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2 Samuel 15:12-31 open_in_new
David Learns Of The Rebellion And Flees Jerusalem While Absalom Enlists The Services of Ahithophel (2 Samuel 15:12-31).
Once messengers had gone out throughout Israel, and preparations had begun in Hebron for Absalom's coronation (he was anointed by the people as king in Hebron - 2 Samuel 19:10), it was inevitable that David's loyal supporters would bring him news of the fact, and on receiving that news David immediately determined to quit Jerusalem. He was aware of the unrest in the country and that being shut up in Jerusalem would have prevented him from gathering his own support around the country, and would also have cut him off from that support. It would also inevitably have brought destruction and desolation on Jerusalem itself. Thus he needed to find a safer haven in an area where he still had strong support, and from the intelligence that he had he clearly considered that to be in Transjordan. Furthermore the city that he had in mind, Mahanaim, was a recognised royal city in opposition to Hebron. (While David had reigned in Hebron, Ish-bosheth had reigned in Mahanaim). And they would be delighted to be recognised as such once more.
His immediate decision to leave Jerusalem and cross the Jordan into Transjordan meant that all those who were in Jerusalem also had to consider their own positions. The question was whether they should accompany David on his flight and subsequent fight back, or whether they should remain in Jerusalem and appear to be loyal to whoever ruled from Jerusalem. It would make David aware of who were truly his friends.
David was accompanied on his flight by the royal bodyguard, his loyal courtiers, his wives and concubines (apart from those left to tend his palace in Jerusalem), and many who also joined him as his loyal supporters. Absalom meanwhile hastily summoned Ahithophel to join him from his home city of Giloh, because he was aware that he needed his expert advice. The importance of Ahithophel, because of his wisdom, was clearly appreciated by both sides (2 Samuel 15:12; 2 Samuel 15:31). Both sides knew that his wise advice might turn the tide in favour of the one whom he supported, and his being summoned, and the description of his wisdom, forms an inclusio for this passage.
Analysis.
a And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices (2 Samuel 15:12 a).
b And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom. And there came a messenger to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom” (2 Samuel 15:12-13).
c And David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, for otherwise none of us will escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us quickly, and bring down evil on us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword” (2 Samuel 15:14).
d And the king's servants said to the king, “Look, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king shall choose” (2 Samuel 15:15).
e And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, who were concubines, to keep the house (2 Samuel 15:16).
f And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and they tarried in Beth-merhak (2 Samuel 15:17).
g And all his servants passed on beside him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who came after him from Gath, passed on before the king (2 Samuel 15:18).
h Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Return, and abide with the king, for you are a foreigner, and also an exile. Return to your own place. Inasmuch as you came but yesterday, should I this day make you go up and down with us, seeing I go wherever I may? Return you, and take back your brothers. Mercy and truth be with you” (2 Samuel 15:19-20).
i And Ittai answered the king, and said, “As YHWH lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, even there also will your servant be” (2 Samuel 15:21).
h And David said to Ittai, “Go and pass over.” And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones who were with him (2 Samuel 15:22).
g And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over. The king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, towards the way of the wilderness (2 Samuel 15:23).
f And, lo, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God. And Abiathar went up, until all the people had done passing out of the city (2 Samuel 15:24).
e And the king said to Zadok, “Carry back the ark of God into the city. If I shall find favour in the eyes of YHWH, he will bring me again, and show me both it, and his habitation, but if he say thus, ‘I have no delight in you', behold, here am I, let him do to me as seems good to him” (2 Samuel 15:25-26).
d The king said also to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. See, I will tarry at the fords of the wilderness, until there come word from you to certify me” (2 Samuel 15:27-28).
c Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem: and they abode there (2 Samuel 15:29).
b And David went up by the ascent of the mount of Olives, and wept as he went up, and he had his head covered, and went barefoot, and all the people who were with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up (2 Samuel 15:30).
a And one told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O YHWH, I pray you, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness” (2 Samuel 15:31).
