אֲבִישָׁלוֹם
Absalom
BDB lists 3 entries for ‘Absalom’ fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Proper
- A name of a specific person, place, or people (e.g. Abraham, Zion, Israel).
Every verse where H53 appears in the Book of 2 Samuel — 83 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
2 Samuel
- 2 Samuel 3:3 אַבְשָׁל֣וֹם n Proper and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;
- 2 Samuel 13:1 וּ/לְ/אַבְשָׁל֧וֹם conj + prep + n Proper It happened after this, that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.
- 2 Samuel 13:4 אַבְשָׁלֹ֥ם n Proper He said to him, Why, son of the king, are you thus lean from day to day? Won't you tell me? Amnon said to him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.
- 2 Samuel 13:20 אַבְשָׁל֣וֹם אַבְשָׁל֥וֹם n Proper n Proper Absalom her brother said to her, Has Amnon your brother been with you? but now hold your peace, my sister: he is your brother; don't take this thing to heart. So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house.
- 2 Samuel 13:22 אַבְשָׁל֛וֹם אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ n Proper n Proper Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad; for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.
- 2 Samuel 13:23 לְ/אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם אַבְשָׁל֖וֹם prep + n Proper n Proper It happened after two full years, that Absalom had sheep-shearers in Baal Hazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king's sons.
- 2 Samuel 13:24 אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ n Proper Absalom came to the king, and said, See now, your servant has sheep-shearers; let the king, I pray you, and his servants go with your servant.
- 2 Samuel 13:25 אַבְשָׁל֗וֹם n Proper The king said to Absalom, No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you. He pressed him: however he would not go, but blessed him.
- 2 Samuel 13:26 אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם n Proper Then said Absalom, If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us. The king said to him, Why should he go with you?
- 2 Samuel 13:27 אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם n Proper But Absalom pressed him, and he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him.
- 2 Samuel 13:28 אַבְשָׁל֨וֹם n Proper Absalom commanded his servants, saying, Mark you now, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine; and when I tell you, Smite Amnon, then kill him; don't be afraid; haven't I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.
- 2 Samuel 13:29 אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם n Proper n Proper The servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man got him up on his mule, and fled.
- 2 Samuel 13:30 אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ n Proper It happened, while they were in the way, that the news came to David, saying, Absalom has slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left.
- 2 Samuel 13:32 אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ n Proper Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother, answered, Don't let my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men the king's sons; for Amnon only is dead; for by the appointment of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar.
- 2 Samuel 13:34 אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם n Proper But Absalom fled. The young man who kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came much people by the way of the hill-side behind him.
- 2 Samuel 13:37 וְ/אַבְשָׁל֣וֹם conj + n Proper But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai the son of Ammihur, king of Geshur. [David] mourned for his son every day.
- 2 Samuel 13:38 וְ/אַבְשָׁל֥וֹם conj + n Proper So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years.
- 2 Samuel 13:39 אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם n Proper [the soul of] king David longed to go forth to Absalom: for he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.
- 2 Samuel 14:1 אַבְשָׁלֽוֹם n Proper Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 14:21 אַבְשָׁלֽוֹם n Proper The king said to Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom back.
- 2 Samuel 14:23 אַבְשָׁל֖וֹם n Proper So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 14:24 אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ n Proper The king said, Let him turn to his own house, but let him not see my face. So Absalom turned to his own house, and didn't see the king's face.
- 2 Samuel 14:25 וּ/כְ/אַבְשָׁל֗וֹם conj + prep + n Proper 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.
- 2 Samuel 14:27 לְ/אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ prep + n Proper To Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a beautiful face.
- 2 Samuel 14:28 אַבְשָׁל֛וֹם n Proper Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem; and he didn't see the king's face.
- 2 Samuel 14:29 אַבְשָׁל֜וֹם n Proper Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king; but he would not come to him: and he sent again a second time, but he would not come.
- 2 Samuel 14:30 אַבְשָׁל֛וֹם n Proper Therefore he said to his servants, Behold, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire. Absalom's servants set the field on fire.
