Kings II 17:1

1 And Achitophel said to Abessalom, Let me now choose out for myself twelve thousand men, and I will arise and follow after David this night:

Kings II 17:1 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 17:1

In the tenth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the
son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.
] In this account there is some difficulty, since it was in the twentieth of Jotham, that is, the fourth of Ahaz, that Hosea conspired against Pekah king of Israel, and slew him, when it might be reasonably thought he began his reign: now either there was an interregnum until the twelfth of Ahaz, or Hoshea however was not generally received and acknowledged as king till then, as others think; he being a tributary to the king of Assyria, and a kind of viceroy, is not said to reign until he rebelled against him; after which he reigned nine years, four in the times of Ahaz, and five in the reign of Hezekiah, ( 2 Kings 18:9 2 Kings 18:10 ) , in this way the author of the Jewish chronology goes F18, in which he is followed by other Jewish writers; and this bids as fair as any to remove the difficulty, unless these nine years refer to the time of his reign before the twelfth of Ahaz; and the sense be, that in the twelfth of Ahaz he had reigned nine year's; but it is said he "began" to reign then.


FOOTNOTES:

F18 Seder Olam Rabba, c. 22.

Kings II 17:1 In-Context

1 And Achitophel said to Abessalom, Let me now choose out for myself twelve thousand men, and I will arise and follow after David this night:
2 and I will come upon him when he weary and weak-handed, and I will strike him with terror; and all the people with him shall flee, and I will smite the king only of all.
3 And I will bring back all the people to thee, as a bride returns to her husband: only thou seekest the life of one man, and all the people shall have peace.
4 And the saying right in the eyes of Abessalom, and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel.
5 And Abessalom said, Call now also Chusi the Arachite, and let us hear what in his mouth, even in his also.

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.