Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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2 Samuel
Book: 2 Samuel
Chapter: 13
Overview:
Ammon's violence to his sister.
(1-20) Absalom murders his
Brother Ammon.
(21-29) David's grief,
Absalom flees to
Geshur.
(30-39)
1-20 From henceforward
David was followed with one trouble
after another.
Adultery and
Murder were
David's sins, the like
sins among his children were the beginnings of his
Punishment:
he was too indulgent to his children. Thus
David might trace the
sins of his children to his own misconduct, which must have made
the anguish of the chastisement worse. Let
No one ever expect
good treatment from those who are capable of attempting their
seduction; but it is better to suffer the greatest wrong than to
commit the least
Sin.
21-29 Observe the aggravations of
Absalom's
Sin: he would have
Ammon slain, when least fit to go out of the world. He engaged
his servants in the guilt. Those servants are ill-taught who
obey wicked masters, against
God's commands. Indulged children
always prove crosses to godly parents, whose foolish
Love leads
them to neglect their duty to
God.
30-39 Jonadab was as guilty of
Ammon's
Death, as of his
Sin;
such false friends do they prove, who counsel us to do wickedly.
Instead of loathing
Absalom as a murderer,
David, after a time,
longed to go forth to him. This was
David's infirmity:
God saw
something in his
Heart that made a difference, else we should
have thought that he, as much as
Eli, honoured his sons more
than
God.