שמואל ב, פרק ט״ו, פסוק ו׳

Absalom orchestrates a calculated and systematic campaign to undermine his father's rule and win the sympathy of the nation. He targets anyone arriving to seek justice, greeting them with great warmth. By receiving people so pleasantly, the prince easily causes the public to grow fond of him [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This strategy relies heavily on smooth talk and lies. Through such flattering speech, Absalom successfully draws the people in, effectively stealing their hearts and shifting their loyalty away from King David and toward himself [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג].

His web of deception is broad and highly sophisticated, extending far beyond the common people. Absalom also deceives his father, David, by falsely claiming he is leaving to fulfill a vow to serve God. His manipulation reaches its peak when he tricks two hundred spiritual leaders. Armed with an official letter from the king that grants him permission to take two escorts, Absalom presents this same document to a hundred different pairs of judges. Believing they are officially invited, all two hundred leaders join him. They follow him in complete innocence, entirely unaware that they are being used as tools in a brewing rebellion [חומת אנך].