Introduction: From Scheme to Open Rebellion
This chapter is the turning point in Avshalom's rebellion. All the preparations that preceded it were carried out in secret and in the dark, with cunning and patience, until the moment the rebellion came into the open and was publicly declared. From this point on we read of David's flight from Yerushalayim, of those who remained loyal to him, and of the way David wove, in his wisdom, a counter plan. We will follow the order of the pesukim in light of the explanations of the Malbim, and within them the words of Chazal and the commentators.
The Belated News
וַיָּבֹא הַמַּגִּיד אֶל דָּוִד לֵאמֹר: הָיָה לֶב אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחֲרֵי אַבְשָׁלוֹם. - And the messenger came to David saying: The heart of the men of Israel is after Avshalom.
This entire affair was conducted in secret, until Avshalom himself declared the rebellion. Only at the moment the rebellion went into effect did the messenger come and inform David: "The heart of the men of Israel is after Avshalom" - all of Israel had agreed and given their hearts to follow Avshalom. And this is belated news: the rebellion had already begun, and David understands that he is in a position of disadvantage.
"Arise and Let Us Flee" - The Immediate Decision
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד לְכָל עֲבָדָיו אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ בִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם: קוּמוּ וְנִבְרָחָה, כִּי לֹא תִהְיֶה לָּנוּ פְלֵיטָה מִפְּנֵי אַבְשָׁלֹם. מַהֲרוּ לָלֶכֶת פֶּן יְמַהֵר וְהִשִּׂגָנוּ וְהִדִּיחַ עָלֵינוּ אֶת הָרָעָה וְהִכָּה הָעִיר לְפִי חָרֶב. - And David said to all his servants who were with him in Yerushalayim: Arise and let us flee, for we will have no escape from Avshalom. Hurry to go, lest he hurry and overtake us and bring the evil upon us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.
The first thing - to flee. The heart of the people is with Avshalom, David's men are few, and he does not even know clearly who is truly loyal to him. The chances of standing against him are slim. And especially since David knew Avshalom and knew he was dealing with a man without restraints: one who was capable of murdering his brother because he had violated their sister would also be capable of killing his father in order to reach his coveted goal - the rule of the kingship. Therefore "we will have no escape from Avshalom": he will not weigh considerations and will leave no survivor.
What is the meaning of "and bring the evil upon us and strike the city with the edge of the sword"? The Malbim explains that the order here is reversed, and it is as if it were written: "and strike the city with the edge of the sword and bring the evil upon us." David knew the wickedness and the cunning of his son: if we do not hurry to flee, Avshalom will come and strike down the inhabitants of Yerushalayim with the edge of the sword, since ordinarily the people of the city are with David. And afterwards, when they begin to ask who killed the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, he will claim that David and his men killed them because they saw them following Avshalom. That is, he will kill, and pin the blame on us, and thereby make us repugnant in the ears of the people.
And indeed Avshalom was an excellent tactician. He did not need to be a military commander himself - it was enough that fighting men gathered to him. In their times the outcome of war was determined mainly by two things: the majority of the people who were with you, and tactics on the battlefield. Avshalom considered all the possibilities, built matters in a sophisticated way, and did not act rashly. With Amnon too he waited two years: a rash man would have taken a knife and gone wild on the spot, whereas he waited until the opportunity came. That same calculated restraint served him here as well.
And Chazal expounded: "and bring the evil upon us" - that he would not judge us like an ir hanidachat, that he would leave nothing of us. And they further expounded from the language of hadachah, like one who rinses out dishes: "Once the owner of the cup has taken it to rinse the cup, he does not stop until he scours it." That is, David said: if the calamity has begun upon us, it will not end until it destroys us, God forbid. Therefore - let us flee quickly, so that we do not fall into Avshalom's net.
A Secret Departure on Foot
וַיֹּאמְרוּ עַבְדֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ: כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ, הִנֵּה עֲבָדֶיךָ. - The king's servants said to the king: Whatever my lord the king chooses, here are your servants.
Here are your servants, ready to carry out whatever you choose and whatever you say.
וַיֵּצֵא הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכָל בֵּיתוֹ בְּרַגְלָיו, וַיַּעֲזֹב הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵת עֶשֶׂר נָשִׁים פִּלַגְשִׁים לִשְׁמֹר הַבָּיִת. - The king went out, and all his household on foot, and the king left ten women, concubines, to keep the house.