- 2 Samuel 14:31 אַבְשָׁל֖וֹם n Proper Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom to his house, and said to him, Why have your servants set my field on fire?
- 2 Samuel 14:32 אַבְשָׁל֣וֹם n Proper Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent to you, saying, Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, Why am I come from Geshur? it were better for me to be there still. Now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be iniquity in me, let him kill me.
- 2 Samuel 14:33 אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ לְ/אַבְשָׁלֽוֹם n Proper prep + n Proper So Joab came to the king, and told him; and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 15:1 אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם n Proper It happened after this, that Absalom prepared him a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him.
- 2 Samuel 15:2 אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם אַבְשָׁל֤וֹם n Proper n Proper Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man had a suit which should come to the king for judgment, then Absalom called to him, and said, Of what city are you? He said, Your servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.
- 2 Samuel 15:3 אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם n Proper Absalom said to him, Behold, your matters are good and right; but there is no man deputized of the king to hear you.
- 2 Samuel 15:4 אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם n Proper Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man who has any suit or cause might come to me, and I would do him justice!
- 2 Samuel 15:6 אַבְשָׁל֜וֹם אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם n Proper n Proper In this manner Absalom did to all Israel who came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
- 2 Samuel 15:7 אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ n Proper It happened at the end of forty years, that Absalom said to the king, please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to Yahweh, in Hebron.
- 2 Samuel 15:10 אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ אַבְשָׁל֖וֹם n Proper n Proper But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, Absalom is king in Hebron.
- 2 Samuel 15:11 אַבְשָׁל֗וֹם n Proper With Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, who were invited, and went in their simplicity; and they didn't know anything.
- 2 Samuel 15:12 אַ֠בְשָׁלוֹם אַבְשָׁלֽוֹם n Proper n Proper Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. The conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 15:13 אַבְשָׁלֽוֹם n Proper There came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 15:14 אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם n Proper David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for else none of us shall escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us quickly, and bring down evil on us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.
- 2 Samuel 15:31 אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם n Proper One told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. David said, Yahweh, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.
- 2 Samuel 15:34 לְ/אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ prep + n Proper but if you return to the city, and tell Absalom, I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father's servant in time past, so will I now be your servant; then will you defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.
- 2 Samuel 15:37 וְ/אַבְשָׁלֹ֔ם conj + n Proper So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city; and Absalom came into Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 16:8 אַבְשָׁל֣וֹם n Proper Yahweh has returned on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and Yahweh has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son; and, behold, you are [taken] in your own mischief, because you are a man of blood.
- 2 Samuel 16:15 וְ/אַבְשָׁל֗וֹם conj + n Proper Absalom, and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.
- 2 Samuel 16:16 אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם אַבְשָׁלֹ֔ם n Proper n Proper It happened, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, was come to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, [Long] live the king, [Long] live the king.
- 2 Samuel 16:17 אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ n Proper Absalom said to Hushai, Is this your kindness to your friend? Why didn't you go with your friend?
- 2 Samuel 16:18 אַבְשָׁלֹם֒ n Proper Hushai said to Absalom, No; but whom Yahweh, and this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his will I be, and with him will I abide.
- 2 Samuel 16:20 אַבְשָׁל֖וֹם n Proper Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give your counsel what we shall do.
- 2 Samuel 16:21 אַבְשָׁלֹ֔ם n Proper Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go in to your father's concubines, that he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred of your father: then will the hands of all who are with you be strong.
- 2 Samuel 16:22 לְ/אַבְשָׁל֛וֹם אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ prep + n Proper n Proper So they spread Absalom a tent on the top of the house; and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
- 2 Samuel 16:23 לְ/אַבְשָׁלֹֽם prep + n Proper The counsel of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if a man inquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 17:1 אַבְשָׁלֹ֑ם n Proper Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night:
- 2 Samuel 17:4 אַבְשָׁלֹ֑ם n Proper The saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.
- 2 Samuel 17:5 אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם n Proper Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he says.
