34 But Absalom went in flight. And the young man who kept the watch, lifting up his eyes, saw that a great band of people was coming down the slope by the way of the Horons; and the watchman came and gave word to the king, saying, I saw men coming down by the way of the Horons, from the hillside. 35 And Jonadab said to the king, See, the king's sons are coming; as your servant said, so it is. 36 And while he was talking, the king's sons came, with weeping and loud cries: and the king and all his servants were weeping bitterly. 37 So Absalom went in flight and came to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur, where he was for three years. 38 And the king was sorrowing for his son all the time.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on 2 Samuel 13:34-38

Commentary on 2 Samuel 13:30-39

(Read 2 Samuel 13:30-39)

Jonadab was as guilty of Ammon's death, as of his sin; such false friends do they prove, who counsel us to do wickedly. Instead of loathing Absalom as a murderer, David, after a time, longed to go forth to him. This was David's infirmity: God saw something in his heart that made a difference, else we should have thought that he, as much as Eli, honoured his sons more than God.