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When he cut the hair of his head (now it was at every year`s end that he cut it; because it was heavy on him, therefore he cut it); he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, after the king`s weight.
Verse Takeaways
1
A Puzzling Weight
Commentators are perplexed by the claim that Absalom's hair weighed 'two hundred shekels.' Scholars note this would be about six pounds—an unbelievable amount—and suggest a possible scribal error in the text. While some have proposed this number refers to the hair's monetary value, the reference to 'the king's weight' makes a measurement of weight most likely, leaving this as a historical curiosity.
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Book Overview
2 Samuel
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4
18th Century
Presbyterian
Two hundred shekels... — The exact weight cannot be determined. If these “shekels according to the king’s weight” were the same as “shekels …
19th Century
Anglican
Two hundred shekels. —The value of the shekel “after the king’s weight” is unknown. If it was the same with the shekel of the sanc…
17th Century
Reformed Baptist
And when he polled his head Or cut off the hair of it; for that was one thing, a good head of hair which he had, tha…
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Nothing is said of Absalom's wisdom and piety. All that is said of him here is that he was very handsome. This is a poor commendation for a man who…