- 2 Samuel 17:6 אַבְשָׁלוֹם֒ אַבְשָׁל֨וֹם n Proper n Proper When Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him, saying, Ahithophel has spoken after this manner: shall we do [after] his saying? if not, speak up.
- 2 Samuel 17:7 אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם n Proper Hushai said to Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel has given this time is not good.
- 2 Samuel 17:9 אַבְשָׁלֹֽם n Proper Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some [other] place: and it will happen, when some of them are fallen at the first, that whoever hears it will say, There is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 17:14 אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ אַבְשָׁל֖וֹם n Proper n Proper Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For Yahweh had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that Yahweh might bring evil on Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 17:15 אַבְשָׁלֹ֔ם n Proper Then said Hushai to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counseled.
- 2 Samuel 17:18 לְ/אַבְשָׁלֹ֑ם prep + n Proper But a boy saw them, and told Absalom: and they went both of them away quickly, and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down there.
- 2 Samuel 17:20 אַבְשָׁל֨וֹם n Proper Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house; and they said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? The woman said to them, They have gone over the brook of water. When they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 17:24 וְ/אַבְשָׁלֹ֗ם conj + n Proper Then David came to Mahanaim. Absalom passed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.
- 2 Samuel 17:25 אַבְשָׁלֹ֛ם n Proper Absalom set Amasa over the host instead of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man, whose name was Ithra the Israelite, who went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab's mother.
- 2 Samuel 17:26 וְ/אַבְשָׁלֹ֔ם conj + n Proper Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.
- 2 Samuel 18:5 לְ/אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם אַבְשָׁלֽוֹם prep + n Proper n Proper The king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. All the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 18:9 אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם וְ/אַבְשָׁל֞וֹם n Proper conj + n Proper Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the sky and earth; and the mule that was under him went on.
- 2 Samuel 18:10 אַבְשָׁלֹ֔ם n Proper A certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.
- 2 Samuel 18:12 בְּ/אַבְשָׁלֽוֹם prep + n Proper The man said to Joab, Though I should receive a thousand [pieces of] silver in my hand, I still wouldn't put forth my hand against the king's son; for in our hearing the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 18:14 אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם n Proper Then said Joab, I may not wait thus with you. He took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.
- 2 Samuel 18:15 אַבְשָׁל֖וֹם n Proper Ten young men who bore Joab's armor compassed about and struck Absalom, and killed him.
- 2 Samuel 18:17 אַבְשָׁל֗וֹם n Proper They took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones: and all Israel fled everyone to his tent.
- 2 Samuel 18:18 וְ/אַבְשָׁלֹ֣ם אַבְשָׁלֹ֔ם conj + n Proper n Proper Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself the pillar, which is in the king's dale; for he said, I have no son to keep my name in memory: and he called the pillar after his own name; and it is called Absalom's monument, to this day.
- 2 Samuel 18:29 לְ/אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם prep + n Proper The king said, Is it well with the young man Absalom? Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, even me your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I don't know what it was.
- 2 Samuel 18:32 לְ/אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם prep + n Proper The king said to the Cushite, Is it well with the young man Absalom? The Cushite answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you to do you hurt, be as that young man is.
- 2 Samuel 18:33 אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם אַבְשָׁל֖וֹם n Proper n Proper n Proper The king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would I had died for you, Absalom, my son, my son!
- 2 Samuel 19:1 אַבְשָׁלֹֽם n Proper It was told Joab, Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 19:4 אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם אַבְשָׁל֖וֹם n Proper n Proper The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, my son Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son!
- 2 Samuel 19:6 אַבְשָׁל֥וֹם n Proper in that you love those who hate you, and hate those who love you. For you have declared this day, that princes and servants are nothing to you: for this day I perceive that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased you well.
- 2 Samuel 19:9 אַבְשָׁלֽוֹם n Proper All the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king delivered us out of the hand of our enemies, and he saved us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land from Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 19:10 וְ/אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ conj + n Proper Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why don't you speak a word of bringing the king back?
