Does The Bible Say The Son of David Got His Hair Stuck in a Tree?

But 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. And when he polled his head (cut his hair), for it was at every year’s end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it: he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king’s weight.” 2 Samuel 14:25-26

“Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. His head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging[c]between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. 10 A man saw it, and told Joab, “I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” 11 Joab said to the man who told him, “What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” 12 But the man said to Joab, “Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son; for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying: For my sake protect the young man Absalom!” 2 Samuel 18:9-12

Absalom was handsome, and was matched by none in the kingdom. He had long hair and no blemishes. It appears that in the ancient Near East, long hair was frequently a measure of a warrior’s prowess and strength. The most obvious example from the Bible is Samson whose long hair is explicitly connected with his strength (Judges 16:17). Samson’s long hair symbolized his being set aside for G-d (the true source of his strength––Judges 13:5). But as we learn, Samson was not the only long-haired warrior mentioned in Scripture. Absalom was one of David’s sons. Absalom had so much hair that when he cut it each year it was said to weigh between 4-5 pounds! We are familiar with Samson’s connection to hair, as many of us learned about Samson in Sunday school. But what about Absalom? Why does the Bible draw so much attention to Absalom’s hair?

The mention of Absalom’s hair comes before his rebellion against his father David. Since long hair was associated with strength, this could be considered an ominous sign for his father, suggesting that Absalom will be successful in overthrowing his father. So when taken together, his good looks and his strength, Absalom appears to be a winning candidate for the kingship. Of course these are some of the reasons men and women today are chosen as politicians — good looks and an appearance of strength. Absalom’s story is just one of many recounted in 1 & 2 Samuel that teaches us the lesson that “looks can be deceiving.” In reality, Absalom is none of the things he appears to be. His desire to destroy his father’s reign tarnishes his good-looking image. In fact, Absalom’s hair seems to be the single source to his demise — getting caught up with the branches of a tree. Far from being a strong warrior, Absalom proves to be quite inept.

King David’s pretty-boy son staged a coup and drove his father out of Jerusalem. Later, when David had gathered his loyal supporters to take the kingdom back, Absalom fled the battle on his horse… until his long hair got tangled in a tree and left him hanging there until he was captured and killed. There are many ways to be captured and punished for rebellion. Getting your hair caught in a tree which leaves you dangling in the air, well, that is truly a sign that G-d has you in G-d’s sights — and if G-d has you in G-d’s sights (here of course in a negative way) your end is near.

The lesson to me is pretty clear — just having good looks and strength is not a replacement for good morals and strength of character. When we choose our leaders, we need to do more than get caught-up in someone’s looks and good sounding one-liners. Strength of character and good experience are better measures of success, if you ask me. I think G-d would agree……

Pastor Dave