2 Samuel 17:13-23

13 "If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will ¹drag it into the valley until * not even a small stone is found there."

14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel." For ²the LORD had ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the LORD might bring calamity on Absalom.

Hushai's Warning Saves David

15 Then ³Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, "This is what Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what I have counseled.

16 "Now therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, '⁴Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all * means cross over, or else the king and all the people who are with him will be destroyed.' "

17 ⁵Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at ⁶En-rogel, and a maidservant would go and tell them, and they would go and tell King David, for they could not be seen entering the city.

18 But a lad did see them and told Absalom; so the two of them departed quickly and came to the house of a man ⁷in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down into it.

19 And ⁸the woman took a covering and spread it over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, so that nothing * was known.

20 Then Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house and said, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" And ⁹the woman said to them, "They have crossed the brook of water." And when they searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

21 It came about after they had departed that they came up out of the well and went and told King David; and they said to David, "¹⁰Arise and cross over the water quickly for thus Ahithophel has counseled against you."

22 Then David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed the Jordan; and by dawn * not even one remained who had not crossed the Jordan.

23 Now when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and arose and went to his home, to ¹¹his city, and ¹²set his house in order, and ¹³strangled himself; thus he died and was buried in the grave of his father.

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2 Samuel 17:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 17

This chapter relates the advice Ahithophel gave to march out speedily with a number of men in pursuit of David, which at first seemed agreeable, 2Sa 17:1-4; but Hushai's opinion being asked, and he giving counsel to raise a larger army, which required time, and was taken to, hereby the counsel of Ahithophel was defeated, 2Sa 17:5-14; upon which he hanged himself, 2Sa 17:23; these different counsels being communicated by Hushai to the priests, they found means to transmit them to David, with an instruction to him to pass over Jordan immediately; which he did, and pitched in Gilead, and whither he was followed by Absalom, 2Sa 17:15-26; and where he met with a supply of provisions for his army from some eminent persons in and near that place, 2Sa 17:27-29.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 13

1. Micah 1:6
2. 2 Samuel 15:31, 34; Psalms 9:15, 16
3. 2 Samuel 15:35, 36
4. 2 Samuel 15:28
5. 2 Samuel 15:27, 36
6. Joshua 15:7; Joshua 18:16
7. 2 Samuel 3:16; 2 Samuel 16:5
8. Joshua 2:4-6
9. Leviticus 19:11; Joshua 2:3-5; 1 Samuel 19:12-17
10. 2 Samuel 17:15, 16
11. 2 Samuel 15:12
12. 2 Kings 20:1
13. Matthew 27:5

Footnotes 10

[a]. Or "wadi"
[b]. Lit "Thus and thus"
[c]. Lit "Thus and thus"
[d]. Lit "swallowed up"
[e]. Lit "there"
[f]. Lit "took and spread the covering"
[g]. Lit "the light of the morning"
[h]. Lit "done"
[i]. Lit "bound"
[j]. Lit "gave charge to"