John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 5. And the king commanded Joab, and Abishai, and Ittai , etc.] His three generals, to whom he had committed his army divided into three parts: saying, [deal] gently for my sake with the young man, [even] with Absalom ; he does not call him his son, being in rebellion against him, but the young man, who was young, and rash, and foolish, and so to be pitied; his request is, that they would spare him, and not take away his life, when in their power; that they would not aim at him, and push him hard, and fall upon him with wrath and fury; but if he fell into their hands, to take him alive, and bring him away, and not put him to death. This flowed from a natural affection to him, and a concern for the welfare of his soul, that he might not die in this sin; and also from a consciousness that it was for his own sins that he was raised up to rebel against him; and he seems to speak as if he was certain that the battle would go for him, and against Absalom; and which he might conclude from the answer of prayer he had in defeating the counsel of Ahithophel: and all the people heard when he gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom ; not only the three generals, but all the captains of hundreds and thousands, and this was heard by the common soldiers as well as by the people of the city that were spectators on this occasion, (see 2 Samuel 18:12).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-8 - How does David render good for evil! Absalom would have only Davi smitten; David would have only Absalom spared. This seems to be resemblance of man's wickedness towards God, and God's mercy to man, of which it is hard to say which is most amazing. Now the Israelites se what it is to take counsel against the Lord and his anointed.
Original Hebrew ויצו6680 המלך4428 את853 יואב3097 ואת853 אבישׁי52 ואת853 אתי863 לאמר559 לאט328 לי לנער5288 לאבשׁלום53 וכל3605 העם5971 שׁמעו8085 בצות6680 המלך4428 את853 כל3605 השׂרים8269 על5921 דבר1697 אבשׁלום׃53
