2 Samuel 19:9-12 - Throughout the tribes of Israel, the people were all arguing with each other, saying, "The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies; he is the one who rescued us from the hand of the Philistines. But now he has fled the country because of Absalom; and Absalom, whom we anointed to rule over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?"
King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests: "Ask the elders of Judah, 'Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his palace, since what is being said throughout Israel has reached the king at his quarters? You are my brothers, my own flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to bring back the king?'
Absalom was dead. The rebel army he had led had fled back to their homes. I wonder why David and his army did not simply move back into Jerusalem without waiting to be invited. Was there a tradition or custom about bringing the king back to his throne that isn't spelled out here? If not, why did David ask the elders of Judah to assist in bringing him back to the palace? Did the phrase "bring the king back" have some idiomatic meaning that is lost on us today?
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