Bible Commentaries
2 Samuel 14

Verses 1-33

Opinions widely differ over why Joab set himself to bring Absalom back. The most probable reason- is that he "perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom." There is certainly a strange fascination about this rugged and surly soldier Joab. He never paused at a deed of blood, and yet underneath the rough exterior was a strange tenderness in his regard for David.

David is seen again as desiring to be consistent. In the case of the woman of Tekoa, as in that of Nathan, when he had declared a principle, he stood by it when it was applied to himself. Absalom was brought back, but in the interest of the kingdom his punishment was not wholly removed. He was not allowed to see his father, and did not see him for two years.

We have a remarkable picture of Absalom, evidently a handsome man of physical perfection. He was daring, or we might more aptly describe him as a daredevil. When Joab would not come to him, he set fire to his barley, and so compelled him to come. The result was that he was admitted to the presence of his father, and was embraced by him.