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Absalom
Sign in to saveAlso known as Avshalom, Avshalom Ben-David, Absalom son of David
Absalom (), according to the Hebrew Bible, was an Israelite prince. Born to David and Maacah, who was from Geshur, he was the only full sibling of Tamar. He is described in the Hebrew Bible as being exceptionally beautiful, as is his sister. In the narrative of 2 Samuel 13, his sister Tamar takes refuge at his house after she is raped by their paternal half-brother Amnon (born to David and Ahinoam, who was from Jezreel); David is angered by the incident, but does nothing, as Amnon is his heir apparent. Infuriated by the rape and David's inaction, Absalom assassinates Amnon and subsequently fle
Absalom was an Israelite prince, son of King David, who became a significant figure in biblical narrative after his sister Tamar was raped by their half-brother Amnon—an incident that prompted Absalom to assassinate Amnon in response to David's failure to punish the crime. His story matters as a pivotal account in the Hebrew Bible's record of dynastic conflict and moral reckoning within the royal family of ancient Israel.
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Key facts
- Royalty.name
- Absalom
- Royalty.title
- Prince of Israel
- Royalty.image
- Muerte de absalon en el CESEDEN (cropped).jpg
- Royalty.caption
- Death of Absalom (1762) by Corrado Giaquinto
- Royalty.birth_place
- Hebron, Kingdom of Israel
- Royalty.death_place
- Ephraim, Kingdom of Israel
- Royalty.dynasty
- House of David
- Royalty.father
- David ben Yishai
- Royalty.mother
- Maacah bat Talmai
- Royalty.religion
- Yahwism
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Absalom Albert Weisgerber.jpg
- Number of children
- 4
Show 5 more facts
- Commons category
- Absalom
- date of birth
- 1009-00-00
- date of death
- 0978-00-00
- floruit
- 1100-00-00
- P12749
- Richard III of England
via Wikidata · CC0
~25 min read
Article
16 sectionsContents
- Biblical narrative
- Background
- Murder of Amnon
- The revolt at Hebron
- Battle of Ephraim's Wood
- Memorial
- Rabbinic literature
- Art and literature
- Poetry
- Fiction
- Music
- References
- Notes
- Citations
- Sources
- External links
Absalom (), according to the Hebrew Bible, was an Israelite prince. Born to David and Maacah, who was from Geshur, he was the only full sibling of Tamar. He is described in the Hebrew Bible as being exceptionally beautiful, as is his sister. In the narrative of 2 Samuel 13, his sister Tamar takes refuge at his house after she is raped by their paternal half-brother Amnon (born to David and Ahinoam, who was from Jezreel); David is angered by the incident, but does nothing, as Amnon is his heir apparent. Infuriated by the rape and David's inaction, Absalom assassinates Amnon and subsequently flees to Geshur, which is ruled by his and Tamar's maternal grandfather Talmai.
Following three years in exile, he returns to Israel and rallies popular support against the House of David. A war ensues when Absalom's rebels mobilize at Hebron and begin fighting David's army in an attempt to overthrow him, but their revolt ends in failure when Absalom is killed by David's nephew and army commander Joab during the Battle of the Wood of Ephraim. In the aftermath of his death, Absalom's sister is described as being left "a desolate woman in her brother's house" and the sole guardian of his orphaned daughter, who is also named Tamar.