II Shmuel 15: Rebel Without a Cause

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi · Sep 23, 2026 · 1m

Why does Avshalom rebel? The text is unclear. Avshalom was next in line to be king. David had not yet announced any intention for succession, so Avshalom’s rebellion could not have been a reaction to being passed over. Some commentaries look at the end of the previous chapter for the answer. Chapter 14 ends with a few verses describing Avshalom’s beauty. The thought is that he became so infatuated with himself that he believed he could be king. The problem is that he was always handsome. It does not really answer why he rebelled now. Looking at the story until this point there are three…