2 Samuel 16:18

18 Und Husai sprach zu Absalom: Nein, sondern wen Jehova erwählt hat und dieses Volk und alle Männer von Israel, dessen will ich sein, und bei ihm will ich bleiben;

2 Samuel 16:18 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 16:18

And Hushai said to Absalom
In answer to his questions:

nay, but whom the Lord, and his people, and all the men of Israel
choose:
here again he speaks very ambiguously; for this circumlocution, or descriptive character of the king of Israel, better agrees with David, whom he might bear in mind, than with Absalom; for the Lord had chosen David, and he was anointed by his order, and all the people of Israel had chosen and anointed him likewise; but as for Absalom, it was only a part of them that had declared for him, nor was there any evidence of the Lord's choosing him; though Hushai undoubtedly would be under stood of him, and as interpreting the voice of the people to be the voice of God:

his will I be, and with him will I abide;
though he designed no such thing, which was a great piece of dissimulation and hypocrisy; and if he meant David, it was a piece of deceit and equivocation: there is a various reading in the first clause; we follow the marginal reading, (wl) , "to him" or "his", but the textual reading is (al) , "not": and both may be taken in by rendering the words by an interrogation, "shall I, or should I not be his" ^F4? I will; that is, be his servant, faithfully obey his commands, be closely attached to him, and continue with him as a loyal subject.

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 (hyha al) "non ero", Montanus; "non essem ejus?" Junius & Tremellius.

2 Samuel 16:18 In-Context

16 Und es geschah, als Husai, der Arkiter, der Freund Davids, zu Absalom kam, da sprach Husai zu Absalom: Es lebe der König! es lebe der König!

17 Und Absalom sprach zu Husai: Ist das deine Güte an deinem Freunde? Warum bist du nicht mit deinem Freunde gegangen?

18 Und Husai sprach zu Absalom: Nein, sondern wen Jehova erwählt hat und dieses Volk und alle Männer von Israel, dessen will ich sein, und bei ihm will ich bleiben;

19 und zum anderen, wem sollte ich dienen? Nicht vor seinem Sohne? Wie ich vor deinem Vater gedient habe, also will ich vor dir sein.

20 Und Absalom sprach zu Ahitophel: Schaffet Rat, was wir tun sollen!