Editing Absalom (section)

===Background===
[[File:Convito di Ansalonne.jpg|thumb|right|''The Banquet of Absalom'' attributed to [[Niccolò de Simone]] around 1650]]

Absalom, David's third son, by Maacah, was born in [[Hebron]].<ref>{{bibleverse|2 Samuel|3:3}}</ref> At an early age, he moved, along with the transfer of the capital, to [[Jerusalem]], where he spent most of his life. He was a great favorite of his father and of the people. His charming manners, personal beauty, insinuating ways, love of pomp, and royal pretensions captivated the hearts of the people from the beginning. He lived in great style, drove in a magnificent chariot, and had fifty men run before him.

Little is known of Absalom's family life, but the biblical narrative states that he had three sons and one daughter, Tamar, who is described as a beautiful woman.<ref name="auto"/> From the language of 2 Samuel 18:18, Absalom states, "I have no son to keep my name in remembrance".<ref name="auto1">{{bibleverse|2 Samuel|18:18|KJV}}</ref> It may be that his sons died before his statement,{{sfn|Kirkpatrick|1905|p=173}} or, as [[Matthew Henry]] suggests, Absalom's three sons may have been born ''after'' his statement.<ref>{{Cite book |title=An Exposition of the Old and New Testament |last=Henry |first=Matthew |authorlink= Matthew Henry |publisher= [[Henry George Bohn]] |year= 1853 |url= https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/mhm/2-samuel-14.html |quote= It is probable that it was a good while before he had a child. Then, despairing of having one, he set up the pillar (2 Samuel 18:18) to bear up his name, but afterwards he had three sons and one daughter (2 Samuel 14:27). Or perhaps these sons, while he was hatching his rebellion, were all cut off by the righteous hand of God, and he thereupon set up that monument.}}</ref>

Aside from his daughter Tamar, Absalom had another daughter or granddaughter, [[Maacah]],<ref>{{bibleverse|2 Chronicles|11:20|KJV}}</ref> who later became the favorite wife of [[Rehoboam]].{{efn|A footnote in the New King James Version reads "Literally ''daughter'', but in the broader sense of granddaughter"{{bibleverse|2 Chron| 11:20|NKJV}} }} Maacah was the mother of [[Abijah of Judah]] and the grandmother of [[Asa of Judah]]. She served as queen mother for Asa until he deposed her for idolatry.<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Kings|15:1-14|KJV}}{{bibleverse|2 Chron|11:20-22|KJV}}{{bibleverse|2 Chron|15:16|KJV}}</ref>