Chapter 18 in Shmuel B is the chapter in which the rebellion is decided. David goes out to battle against Avshalom's army, and from it we learn about the order of warfare, about a father's love for his son even when the son rebels against him, about Avshalom's punishment measure for measure, and about the way of messengers when good tidings are bound up with bad tidings. We will proceed according to the order of the pesukim following the Malbim's explanations, together with the words of Chazal, Rashi, the Radak and the Ralbag.
The Muster and the Division of the Army
וַיִּפְקֹד דָּוִד אֶת־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ וַיָּשֶׂם עֲלֵיהֶם שָׂרֵי אֲלָפִים וְשָׂרֵי מֵאוֹת׃ - And David mustered the people who were with him, and set over them officers of thousands and officers of hundreds.
David prepares for war against Avshalom and his army. He does two things: first he counts the people, and second he appoints leaders over them, officers of thousands and officers of hundreds.
וַיְשַׁלַּח דָּוִד אֶת־הָעָם הַשְּׁלִשִׁית בְּיַד־יוֹאָב וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁית בְּיַד אֲבִישַׁי בֶּן־צְרוּיָה אֲחִי יוֹאָב וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁת בְּיַד אִתַּי הַגִּתִּי, וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל־הָעָם יָצֹא אֵצֵא גַּם־אֲנִי עִמָּכֶם׃ - And David sent forth the people, a third under the hand of Yoav, a third under the hand of Avishai son of Tzeruyah, brother of Yoav, and a third under the hand of Itai the Gitti, and the king said to the people, I too will surely go out with you.
David divides the army into three battalions under three leaders, and announces that he too intends to go out with them to the battlefield.
The Three Reasons of the People That David Should Not Go Out
וַיֹּאמֶר הָעָם לֹא תֵצֵא, כִּי אִם־נֹס נָנוּס לֹא־יָשִׂימוּ אֵלֵינוּ לֵב, וְאִם־יָמֻתוּ חֶצְיֵנוּ לֹא־יָשִׂימוּ אֵלֵינוּ לֵב, כִּי־עַתָּה כָמֹנוּ עֲשָׂרָה אֲלָפִים, וְעַתָּה טוֹב כִּי־תִהְיֶה־לָּנוּ מֵעִיר לַעְזוֹר׃ - And the people said, You shall not go out, for if we should flee they will pay no heed to us, and if half of us die they will pay no heed to us, for now you are like ten thousand of us, and now it is better that you be a help to us from the city.
The people ask David to remain in the city and not go out with them, and they raise three reasons. The first reason: you are the target. If you are not among us and we flee, they will pay no heed to us and will not pursue us, for we are not the ones sought. But if you are among us, they will pursue us until they overtake us and take your head.
The second reason: if you remain in the city, you will be able to assist us in a time of trouble. You are like a reserve force waiting for a moment of difficulty, and when the call comes you will come to our aid.
The third reason: when the enemies see that you are not within the army, even if they strike us they will not feel that they have won the campaign. They will say: where is David? Surely he is waiting for us with another ten thousand men in reserve, and he will come at once and attack us. This is the meaning of "for now you are like ten thousand of us" according to the Malbim: they will think there are another ten thousand like us waiting with David. The Malbim adds that it is quite possible that they really did leave a large part of the army with David as a reserve force in case of a problem. Rashi explains differently: "for now you are like ten thousand of us" - you are equal to ten thousand of us.
What is "a help from the city"? The Targum renders: "טב ארי תצלי עלנא מן קרתא למסעד" - that from within the city you will pray for us, and it will be a help to us. It emerges that the help David can provide from the city is greater than the help of his going out to battle: both in prayer, in counsel, and in the fact that a part of the army will remain with him.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־יִיטַב בְּעֵינֵיכֶם אֶעֱשֶׂה, וַיַּעֲמֹד הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל־יַד הַשַּׁעַר וְכׇל־הָעָם יָצְאוּ לְמֵאוֹת וְלַאֲלָפִים׃ - And the king said to them, I will do whatever seems best to you. And the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.
David accepts their view. "And the king stood beside the gate" - he escorts them as they go out. And what is meant by "by hundreds and by thousands"? After all, if thousands went out, surely hundreds went out as well. Rather, the meaning is that they went out hundreds by hundreds separately, and in total they added up to thousands.
"Deal gently for my sake with the lad Avshalom"
וַיְצַו הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־יוֹאָב וְאֶת־אֲבִישַׁי וְאֶת־אִתַּי לֵאמֹר לְאַט־לִי לַנַּעַר לְאַבְשָׁלוֹם, וְכׇל־הָעָם שָׁמְעוּ בְּצַוֺּת הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־כׇּל־הַשָּׂרִים עַל־דְּבַר אַבְשָׁלוֹם׃ - And the king commanded Yoav and Avishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the lad, with Avshalom. And all the people heard when the king commanded all the officers concerning Avshalom.
