Absalom's explanation of his burning of Joab's field—that he sought to summon the general in order to send him to the king with a message—reveals his purpose: using Joab as an intermediary to accomplish what David refuses to accomplish directly, which is the acknowledgment and reconciliation with his son. Absalom's question—"Why did I come from Geshur? It would have been better for me if I were still there"—expresses his frustration and his perception that his return to Jerusalem has accomplished nothing, that his continued estrangement from his father is worse than his exile. The rhetorical escalation represented by the burning of the field, now explained as a means of communicating to his father through Joab, demonstrates Absalom's willingness to employ destructive means to accomplish what he considers a legitimate goal: reconciliation. The verse reveals Absalom's growing frustration and his recognition that continued waiting for his father's initiative will not produce reconciliation.

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