The Woman from Tekoa

I personally find the story by the woman from Tekoa, who Joab set up to convince David to accept Absalom back, a little confusing. I'll try to break it down here, with the help of the Concordia Self-Study Bible and the People's Bible, in the hope of helping any of you who might be confused like me.

This woman, basically an actress, told David she had two sons who got into an argument so heated that one killed the other. The Concordia Bible says, "It was customary in Israel for a murder victim's next of kin to avenge the blood of his relative by putting the murderer to death. In the case presented, however, blood revenge would wipe out the family line, which was something Israelite law and custom tried to avoid if at all possible."

David issues a protective order for her son. When the woman hints there might be repercussions for David for taking her side and not punishing the crime, David assures her he is ready to take full responsibility. The woman presses him to take an oath, which he does.

Once the oath is made, the woman turns the application around to use it against David. The Concordia Bible says, "The woman suggests that David has done the same thing to Israel that her family members have done to her. The people of Israel want their crown prince returned safely to them. The argument is that when David exempted the fictitious murderer from blood revenge, he in effect rendered himself guilty for not doing the same in the case of Absalom."

The People's Bible sums it up well: "Some have compared the woman's skillfully told tale with Nathan's parable of the poor man's little ewe lamb. But the resemblance is only in externals. Nathan had been directed by God to go to David. His purpose in telling the story was to lead David to repentance. The story of the woman of Tekoa, on the other hand, was not aimed at bringing Absalom to repentance. It was a clever attempt on the part of Joab to force David to overlook a wrong."