The king and his entire household go out on foot and not riding on horses, and this was not for nothing: setting out on horses creates publicity and noise, everyone sees a caravan and a company. And David is fleeing, and he knows that Avshalom, when he reaches Jerusalem, will immediately inquire in which direction the king went out and will begin to pursue. Therefore they went out quietly and stealthily. He leaves the ten concubines to guard the house, and later we will see that the end of their story is not a good one.
וַיֵּצֵא הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכָל הָעָם בְּרַגְלָיו, וַיַּעַמְדוּ בֵּית הַמֶּרְחָק. - The king went out, and all the people on foot, and they halted at Beit HaMerchak.
"Beit HaMerchak" means the house that is distant from the city, and there they gathered. Since they went out stealthily, one by one, so that there would be no publicity and noise to their departure and it would not be noticed that a large body of people was leaving, they had to gather afterward at a house distant from the city, and from there continue on their way together.
And Chazal expound: "they halted at Beit HaMerchak" teaches that the Sanhedrin excommunicated him and withdrew from him, as it says "let those who fear You return to me." And the plain reason for this is the affair of Bat Sheva. For everything that David is now going through is a continuation of that sin: thus the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own house," "and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun; you did it in secret, and he will do it openly." And this is the beginning of the fulfillment of that harsh prophecy.
A Muster of the Faithful: the Kereti, the Peleti, and the Gittim
וְכָל עֲבָדָיו עֹבְרִים עַל יָדוֹ, וְכָל הַכְּרֵתִי וְכָל הַפְּלֵתִי וְכָל הַגִּתִּים שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר בָּאוּ בְרַגְלוֹ מִגַּת, עֹבְרִים עַל פְּנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ. - And all his servants passed on beside him, and all the Kereti and all the Peleti and all the Gittim, six hundred men who had come in his train from Gat, passed before the king.
What does "passed on beside him" mean? The Malbim explains that David passed them one by one, to see whom he would take with him and whom he would leave behind. On the one hand, it is important to have mighty men with him, and on the other hand, every superfluous person is a burden and a bother: David needs to be mobile, able to flee from a place of danger in a short time. This is also the reason he did not take the ten concubines with him: they serve no military purpose, and are only a burden.
And who are the "Kereti and Peleti"? There are several explanations of this. Targum Yonatan renders "archers and slingers," and this is the plain meaning of the verse. Some say these were two well-known and famous families in Israel, the family of Kereti and the family of Peleti, of the king's families. The Ralbag explains that these were families of great sages, from whom came the Sanhedrin. And Chazal expound by way of derash that the reference is to the Urim and Tumim: "Kereti" because they cut off (kortim) their words, deciding with finality, yes yes and no no; "Peleti" because their words are wondrous (mufla'im). The Urim and Tumim were shining stones: when the Kohen would ask a question, the letters would light up in a certain order, and from that they would know the answer. "Urim" is named for the shining (me'irot) stones, and "Tumim" is from the language of whole and complete (tam ve'shalem), for there was a holy Name embedded within the choshen, and by its power the Urim and Tumim would shine. But the Radak notes that this derash does not fit with the precise language of the verse: if the reference is to the Urim and Tumim, what is meant by "all the Kereti and all the Peleti"? Therefore, according to the plain meaning, the reference is to archers and slingers, or to important families.
And who are the "Gittim"? People who came from Gat. Chazal say that Ittai the Gittite was a gentile. But the Radak holds that it is more likely that those who came to join David were Israelites living in Gat. And so we find in the Scriptures: "Yitra the Yishmaelite," an Israelite who lived among the Yishmaelites, and likewise Oved Edom the Gittite. Just as a person who comes from Iraq is called an Iraqi and he is not a gentile but rather an Iraqi Jew, so too a Jew who comes from Gat is called a Gittite.
Ittai the Gittite: Unconditional Loyalty
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל אִתַּי הַגִּתִּי: לָמָּה תֵלֵךְ גַּם אַתָּה אִתָּנוּ? שׁוּב וְשֵׁב עִם הַמֶּלֶךְ, כִּי נָכְרִי אַתָּה, וְגַם גֹּלֶה אַתָּה לִמְקוֹמֶךָ. - And the king said to Ittai the Gittite: Why should you also go with us? Return and dwell with the king, for you are a foreigner, and you are also an exile from your own place.
