2 Samuel 13:37
“But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai the son of Ammihur, king of Geshur. David mourned for his son every day.”
What does 2 Samuel 13:37 mean?
After Absalom killed his brother Amnon in revenge for a terrible wrong, he ran away to safety in a neighboring kingdom where his mother's family had connections. David, the king, was left grieving—not just for the son he'd lost to death, but for the son he'd lost to exile, separated from him by both distance and the weight of what Absalom had done. This captures something painfully human: sometimes our children's choices wound us in ways that don't heal quickly, and we can mourn someone who is still alive. The daily mourning suggests David couldn't move past this, couldn't fix it, couldn't even see his son's face—he could only wait and remember.