‘My Son Absalom!’: The Pride, Punishment, and Aftermath of Absalom in II Samuel 14-19 (Sotah 10b-11a)

The Mishnah demonstrates the theme of measure-for-measure justice, situating Absalom within a broader pattern of biblical figures undone by their defining traits.¹

Drawing on a close reading of II Samuel 14–18, the Talmud frames Absalom’s rebellion, death, and posthumous legacy as a case study in poetic justice. His physical beauty—especially his hair—becomes both a source of pride and the instrument of his punishment.

Through midrashic expansions and intertextual connections, the Talmud reads Absalom’s demise not merely as a historical event but as a moral lesson about vanity, divine retribution, and the limits of royal ambition.

The analysis extends to his father David’s complex grief, the unclear status regarding Absalom’s children, and the theological significance of his memorial.

Outline

Intro

The Passage - ‘My Son Absalom!’: The Pride, Punishment, and Aftermath of Absalom in II Samuel 14-18 (Sotah 10b-11a)

1. Absalom’s Pride and Punishment (II Samuel 14:25-26): Absalom’s Hair as a Source of His Downfall; His Hair and Rebellion; The Meaning of the “King’s Stone”

2. Absalom’s Punishment Matches His Pride (II Samuel 18:9)

3. R' Yishmael’s School - Attempt to Free Himself; Fear of the Netherworld

4. David’s Lament and the Significance of "My Son" (II Samuel 19:1,5): David’s Repeated Cry for Absalom; Interpretation of the Eight Mentions

5. Reish Lakish - The Meaning of Absalom’s Monument (II Samuel 18:18)

6. R' Ḥanina bar Pappa - "the king’s valley" hints at God’s deep plan (II Samuel 18:18, 12:11)

7. R' Ḥanina bar Pappa - Parallel to Joseph’s Journey (Genesis 37:14)

8. Rav Yitzḥak bar Avdimi - Did Absalom Have Sons? (II Samuel 18:18, 14:27)

9. Rav Ḥisda - one who burns another’s crops will not have heirs; Absalom burned Joab’s crops (II Samuel 14:30)

Appendix - Five people were created with bodily traits resembling divine attributes, each was ultimately afflicted through that very body part: Samson - strength, Saul - neck, Absalom - hair, Zedekiah - eyes, and Asa - feet (Sotah 10a)

The Passage

Sotah.10b.13-11a.2

Absalom’s Pride and Punishment (II Samuel 14:25-26): Absalom’s Hair as a Source of His Downfall; His Hair and Rebellion; The Meaning of the “King’s Stone”

The Mishnah states that Absalom’s excessive pride in his hair led to his demise, as he was ultimately caught and hung by it.

A baraita elaborates that Absalom’s rebellion and sins were linked to his hair. Citing II Samuel 14:25–26, the text describes how Absalom’s beauty was unmatched in Israel and how he would shave his hair annually due to its weight, measuring it at 200 shekels.

A baraita interprets that the "king’s stone" mentioned in the verse refers to a standard weight used by the people of Tiberias and Tzippori for measuring items.²

אבשלום נתגאה בשערו וכו׳.

תנו רבנן:

אבשלום בשערו מרד,

שנאמר:

״וכאבשלום לא היה איש יפה וגו׳.

ובגלחו את ראשו

והיה מקץ ימים לימים אשר יגלח

כי כבד עליו וגלחו

ושקל את שער ראשו

מאתים שקלים באבן המלך״.

תנא:

אבן שאנשי טבריא ואנשי ציפורי שוקלים בה.

The mishna teaches: Absalom was excessively proud of his hair, and therefore he was hung by his hair.

The Sages taught (Tosefta 3:16):

Absalom rebelled and sinned due to his hair,

as it is stated:

“Now in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty; from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

And when he shaved his head,

as it was at every year’s end that he shaved it;

because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he shaved it,

and he weighed the hair of his head

at 200 shekels, by the king’s stone” (II Samuel 14:25–26).

What is the king’s stone? The Sages taught:

A stone with which the people of Tiberias and the people of Tzippori weigh items.

Absalom’s Punishment Matches His Pride (II Samuel 18:9)

A baraita explains that Absalom was punished in accordance with his vanity:

Since he took pride in his hair, he was ultimately caught and hanged by it.

The verse describes how, during battle, Absalom’s mule (פרד) passed under the thick branch (שובך) of a terebinth (אלה) tree, causing his hair to become entangled.

Suspended between heaven and earth, he was left helpless as his mule continued forward (causing his death).

לפיכך נתלה בשערו,

שנאמר:

״ויקרא אבשלום לפני עבדי דוד

ואבשלום רכב על הפרד

ויבא הפרד תחת שובך האלה הגדולה

ויחזק ראשו באלה

ויתן בין השמים ובין הארץ

והפרד אשר תחתיו עבר״.

