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

Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me now choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David tonight.

I will come on him while he is weary and exhausted, and will make him afraid. All the people who are with him shall flee. I will strike the king only;

and I will bring back all the people to you. The man whom you seek is as if all returned. All the people shall be in peace.”

The saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.

Hushai's Counter-Counsel

Then Absalom said, “Now call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he says.”

When Hushai had come to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him, saying, “Ahithophel has spoken like this. Shall we do what he says? If not, speak up.”

Hushai said to Absalom, “The counsel that Ahithophel has given this time is not good.”

Hushai said moreover, “You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are fierce in their minds, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Your father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

Behold, he is now hidden in some pit, or in some other place. It will happen, when some of them have fallen at the first, that whoever hears it will say, ‘There is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom!’

Even he who is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, will utterly melt; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those who are with him are valiant men.

But I counsel that all Israel be gathered together to you, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that you go to battle in your own person.

So shall we come on him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light on him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men who are with him we will not leave so much as one.

Moreover, if he be gone into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there isn’t one small stone found there.”

Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil on Absalom.

The Warning is Delivered to David

Then Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, “Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel that way; and I have counseled this way.

Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, ‘Don’t lodge this night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people who are with him.’”

Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying by En Rogel; and a female servant used to go and tell them; and they went and told king David. For they might not be seen to come into the city.

But a boy saw them, and told Absalom. Then they both went away quickly, and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down there.

The woman took and spread the covering over the well’s mouth, and spread out bruised grain on it; and nothing was known.

Absalom’s servants came to the woman to the house; and they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman said to them, “They have gone over the brook of water.” When they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

After they had departed, they came up out of the well, and went and told king David; and they said to David, “Arise and pass quickly over the water; for thus has Ahithophel counseled against you.”

Then David arose, and all the people who were with him, and they passed over the Jordan. By the morning light there lacked not one of them who had not gone over the Jordan.

Ahithophel Commits Suicide

When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey, and arose, and went home, to his city, and set his house in order, and hanged himself; and he died, and was buried in the tomb of his father.

David Finds Refuge East of Jordan

Then David came to Mahanaim. Absalom passed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

Absalom set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man, whose name was Ithra the Israelite, who went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.

Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

When David had come to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,

brought beds, basins, earthen vessels, wheat, barley, meal, parched grain, beans, lentils, roasted grain,

honey, butter, sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David, and for the people who were with him, to eat: for they said, “The people are hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.”

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.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate

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

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Reading Width 45 chars

Options