Ittai the Gittite comes to join, and David tries to dissuade him. "Dwell with the king" means with king Avshalom. And what is meant by "for you are a foreigner"? There are two possibilities. The first: you are a foreigner, a gentile, and therefore they will show mercy to us but not to you, so it is worthwhile for you to join the king in the city, who will provide you with food. The second: "a foreigner" means you are not part of this matter, you are a stranger here. Had you been one of the people of the land, they would ask which side you belong to, David's or Avshalom's; but you came from another land, you are not tied to either side, and no one will see you as a threat. And if you do not wish to dwell with the king, "and you are also an exile from your own place" - return to Gat, and there you will not be threatened by Avshalom nor will you need the favors of others to provide for your livelihood.
תְּמוֹל בּוֹאֶךָ, וְהַיּוֹם אֲנִיעֲךָ עִמָּנוּ לָלֶכֶת? וַאֲנִי הוֹלֵךְ עַל אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי הוֹלֵךְ. שׁוּב וְהָשֵׁב אֶת אַחֶיךָ עִמָּךְ, חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת. - You came only yesterday, and today should I make you wander along with us? And I go wherever I go. Return and bring your brethren back with you, in kindness and truth.
"You came only yesterday" - just yesterday you arrived, tired and weary from the whole long road from Gat, and shall I today make you move and wander along with us? Furthermore: if only I knew where I was headed, but "I go wherever I go" - wherever my feet may turn, for the fugitive does not know where he will flee and where they lie in wait for him. "Return and bring your brethren back with you, in kindness and truth" - the kindness and truth that you can do with them is that you return to your land and bring your brethren back with you. And some explain: I am grateful to you for what you have done with me now, and I regard it as kindness and truth on your part, and I thank you for your good will, and nonetheless it is worthwhile for you to return to your place.
וַיַּעַן אִתַּי אֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמַר: חַי ה' וְחֵי אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ, כִּי בִּמְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה שָּׁם אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ, אִם לְמָוֶת אִם לְחַיִּים, כִּי שָׁם יִהְיֶה עַבְדֶּךָ. - And Ittai answered the king and said: As Hashem lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.
Ittai swears in the name of Hashem and in the name of his lord the king: in every place where you will be forced to be, whether for death or for life, there I will be. I do not fear danger and I do not fear pursuit, and this is the role of one who loves: to be with the pursued in his hour of hardship. Should a loving friend abandon his beloved when he is being pursued because there is risk in it? On the contrary, that is his role: to place himself in danger together with him and to help him.
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל אִתַּי: לֵךְ וַעֲבֹר. וַיַּעֲבֹר אִתַּי הַגִּתִּי וְכָל אֲנָשָׁיו וְכָל הַטַּף אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ. - And David said to Ittai: Go and cross over. And Ittai the Gittite crossed over, and all his men, and all the little ones who were with him.
David said to him: if you so desire to cleave to me, go and cross over with the rest of the people and join us.
וְכָל הָאָרֶץ בּוֹכִים קוֹל גָּדוֹל וְכָל הָעָם עֹבְרִים, וְהַמֶּלֶךְ עֹבֵר בְּנַחַל קִדְרוֹן, וְכָל הָעָם עֹבְרִים עַל פְּנֵי דֶרֶךְ אֶת הַמִּדְבָּר. - And all the land wept with a loud voice as all the people crossed over, and the king crossed over the brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward the way of the wilderness.
The matter became widely known, and all the land wept with a loud voice. "And all the people crossed over" - the people who went out with him; "and the king crossed over the brook Kidron" - he crossed the brook Kidron in order to reach the wilderness; "toward the way of the wilderness" - along that same road that was there toward the wilderness.
The Ark Returns to the City
וְהִנֵּה גַם צָדוֹק וְכָל הַלְוִיִּם אִתּוֹ נֹשְׂאִים אֶת אֲרוֹן בְּרִית הָאֱלֹהִים, וַיַּצִּקוּ אֶת אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים, וַיַּעַל אֶבְיָתָר, עַד תֹּם כָּל הָעָם לַעֲבוֹר מִן הָעִיר. - And behold, Tzadok too, and all the Levites with him, were carrying the Ark of the Covenant of God, and they set down the Ark of God, and Evyatar went up, until all the people had finished passing out of the city.