Here David leaves no room for doubt. He commands most explicitly Yoav, Avishai and Ittai, all the heads of the army: "Deal gently for my sake with the lad Avshalom" - have compassion on him, have mercy on him, do not kill him. And moreover, he made sure that this would not be a secret message but a matter made public: "And all the people heard when the king commanded all the officers," so that everyone would know that this was the king's command.
And we must understand: why does David care so much about Avshalom's life? A son who committed such corrupt deeds, who pursues his father and seeks to kill him, and David is concerned that he not die? The Ralbag explains: David understood that Avshalom was a kind of instrument in the hand of the Creator of the world to exact payment from him for his sin, as was explicitly told to him, "Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and he will lie with your wives before the eyes of the sun." If so, through my iniquity and my sin this whole matter was brought about by his hand, and therefore I do not see that he deserves death, for he is only an instrument in the matter of the transgression.
And so that we do not misunderstand: certainly Avshalom had free choice, and certainly by his own decision he did what he did, and therefore he too was punished. Rather, David understood that on his own Avshalom would not have reached such a downfall. It is possible that he would have committed other transgressions, but to rebel against his father and do such deeds? He reached this because guilt is brought about through the guilty. He was certainly wicked and had wicked aspirations, but he would not have reached such a low point, and from Heaven they would have protected me. Therefore: deal gently for my sake with the lad Avshalom.
The battle in the forest of Ephraim
וַיֵּצֵא הָעָם הַשָּׂדֶה לִקְרַאת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וַתְּהִי הַמִּלְחָמָה בְּיַעַר אֶפְרָיִם׃ - And the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim.
"And the people went out into the field against Israel" - David did not wait. David was a man of war, and when the enemy is preparing for battle he does not wait to be attacked but goes out and attacks.
And the commentators ask: how is there a forest of Ephraim on the east side of the Jordan? After all, the east side of the Jordan is the inheritance of Gad, Reuven and half the tribe of Menashe. Rather, our Sages say that Yehoshua stipulated that they may graze in the woodlands - regarding the grazing of flocks there are no tribal restrictions, and one cannot say to his fellow "this woodland belongs to my tribe." This forest was near the inheritance of Ephraim, and the people of Ephraim would graze their flocks in it, and therefore it was called "the forest of Ephraim," even though in terms of the inheritance it belonged to Reuven, Gad and half the tribe of Menashe.
וַיִּנָּגְפוּ שָׁם עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי עַבְדֵי דָוִד, וַתְּהִי־שָׁם הַמַּגֵּפָה גְדוֹלָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא עֶשְׂרִים אָלֶף׃ - And there the people of Israel were struck down before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter there on that day, twenty thousand.
וַתְּהִי־שָׁם הַמִּלְחָמָה נָפוֹצֶת עַל־פְּנֵי כׇל־הָאָרֶץ, וַיֶּרֶב הַיַּעַר לֶאֱכֹל בָּעָם מֵאֲשֶׁר אָכְלָה הַחֶרֶב בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא׃ - And the battle was there spread over the face of all the land, and the forest devoured more of the people that day than the sword devoured.
The prophet counts four elements in the defeat. First, they immediately began to be struck down before them. Second, the plague was great: the loss was enormous, twenty thousand men. Third, "spread over the face of all the land": the people began to scatter, they no longer fought as an organized battalion but each one fled for himself, and our Sages said that flight is the beginning of the defeat. Fourth, "and the forest devoured the people": the forest struck them down more than the sword did. And the meaning of "the forest" is one of two ways: either it contained trees, thorns and sharp branches that cut and pierced the fleeing men as they ran, or there were beasts of prey in these forests that struck them down more than David's men did.
And why did such a thing befall them? Our Sages say: because they rebelled against the kingship of the House of David, therefore many of them fell, twenty thousand. And let us grasp the magnitude of the number: in all the wars of Israel in recent generations, over decades, we have not reached such a number. And here, in a single day, twenty thousand men fell. It simply cannot be comprehended.
Avshalom Caught in the Terebinth
וַיִּקָּרֵא אַבְשָׁלוֹם לִפְנֵי עַבְדֵי דָוִד, וְאַבְשָׁלוֹם רֹכֵב עַל־הַפֶּרֶד וַיָּבֹא הַפֶּרֶד תַּחַת שׂוֹבֶךְ הָאֵלָה הַגְּדוֹלָה וַיֶּחֱזַק רֹאשׁוֹ בָאֵלָה וַיֻּתַּן בֵּין הַשָּׁמַיִם וּבֵין הָאָרֶץ, וְהַפֶּרֶד אֲשֶׁר־תַּחְתָּיו עָבָר׃ - And Avshalom happened to meet the servants of David, and Avshalom was riding upon the mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of the great terebinth, and his head caught fast in the terebinth, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, and the mule that was under him went on.