The baraita continues: And since he was proud of his hair, therefore, he was hung by his hair,

as it is stated in the verse describing the battle between the forces of David and Absalom:

“And Absalom chanced to meet the servants of David.

And Absalom was riding upon his mule,

and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth,

and his head caught hold of the terebinth,

and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth;

and the mule that was under him went on” (II Samuel 18:9).

R' Yishmael’s School - Attempt to Free Himself; Fear of the Netherworld

Realizing his predicament, Absalom attempted to cut his hair with a sword³ to escape.

R' Yishmael’s school teaches that “at that moment, the netherworld⁴ opened⁵ beneath him”.⁶

שקל ספסירא,

בעא למיפסקיה.

תנא דבי רבי ישמעאל:

באותה שעה —

נבקע שאול מתחתיו

After he was spotted by the opposing troops, Absalom took a sword [safseira]

and wanted to cut his hair to save himself.

The school of R' Yishmael taught:

At that moment —

the gates of the netherworld opened beneath him and he was afraid to fall into it, so he did not cut his hair, and he was killed by the opposing troops.

David’s Lament and the Significance of "My Son" (II Samuel 19:1,5): David’s Repeated Cry for Absalom; Interpretation of the Eight Mentions

After learning of Absalom’s death, King David mourns intensely, repeatedly calling out, “My son, Absalom”.

״וירגז המלך

ויעל על עליית השער ויבך

וכה אמר בלכתו:

1. בני אבשלום!

2. בני בני אבשלום!

3. מי יתן מותי אני תחתיך,

4. אבשלום בני בני!

והמלך לאט את פניו

ויזעק המלך קול גדול:

1. בני אבשלום!

2. אבשלום בני בני!״

It is written with regard to David’s reaction after he learns of the death of Absalom:

“And the king was much moved,

and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept;

and as he went about he said:

1. O my son Absalom!

2. my son, my son Absalom!

3. Would I had died in your place,

4. O Absalom, my son, my son!” (II Samuel 19:1),

and a few verses later it adds:

“And the king covered his face,

and the king cried with a loud voice:

1. O my son Absalom!

2. O Absalom, my son, my son!” (II Samuel 19:5).

David called out, “My son!” a total of eight times. The Talmud explains that seven of these mentions raised Absalom from the seven chambers (מדורי) of Gehenna.⁷

Regarding the final, eighth mention, opinions differ: some say that it indicates that David reunited Absalom’s severed head with his body, while others state that with this mention, David brought Absalom to the World-to-Come.

הני תמניא ״בני״ למה?

שבעה —

דאסקיה משבעה מדורי גיהנם,

ואידך —

• איכא דאמרי:

  • דקריב רישיה לגבי גופיה,

• ואיכא דאמרי:

  • דאייתיה לעלמא דאתי

The Talmud asks: Why are there these 8 mentions of “my son” by David, i.e., to what do they correspond?

The Talmud answers: 7 times he said “my son,” —

by which he raised him up from the 7 chambers of Gehenna.

And as for the other, 8th, time,

• some say that

  • David brought the head of Absalom close to Absalom’s body,

• and some say that

  • David brought Absalom to the World-to-Come.

Reish Lakish - The Meaning of Absalom’s Monument (II Samuel 18:18)

The verse states that Absalom erected a monument for himself.⁸

Reish Lakish interprets this as a sign of his poor decision-making, calling it a "bad transaction."⁹

״ואבשלום לקח ויצב לו בחייו״.

מאי ״לקח״?

אמר ריש לקיש:

שלקח מקח רע לעצמו.

It is written there: “Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself the pillar, which is in the king’s valley; for he said: I have no son to keep my name in remembrance” (II Samuel 18:18).

The Talmud asks: What did Absalom take?

Reish Lakish says:

He engaged in a bad transaction for himself by accepting bad advice for which he was punished.

R' Ḥanina bar Pappa - "the king’s valley" hints at God’s deep plan (II Samuel 18:18, 12:11)

R' Ḥanina bar Pappa adds that the location, "the king’s valley," hints at God’s deep plan, fulfilling the prophecy that David’s household would suffer calamity.

״את מצבת אשר בעמק המלך וגו׳״,

אמר רבי חנינא בר פפא:

בעצה עמוקה של מלכו של עולם,

דכתיב: ״הנני מקים עליך רעה מביתך״.

The verse continues (II Samuel 18:18): “The pillar, which is in the king’s valley [be’emek hammelekh].”

R' Ḥanina bar Pappa says:

This alludes to the pillar that is in the deep [amukka] counsel of the King [melekh] of the universe, as God had already decreed in the aftermath of the incident with Bathsheba that this would occur.

This is as it is written there: “Thus said YHWH: Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house” (II Samuel 12:11), and this prophecy was fulfilled through Absalom.