Tzadok and all the Levites carry with them the Ark of the Covenant of God. "Vayatziku" is like "vayatzigu," they set the Ark down until all the people had finished passing. Let us note: the people going out of Yerushalayim here are a great multitude who came out to escort David at the beginning of his journey, and do not continue with him; this is merely an escort. The Malbim adds another explanation: "vayatzigu" means they stood it up on a raised place, that is, a high place, and there they set the Ark down, for the Ark must be treated with honor. And accordingly "Evyatar went up" means he went up onto the platform to stand beside the Ark and guard it, like a Sefer Torah that one does not set down and walk away from but must stand beside.
The Sages expound "Evyatar went up" as: they raised him out of the priesthood. On that day Evyatar was removed from the high priesthood: David wished to inquire of the Urim and Tumim through Evyatar and received no answer, and on that day they removed him from the priesthood, and Tzadok received it in his place. And why was there no answer? Evyatar was of the house of Eli, and to the house of Eli a harsh prophecy had been spoken, that they would be distanced from the priesthood and would come to bow down for a piece of silver and to beg for a loaf of bread. For they had disgraced the priesthood, they took by force, they took "with the basin, or the kettle, or the caldron, or the pot, whatever the flesh hook brought up," they delayed the offerings of the women, and they conducted the priesthood in a disgraceful manner. Therefore they were punished that most of their house would die as grown men and that they would be distanced from the priesthood. And the Holy One, blessed be He, waited for Evyatar until now.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ לְצָדוֹק: הָשֵׁב אֶת אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים הָעִיר. אִם אֶמְצָא חֵן בְּעֵינֵי ה', וֶהֱשִׁבַנִי וְהִרְאַנִי אֹתוֹ וְאֶת נָוֵהוּ. - And the king said to Tzadok: Return the Ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back and show me both it and its dwelling place.
At first they wanted to take the Ark with them, and David prevents this. There is great danger in it, and we recall what happened the last time they took the Ark as an amulet into battle: at first the Philistines were terrified and said, "Here is the God who fought for them in Egypt," and in the end the Ark was captured in their hands. One who takes the Ark with him is like one who says: I will compel the Creator of the world to save me, whether I deserve it or not, for His Ark is with me. This must not be done, and that was the charge against them then. Here David does not repeat that same mistake: "Return the Ark of God to the city." And if you should say, perhaps deliverance will come through it? David says: "If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord" - if I find favor in His eyes, He will bring me back to Yerushalayim to the place of the Ark.
וְאִם כֹּה יֹאמַר: לֹא חָפַצְתִּי בָּךְ - הִנְנִי, יַעֲשֶׂה לִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר טוֹב בְּעֵינָיו. - And if He should say thus: I have no delight in you - here I am, let Him do to me as is good in His eyes.
And if the Lord should say, "I have no delight in you," I will not withhold from Him doing to me as is good in His eyes, and I will not use the Ark as a shield.
David's Intelligence Network
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל צָדוֹק הַכֹּהֵן: הֲרוֹאֶה אַתָּה, שֻׁבָה הָעִיר בְּשָׁלוֹם, וַאֲחִימַעַץ בִּנְךָ וִיהוֹנָתָן בֶּן אֶבְיָתָר שְׁנֵי בְנֵיכֶם אִתְּכֶם. - And the king said to Tzadok the priest: Do you see? Return to the city in peace, and Achimaatz your son and Yehonatan son of Evyatar, your two sons, with you.
David asks Tzadok to return to the city, but to give the impression that he is returning of his own will and not by command. For soon Avshalom will arrive in the city, and if he realizes that Tzadok returned by David's command, he will suspect him as a spy. Therefore "Do you see?" - as if this is how it appears to you and it is your own decision, and thereby you will convey that you have no dealings with David and that you are willing to join Avshalom and his men. Hence the need for the two messengers: "and Achimaatz your son and Yehonatan son of Evyatar" - when you learn something or catch wind of anything, send the sons to me, and they will be the runners who inform me what is happening in the city and what the plans are.
רְאוּ, אָנֹכִי מִתְמַהְמֵהַּ בְּעַרְבוֹת הַמִּדְבָּר עַד בּוֹא דָבָר מֵעִמָּכֶם לְהַגִּיד לִי. - See, I will tarry in the plains of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.
"Arvot" is the plain of the wilderness. I will linger there until you inform me what the plans are, and then I will know whether I must continue fleeing and where to, whether they are pursuing me, and whether I am safe in the place where I am. Further on we will see that David's plans here were very ingenious, and they are what ultimately saved him.