"And Avshalom happened": an expression of chancing and occurring, that he chanced before the servants of David. The terebinth was a tree whose branches were tangled with one another. Avshalom, as will be recalled, was a lifelong nazir with exceedingly long hair, and every year he would cut his hair and weigh its weight. When he passed under the boughs of the terebinth his hair became entangled in the branches, the mule continued on its way, and he was left hanging by his hair between heaven and earth.
And what would a person naturally do in such a situation? Take a sword and cut off the hair of his head. Our Sages say: he wanted to cut off his hair, and then he looked down and saw Gehinnom gaping open beneath him. He understood that if he cut off the hair he would fall straight into Gehinnom, and therefore he did not do so and remained hanging between heaven and earth. And our Sages say: Avshalom prided himself in his hair, therefore he was hanged by his hair, measure for measure.
The Man of Principle and Yoav
וַיַּרְא אִישׁ אֶחָד וַיַּגֵּד לְיוֹאָב, וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה רָאִיתִי אֶת־אַבְשָׁלֹם תָּלוּי בָּאֵלָה׃ - And a certain man saw it and told Yoav, and said: Behold, I saw Avshalom hanging in the terebinth.
וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹאָב לָאִישׁ הַמַּגִּיד לוֹ וְהִנֵּה רָאִיתָ וּמַדּוּעַ לֹא־הִכִּיתוֹ שָׁם אָרְצָה, וְעָלַי לָתֶת לְךָ עֲשָׂרָה כֶסֶף וַחֲגֹרָה אֶחָת׃ - And Yoav said to the man who told him: And behold, you saw him, and why did you not strike him down there to the ground? Then it would have been upon me to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.
Yoav wondered: if you saw such a thing, why did you delay? Why did you not strike him down to the ground at once? By this you would have brought the rebellion to an end, and you would even have received a gift from me: ten pieces of silver and a belt.
וַיֹּאמֶר הָאִישׁ אֶל־יוֹאָב וְלוּ אָנֹכִי שֹׁקֵל עַל־כַּפַּי אֶלֶף כֶּסֶף לֹא־אֶשְׁלַח יָדִי אֶל־בֶּן־הַמֶּלֶךְ, כִּי בְאׇזְנֵינוּ צִוָּה הַמֶּלֶךְ אֹתְךָ וְאֶת־אֲבִישַׁי וְאֶת־אִתַּי לֵאמֹר שִׁמְרוּ־מִי בַּנַּעַר בְּאַבְשָׁלוֹם׃ - And the man said to Yoav: Even if I were to feel a thousand pieces of silver weighed out in my hand, I would not put forth my hand against the king's son, for in our hearing the king charged you and Avishai and Ittai, saying: Take care, whoever you are, of the young man Avshalom.
This man was more principled than Yoav. Notice how precise his words are: you commit to giving me ten pieces of silver, but that is only a promise, what we would call credit, and a small sum at that. Whereas I say to you: even had you weighed it out in my palm, in cash, and not ten but a thousand pieces of silver, I would not have stretched out my hand against the king's son. And not because he does not deserve death, but because in our hearing the king commanded you and Avishai and Ittai, saying, "Guard the young man Avshalom for me."
אוֹ־עָשִׂיתִי בְנַפְשִׁי שֶׁקֶר וְכׇל־דָּבָר לֹא־יִכָּחֵד מִן־הַמֶּלֶךְ, וְאַתָּה תִּתְיַצֵּב מִנֶּגֶד׃ - Or I would have wrought falsehood against my own life, and nothing is hidden from the king, and you would have stood aloof.
And even if you say to me: kill him and hide the matter, do not tell the king, then if I did so there would be falsehood against my own life, a deceit toward the king, for I would have defied his command and would not reveal it to him. And more than that: the king has his own people, his own investigations, and in the end "nothing is hidden from the king": they will inquire and reach the conclusion that it was I who did it. "And you would have stood aloof": you would stand off to the side and say: it was not I, he went and killed him. Did I order him to shoot? The commander shakes it off and the lowly one bears the responsibility. You see that the way of the world is one and the same: the world has not changed, reality has not changed. Those at the top place the responsibility on the little ones, and the little ones say they are not willing to take on responsibility that will not hold up under scrutiny. Except that here we are dealing with the beit din of David the king.