- 2 Samuel 20:6 אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם n Proper David said to Abishai, Now will Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take your lord's servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fortified cities, and escape out of our sight.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
“Absalom” is the headline sense of the Hebrew name אבישלום (ʼĂbîyshâlôwm). More than three-quarters of its appearances fall in 2 Samuel. It appears 92 verses across 5 books of the Hebrew Bible, among its moderately common vocabulary. Scripture first uses it in 2 Samuel 3:3. The sections below give every occurrence and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H53 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 92
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 92 distinct verses.
- 5 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 5 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #390
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 390 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 92 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- 2 Samuel 83 verses 90%
- 1 Kings 5 verses 5%
- 2 Chronicles 2 verses 2%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 92 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 88 verses · 96%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 4 verses · 4%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 2 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Absalom 99×, Absalom's 5×, Abishalom 2×
- American Standard Version†: Absalom 101×, Abishalom 2×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Absalom 77×, Absalom’s 8×, He 5×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Absalom 104×, Abishalom 2×, Now 2×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H53 across 111† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 3 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H53 across 110† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 7 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H53 across 103† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 7 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 8 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H53 across 112† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 4 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 2 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
- 1. Rehob.’s father-in-law †1 K 15:2, 10 2 Ch 11:20, 21. e.g. 1 Kings 15:2
- 2. 3rd son of Dvd 2 S 3:3; 13:1 + 90 times 2 S (insert 2 S 13:27 𝔊 Th We cf. Dr; del. v 38 Dr cf. We), + †1 K 1:6; 2:7, 2 1 Ch 3:2 ψ 3:1. e.g. 2 Samuel 3:3
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. n.pr.m. (my father is peace; according to LagBN 75 = (בֶּן)אֲבֶן + שָׁלֹם, cf. 𝔊 Ἀβεσσαλωμ)—א׳ †1 K 15:2, 10 = אַבְשָׁלוֹם 2 S 3:3 +, 2 Ch 11:20, 21, אַבְשָׁלֹם 2 S 13:4 +—
I. v. אֲבִישָׁלוֹם sub II. אבה.
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from אב (ʼâb) (H1) — father.
Forms in the corpus
The 41 distinct written forms H53 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 13:22 | 13 |
| אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 13:26 | 11 |
| אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Chronicles 11:20 | 10 |
| אַבְשָׁל֖וֹם | Noun, Proper | 1 Kings 2:28 | 10 |
| אַבְשָׁלֽוֹם | Noun, Proper | 1 Kings 1:6 | 7 |
| אַבְשָׁלֹ֔ם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 16:16 | 5 |
| אַבְשָׁל֗וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Chronicles 11:21 | 4 |
| אַבְשָׁל֣וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 3:3 | 4 |
| אַבְשָׁל֛וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 13:22 | 3 |
| אַבְשָׁל֥וֹם | Noun, Proper | 1 Kings 2:7 | 3 |
| אַבְשָׁל֨וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 13:28 | 3 |
| לְ/אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 18:5 | 3 |
| אֲבִישָׁלֽוֹם | Noun, Proper | 1 Kings 15:2 | 2 |
| אַבְשָׁל֜וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 14:29 | 2 |
