דברי הימים א, פרק ג׳, פסוק ב׳

The ongoing record of King David’s family highlights his third and fourth sons, specifically noting their maternal lineages, which heavily influenced the troubled course of their lives. The third son, Absalom, is introduced with a slight variation in the spelling of his name. The primary approach among commentators views this simply as an unusual grammatical alternative that does not change his core identity [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. This spelling is so rare that some early printers assumed it was an error and mistakenly removed the extra letter, though the original text must be preserved exactly as written [מנחת שי]. However, other scholars look beyond grammar and find a negative message hidden in this variation. While his standard name carries the positive meaning of a father of peace, the subtle alteration shifts the meaning to imply that he is not a father of peace. This serves as a dark foreshadowing of his rebellious character and destructive actions [מלבי״ם].

Absalom's royal lineage plays a crucial role in his story, as his mother was the daughter of the King of Geshur. This family tie held significant historical weight, as Geshur was the very place Absalom would later flee to when escaping from his father [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Furthermore, his mother’s background is viewed as the root cause of his flawed character, as she was originally taken captive during wartime [מלבי״ם]. A similar pattern emerges with David's fourth son, Adonijah. His mother is also identified as the primary negative influence who raised him with poor values, ultimately leading him down a corrupt path [מלבי״ם].