R' Ḥanina bar Pappa - Parallel to Joseph’s Journey (Genesis 37:14, 15:13)

The Talmud connects this event to another biblical passage: Joseph’s mission from Hebron in Genesis 37.

Just as Absalom’s downfall was divinely orchestrated, so too was Joseph’s journey to his brothers, which set in motion the exile in Egypt.

The phrase "valley of Hebron" earlier in Genesis 15 is interpreted as an allusion to Abraham’s deep prophetic vision of Israel’s future suffering.¹⁰

כיוצא בדבר אתה אומר:

״וישלחהו מעמק חברון״,

אמר רבי חנינא בר פפא:

בעצה עמוקה של אותו צדיק שקבור בחברון,

דכתיב: ״ידע תדע כי גר יהיה זרעך״.

Similarly, you can say about Joseph, who was sent by his father to inquire as to the well-being of his brothers, where the verse states:

“And he sent him from the valley [emek] of Hebron” (Genesis 37:14).

R' Ḥanina bar Pappa says:

From the deep [amukka] counsel of that righteous individual who is interred in Hebron, i.e., Abraham,

as it is written: “And He said unto Abram: Know that your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years” (Genesis 15:13). The journey Joseph took to his brothers set in motion the descent of the Jewish people to Egypt.

Rav Yitzḥak bar Avdimi - Did Absalom Have Sons? (II Samuel 18:18, 14:27)

The text states that Absalom built his monument because he had no sons, yet another verse records that he had three sons and a daughter.

The rabbis resolve this contradiction: R' Yitzḥak bar Avdimi suggests that none of his sons were fit (הגון) for kingship.

״כי אמר אין לי בן״.

ולא הוו ליה בני?!

והכתיב: ״ויולדו לאבשלום שלשה בנים ובת אחת״!

אמר רב יצחק בר אבדימי:

שלא היה לו בן הגון למלכות

The Talmud continues its discussion of Absalom. The verse states concerning Absalom: “For he said: I have no son to keep my name in remembrance; and he called the pillar after his own name; and it is called Absalom’s monument to this day” (II Samuel 18:18).

The Talmud asks: And did Absalom not have sons?!

But isn’t it written: “And to Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter” (II Samuel 14:27)?

Rav Yitzḥak bar Avdimi says:

He meant that he did not have a son worthy for royalty.

Rav Ḥisda - one who burns another’s crops will not have heirs; Absalom burned Joab’s crops (II Samuel 14:30)

Rav Ḥisda adds a tradition that one who burns another’s crops will not have heirs; Absalom is described as burning Joab’s crops in II Samuel 14:30.¹¹

רב חסדא אמר:

גמירי:

כל השורף תבואתו של חבירו —

אינו מניח בן ליורשו

Rav Ḥisda said:

It is learned as a tradition:

Anyone who burns the produce of another —

does not leave a son to inherit from him,

ואיהו קלייה לדיואב,

דכתיב:

״ויאמר אל עבדיו:

ראו חלקת יואב אל ידי

ולו שם שערים

לכו והציתוה באש

ויציתו עבדי אבשלום את החלקה באש״.

and he, Absalom, burned the produce of Joab,

as it is written:

“Therefore he said to his servants:

See, Joab’s field is near mine,

and he has barley there;

go and set it on fire.

And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire” (II Samuel 14:30).

Appendix - Five people were created with bodily traits resembling divine attributes, each was ultimately afflicted through that very body part: Samson - strength, Saul - neck, Absalom - hair, Zedekiah - eyes, and Asa - feet (Sotah 10a)

Sotah.10a.10-14

A baraita states that 5 people were created with traits resembling divine attributes, but each was ultimately afflicted through that very trait: Samson with his strength, Saul with his neck, Absalom with his hair, Zedekiah with his eyes, and Asa with his feet.

תנו רבנן:

חמשה נבראו מעין דוגמא של מעלה,

וכולן לקו בהן:

1. שמשון --

   1. בכחו,

2. שאול --

   1. בצוארו,

3. אבשלום --

   1. בשערו,

4. צדקיה --

   1. בעיניו,

5. אסא --

   1. ברגליו.

The Sages taught in a baraita:

Five individuals were created with a characteristic that is akin to a representation of the One on High,

and they were all stricken by that characteristic:

1. Samson

   1. was glorified in his strength,

2. Saul

   1. in his neck (see I Samuel 9:2),

3. Absalom

   1. in his hair,

4. Zedekiah

   1. in his eyes,

5. and Asa

   1. in his feet.

1. Samson’s power: seen as godlike, was lost when Delilah cut his hair, leading to his downfall—“his strength went from him.”

2. Saul’s Death by His Neck (I Samuel 31:4): Saul, noted for the beauty of his neck, died by falling on his sword—piercing himself through the neck.

