Poole on 2 Samuel 18:17, 18: Absalom's Burial

Verse 17:[1]  And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and (Josh. 7:26) laid a very great heap of stones upon him:  and all Israel fled every one to his tent.

[Into a great pit]  Thus he was buried with the burial of an ass[2] (Martyr).

[And they gathered over him a heap of stones]  That they might in a certain way stone him, according to the law, which was commanding the stoning of riotous and rebellious sons (Martyr, similarly the Hebrews in Sanchez, Menochius, Lyra).  That heap was considered a monument in those times (Grotius).  Joab was unwilling to have the body brought to David, lest the eyes should increase a father’s grief, which they were knowing to be most bitter (Menochius).  ‎וַיַּצִּ֧בוּ עָלָ֛יו, and they raised upon that pit, that is, now filled with stones (Vatablus).

Laid a very great heap of stones upon him, as a lasting monument of Absalom’s sin and shame, and of the righteous judgment of God upon him.  Compare Joshua 7:26; 8:29; 10:27.  He was first hanged, after a sort, which was an accursed death, Deuteronomy 21:23; and then thrust through with darts and swords; and, after all, in a manner stoned, which was the proper punishment of a rebellious son, Deuteronomy 21:21.

[He fled to his tent]  That is, houses.  Now, the former term was remaining, because the use of tents was before that of houses.  Thus in Latin we call libros/books, what are not libri; since originally, in a libro, that is, in the inner bark of trees, one was wont to write (Castalio).

Every one to his tent; to their houses and dwellings, to avoid the shame and punishment of their rebellion.

Verse 18:[3]  Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in (Gen. 14:17) the king’s dale:  for he said, (see 2 Sam. 14:27) I have no son to keep my name in remembrance:  and he called the pillar after his own name:  and it is called unto this day, Absalom’s place.

[He had reared up, ‎לָקַ֗ח וַיַּצֶּב־ל֤וֹ]  He had brought and caused to stand (Montanus, Septuagint).  He had received this counsel and had reared up (Pagnine, Vatablus), that is, he had taken counsel and had built (Munster); the thing assumed (I might prefer undertaken [Piscator]) he had reared up (Junius and Tremellius).  He had purposed to rear up; while he was yet living, etc. (Vatablus).  He had taken and had reared up (Syriac, Jonathan).  The author of this book cites this in passing, so that he might show by undeniable argument that Absalom was proud and desirous of praise (Vatablus, similarly Estius); and that what happened to him was far different from what he himself was previously envisioning; for, instead of a stately mausoleum he was covered by a dishonorable heap of stones:  which to posterity is not for praise, but for horror and execration, even among the Mohammadens (who are wont to cast stone there with execration, saying, Cursed by the parricide, Absalom; and those that unjustly persecute their parents, are cursed forever [Sanchez]), as those that have travelled the places of the holy land bear witness (Tirinus out of Sanchez).  Or these things are said ironically, because a pyramid was raised for him with stone piled up by the soldiers of David; this pyramid was quite different from that which he had reared up for himself while he was yet living (Vatablus, similarly Estius).

[A monument, ‎מַצֶּבֶת [4]]  An image (Munster, Junius and Tremellius, etc.), a pyramid (Tigurinus, Vatablus), or a triumphal arch (Vatablus), a monument (Pagnine), a statue (Syriac), a marble pillar (Josephus in Tirinus).

A pillar, to preserve his name in memory; whereas it had been more for his honour if his name had been buried in perpetual oblivion.  But this was the effect of his pride and vain-glory.

[In the valley of the king]  They think that (this valley) was after the likeness of a stadium and circus, where kings were practicing the race-course, and games were held (Martyr).  That is, in the valley of Kidron,[5] or of Jehoshaphat,[6] which was lying between Jerusalem and mount Olivet, and was named after king Melchizedek, as the Septuagint translators maintain (Menochius).  It was two stadia[7] distant from Jerusalem (Josephus in Martyr).

The king’s dale; a place near Jerusalem so called:  Genesis 14:17.

