") conveys immediate and secure entrapment, not merely a brushing contact. This instrument of pride (head, or perhaps hair representing his vanity) became his snare.
• so he was left hanging: Hebrew: וַיִּתָּלַ֖א (vayittalâ'), from a root meaning "to suspend, be suspended." It emphasizes a state of helplessness, an aerial suspension, rather than merely being stuck.
• between heaven and earth: Hebrew: בֵּ֥ין הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וּבֵ֥ין הָאָֽרֶץ (bein hashshamayim u'vein ha'arets). This phrase has profound symbolic weight. Absalom is caught in a state of limbo – not truly dead, not fully alive, not on firm ground. He is separated from his mule (his means of royal pretense and escape) and his army, exposed to divine judgment from "heaven" and disconnected from earthly power (David's kingship). It is a dramatic picture of complete vulnerability and isolation, a symbolic execution of judgment outside human hands.
• while the mule that was under him went on: This detail underscores Absalom's absolute abandonment and isolation. The animal that represented his ambition and lifted him to a kingly pretense now deserts him, emphasizing his powerlessness and ignominious fate. He is literally dismounted from his false throne.

Words-Group Analysis

• "And Absalom met the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule,": The immediate context places Absalom in active conflict and highlights his position of supposed authority and physical elevation. The repetition of "Absalom" keeps the focus sharply on him and his impending fate, indicating his prominence in the narrative and his direct role in the rebellion.
• "and the mule went under the thick branches of a great terebinth,": This phrase meticulously sets the scene for the precise natural trap. The detailed description of the "thick branches" and "great terebinth" is crucial; it’s not an ordinary tree, but one robust enough to effect such a singular capture. It implies an unusual, perhaps divinely orchestrated, alignment of circumstances rather than random chance.
• "and his head caught fast in the terebinth, so he was left hanging between heaven and earth,": This sequence captures the suddenness and finality of his entrapment. The "head caught fast" is the pivot. The imagery of being "suspended between heaven and earth" is profoundly symbolic, indicating his total separation, humiliation, and vulnerability to God's judgment, denied even the dignity of dying in battle or on solid ground. He is stripped of earthly authority and heavenly favor.
• "while the mule that was under him went on.": This concluding clause starkly emphasizes Absalom's complete isolation and abandonment. The very instrument of his attempted ascension and flight leaves him in his most dire moment, sealing his fate as a lonely, disgraced figure stripped of all support, divine or creaturely.

2 Samuel 18 9 Bonus section

• The detail of Absalom's immense pride in his hair (2 Sam 14:26), which weighed "two hundred shekels" when cut annually (approximately 5 pounds or 2.3 kilograms), strongly suggests his long, thick hair played a role in him getting caught, even if the text literally says "head." Many ancient interpretations and commentaries understand it as his hair snagging the branches due to its volume and length. This would serve as a powerful ironic divine judgment, where his prideful attribute becomes his downfall.
• The terrain of the "Forest of Ephraim" is also significant. Commentators note that forests typically scatter and disorient large armies, making it a difficult battleground for coordinated movements. This chaos might have contributed to Absalom becoming separated and vulnerable, and perhaps made him less attentive to low branches, suggesting that even the battlefield chosen became an unwitting instrument of his unique defeat.
• Absalom had already built a pillar in the King's Valley for himself, boasting he had "no son to carry on his name" (2 Sam 18:18). His ignominious death, captured by a tree rather than dying bravely on the battlefield, contrasts sharply with his desire for a grand, permanent memorial, ultimately leading to his body being cast into a pit covered by a large heap of stones – a sign of shame and a reminder of Achan's demise (Josh 7:26).

2 Samuel 18 9 Commentary

2 Samuel 18:9 is the climax of Absalom's tragic rebellion. Far from falling heroically in battle, he is entrapped by the natural world, a detail heavy with divine irony. His mule, symbolizing his misplaced ambition and royal pretensions, carries him not to victory but to a tree—a place of unexpected judgment. His renowned head, perhaps with its famed luxuriant hair that epitomized his vanity and popularity, becomes the instrument of his capture, rather than his armor or a weapon failing him. His suspension "between heaven and earth" symbolizes a man without a place, rejected by both divine decree and his father's earthly rule, utterly exposed and isolated. This method of capture avoids David's direct command not to harm him, allowing God's sovereign judgment to unfold through a seemingly accidental but undeniably purposeful event, confirming that rebellion against God's anointed brings inescapable and humiliating consequences, often in unexpected ways. The scene underscores the futility of human pride against divine purpose, making his subsequent killing by Joab a matter of expediency to end a humiliating divine judgment, rather than a military defeat in the traditional sense.