Why does it give his mother's name?
Radak: She was evil, like it says below (verse 13) "Asher Asesah Mifletzes la'Asherah", and her son went in her ways.
Here it says that his mother was Ma'achah bas Avishalom. Elsewhere, she is called Ma'achah bas Avshalom and Michayahu bas Uri'el (Divrei ha'Yamim II, 11:20, 13:2)!
Radak (Divrei ha'Yamim II, 13:2), Ralbag: These are the same. Radak - Ma'achah and Michayahu are similar. Her father had two names. Ralbag - he was Avshalom ben David 1 .
'Rashi' (Divrei ha'Yamim II, 13:2, citing the Yerushalmi 2 ): Divrei ha'Yamim gives her real name, for it is the Sefer of lineage of Yehudah. Sefer Melachim is of kings of Yisrael and Yehudah; it changed her name to that of her daughter-in-law, who was valiant and manly - "Ma'achah Em Asa Hesirah mi'Gevirah" (Divrei ha'Yamim II, 15:16). This was for the honor of her daughter-in-law. This is a tradition from Rabbeinu Eliezer in the name of his father. I also found in the name of his father that whenever a Vov is added to a woman's name, it is for her praise, e.g. Asalyah; "va'Asalyah Moleches Al ha'Aretz" (Divrei ha'Yamim II, 22:12), for she was valiant 3 . Also Yechalyah (26:3, Uziyahu's mother) is called Yechalyahu (Melachim II, 15:2) because she was manly; her husband Amatziyah fled to Lachish for 15 years until he died, and she judged the nation all those years, and when he died they made his son Uziyahu king after him, at the age of 16. Malbim (Divrei ha'Yamim II, 13:2) - after Ma'achah became queen, she received the name Michayahu. Also her father's name was changed to Uri'el, for praise.
According to the opinion that all Avshalom's children died in his lifetime (refer to Shmuel II, 18:18:3:1,2 and the note there), it was not Avshalom ben David. (PF)
I did not find the Yerushalmi. (PF)
Does the verse praise one who killed out the entire royal family in order to rule?! She would have killed her own grandson, had she found him! (PF)