Three Spears in the Heart of Avshalom
וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹאָב לֹא־כֵן אֹחִילָה לְפָנֶיךָ, וַיִּקַּח שְׁלֹשָׁה שְׁבָטִים בְּכַפּוֹ וַיִּתְקָעֵם בְּלֵב אַבְשָׁלוֹם עוֹדֶנּוּ חַי בְּלֵב הָאֵלָה׃ - And Yoav said, I cannot wait like this before you, and he took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Avshalom while he was still alive in the heart of the terebinth.
The Malbim explains: "not so" means: it will not be you who strikes him, rather I will begin the blow before you, and you will only finish off the death. The Radak explains "ochilah" from the sense of "I entreat the Lord, I plead before Him," that is, to persuade and to speak: it is not right that I should keep waiting and persuading you, I will do it myself.
"Shevatim" are rods, as in "he who spares his rod hates his son," and these were rods with a sharp blade at the tip, like spears. And why specifically three? Chazal say: because he stole three hearts. He stole his father's heart and deceived him, he stole the heart of the beit din, those two hundred heads of the Sanhedrin whom he told that David had commanded him to take, and took them with him, and he stole the heart of the men of Yisrael. Three hearts he stole, and therefore he was punished with three moist rods that penetrate slowly into his heart, measure for measure.
And what is meant by "while he was still alive in the heart of the terebinth"? The meaning is that two things are stated: that they thrust them into him while he was still alive, and that the rods penetrated his body until they entered the heart of the terebinth, that is, they pinned him into the tree. We find a similar example in Shaul's plan to kill David: "I will strike David to the wall," a blow so strong that the spear would pierce him and go into the wall.
וַיָּסֹבּוּ עֲשָׂרָה נְעָרִים נֹשְׂאֵי כְּלֵי יוֹאָב, וַיַּכּוּ אֶת־אַבְשָׁלוֹם וַיְמִתֻהוּ׃ - And ten young men, Yoav's armor bearers, surrounded him and struck Avshalom and killed him.
Ten young men finished off his killing, and gave him ten thrusts, that is, ten swords. And the reason for this: because he came upon his father's ten concubines, measure for measure.
וַיִּתְקַע יוֹאָב בַּשֹּׁפָר וַיָּשׇׁב הָעָם מִרְדֹף אַחֲרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, כִּי־חָשַׂךְ יוֹאָב אֶת־הָעָם׃ - And Yoav blew the shofar, and the people returned from pursuing after Yisrael, for Yoav spared the people.
Yoav blows the shofar and announces to all that the war has ended. And why? "For Yoav spared the people": he did not want to continue destroying among the people of Yisrael. After all, the victors are David's men, and the ones struck are the people of Yisrael. The moment Avshalom died the rebellion was over and there was no longer any reason to strike them, and so he halted the pursuit out of mercy and compassion for the people.
The burial of Avshalom and the monument he set up for himself
וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת־אַבְשָׁלוֹם וַיַּשְׁלִכוּ אֹתוֹ בַיַּעַר אֶל־הַפַּחַת הַגָּדוֹל, וַיַּצִּבוּ עָלָיו גַּל־אֲבָנִים גָּדוֹל מְאֹד, וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל נָסוּ אִישׁ לְאֹהָלָו׃ - And they took Avshalom and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and set over him a very great heap of stones, and all of Israel fled, each man to his tent.
וְאַבְשָׁלֹם לָקַח וַיַּצֶּב־לוֹ בְחַיָּו אֶת־מַצֶּבֶת אֲשֶׁר בְּעֵמֶק־הַמֶּלֶךְ, כִּי אָמַר אֵין־לִי בֵן בַּעֲבוּר הַזְכִּיר שְׁמִי, וַיִּקְרָא לַמַּצֶּבֶת עַל־שְׁמוֹ וַיִּקָּרֵא לָהּ יַד אַבְשָׁלוֹם עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃ - Now Avshalom, in his lifetime, had taken and set up for himself the pillar that is in the King's Valley, for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance, and he called the pillar after his own name, and it is called the monument of Avshalom to this day.
The word "pachat" comes from the language of digging. During his lifetime Avshalom had prepared for himself a monument, a kind of memorial pillar and statue, in the King's Valley, for he said: I have no son to keep my name in remembrance. A person wants a name and a remnant to remain after him, that his name be mentioned and that people know who he was, and so he set up for himself a memorial and a name.
The Radak explains that after they threw him into the great pit and covered him with a heap of stones, they afterward removed the stones, took him out, and buried him in the place where he had set up a monument for himself in his lifetime. But the Malbim disagrees and says that in the end he did not merit to be buried in the place and at the monument he had set up for himself: the verse tells us what he had planned, but his plan did not come to pass, and his burial place remained in that same great pit covered with stones.
