2 Samuel 15:13

"And a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom." Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise, and let us flee; or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom; go in haste, lest he overtake us quickly, and bring down evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword." And the king's servants said to the king, "Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides." So the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house. And the king went forth, and all the people after him; and they halted at the last house. And all his servants passed by him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king."

"Lest he ... smite the city with the edge of the sword" (2 Samuel 15:14). Some have criticized David's forsaking Jerusalem; but, in all probability, it was precisely that maneuver that saved his life and his throne. If Absalom had promptly surrounded Jerusalem, David would have been trapped and eventually defeated; but in the open country Absalom had nothing that could stand against David and his men of war. "The fact that David's loyal followers did not question his decision to leave Jerusalem indicates that his decision was not based upon cowardice but upon the cold calculations of an experienced military specialist."[15]

Besides that, David loved Jerusalem and did not wish to see it subjected to the horrors of a siege. Also, Caird suggested that, "David must have been afraid of treachery from within Jerusalem."[16] In the terrible sorrows of this rebellion, David's character as "a man after God's own heart" is once more manifest, especially in the beautiful, heart-moving Psalms which he wrote during these hours of shame and grief.

"The six hundred Gittites" (2 Samuel 15:18). Some have questioned the identity of these; but Keil stated that, "It is dear enough that these are the six hundred old companions in arms of David who gathered around him during the days of his flight from Saul, who emigrated with him to Gath, and later to Ziklag."[17] These were the skilled soldiers who were capable of defeating an army ten times their size. "Such seasoned troops would find Absalom's levies an easy prey."[18] As a matter of fact, when it finally came down to fighting, Absalom lost tens of thousands of his troops.

"Passed on before the king" (2 Samuel 15:18). "This refers to their crossing the brook Kidron east of Jerusalem."[19]