As Absalom had commanded. — It was quite customary for the servants of a prince to obey his orders without question, leaving the entire responsibility to rest with him. In this case, if Chileab (or Daniel) was already dead, as seems probable, Absalom stood next in the succession to Amnon, and, however it may have been with himself, his retainers may have looked upon this as a preparatory step towards the throne. The blow was too sudden and unexpected to allow of interference by the other princes.
Upon his mule. — Although David had reserved a number of horses from the spoil of his Syrian victories (2 Samuel 8:4), the mule was still ridden by persons of distinction (2 Samuel 18:9; 1 Kings 1:33; 1 Kings 1:38). The breeding of mules was forbidden in the Law (Leviticus 19:19), but they were brought in by commerce (1 Kings 10:25).