Chazal say that ten years were subtracted from Avshalom's life because he had relations with his father's ten concubines, and so note: the written form here is "בחיו" with a single yud, and the read form is "בחייו" with two yuds. One yud is missing in the written form, hinting that ten years were subtracted from his life.
Furthermore: here it says "I have no son," while earlier it said "And there were born to Avshalom three sons and one daughter." Chazal say that he did indeed have sons, but in the end they died. And some say that he had a son, but he was not fit for kingship. And from where did they learn that his sons died? From what they said: whoever burns his fellow's grain leaves no son to inherit him. And whose grain did Avshalom burn? Yoav's grain, when he wished to meet with his father David and Yoav refused to come and serve as the intermediary. He burned his field, and then Yoav came to him and asked why he had burned his grain, and he said to him: I have a mission for you, that you go to David my father. And see how terrible this is: because he burned his fellow's grain, he left no son to inherit him, and his sons died in his lifetime.
Who will bring the news to the king?
וַאֲחִימַעַץ בֶּן־צָדוֹק אָמַר אָרוּצָה נָּא וַאֲבַשְּׂרָה אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ, כִּי־שְׁפָטוֹ יְהֹוָה מִיַּד אֹיְבָיו׃ - And Achimaatz son of Tzadok said, Let me run now and bring the king news, that Hashem has vindicated him from the hand of his enemies.
Achimaatz, the son of Tzadok the Kohen, asks to run and bring David the news that the rebellion is over. "That Hashem has vindicated him from the hand of his enemies" - Hashem executed judgment for him and took his revenge upon his enemies.
וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ יוֹאָב לֹא אִישׁ בְּשֹׂרָה אַתָּה הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, וּבִשַּׂרְתָּ בְּיוֹם אַחֵר, וְהַיּוֹם הַזֶּה לֹא תְבַשֵּׂר כִּי־עַל־כֵּן בֶּן־הַמֶּלֶךְ מֵת׃ - And Yoav said to him, You are not the man to bring news this day, but you shall bring news on another day, and this day you shall not bring news, because the king's son is dead.
The verse appears cumbersome: what is the meaning of "but you shall bring news on another day" - will he bring news to the king on another day, when they will surely tell him today? And what is the meaning of the repetition of "this day" twice?
The Malbim explains: this report contains within it something bad for David, the death of his son, and David is deeply anxious that Avshalom not die. Now, two reasons could have justified Achimaatz running. The first reason: it was customary that there be a man appointed by the king on that day to bring him messages and reports. To this Yoav says to him "you are not a man of tidings this day" - you are not designated for this role today. The second reason: Achimaatz the son of the Kohen wishes to come and give praise and thanks to Hashem, and to bless upon the good, for this is the role of the Kohanim, to serve Hashem and to bring tidings that lead to faith and to the praise of Heaven. To this Yoav says to him "and you shall bring tidings on another day" - there will be many more good tidings for Israel that you will merit to announce. "But this day you shall not bring tidings" - and though there is good news here, it contains within it "for the king's son is dead," and it is not fitting that bad tidings come through a good man like you.
וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹאָב לַכּוּשִׁי לֵךְ הַגֵּד לַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתָה, וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ כוּשִׁי לְיוֹאָב וַיָּרֹץ׃ - And Yoav said to the Kushi, Go tell the king what you have seen. And the Kushi bowed to Yoav and ran.
In any case someone must be sent, and so Yoav sends the Kushi, who was also a witness to the killing of Avshalom. "And the Kushi bowed to Yoav" - he felt that he had received an honorable task, a positive thing worthy of thanks, and so he bowed. And note the language: Yoav does not say to him "go and bring tidings" but "go tell." For tidings by their nature are something good, and here this is not tidings but merely a report and an announcement.
And who was the Kushi? The Radak brings two interpretations. The first: he was of the sons of Kush and converted, and therefore he is called Kushi, just as one who converts from Egypt is called an Egyptian, and from Ashur an Ashuri, and from the Kasdim a Kasdi. The second: he was an Israelite, but he was black like a Kushi and this was his nickname. And from here we learn: Achimaatz the son of Tzadok, who was considered among David's close associates, is not fitting to bring such tidings, but a simple person from the rest of the people there is no barrier to his bringing them, for there is no choice and someone must tell.
וַיֹּסֶף עוֹד אֲחִימַעַץ בֶּן־צָדוֹק וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־יוֹאָב וִיהִי מָה אָרֻצָה־נָּא גַם־אָנִי אַחֲרֵי הַכּוּשִׁי, וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹאָב לָמָּה־זֶּה אַתָּה רָץ בְּנִי וּלְכָה אֵין־בְּשׂוֹרָה מֹצֵאת׃ - And Achimaatz the son of Tzadok said again to Yoav, Come what may, let me too run after the Kushi. And Yoav said, Why is it that you run, my son, seeing that you have no tidings that will find reward?
