Absalom

Absalom (ăb`səlŏm), in the Bible, son of David. He murdered his half-brother Amnon for the rape of their sister Tamar, and fled. No sooner was he reconciled with his father than he incited a rebellion in which he was killed by Joab and his armor-bearers. David's subsequent lament is recorded in Second Samuel. The form Abishalom is found in First Kings.

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Absalom

(flourished c. 1020 BC, Palestine) In ancient Israel, the third and most beloved son of David. His story is told in 2 Samuel 13–19. An attractive but lawless man, he killed his half brother Amnon as revenge for the latter's rape of Tamar, Absalom's sister, and was banished from the kingdom for a time. He later raised a rebellion against his father, capturing Jerusalem but meeting defeat in the forest of Ephraim, where he was killed by his cousin Joab, who found him caught by the hair in an oak tree. Despite Absalom's treachery, David greatly lamented his son's death.

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Absalom

flawlessly handsome. [O.T.: II Samuel 14:25]

See : Beauty, Masculine

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Absalom

hair entangled in branches, he was left dangling. [O.T.: II Samuel 18:9]

See : Hair

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Absalom

conspires to overthrow father, David. [O.T.: II Samuel 15:10–18:33]

See : Rebellion

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Absalom

kills half-brother, Amnon, for raping sister, Tamar. [O. T.: II Samuel 13:28–29]

See : Vengeance