2 Samuel17

Ahithophel advises Absalom to immediately pursue David with twelve thousand men to kill only the king, a plan initially pleasing to Absalom. However, Hushai the Archite offers counter-counsel, urging Absalom to gather all Israel and personally lead a massive army, which Absalom accepts, a decision divinely influenced to defeat Ahithophel's plan. Hushai then sends a warning to David, who swiftly crosses the Jordan, leading to Ahithophel's suicide upon the rejection of his counsel.

Ahithophel Counsels Immediate Pursuit

Achitofel said to Avshalom, "Let me now choose 12,000 men, and I will pursue David tonight.

I'll fall on him unexpectedly when he's tired and powerless. I'll frighten him, all the people with him will flee, and I'll attack only the king.

Then I will bring back to you all the people; and when they have all returned, except the one you are seeking, all the people will be at peace."

What he said pleased Avshalom and all the leaders of Isra'el.

Hushai's Counter-Counsel

Then Avshalom said, "Now call also Hushai the Arki, and let's give equal hearing to what he has to say."

When Hushai appeared before Avshalom, Avshalom said to him, "Achitofel has said such-and-such. Should we do what he says? If not, you tell us."

Hushai said to Avshalom, "The advice Achitofel has given this time is not good.

You know," continued Hushai, "that your father and his men are powerful men, and that they are as bitter as a bear deprived of her cubs in the wild. Moreover, your father is a military man, and he won't camp with the rest of the people -

right now he's hidden in a pit or somewhere. So what will happen is this: when they begin their attack, and whoever hears about it says, 'A slaughter is taking place among Avshalom's followers,'

then even the strongest among them, someone whose courage is that of a lion, will completely collapse! For all Isra'el knows that your father is a powerful man, and those with him are powerful men.

Rather, I advise that you summon all Isra'el to come to you, from Dan to Be'er-Sheva, numbering as many as sand grains on the seashore; and then you go to battle, yourself.

In this way we'll come upon him wherever he is, and we'll fall on him as the dew falls on the ground; of him and all the men with him we won't leave even one alive.

If he withdraws into a city, then all Isra'el will bring up ropes to that city, and we will drag it into the riverbed until not even a pebble is left."

Avshalom and all the men of Isra'el said, "The advice of Hushai the Arki is better than the advice of Achitofel"- for ADONAI had determined to frustrate the good advice of Achitofel, so that ADONAI could bring disaster on Avshalom.

The Warning is Delivered to David

Then Hushai said to Tzadok and Evyatar the cohanim, "Achitofel gave such-and-such advice to Avshalom and the leaders of Isra'el, but I advised so and so.

Now therefore send quickly and tell David, "Don't stay tonight in the desert plains; but, whatever it takes, move on from there! Otherwise, the king and all the people with him will be engulfed."

Y'honatan and Achima'atz were staying at 'Ein-Rogel; a female servant was to go and tell them, and they in turn were to go and tell King David - for it would not do to have them seen entering the city.

But a boy saw them and told Avshalom; so both of them took off quickly and came to the house of a man in Bachurim who had a cistern in his courtyard; and they went down into it.

His wife spread a covering over the cistern's opening and scattered drying grain on it, so that nothing showed.

Avshalom's servants came to the woman at the house and asked, "Where are Achima'atz and Y'honatan?"The woman answered them, "They've crossed the stream."After searching and not finding them, they returned to Yerushalayim.

After they had left, the two climbed out of the cistern and went and told King David, "Get up and cross the river, because Achitofel has given such-and-such advice against you."

David and all the people with him got up and crossed the Yarden; by dawn every one of them had crossed the Yarden.

Ahithophel Commits Suicide

When Achitofel saw that his advice was not being followed, he saddled his donkey, set out, and went home to his own city. After setting his house in order, he hanged himself; he died and was buried in his father's tomb.

David Finds Refuge East of Jordan

David had reached Machanayim by the time Avshalom and all the men of Isra'el crossed the Yarden.