The Malbim explains: Achimaatz argues - your entire concern, Yoav, is that I would bring bad tidings that would grieve the king. But now, when the Kushi runs, he is the one who will bring the bad tidings, while I will bring only the good: my lord the king, you have been saved from your enemies and the rebellion is over. Yoav answers him: there is no point in your running, for the one is bound up with the other. The moment the Kushi says "your son is dead," included in this is that the rebellion is over. And what will you come and add? "And you have no tidings that will find reward" - you have no special tidings of your own, for when the Kushi says that Hashem has judged him from those who rose against him, included in this is that the kingship has returned to David.
וִיהִי־מָה אָרוּץ, וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ רוּץ, וַיָּרׇץ אֲחִימַעַץ דֶּרֶךְ הַכִּכָּר וַיַּעֲבֹר אֶת־הַכּוּשִׁי׃ - Come what may, I will run. And he said to him, Run. And Achimaatz ran by the way of the plain and passed the Kushi.
Now Achimaatz answers: I will run and get ahead of him. But if you bring the good tidings, is not the bad included in them? The Malbim says: Achimaatz's intent was to run and bring only the good tidings, and to conceal the bad, and thus it would remain for the Kushi coming after him to relate only the bad. And as we will soon see, he phrased his words in a way that the negative aspect does not emerge from them. For this reason Yoav agreed that he run, for now there was in his mouth only good tidings.
The Watchman on the Wall
וְדָוִד יוֹשֵׁב בֵּין־שְׁנֵי הַשְּׁעָרִים, וַיֵּלֶךְ הַצֹּפֶה אֶל־גַּג הַשַּׁעַר אֶל־הַחוֹמָה וַיִּשָּׂא אֶת־עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה־אִישׁ רָץ לְבַדּוֹ׃ - And David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate upon the wall, and lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man running alone.
The city had a wall within a wall, and the two gates one opposite the other, and David sat between them. The watchman goes up to the roof of the gate that is upon the wall - just as one can walk atop the gates and walls in Jerusalem - and from there he watches into the distance, and sees a man running alone. And who is he? This is Achimaatz.
וַיִּקְרָא הַצֹּפֶה וַיַּגֵּד לַמֶּלֶךְ, וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אִם־לְבַדּוֹ בְּשׂוֹרָה בְּפִיו, וַיֵּלֶךְ הָלוֹךְ וְקָרֵב׃ - And the watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, If he is alone, there are tidings in his mouth. And he came on, drawing nearer.
If he comes alone, he carries good news. Why? Because those who flee from battle do not run as single individuals; the fugitives run in large numbers together and scatter. When a man runs by himself, it is a sign that he bears tidings.
וַיַּרְא הַצֹּפֶה אִישׁ־אַחֵר רָץ, וַיִּקְרָא הַצֹּפֶה אֶל־הַשֹּׁעֵר וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה־אִישׁ רָץ לְבַדּוֹ, וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ גַּם־זֶה מְבַשֵּׂר׃ - The watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, "Behold, another man is running alone." And the king said, "This one too brings tidings."
The second runner is the Cushite, since Achimaatz had passed him. The Malbim notes a change here: in verse 25 "the watchman called and told the king" - the watchman turns directly to the king; whereas in verse 26 "the watchman called to the gatekeeper" - by way of the gatekeeper. What is the difference?
The Malbim explains: it is the proper manner of etiquette that the watchman speaks with the gatekeeper, and the gatekeeper asks the king whether to allow a person to enter. Only when the matter is most urgent and pressing does one shorten the procedure and skip the gatekeeper. The first time, when he knew that the king was waiting in suspense to hear what had happened, he skipped the gatekeeper and turned directly to the king. But with the second runner, the first runner would in any case already deliver the news, and his word was not so pressing; therefore he acted according to the accepted procedure and informed the gatekeeper, so that he would ask the king whether to open the gate for the second runner as well.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַצֹּפֶה אֲנִי רֹאֶה אֶת־מְרוּצַת הָרִאשׁוֹן כִּמְרֻצַת אֲחִימַעַץ בֶּן־צָדוֹק, וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אִישׁ־טוֹב זֶה וְאֶל־בְּשׂוֹרָה טוֹבָה יָבוֹא׃ - The watchman said, "I see the running of the first like the running of Achimaatz son of Tzadok," and the king said, "This is a good man, and he comes with good tidings."
