שמואל ב, פרק י״ד, פסוק כ״ו

Absalom possessed an extraordinary and striking appearance, defined most prominently by his incredibly thick hair. His hair grew so dense and heavy that he maintained a strict yearly routine of cutting it. He would let it grow for a full year, cutting it only once at the turn of the year [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם]. He was forced to do this because the physical burden of carrying the hair became absolutely unbearable [רלב״ג, מלבי״ם].

The motivation behind cultivating such remarkable hair is understood in two distinct ways. A straightforward approach suggests he grew it purely for beauty, driven by pride and a desire to show off his physical appearance [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Conversely, an ancient tradition identifies Absalom as a lifelong Nazirite dedicated to God. While standard Nazirite law forbids haircuts, a lifelong Nazirite is permitted to use a razor once a year to relieve the physical strain of the hair. The fact that he waited until the hair became an unbearable weight serves as proof of his strict adherence to his vows [רלב״ג, מלבי״ם, רד״ק]. Following this tradition, the cutting itself would have taken place near the altar in keeping with religious law [מלבי״ם].

Once cut, the sheer volume of the hair was extraordinary. It weighed two hundred shekels, which is roughly two kilograms [ביאור שטיינזלץ], an amount considered almost miraculous [מלבי״ם]. To measure this, he used the official royal standard. Ancient weights were carved from stone, which is why the official measurement was simply referred to as a stone [מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. He weighed the hair with exact precision for one of two reasons. He either wanted to boast about its incredible mass, or he wanted to calculate its exact financial value so he could donate an equivalent amount of silver or gold to the Temple and to the poor [רלב״ג].