וַיָּשֶׁב צָדוֹק וְאֶבְיָתָר אֶת אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם. - So Tzadok and Evyatar returned the Ark of God to Jerusalem, and they stayed there.
The Parting on the Mount of Olives
וְדָוִד עֹלֶה בְמַעֲלֵה הַזֵּיתִים, עֹלֶה וּבוֹכֶה, וְרֹאשׁ לוֹ חָפוּי וְהוּא הֹלֵךְ יָחֵף, וְכָל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ חָפוּ אִישׁ רֹאשׁוֹ, וְעָלוּ עָלֹה וּבָכֹה. - And David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went up, his head covered and walking barefoot; and all the people with him covered each his head, and they went up weeping as they went.
After David parted from the Ark of God, he reaches the Mount of Olives, and here he takes leave of the city of God, for from the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem, one can see the city. There he observes the customs of mourning: he goes up and weeps, his head covered, having placed earth upon his head, and he walks barefoot, having removed his shoes as a mourner does, and all the people are with him. And what is the significance of this particular place? The Radak explains one of two things: either it stands opposite the place of the Temple, and although the exact site of the Temple was not yet known, the general area was more or less known; or from there it was possible to see the Mishkan that was then in Jerusalem, the tent in which the Ark rested.
"Please Turn the Counsel of Achitofel to Foolishness"
וְדָוִד הִגִּיד לֵאמֹר: אֲחִיתֹפֶל בַּקֹּשְׁרִים עִם אַבְשָׁלוֹם. וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד: סַכֶּל נָא אֶת עֲצַת אֲחִיתֹפֶל ה'. - And David was told, saying: Achitofel is among the conspirators with Avshalom. And David said: Please, O Lord, turn the counsel of Achitofel to foolishness.
When David learned that Achitofel was among the conspirators, he immediately grasped the magnitude of the danger: Achitofel would sway Avshalom's mind toward the negative course. Avshalom himself is not yet firmly resolved, but when Achitofel gives counsel, who would argue with him? Scripture says of him that his counsel was as if one had inquired of the word of God. Therefore David prays that his counsel be turned to foolishness, and immediately he also acts: he must send a man who will serve as an antidote to the counsel of Achitofel.
וַיְהִי דָוִד בָּא עַד הָרֹאשׁ אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה שָׁם לֵאלֹהִים, וְהִנֵּה לִקְרָאתוֹ חוּשַׁי הָאַרְכִּי קָרוּעַ כֻּתָּנְתּוֹ וַאֲדָמָה עַל רֹאשׁוֹ. - And it came to pass, when David reached the summit, where one bows down to God, that behold, Chushai the Arki came toward him with his tunic torn and earth upon his head.
The Malbim says: see how everything is by Divine providence. Precisely when David finished his prayer, "Master of the Universe, please turn the counsel of Achitofel to foolishness," the very force of that undoing comes toward him: Chushai the Arki, who in the end will turn Achitofel's counsel to foolishness in accordance with David's plea. The moment he finished his prayer, God sent him a redeemer and savior.
וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ דָּוִד: אִם עָבַרְתָּ אִתִּי וְהָיִתָ עָלַי לְמַשָּׂא. - And David said to him: If you pass on with me, you will be a burden to me.
The Cover Story David Weaves for Chushai
The problem was that Chushai was known as "David's friend," his beloved companion and comrade. Avshalom would immediately ask: is this how one treats friends? Your comrade is fleeing for his life, and you come to join me? Therefore David in his wisdom weaves for him a cover story that will help him in his new role, to be a mole in the house of Avshalom. And this is the essence of the message that David teaches him to say: I love David and I love you as well, and therefore the best course for both sides is that you guard David, settle him in some palace, leave him as a puppet with no practical power, and you shall receive the kingship. Such counsel would be accepted, for it is worthwhile for Avshalom not to harm his father so as not to earn a bad name, and especially since the people would not like to see that they murdered the king and his son rose to reign in his place.
וְאִם הָעִיר תָּשׁוּב וְאָמַרְתָּ לְאַבְשָׁלוֹם: עַבְדְּךָ אֲנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶהְיֶה, עֶבֶד אָבִיךָ וַאֲנִי מֵאָז וְעַתָּה וַאֲנִי עַבְדֶּךָ, וְהֵפַרְתָּה לִי אֵת עֲצַת אֲחִיתֹפֶל. - But if you return to the city and say to Avshalom: I am your servant, my king; I was your father's servant in the past, and now I am your servant, then you will thwart Achitofel's counsel for me.