| אַבְשָׁלֹ֑ם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 17:1 | 2 |
| אַבְשָׁלֹֽם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 17:9 | 2 |
| וְ/אַבְשָׁלֹ֔ם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 15:37 | 2 |
| לְ/אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 14:27 | 2 |
| אַ֠בְשָׁלוֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 15:12 | 1 |
| אַבְשָׁל֤וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 15:2 | 1 |
| אַבְשָׁל֬וֹם | Noun, Proper | Psalms 3:1 | 1 |
| אַבְשָׁלֹ֛ם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 17:25 | 1 |
| אַבְשָׁלֹ֥ם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 13:4 | 1 |
| אַבְשָׁלֹם֒ | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 16:18 | 1 |
| אַבְשָׁלוֹם֒ | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 17:6 | 1 |
| בְּ/אַבְשָׁלֽוֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 18:12 | 1 |
| וְ/אַבְשָׁל֗וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 16:15 | 1 |
| וְ/אַבְשָׁל֞וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 18:9 | 1 |
| וְ/אַבְשָׁל֣וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 13:37 | 1 |
| וְ/אַבְשָׁל֥וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 13:38 | 1 |
| וְ/אַבְשָׁלֹ֗ם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 17:24 | 1 |
| וְ/אַבְשָׁלֹ֣ם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 18:18 | 1 |
| וְ/אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 19:10 | 1 |
| וּ/כְ/אַבְשָׁל֗וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 14:25 | 1 |
| וּ/לְ/אַבְשָׁל֧וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 13:1 | 1 |
| לְ/אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 13:23 | 1 |
| לְ/אַבְשָׁל֛וֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 16:22 | 1 |
| לְ/אַבְשָׁל֣וֹם | Noun, Proper | 1 Chronicles 3:2 | 1 |
| לְ/אַבְשָׁלֹ֑ם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 17:18 | 1 |
| לְ/אַבְשָׁלֹֽם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 16:23 | 1 |
| לְ/אַבְשָׁלֽוֹם | Noun, Proper | 2 Samuel 14:33 | 1 |
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H53, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
- אבי ʼĂbîy H21 Abi
- אביאל ʼĂbîyʼêl H22 Abiel
- אביאסף ʼĂbîyʼâçâph H23 Abiasaph
- אבי גבעון ʼĂbîy Gibʻôwn H25 father of Gibeon
- אביגיל ʼĂbîygayil H26 Abigail
- אבידן ʼĂbîydân H27 Abidan
- אבידע ʼĂbîydâʻ H28 Abida
- אביה ʼĂbîyâh H29 Abijah
- אביהוא ʼĂbîyhûwʼ H30 Abihu
- אביהוד ʼĂbîyhûwd H31 Ahihud
- אביהיל ʼĂbîyhayil H32 Abihail
- אביטוב ʼĂbîyṭûwb H36 Abitub
- אביטל ʼĂbîyṭâl H37 Abital
- אבים ʼĂbîyâm H38 Abijam
- אבימאל ʼĂbîymâʼêl H39 Abimael
- אבימלך ʼĂbîymelek H40 Abimelech
- אבינדב ʼĂbîynâdâb H41 Abinadab
- אבינעם ʼĂbîynôʻam H42 Abinoam
- אביעזר ʼĂbîyʻezer H44 Abiezer
- אביעלבון ʼĂbîy-ʻalbôwn H45 Abialbon
- אבירם ʼĂbîyrâm H48 Abiram
- אבישג ʼĂbîyshag H49 Abishag
- אבישוע ʼĂbîyshûwaʻ H50 Abishua
- אבישור ʼĂbîyshûwr H51 Abishur
+6 more proper names from this root (not shown).
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 34 — not the complete family. 30 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Bible dictionary
Public-domain dictionary articles matched to this entry by name (Absalom). A biblical name can be shared by more than one person or place, so an article may treat several.
Easton's Bible Dictionary · M. G. Easton, 1897
Father of peace; i.e., "peaceful" David's son by Maacah (2 Sam. 3:3; comp. 1 Kings 1:6). He was noted for his personal beauty and for the extra-ordinary profusion of the hair of his head (2 Sam. 14:25,26). The first public act of his life was the blood-revenge he executed against Amnon, David's eldest son, who had basely wronged Absalom's sister Tamar. This revenge was executed at the time of the festivities connected with a great sheep-shearing at Baal-hazor. David's other sons fled from the place in horror, and brought the tidings of the death of Amnon to Jerusalem. Alarmed for the consequences of the act, Absalom fled to his grandfather at Geshur, and there abode for three years (2 Sam. 3:3; 13:23-38).
