After the account of Uriah, the remainder of the Book of Samuel, as well as the first chapters of Kings, depicts the problems that beset David throughout the remainder of his reign. The authors recount these problems as a way of proving the veracity of Nathan’s declaration – that “the sword shall henceforth never depart from your house.”

Of all the blocks of material portraying the crises within David’s household, the largest is the account of David’s flight from Absalom. It illustrates the scourge that plagued David after his murder of Uriah. But it also frames the story of his life. It depicts him ending his career in the same way he began it – seeking refuge from his adversaries.

Although the identity of his adversary has changed, many other features remain the same. As in the account of David’s flight from Saul, the authors used this narrative as a framework in which they embed little episodes that commemorate the loyalty and wartime contributions of some groups and document the duplicity and betrayal of others.

My task in this and the following chapter will be to examine the texture of the Absalom account. I will focus on the various political issues that its authors address through the means of war commemoration.