Note that in ‘a' Absalom sent for Ahithophel, and in the parallel David prayed that Ahithiophel's advice might be seen by Absalom as foolishness. In ‘b' all the people followed Absalom, and in the parallel all the people who followed David were weeping as they thought of what this was going to mean. In ‘c' David and those who were with him in Jerusalem fled, and in the parallel, at David's request, the Ark remained in Jerusalem and abode there. In ‘d' all declared their willingness to do whatever David required, and in the parallel Zadok and his two sons were to return to Jerusalem before Absalom arrived there so as to attend to the Ark and act as seer in Jerusalem and also in order to keep David informed of what happened in Jerusalem. In ‘e' David left his concubines to attend to his palace in Jerusalem and in the parallel he left Zadok, along with the Ark, to attend to YHWH's habitation in Jerusalem. In ‘f' David went forth and all the people after him, and tarried in Beth-merhak, and in the parallel Zadok and all the Levites came too him there bearing the Ark of God, along with Abiathar when all the people had finished passing out of the city. In ‘g' all David's courtiers and commanders passed on beside him, together with his bodyguard, and in the parallel all the people passed over, including the king himself. In ‘h' David gives Ittai the Gittite and his ‘brothers' permission to return because they are recently arrived foreigners and have no real duty owed to David, and in the parallel David gives Ittai permission to go over with him because he has declared his loyalty. Centrally in ‘i' Ittai declares his loyalty to David ‘as YHWH lives' demonstrating both his loyalty to YHWH and to David, thus symbolising the loyalty of all who were following David.
‘ And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom.'
Even while Absalom was offering his sacrifices in Hebron in accordance with his proclaimed purpose for coming there, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counsellor, to come from his home city Giloh to act as his adviser. Ahithophel's home city was in the mountains of Judah, to the south or south-west of Hebron (see Joshua 15:51). Meanwhile support for Absalom was growing as the news of his coup began to spread around. There is in this confirmation that there was general disillusionment about David's kingship, possibly because in his period of complacency and arrogance, he had become too overbearing and inaccessible to the common people. He was no longer the David of Ziklag.
The importance of Ahithophel in this situation clearly cannot be overstated, as even David realised (2 Samuel 15:31). He was a man of genius such that his counsel was ‘as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God' (2 Samuel 16:23), and it is in fact possible that had his advice been followed things might have turned out very differently (although not necessarily so, for while David might certainly have been at a disadvantage, there was no doubt that he was accompanied by an extremely efficient and militarily effective fighting force, and already had many friends gathering to him. He was never a man to be trifled with). But there is no doubt that following Ahithophel's advice would certainly have given Absalom a better chance of succeeding. Indeed once Absalom refused his advice Ahithophel hung himself because he knew that with that refusal all hope of success had gone.
Ahithophel's defection must be seen in the light of the fact that he was probably Bathsheba's uncle. Bathsheba was the daughter of Eliam and Ahithophel had a son named Eliam who was one of David's mighty men (2 Samuel 23:34). This would serve to explain the depth of his bitterness against David because of what he had done to his family, and his disaffection is emphasised by his being at Giloh at this time, either because he was no longer acting as counsellor, or because he was in on the conspiracy and had gone there in readiness for it. David was once more reaping what he had sown with Bathsheba.
‘ And there came a messenger to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.” '
Inevitably as the news of the growing tide in favour of Absalom spread around those who remained loyal to David sent messengers to David informing him of the revolt, and of the way in which people were flocking to Absalom's banner.
‘ And David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, for otherwise none of us will escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us quickly, and bring down evil on us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.” '
On receipt of this news David recognised that his wisest course would be to leave Jerusalem, where he could have become entrapped by the arrival of Absalom's forces, and move immediately into an area over the Jordan which had not been so affected by Absalom's propaganda. From there he could then begin to organise his own counter measures. Transjordan was regularly the place of refuge for those who fled the central part of Israel, for the Transjordanians were, to some extent at least, a unit in themselves and historically their loyalty was not so tied in with the tribes on the western side of the Jordan. To quite a large extent they saw themselves as having their own agenda. And they would have been delighted at the thought that Mahanaim was being recognised once more as a royal city. David's departure would also save Jerusalem from being taken before the defences could be properly and efficiently organised, something which would be accompanied by great slaughter, or alternatively from suffering the effects of a prolonged siege, with all the consequences that would then follow if the siege was successful. He could also not be sure quite how many in Jerusalem might be supporting Absalom.
‘ And the king's servants said to the king, “Look, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king shall choose.” '
All his courtiers and commanders declared that they would acquiesce in whatever David decided was best. They clearly had full confidence in his ability to escape from the net that was drawing in around him, and were ready to trust his experience. He was after all the most outstanding general that Israel had ever had, and furthermore had under his command a fighting force which though small, was of massive experience and military efficiency.
‘ And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, who were concubines, to keep the house.'