You shall say to him: "I am your servant, my king" - my lord the king, know that I am your servant; but my wish is to continue also as "your father's servant," that is, to reach a state where your father too will consent, after the fact, to accept your reign, and then I will be able to be a servant of you both. "I was in the past and now" - I do not change; from then until now I hold that the kingship is fitting for you, provided that your father remains alive in a place set aside for him and does not voice opposition. And why does he add "and I am your servant"? So that Avshalom will not say: your loyalty is qualified, you accept me only on condition that I leave David alive, and if I decide to kill him, you are no longer with me. Therefore David says: tell him explicitly "and I am your servant" - in any case I am with you, even if you decide otherwise, even at the cost of David's death. So there will be no misunderstandings and he will cast no suspicion upon you. And only afterward, "only one thing, I propose to you that this way is better for you." And this is "then you will thwart Achitofel's counsel for me": all of Achitofel's counsel will be to kill David, and you will be the counterforce and advise leaving him alive, and through this David will be able to return to the kingship.
וַהֲלוֹא עִמְּךָ שָׁם צָדוֹק וְאֶבְיָתָר הַכֹּהֲנִים, וְהָיָה כָּל הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמַע מִבֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ תַּגִּיד לְצָדוֹק וּלְאֶבְיָתָר הַכֹּהֲנִים. - And are not Tzadok and Evyatar the priests there with you? So it shall be, everything you hear from the king's house you shall tell to Tzadok and Evyatar the priests.
Do not think that you are a lone mole in Avshalom's palace - you have supporting forces: Tzadok and Evyatar the priests are there. For you will not be able to leave the palace and the city and come to me, since Avshalom's men would immediately identify you as one defecting to the enemy or as one going to reveal secrets to him. In those days there were no telephones, and so a mechanism for relaying messages is needed.
And the Malbim notes: after Scripture told us how Avshalom prepared the rebellion in full form, and we saw how shrewd he was and how he planned everything down to the last detail, leaving nothing to chance, Scripture comes in the final verses and shows that Avshalom was not merely wise - he is David's son, and David is the father of the fathers of wisdom. Come and see how David weaves a plan to foil his son's plan, like a game of chess, in which the winner is the one who foresees one move ahead: how they came to his aid in his flight, how wise was his counsel to send back the Ark - so that there would be no resentment from the people over their taking the Ark with them, nor resentment against him from Hashem - and how he organized himself with advisors in order to thwart Achitofel's counsel. All of these are preparation for the next chapter, to show how David prepares himself properly, and through this Hashem brings about his salvation.
הִנֵּה שָׁם עִמָּם שְׁנֵי בְנֵיהֶם, אֲחִימַעַץ לְצָדוֹק וִיהוֹנָתָן לְאֶבְיָתָר, וּשְׁלַחְתֶּם בְּיָדָם אֵלַי כָּל דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמָעוּ. - Behold, their two sons are there with them, Achimaatz for Tzadok and Yehonatan for Evyatar; and you shall send to me by their hand everything you hear.
Tzadok and Evyatar are the fathers who are with me, and with them their sons, and when a problem arises the sons will relay the messages.
וַיָּבֹא חוּשַׁי רֵעֶה דָוִד הָעִיר, וְאַבְשָׁלוֹם יָבוֹא יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם. - And Chushai, David's friend, came into the city, and Avshalom entered Yerushalayim.
Chushai, David's friend, arrives at the city, and at that very hour Avshalom enters Yerushalayim in order to establish himself in his reign.
In summary:
The chapter opens the overt rebellion and David's flight. David knows Avshalom, knows that he will not spare him and will even lay upon him the blame for striking the city, and therefore he hurries to leave secretly and on foot, filters who will go with him and who will remain, and receives the absolute loyalty of Ittai the Gittite. He refrains from taking the Ark with him, so as not to force a miracle upon the Creator of the world, and he accepts the judgment upon himself on the Mount of Olives with weeping, head covered and feet bare - all of this a continuation of the prophecy spoken to him after the affair of Bat Sheva. And at the same time he acts with wisdom: he prays "please turn foolish the counsel of Achitofel," and immediately Providence brings him Chushai the Arkite, whom he sends off with a precise cover story and with a communication network of Tzadok, Evyatar and their sons. This is the combination that will accompany the coming chapters: calculated effort down to the last detail together with prayer and faith - and through this comes the salvation.