Avshalom had put 'Amasa in charge of the army in place of Yo'av. 'Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Yitra the Isra'eli, who had had sexual relations with Avigal the daughter of Nachash, Tz'ruyah's sister and Yo'av's mother.

Isra'el and Avshalom pitched camp in the land of Gil'ad.

After David had arrived in Machanayim, Shovi the son of Nachash, from Rabbah of the people of 'Amon; Machir the son of 'Ammi'el from Lo-D'var and Barzillai the Gil'adi from Roglim

brought beds, basins, clay pots, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, roasted millet,

honey, curdled milk, sheep and cheese made of cow's milk for David and the people with him to eat; because they said, "These people are hungry, tired and thirsty from the desert."

Study Notes for 2 Samuel 17

Verse 1

Ahithophel’s plan was militarily sound and decisive, focusing on eliminating David quickly before he could organize resistance. He understood that the rebellion depended entirely on the rapid removal of the king.

Verse 2

The strategy was to 'smite the king only,' ensuring minimal bloodshed among the Israelite population and guaranteeing a swift, peaceful transition of power to Absalom.

Verse 4

The immediate acceptance of Ahithophel’s counsel highlights its perceived wisdom and urgency. By seeking a second opinion (v. 5), Absalom displays a fatal indecision that ultimately costs him the throne.

Verse 5

Absalom calls for Hushai, David’s loyal spy, demonstrating his vanity. He wants consensus and validation, failing to recognize that Ahithophel's counsel was the only path to swift victory.

Verse 8

Hushai uses powerful rhetoric, appealing to Absalom’s pride while simultaneously elevating David’s reputation as a fearsome warrior. The comparison to a 'bear robbed of her whelps' emphasizes David’s dangerous desperation.

Verse 11

Hushai’s plan for slow, massive mobilization from Dan to Beersheba was designed to waste time and allow David the crucial opportunity to escape across the Jordan and prepare his forces.

Verse 14

This verse is the theological key to the chapter. The success of Hushai’s inferior advice was due to divine intervention; God actively worked to defeat Ahithophel’s 'good counsel' and bring disaster upon Absalom, fulfilling the prophecies against David's house.

Verse 15

Hushai immediately relays both counsels to the priests, Zadok and Abiathar, who were vital participants in the intelligence network established earlier by David (2 Sam 15:27).

Verse 17

Jonathan and Ahimaaz, the priests' sons, waited at Enrogel (a spring outside the city walls) to receive the message covertly, as entering Jerusalem would have exposed them as spies.

Verse 21

The message emphasizes the urgency of Ahithophel's original plan, confirming that David’s immediate flight was necessary to prevent his immediate defeat and death.

Verse 23

Ahithophel realized that if his counsel was rejected, Absalom was doomed, and he himself would face execution by David. His suicide fulfills the prayer David offered in 2 Samuel 15:31, confirming his reputation as a man whose advice was ruined by divine decree.

Verse 24

By crossing the Jordan River, David gained a natural defensive barrier and strategic ground, moving his forces toward the territory of Gilead, a region known for its loyalty to the house of Saul and David.

Verse 25

Absalom's decision to appoint Amasa, his cousin, as commander instead of Joab (David’s established general) further demonstrates his political maneuvering but sacrifices military experience for personal loyalty. Amasa was related to both David and Joab through their mother/sister, Abigail/Zeruiah.

Verse 27

Upon reaching Mahanaim, David immediately receives crucial support. Shobi, Machir, and Barzillai represent vital loyalists, some of whom had previously shown kindness to the house of Saul, now extending aid to David in his time of need.

Verse 29

The detailed list of provisions emphasizes the dire condition of David’s followers—hungry, weary, and thirsty—and underscores the immense generosity and practical loyalty displayed by the people of Gilead.

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2 Samuel17

Ahithophel Counsels Immediate Pursuit

Hushai's Counter-Counsel

The Warning is Delivered to David

Ahithophel Commits Suicide

David Finds Refuge East of Jordan

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