So the king departed with all his household, including his wives and children and most of his concubines, and all the palace officers and servants, leaving behind a handful of concubines (‘ten' often means ‘a number of') to look after the needs of the palace. His hope was that Absalom would see no need to ill-treat his concubines. He should perhaps have foreseen what Ahithophel would advise Absalom to do, make use of the concubines for propaganda purposes by making love to them, but he seemingly either did not think of it, or did not consider that it mattered. There is no suggestion, however, that they were treated cruelly. Having to lie with ‘the king' would simply have been seen as a reasonable part of their duties.
‘ And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and they tarried in Beth-merhak.'
The king not only went forth with his household, but also with ‘all the people', that means, of course, all his followers in Jerusalem, not stopping until they came to Beth-hermack (‘the house of the distances') where they organised themselves and regrouped. Beth-hermack may have been the name given to the last house in the environs of greater Jerusalem which was seen as indicating its boundary. It would be the natural place to wait for all who wanted to join them in their flight as they arrived from different parts of the city and the countryside round about.
‘ And all his servants passed on beside him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.'
David was not only accompanied by his own large household, but also by all his loyal courtiers and by his equally loyal bodyguard (‘his men'). This bodyguard included the highly effective Cherethites and Pelethites (see on 2 Samuel 8:18), possibly already under Benaiah's command, who were both highly skilled and very experienced warriors. In view of the reference to ‘the six hundred' (compare 1 Samuel 27:2 and often) ‘all the Gittites' would appear simply to have been repeating the idea of the Cherethites and Pelethites (‘all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites, even all the Gittites'), called Gittites because they had been with David in Gath. These formed six military units. Whichever way we take the description they were not the kind of men you would wish to suddenly come up against in the mountains, something of which Absalom would be well aware. That was why he would choose the pathway of caution which guaranteed his downfall. Absalom may have had the numbers, but he knew perfectly well that David had the quality.
‘ Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Return, and abide with the king, for you are a foreigner, and also an exile. Return to your own place.” '
On top of David's six hundred there was a mercenary force of Gittites under Ittai who were recent arrivals (the ‘six hundred' might refer to them). David, however, did not see them as being under any obligation to stay with him in the circumstances. So when Ittai arrived in order to go with him he encouraged him to return and serve whoever was king in Jerusalem, pointing out that as a foreigner, and an exile from his own country, he only owed a duty to those who paid him. Alternately reference to ‘your own place' may signify that the king in mind was Achish, the king of Gath, to whom he should return.
“ Inasmuch as you came but yesterday, should I this day make you go up and down with us, seeing I go wherever I may? Return you, and take back your brothers. Mercy and truth be with you.”
After all Ittai had only come to Jerusalem recently (although ‘yesterday' was probably not intended to be taken literally). How then could David expect him to share his flight down to the Jordan rift and then into Transjordan, going wherever he felt it necessary in order to avoid Absalom's forces, not knowing what the outcome may be? He might even never have the means by which to pay them. So David suggested that he go back to Gath, and take with him his brother Philistines, and wished him ‘mercy and truth'.
‘ And Ittai answered the king, and said, “As YHWH lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, even there also will your servant be.” '
But Ittai was made of sterner stuff. He would having nothing of it. He knew enough about David to have summed him up, and he liked what he had seen. So he swore his loyalty to David on the life of YHWH (compare how Achish had done the same - 1 Samuel 29:6) and on the life of the king himself. He stressed that he was willing to follow David no matter whether such a path led to life or death, for he saw David as his true lord and king.
‘ And David said to Ittai, “Go and pass over.” And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones who were with him.'
Acknowledging his bravery and loyalty David acquiesced in his position and told him to go forward and pass over along with the others. And so Ittai the Gittite passed over, along with all his mercenaries, and all their children who were with them. They added great strength to David's arm. We can in fact see why Ahithophel was so eager for Absalom to catch David and his forces while they were still disjointed and unorganised. It was his only chance of defeating them. David certainly had with him ‘a hundred' (and more) who would be quite capable of ‘putting ten thousand to flight' (Leviticus 26:8).
‘ And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over. The king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, towards the way of the wilderness.'
Meanwhile the whole country was in mourning. We are not necessarily to see that they were weeping simply for David. They were indeed mainly weeping because civil war was coming and they did not like what they saw ahead. (To many it made little difference who was king as long as there was peace in the land). They knew that civil war was especially hard on everyone. Meanwhile all the people who were with David passed over the Wadi Kidron which was on the edge of Jerusalem towards the east before reaching the Mount of Olives. They were moving forward towards The Way of the Wilderness, the road which would lead them via Jericho into Transjordan. The Wadi Kidron was dry in summer but would flood with the winter rains.
