2 Samuel 14:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the king said to Joab, "Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Absalom."

NIV: The king said to Joab, "Very well, I will do it. Go, bring back the young man Absalom."

NASB: Then the king said to Joab, 'Behold now, I will certainly do this thing; go then, bring back the young man Absalom.'

CSB: Then the king said to Joab, "I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom."

NLT: So the king sent for Joab and told him, 'All right, go and bring back the young man Absalom.'

KJV: And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.

NKJV: And the king said to Joab, “All right, I have granted this thing. Go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom.”

Joab has used a skilled actress to convince David to allow Absalom to come home. Three years prior, Absalom killed his brother for raping their sister. The actress pointed out that David can't bring the dead back to life, but it's not good for Israel for the prince to remain in exile (2 Samuel 14:13–14). When David realizes Joab is behind the message, he agrees with his general.

By allowing Joab to retrieve Absalom, David pardons him. By calling his son "the young man," David shows he doesn't forgive him. He won't even allow Absalom to come to the court or be in his presence (2 Samuel 14:24). Absalom isn't the king's heir, as Joab seems to assume. He's a murderer. Being exiled alive to his maternal grandfathers—the king of another nation (2 Samuel 13:37–38)—is an act of grace itself.

David's attachment to his children is uneven. When his oldest son raped his daughter, he stewed in anger but did nothing to bring Tamar justice or discipline Amnon (2 Samuel 13:21). When Absalom murdered Amnon to avenge his sister, David mourned Amnon (2 Samuel 13:36). He now allows Absalom back to Jerusalem but refuses to see him. Yet when Absalom commits treason against David and sends David into exile (2 Samuel 15), all David can think about is how horrible he'd feel if Absalom were killed (2 Samuel 18:5). Once Joab does kill Absalom (2 Samuel 18:14–15), David is so distraught he can't govern well (2 Samuel 19:1–8).

Absalom may not have the heart of his father, but he knows how to get the hearts of the people. He's pretty and charming (2 Samuel 14:25), and he uses that to his advantage (2 Samuel 15:1–6).

Second Samuel 14:21–24 describes how David pardons his son but doesn't forgive him. After killing his brother for raping his sister, Absalom fled to his maternal grandfather (2 Samuel 13). Joab has convinced David to allow Absalom home to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 14:1–20). But David refuses to see him or welcome him back to the court. Absalom waits two years, trying to get Joab's attention. Finally, Absalom sets Joab's fields on fire, leading to a meeting where David agrees to reconcile (2 Samuel 14:28–33).

Second Samuel 14 sets the scene for Absalom's rebellion against David. Joab wants David to forgive Absalom for murdering his brother and end his exile. Joab has a woman pretend to be a widow, who tells a story about a murderous son to convince David to pardon his own son. David brings Absalom home to Jerusalem, but not to the court or family. Joab eventually convinces David to see Absalom and the two are officially reconciled. With freedom, status, and ambition, Absalom starts a campaign to draw the people's hearts away from David and toward himself (2 Samuel 15:1–6).

Second Samuel 14 continues God's promise that tragedy will plague David's family. This is a curse for David's sin against Uriah and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:9–11). David's son Amnon raped his own half-sister Tamar. Tamar's full brother Absalom avenged her by killing Amnon, then fled to his maternal grandfather (2 Samuel 13). David thinks about Absalom, and Joab convinces David to bring him home and reconcile with him. Absalom wins the hearts of the people and takes the throne while David flees. Eventually, Absalom will be dead, and David will be a chastened man and wiser king. (2 Samuel 15–20).

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.