2 Samuel 14:27
And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance. And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.
Unto Absalom were born three sons and one daughter, and the daughter's name was Tamar, a woman of fair countenance or beautiful appearance.
Absalom was a son of David and the grandson of Talmai, king of Geshur.
The verse belongs to the account of Absalom's family and of David's troubled family life, including Amnon and Tamar, Absalom's sister, and the later troubles, rebellion, and unnatural crimes that followed David's wrongdoing.
That troubled life ran through jealousy, contention, and deceit to Absalom's murder of his half brother Amnon in revenge for his sister's wrong, then to Absalom's return from exile and his later rebellion.
After killing Amnon, Absalom fled to his grandfather's heathen court in Geshur and remained there in three years of exile under its influence.
David neither punished Amnon for his crime nor exonerated Absalom for taking vengeance into his own hands, so Absalom's enforced absence and his feeling that he was paying an unjust penalty planted seeds of rebellion against his father.
Once restored enough to have influence with his associates, Absalom prepared vengeance against his father, using his beauty and very striking and commanding appearance and a display of princely pomp to draw attention to himself.
His good looks and the flattery given to him helped rouse his ambitions.
The verse stands in the extended later history of David after his great wickedness in the case of Uriah.
That history runs from the long war between the house of Saul and the house of David through Abner's revolt to David, the murder of Abner by Joab, the slaying of Ishbosheth, David's capture of Zion, defeat of the Philistines, bringing up of the ark and slaying of Uzzah, the plan to build a temple, victories over various kingdoms, kindness to Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, and war with Ammon and Syria and sin against Uriah, to the heavy disgrace and sorrow brought upon David by Amnon and Absalom, his fleeing from Jerusalem, war against Absalom, victory over Absalom and return to Jerusalem.
It includes Absalom's rebellion against David and the death of the petted idol of the kingdom, David's lament and his return to Jerusalem, his troubles with Joab, and his numbering of the people.
The miseries and sorrows that came upon David's household in this history, including rebellion and unnatural crimes and what came through Absalom, are traced largely to the awful evil of a multiplicity of wives and to sons he was unable to control, growing out of taking many wives contrary to God's laws.
That later history shows how completely Nathan's denunciation was accomplished in the judgments that came upon David.
The surrounding family history teaches that people suffer the consequences of acting contrary to God's laws.
Its detailed faithfulness stamps the whole account with inspiration and shows that God does not hide the sins of even the greatest of kings.