David mourned his absent son, now branded with the guilt of fratricide. As the result of a stratagem carried out by a woman of Tekoah, Joab received David's sanction to invite Absalom back to Jerusalem. He returned accordingly, but two years elapsed before his father admitted him into his presence (2 Sam. 14:28). Absalom was now probably the oldest surviving son of David, and as he was of royal descent by his mother as well as by his father, he began to aspire to the throne. His pretensions were favoured by the people. By many arts he gained their affection; and after his return from Geshur (2 Sam. 15:7; marg., R.V.) he went up to Hebron, the old capital of Judah, along with a great body of the people, and there proclaimed himself king. The revolt was so successful that David found it necessary to quit Jerusalem and flee to Mahanaim, beyond Jordan; where upon Absalom returned to Jerusalem and took possession of the throne without opposition. Ahithophel, who had been David's chief counsellor, deserted him and joined Absalom, whose chief counsellor he now became. Hushai also joined Absalom, but only for the purpose of trying to counteract the counsels of Ahithophel, and so to advantage David's cause. He was so far successful that by his advice, which was preferred to that of Ahithophel, Absalom delayed to march an army against his father, who thus gained time to prepare for the defence.
Absalom at length marched out against his father, whose army, under the command of Joab, he encountered on the borders of the forest of Ephraim. Twenty thousand of Absalom's army were slain in that fatal battle, and the rest fled. Absalom fled on a swift mule; but his long flowing hair, or more probably his head, was caught in the bough of an oak, and there he was left suspended till Joab came up and pierced him through with three darts. His body was then taken down and cast into a pit dug in the forest, and a heap of stones was raised over his grave. When the tidings of the result of that battle were brought to David, as he sat impatiently at the gate of Mahanaim, and he was told that Absalom had been slain, he gave way to the bitter lamentation: "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" (2 Sam. 18:33. Comp. Ex. 32:32; Rom. 9:3).
Absalom's three sons (2 Sam. 14:27; comp. 18:18) had all died before him, so that he left only a daughter, Tamar, who became the grandmother of Abijah.
Smith's Bible Dictionary · William Smith, 1863
(father of peace), third son of David by Maachah, daughter of Tamai king of Geshur, a Syrian district adjoining the northeast frontier of the Holy Land. (Born B.C. 1050.) Absalom had a sister, Tamar, who was violated by her half-brother Amnon. The natural avenger of such an outrage would be Tamar's full brother Absalom. He brooded over the wrong for two years, and then invited all the princes to a sheep-shearing feast at his estate in Baalhazor, on the borders of Ephraim and Benjamin. Here he ordered his servants to murder Amnon, and then fled for safety to his grandfather's court at Geshur, where he remained for three years. At the end of that time he was brought back by an artifice of Joab. David, however, would not see Absalom for two more years; but at length Joab brought about a reconciliation. Absalom now began at once to prepare for rebellion. He tried to supplant his father by courting popularity, standing in the gate, conversing with every suitor, and lamenting the difficulty which he would find in getting a hearing. He also maintained a splendid retinue, (2 Samuel 15:1) and was admired for his personal beauty. It is probable too that the great tribe of Judah had taken some offence at David's government. Absalom raised the standard of revolt at Hebron, the old capital of Judah, now supplanted by Jerusalem. The revolt was at first completely successful; David fled from his capital over the Jordan to Mahanaim in Gilead, and Absalom occupied Jerusalem. At last, after being solemnly anointed king at Jerusalem, (2 Samuel 19:10) Absalom crossed the Jordan to attack his father, who by this time had rallied round him a considerable force. A decisive battle was fought in Gilead, in the wood of Ephraim. Here Absalom's forces were totally defeated, and as he himself was escaping his long hair was entangled in the branches of a terebinth, where he was left hanging while the mule on which he was riding ran away from under him. He was dispatched by Joab in spite of the prohibition of David, who, loving him to the last, had desired that his life might be spared. He was buried in a great pit in the forest, and the conquerors threw stones over his grave, an old proof of bitter hostility. (Joshua 7:26)
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary · Roswell D. Hitchcock, 1869
father of peace
Classic public-domain reference works; full attribution on Sources.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 91 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 92 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
