שמואל ב, פרק ט״ו, פסוק י״א

Absalom employs a sophisticated deception to mask his planned rebellion against his father. He departs for Hebron accompanied by a large entourage of two hundred men from Jerusalem. These individuals were simply summoned to participate in a sacrificial feast [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. They joined the journey in complete innocence, entirely unaware of Absalom's hidden plot to overthrow the king [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. Their profound lack of awareness is likened to a person who draws a bow aimlessly, having no idea what the arrow might strike [רד״ק]. Without realizing it, they had been turned into the procession of a rebel [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

There was a clear strategic purpose behind selecting these specific individuals. Absalom deliberately chose men from Jerusalem who were known as loyal servants and devoted friends of King David. This calculated move was designed to deceive his father and lower his guard. David would never suspect that a conspiracy was forming against him as long as his own loyalists were standing by Absalom's side [מלבי״ם].

Gathering such a large group without raising suspicion required a clever tactic. According to early tradition, Absalom asked David to write a royal decree ordering any two men of Absalom's choosing to accompany him. Absalom then used this document deceptively. He showed the king's order to two men, then to another two, and continued this process until he had gathered two hundred people, none of whom knew about the others being summoned. Consequently, these men were actually invited by the authority of David's own command, yet they walked innocently directly into Absalom's trap [רש״י, רד״ק].