‘ And, lo, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God. And Abiathar went up, until all the people had done passing out of the city.'
Along with all the others came Zadok and the Levites, bearing the Ark of the Covenant of God (suitably covered) which they had carried from the Tent in Jerusalem. And once there they took the Ark of God up a hillside and set it down where all the people could see it as they passed by as an indication that YHWH was with David. Meanwhile Abiathar the Priest had arrived later, possibly from the Tabernacle at Hebron, and he also went up on the hillside before the Ark in front of all the people. Thus all knew by this that YHWH was with David. And this continued until all the people who were likely to come had arrived and had finished passing out of the city.
‘ And the king said to Zadok, “Carry back the ark of God into the city. If I shall find favour in the eyes of YHWH, he will bring me again, and show me both it, and his habitation, but if he say thus, ‘I have no delight in you', behold, here am I, let him do to me as seems good to him.” '
But David was not happy at the thought that the Ark of God should be required to join their wanderings. He had established it in a sacred Tent in Jerusalem, and in his view that was where it belonged. And he had no doubt that YHWH could help him from there. In his view to remove it would be an act of surrender and an indication that he was not expecting to return. So he informed Zadok that he should take it back to the city. As far as he was concerned all, including his own future, was in YHWH's hands and YHWH would do whatever He would, no matter where His physical abode. Thus whether he himself was to find favour at YHWH's hands did not depend on the whereabouts of the Ark, for YHWH was not limited and could work how and where He would. It simply depended on YHWH's own will and purpose. And that was what mattered. If YHWH was intending to show favour to him then he would be brought safely back to the place where the Ark dwelt, but if YHWH was, on the other hand, now saying ‘I have no delight in you', then he was willing to leave all in His hands. Let YHWH do to him what seemed good. Emergencies like this always brought out the best in David, and he was being reminded both of how dependent he was on YHWH, and how universal was His power.
‘ The king said also to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.” '
David then pointed out to Zadok that he was a seer. He was thus one who could see farther than others, could even see into men's hearts, and could act as David's eyes in Jerusalem. That was why he and Abiathar should return there with his son and Abiathar's son. It was clear that he was confident that Zadok and Abiathar would be safe in Jerusalem because they would be expected to be where the Ark of God was whoever ruled there. Their loyalty was to YHWH.
“Are you not a seer? Return into the city --” could equally be translated as, ‘You seer. Return to the city,' but it makes little difference. The emphasis is on the fact that Zadok could ‘see' beyond the ordinary. Whether this was because he and Abiathar could make use of the Urim in order to discern YHWH's will, or because Zadok actually had special prophetic gifts, is not made clear to us. What mattered was that David's expectation was that Zadok would be aware of all that was happening and yet, as long as he arrived back there before the coming of Absalom, would not be under suspicion because as a priest and prophet his place was with the Ark of God.
“ See, I will tarry at the fords of the wilderness, until there come word from you to certify me.”
Meanwhile David would go on and tarry at the fords of the Jordan on the Way of the Wilderness until he had received certification as to what the true situation was from Zadok and Abiathar.
‘ Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem: and they abode there.'
Accordingly, in obedience to David's wish, Zadok and Abiathar bore the Ark of God back to Jerusalem and continued their residence there. They were to be David's eyes in Jerusalem.
‘ And David went up by the ascent of the mount of Olives, and wept as he went up, and he had his head covered, and went barefoot, and all the people who were with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.'
David and his attendants then went up over the Mount of Olives, and as he went he wept, had his hair covered, and went barefoot. These were all symbols of mourning and repentance before YHWH, and an indication of great distress (compare Esther 6:12; Ezekiel 24:17; Isaiah 20:2-3). David wanted YHWH to recognise that he recognised the sinfulness of his own heart and was aware that all this was a chastisement from YHWH because of his sins.
‘ And one told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O YHWH, I pray you, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.” '
And as he went up the Mount someone came to him with the worst news that he had received up to this point. It was that his famed and wise counsellor Ahithophel had joined the rebellion on Absalom's side, and was advising Absalom. Recognising what that could mean for the success of the rebellion David turned to the only One Whom he felt could help him in such a situation and prayed, “O YHWH, I pray you, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.” David knew how much depended on that prayer. He knew that Ahithophel's advice could make all the difference between success and failure.
