Absalom

Absalom was a son of King David who leads a rebellion against his father. After building support in Jerusalem, Absalom forces David to flee but is defeated in the battle in the Forest of Ephraim and killed despite David’s order that he be spared.

Absalom was a son of David and Maacah, daughter of the king of Geshur. After his sister Tamar was raped by their half-brother Amnon, Absalom arranged Amnon’s killing and fled into exile. He was eventually reconciled with David, but later cultivated political support for himself and turned that rivalry into open rebellion against his father.

Geraldine Brooks’s The Secret Chord places Absalom inside the violent dynastic history of David’s household. Seen through the prophet Nathan’s reconstruction of David’s life, Absalom is one of the king’s sons whose family grievances, political ambition and rebellion turn private disaster into a struggle for the throne, exposing the instability behind David’s sacred kingship.