3. Absalom’s Hair: Absalom, famed for his hair, met his death when it caught in a tree (explained “later”, i.e. in our sugya, in the main piece above).

4. Zedekiah’s Eyes (II Kings 25:7): Zedekiah’s eyes, once honored, were gouged out by the Babylonians after witnessing his sons killed.

5. Asa's Feet (I Kings 15:23): Asa was struck with illness in his feet.

1. שמשון

   1. בכחו,

   2. דכתיב: ״ויסר כחו מעליו״.

2. שאול

   1. בצוארו,

   2. דכתיב: ״ויקח שאול את החרב ויפל עליה״.

3. אבשלום

   1. בשערו,

   2. כדבעינן למימר קמן.

4. צדקיה

   1. בעיניו,

   2. דכתיב: ״ואת עיני צדקיהו עור״.

5. אסא

   1. ברגליו,

   2. דכתיב: ״רק לעת זקנתו חלה את רגליו״

1. Samson

   1. was stricken by his strength, which led to his demise,

   2. as it is written: “And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man and had the seven locks of his head shaved off; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him” (Judges 16:19).

2. Saul

   1. was smitten in his neck,

   2. as it is written: “Then said Saul to his armor-bearer: Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and make a mock of me. But his armor-bearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore, Saul took his sword and fell upon it” (I Samuel 31:4); he fell with his neck upon the sword.

3. Absalom

   1. was stricken in his hair,

   2. as we will state later.

4. Zedekiah

   1. was stricken in his eyes,

   2. as it is written: “And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon” (II Kings 25:7).

5. Asa

   1. was stricken in his feet,

   2. as it is written: “Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet” (I Kings 15:23).

1. On this Mishnah, see my “Divine Reciprocity: Biblical Instances of Measure-for-Measure (‘Midah Keneged Midah’) Punishment and Reward (Mishnah Sotah 1:7-9)“.

2. I.e., the Talmudic tradition interprets that the biblical “king’s stone” is equivalent to the standard stone used for scales in the contemporary Galilean cities of Tiberias and Tzippori.

3. ספסירא - “safsir” - from Persian.

4. שאול - she’ol.

5. נבקע - literally: “split [open]”.

6. Afraid to fall, he refrained from cutting his hair, leading to his death at the hands of David’s forces.

7. Thus alleviating his punishment in the afterlife.

Re “seven chambers (מדורי) of Gehenna”, compare the parallel “seven heavens”, described in detail in the Talmud, see my three-part series “Talmudic Cosmology (Ma'aseh Bereshit): Earth's Foundations, the Seven Heavens, and Cosmic Dimensions (Chagigah 12b-13a)“, final part here.

8. Compare Wikipedia, “Tomb of Absalom“, section “Traditional attribution“:

Absalom's shrine has traditionally been identified as the monument of Absalom, rebellious son of King David, based on a verse in the Book of Samuel:

Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the king's dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the Monument after his own name: and it is called unto this day, Absalom's Monument.

— 2 Samuel 18:18

A "monument of Absalom" did exist in the days of Josephus, and was referred to in his Antiquities.

The 19th-century English translation by Havercamp states that the "monument of Absalom" stood at a distance of "two furlongs" from Jerusalem.

The attribution of this particular monument to Absalom was quite persistent, although the Book of Samuel reports that Absalom's body was covered over with stones in a pit in the Wood of Ephraim (2 Samuel 18:17).

For centuries, it was the custom among passersby—Jews, Christians and Muslims—to throw stones at the monument. Residents of Jerusalem would bring their unruly children to the site to teach them what became of a rebellious son.

9. לקח מקח רע לעצמו.

This same homiletic interpretation by Reish Lakish is cited elsewhere in the Talmud, in the context of Korach, see my “Pt1 Wealth, Wives, and Punishment: The Story of Korah’s Rebellion Against Moses in Numbers 16 (Sanhedrin 109b-110a)“, section “Reish Lakish - Korah 'took' a bad acquisition for himself; each ancestor name indicates a symbolic critique - Numbers 16:1“.

10. As part of the story of the “Covenant of the pieces“ (ברית בין הבתרים).

On the location of this event, see Hebrew Wikipedia, “ברית בין הבתרים”, section “מועד ומקום המעמד“.

11. I.e. because Absalom burned Joab’s field, he was divinely punished by being deprived of a male heir.

On this story of Absalom burning Joab’s field, see the summary and background in Wikipedia, “2 Samuel 14“, section “Absalom reconciled to David (14:28–33)“:

After waiting for two years without any signs of progress in his relationship with his father, Absalom took one desperate action against Joab, by burning Joab's field, to get Joab's attention and compelled Joab to bring Absalom to David.

Finally Absalom met David and given a kiss (verse 33) as a sign of reconciliation.