Often one can recognize a person by his manner of walking and the way he runs, and so the watchman said that the running of the first resembled the running of Achimaatz. And what is the meaning of the king's words, "This is a good man, and he comes with good tidings"? A good man desires good and wants to bring good news. If he holds bad tidings, he does not want to go and deliver them: how can I watch his face turn dark like the bottom of a pot? How can I cause him such distress? Let someone else be sent. And on the other hand, a bad man seeks to bring bad tidings for that very same reason: he draws satisfaction from seeing his fellow suffer and grieve. Achimaatz is a good man, and therefore he strives to bring good news, so surely he carries good tidings.
The News in the Mouth of Achimaatz
וַיִּקְרָא אֲחִימַעַץ וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ שָׁלוֹם, וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לַמֶּלֶךְ לְאַפָּיו אָרְצָה, וַיֹּאמֶר בָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר סִגַּר אֶת־הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר־נָשְׂאוּ אֶת־יָדָם בַּאדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - And Achimaatz called and said to the king, "All is well," and he bowed down to the king with his face to the ground, and said, "Blessed is Hashem your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king."
Note the wording. At first he wanted to say "for Hashem has judged him from his enemies," whose plain meaning is that Avshalom was dead. Now, after Yoav had warned him, he reports only the good: "who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king." The word "sigar" means that Hashem shut them into our hands and gave them over to us, that they surrendered - and it does not necessarily mean that anyone died. Therefore it is good news alone. David now knows one fact: we won the battle. The second fact remains hidden: what became of Avshalom, whether he is alive or dead.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ שָׁלוֹם לַנַּעַר לְאַבְשָׁלוֹם, וַיֹּאמֶר אֲחִימַעַץ רָאִיתִי הֶהָמוֹן הַגָּדוֹל לִשְׁלֹחַ אֶת־עֶבֶד הַמֶּלֶךְ יוֹאָב וְאֶת־עַבְדֶּךָ וְלֹא יָדַעְתִּי מָה׃ - And the king said, "Is it well with the young man Avshalom?" And Achimaatz said, "I saw the great tumult when Yoav sent off the king's servant and your servant, but I did not know what it was."
Achimaatz's answer is obscure, and David too did not understand it, and the commentators grapple with it. On a simple level one may say that he was taken aback by the direct question and therefore gave a confused answer.
Rashi explains that this is an inverted verse, that is, there is a word here that was placed earlier or later than its proper position. It should be read: "when Yoav sent off the king's servant and your servant" - Yoav sent off the king's servant, that is the Cushite, and your servant, that is I, Achimaatz. "But I did not know what it was" - what happened afterward. In other words: I know that we won, but as for what became of Avshalom I am not informed, for I ran off at once to bring the news to the king. And so the plain sense of the matter: I saw the crowd in tumult during the battle, and then Yoav sent us to bring the news, and the sequel was not made known to me.
The Malbim offers a different explanation, one that fits the plain sense of the words better and does not require saying that the verse is scrambled. It is quite possible that when the people learned that Avshalom had died, they thought this was good news for the king, and so they said that it was fitting for Yoav and Achimaatz, the two important men, the commander of the army and the son of Tzadok the Kohen, and especially Yoav who was the direct cause of Avshalom's death, to be the ones to go and bring the news. If so, Achimaatz is describing the events from their beginning: "I saw the great crowd sending the king's servant Yoav and your servant" - I saw a commotion, and it became clear to me that the people wished to send Yoav and me to bring the news, and I wanted to go, and Yoav told me that it was not worthwhile for me to go. "But I do not know what" - and what happened afterward I do not know.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ סֹב הִתְיַצֵּב כֹּה, וַיִּסֹּב וַיַּעֲמֹד׃ - The king said: Turn aside and stand here. So he turned aside and stood.
The king says to him: Move aside, and let us see what the one coming after you has to say; perhaps he carries clearer news.
The news in the mouth of the Kushi
וְהִנֵּה הַכּוּשִׁי בָּא, וַיֹּאמֶר הַכּוּשִׁי יִתְבַּשֵּׂר אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ כִּי־שְׁפָטְךָ יְהֹוָה הַיּוֹם מִיַּד כׇּל־הַקָּמִים עָלֶיךָ׃ - And behold, the Kushi came, and the Kushi said: Let my lord the king receive good news, for Hashem has vindicated you today from the hand of all who rose against you.
Notice the wording "yitbaser" - a besorah is by nature something joyful. The Kushi does not understand that this is not joyful for the king; he thinks it is entirely good news. And so he also speaks more clearly than Achimaatz: not "Hashem delivered up" but "Hashem has vindicated you" - Hashem has executed judgment on those who rose against you. But the king wants to know plainly and precisely.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל־הַכּוּשִׁי הֲשָׁלוֹם לַנַּעַר לְאַבְשָׁלוֹם, וַיֹּאמֶר הַכּוּשִׁי יִהְיוּ כַנַּעַר אֹיְבֵי אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־קָמוּ עָלֶיךָ לְרָעָה׃ - The king said to the Kushi: Is it well with the young man, with Avshalom? And the Kushi said: May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rose against you for evil, be as that young man.