[For he had said, (that is, he had thought), I have no son (thus nearly all interpreters)]  But in 2 Samuel 14:27, unto Absalom there were born three sons and one daughter (Vatablus).  Responses:  1.  They had died, while Absalom was yet living (Grotius, thus Munster, Vatablus, Lyra, Menochius, Tirinus).  2.  Or they were not suited for rule (certain interpreters in Munster).  He was so proud that he was thinking himself unable to beget any son that would reflect the image of his father.  If the children were dead, let us acknowledge the justice of God.  One that attempts to kill his father is unworthy to have his lineage extended through children.  Or, 3.  he thought that his children could die, and so he wanted his memory to endure through this monument (Martyr).  [Therefore, Castalio translates it, if perchance he be deprived of children.]  Or, 4.  he reared up this monument, while he still had no children, and had cast away hope of future offspring (Sanchez in Tirinus).

He said, I have no son.  Objection:  He had three sons, 2 Samuel 14:27.  Answer:  Either they were all now dead; or if one of them was left alive, he thought him unfit and unworthy to keep up his name and honour; or he erected this pillar before his sons were born.  But the first opinion seems most probable; and it was a remarkable judgment of God, that he who struck at his father’s life, should be punished with the death of all his sons.

[And this shall be a monument of my name, ‎בַּעֲב֖וּר הַזְכִּ֣יר שְׁמִ֑י]  Who (or that [Jonathan]) might cause my name to be remembered (Pagnine, Jonathan, similarly Montanus); who might preserve (or that he might leave behind [Munster, Tigurinus]) a memory of my name, or to perpetuate the memory, etc. (Vatablus).  So that in memory in might keep, etc.; or thus, he was saying, I have no son:  wherefore I will set up a statue, so that I might keep my name in memory.  This diversity arises from the form of the Hebrew verb, which is infinitive, namely, ‎הַזְכִּיר, to keep in remembrance (Piscator).

[It is called the hand of Absalom[8] (thus the Syriac, Arabic, Montanus)]  That is, the work of Absalom (Martyr, Menochius, Sanchez), because the hand is the craftsman of almost all works (Menochius out of Sanchez).  Thus Martial, Epigrams 8:51, Is this the hand of Mentor, or thine, Polycletus? (Sanchez).  Or the statue is so called from the figure of a hand (Piscator).  Or rather, the place of Absalom (Grotius, thus Jonathan, Munster, Pagnine), as in Deuteronomy 23:12[9] and elsewhere (Grotius).  Absalom’s monument (Tigurinus, Junius and Tremellius, etc.).

Absalom’s place; Hebrew, Absalom’s hand, that is, his work, made though not by his hand, yet for him and his glory, and by his procurement.

[1] Hebrew:  וַיִּקְח֣וּ אֶת־אַבְשָׁל֗וֹם וַיַּשְׁלִ֙יכוּ אֹת֤וֹ בַיַּ֙עַר֙ אֶל־הַפַּ֣חַת הַגָּד֔וֹל וַיַּצִּ֧בוּ עָלָ֛יו גַּל־אֲבָנִ֖ים גָּד֣וֹל מְאֹ֑ד וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל נָ֖סוּ אִ֥ישׁ לְאָהֳלֽוֹ׃ ס

[2] Jeremiah 22:19.

[3] Hebrew: ‎וְאַבְשָׁלֹ֣ם לָקַ֗ח וַיַּצֶּב־ל֤וֹ בְחַיָּו֙ אֶת־מַצֶּ֙בֶת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּעֵֽמֶק־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ כִּ֤י אָמַר֙ אֵֽין־לִ֣י בֵ֔ן בַּעֲב֖וּר הַזְכִּ֣יר שְׁמִ֑י וַיִּקְרָ֤א לַמַּצֶּ֙בֶת֙ עַל־שְׁמ֔וֹ וַיִּקָּ֤רֵא לָהּ֙ יַ֣ד אַבְשָׁלֹ֔ם עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃ ס

[4] מַצֶּבֶת is related to the verb נָצַב, to stand, to set up.

[5] See 2 Samuel 15:23.

[6] Joel 3:2, 12.

[7] That is, about a quarter mile.

[8] Hebrew: ‎וַיִּקָּ֤רֵא לָהּ֙ יַ֣ד אַבְשָׁלֹ֔ם .

[9] Deuteronomy 23:12:  “And a place (‎וְיָד, and a hand) thou shalt have without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad…”