Skip to main content

Tomb of Absalom

Tomb of Absalom


‎In the Valley of the Kedron, in a deep and narrow glen, among other picturesque sepulchral mounds, stands the Tomb (or Pillar) of Absalom. It is a cube hewn out of the solid rock. Each side measures twenty-two feet. The west front is the best preserved. Over the columns is the Doric frieze, and over this an Egyptian cornice. The total height above the present surface of the ground is fifty-four feet. “The style of architecture shows at once that this can not be the pillar Absalom had reared for himself during his lifetime in the King’s Dale.” It is difficult to determine the exact date of the monument. The name of Absalom was not attached to it before the twelfth century. The strange mingling of Egyptian and Greek styles would not be inconsistent with the age of the Herods. The heaps of stone around it bear testimony to the habit of the Jews, who cast stones at the monument as they pass, to show their hatred of the very name of Absalom. A wayward man was Absalom, with varied gifts, among them personal beauty, but without filial affection, without principle, without faith in the eternal righteousness. He received his just deserts, and was also the instrument of divine justice to remind David of his own evil deeds.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Furnishings of the Tabernacle

Furnishings of the Tabernacle . ‎The book of Exodus details the construction of the tabernacle and its furnishings. As Yahweh’s sanctuary, the tabernacle served as God’s dwelling place among the Israelites—the expression of the covenant between Yahweh and His people ( Exod 25:8–9 ).

The Ten Plagues of Egypt

The Ten Plagues of Egypt

A Threshing Floor

A Threshing Floor In the ancient world, farmers used threshing floors to separate grain from its inedible husk (chaff) by beating it with a flail or walking animals on it—sometimes while towing a threshing sledge. Sledges were fitted with flint teeth to dehusk the grain more quickly. Other workers would turn the grain over so that it would be evenly threshed by the sledge.