May Hashem do to all your enemies and all who rose against you for evil as He did to the young man. This answer no longer needs any interpretation: David understands that Avshalom is dead. With this the chapter dealing with Avshalom's death concludes, and the next chapter deals with David's lament over him.
The words of the Kabbalists concerning Avshalom
Before we conclude, we will bring a few things that the Kabbalists mention. The Ramak of Fano says that Avshalom returned in a gilgul. The Gemara in Tractate Nedarim relates that Shimon HaTzaddik said: In all my days I never ate the guilt offering of a defiled nazir except once. One time a nazir came to me from the south, and I saw that he had beautiful eyes and a fine appearance, with his locks arranged in curls, beautiful and impressive hair. I said to him: My son, what did you see that led you to shear off your beautiful hair for Heaven? He said to me: I was a shepherd tending my father's flock, I came to the water channel and saw my reflection in the water, and my evil inclination surged upon me. I said to it: Wicked one, why do you take pride in a world that is not yours? By the Temple service, I shall shear you for Heaven, and I vowed a nezirut. And Shimon HaTzaddik said: From his offering I ate, for all other nezirim when they become defiled regret their vow, but this one vowed truly for the sake of Heaven; the evil inclination came to bring him to pride, and he fought against it, a great and unique virtue. Says the Ramak of Fano: This nazir is the rectification of Avshalom. For of Avshalom it is said that he was the most handsome of all Israel and his hair was long, and Chazal say he was a lifelong nazir; therefore he returned and was reincarnated in that young man, again a nazir, but this time rectifying and shearing his hair for Heaven.
The Ramak of Fano also says: Avshalom contained a spark of the son of Bat Sheva from the first pregnancy, that same son for whom David prayed and pleaded and who nevertheless died. That spirit came and added impurity to Avshalom's own impurity, and as a result Avshalom pursued his father. A terrible thing: that same spirit, which had departed as the son who died, came, as it were, to exact payment from David: why did you bring me into the world flawed? And it pursues him. And all this is in order to purify David of that sin, and then there is a rectification both for the spark itself and for David. He further said that Avshalom was a gilgul of Nachash king of the children of Ammon, who had ties with David.
The Ramak of Fano also brings the words of the Gemara in Gittin folio 58: Reish Lakish said, there was an incident with a certain woman named Tzofnat bat Peniel - Tzofnat, because all gazed at her beauty; bat Peniel, the daughter of a Kohen Gadol who served in the innermost chamber. She was of a high spiritual level, and a captor abused her all night. The next day he dressed her in seven tunics and took her out to sell her in the lower market. And the Ramak explains: this woman was the rectification of Maacha bat Talmai king of Geshur, the beautiful captive whom David married and from whom Avshalom was born, the son of a beautiful captive who turned out to be a rebellious and defiant son. She also contained a spark of Tzofnit, the mother of Avner, who was the woman of the ov to whom Shaul went to raise up Shmuel and to ask whether he would succeed in the battle against the Philistines; therefore she was now called "Tzofnat," for the two names are one. And the captor was a gilgul of Talmai king of Geshur, the father of Maacha and Avshalom's grandfather. And the most repulsive man to whom she was sold in the lower market, this is her son Avshalom, for measure for measure, since he had been the most handsome of all Israel, he was reincarnated for his rectification in the most repulsive man. And why did he dress her in seven tunics? Because it is known that the daughters of the Kutim, when they would go to war, would adorn themselves in special garments in order to entice others to sin with them. And all this was done for her rectification and for the rectification of Avshalom.
Summary:
Chapter 18 describes the decisive turn of the rebellion: David organizes the army and heeds the people's counsel to remain in the city, and publicly commands "Deal gently for my sake with the young man, with Avshalom," recognizing that Avshalom was an instrument in the hand of Divine Providence to exact punishment from him for his sin, even though it was Avshalom's own free choice that brought him to this. In the battle twenty thousand men fall, and the forest devours more than the sword, and Avshalom is caught by the hair in which he took pride, pierced with three darts corresponding to the three hearts he stole, and put to death with ten blows corresponding to the ten concubines of his father. From there onward the narrative unfolds around the question of the tidings: Yoav prevents the righteous Achimaatz from carrying tidings that contain sorrow, sends the Cushite, and in the end Achimaatz reports the good news in ambiguous language while the Cushite reveals the truth. From all these a great moral lesson emerges: measure for measure governs everything, a good person seeks to bring good tidings, and a father's love for his son does not cease even when the son seeks to take his life.