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2 Samuel 15:32-37 open_in_new
YHWH Answers David's Prayer In The Person Of Hushai The Archite (2 Samuel 15:32-37).
Having prayed that YHWH would turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness in the eyes of Absalom, David made his way to the top of the Mount ‘where God was worshipped' and there before his very eyes he saw the almost instant answer to his prayers in Hushai the Archite, his loyal and faithful counsellor who was known as ‘the King's Friend'. Here if anywhere was the solution to his problem. For Hushai too had a reputation for wisdom, and if he was in the right place could hopefully counteract any counsel that Ahithophel gave. The appearance of Hushai at this very time would have been an encouraging sign to David that YHWH was still with him.
Analysis.
a And it came to about that, when David was come to the top of the ascent, where God was worshipped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn, and earth on his head (2 Samuel 15:32).
b And David said to him, “If you pass on with me, then you will be a burden to me, but if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king. As I have been your father's servant in time past, so will I now be your servant.' Then will you defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel” (2 Samuel 15:33-34).
c “And have you not there with you Zadok and Abiathar the priests?” (2 Samuel 15:35 a).
b “Therefore it shall be, that whatever thing you shall hear out of the king's house, you will tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son, and by them you will send to me everything that you shall hear” (2 Samuel 15:35-36).
a So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 15:37).
Note that in ‘a' Hushai the Archite came out of the city to meet David, and in the parallel he returned to the city in time to meet Absalom. In ‘b' he was to act to counter the wisdom of Ahithophel before Absalom, and in the parallel he was to act as the king's eyes in the house of Absalom. Central in ‘c' was the important fact of the presence of Zadok and Abiathar the priests in the city who would give him their support. So even before Absalom arrived in the city David had planted counter-conspirators to act on his behalf.
‘ And it came to about that, when David was come to the top of the ascent, where God was worshipped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn, and earth on his head.'
As David reached the top of the Mount of Olives ‘where God was worshipped' he saw Hushai the Archite hurrying to meet him, bearing in his person all the signs of grief over what was happening. Both the tearing of the coat and the earth on the head expressed his deep emotion. Hushai the Archite was one of David's counsellors and was known as David's Friend which was probably the title resulting from his official position as his chief personal adviser. He was almost certainly old, a wise man seen as having the extra wisdom that came with age. His being an Archite probably linked him with the family whose possessions were on the southern boundary of the tribe of Ephraim, between Bethel and Ataroth as described in Joshua 16:2.
That God ‘was worshipped' at the top of the Mount of Olives is a reminder that in David's day there were still high places where YHWH was worshipped. As we have seen previously, once the one sanctuary at Shiloh had ceased there were a number of places where YHWH worship was carried on. It was fitting that at such a place he would receive the answer to his prayers in such a specific way.
‘ And David said to him, “If you pass on with me, then you will be a burden to me, but if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king. As I have been your father's servant in time past, so will I now be your servant.' Then will you defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.” '
Recognising in this an almost instant answer to his prayer concerning Ahithophel, David pointed out to Hushai that if he went with them he would only delay them because of his age, but if on the other hand he returned to the city and pretended to submit to Absalom he would hopefully be able to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.
“ And have you not there with you Zadok and Abiathar the priests? Therefore it shall be, that whatever thing you shall hear out of the king's house, you will tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.”
Furthermore he was not to think that he would be alone there. For Zadok and Abiathar the priests would also be with him in Jerusalem. Thus whatever he learned in Absalom's palace he could pass on to them.
“ Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son, and by them you will send to me everything that you shall hear.”
Then Zadok and Abiathar would be able to send to the king their two sons, Ahimaaz and Jonathan, with any information that was gleaned, assuming that it was considered of sufficient importance to pass on.
‘ So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.'
So Hushai, David's ‘Friend' (his most prominent personal adviser), fell in with David's suggestion and returned to the city, and he was only just in time, for with David's fifth column now safely in position Absalom arrived soon afterwards in Jerusalem with his troops, unaware of the groundwork that David had laid. It was, of course, difficult for Absalom to know who could be trusted or who could not. That is one problem with a rebellion. How do you know which of those who have joined you are genuine rebels, and are ‘patriots' who want to do their best for their country whoever is in charge, and which are actually spies and likely to be subversive? Even the most disaffected would have had to pretend to be loyal to David. Hushai then appeared no different from the others.