Bible Strands
2 Samuel 15:7
After four years had passed, Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a vow I have made to the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Absalom addresses King David after a four-year interval, making his request immediately following the successful recruitment of Israelites who previously sought the king's justice. The moment marks a direct appeal for travel permission following a period of sustained political preparation.
The words — The phrase מִקֵּץ אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה (miqêṣ 'arbaʿîm šānâ) literally means "from the end of forty years," establishing the precise timeframe of the narrative. The verb וַיֹּאמֶר (wayyōmer), "and he said," formally introduces Absalom's petition to the monarch.
The thread — The immediate context in 2 Samuel 15:8 clarifies that the vow originated during Absalom's exile in Geshur of Aram. The theme of hollow religious observance parallels Isaiah 58:4, while the narrative of royal anointing and divine appointment connects to 1 Samuel 16:1 and 1 Samuel 16:13.
Why it lands — The text records Absalom's stated purpose to fulfill a vow before revealing the political strategy behind the request. It requires the reader to separate the explicit religious claim from the underlying motive without adding external commentary.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the Lord, in Hebron.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 58:4 You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice be heard on high.
- 1 Samuel 16:1 Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.”
- 1 Samuel 16:13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.
- 2 Samuel 13:24 And he went to the king and said, “Your servant has just hired shearers. Will the king and his servants please come with me?”
- 2 Samuel 13:38 After Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, he stayed there three years.
- Proverbs 21:27 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—how much more so when brought with ill intent!
- Matthew 2:8 And sending them to Bethlehem, he said: “Go and search carefully for the Child, and when you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.”
- Matthew 23:13 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.