2 Samuel 15:31

31 When someone told David that his adviser Ahithophel was now backing Absalom, David prayed, “O LORD, let Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice!”

2 Samuel 15:31 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 15:31

And [one] told David
That came either from Hebron or from Jerusalem:

Ahithophel [is] among the conspirators with Absalom;
Absalom sent for him, and it seems he came to him, and continued with him, see ( 2 Samuel 15:12 ) ;

and David said, O Lord, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel
into foolishness;
either suffer him to give foolish counsel, or confound the schemes projected by him, and let them not be carried into execution; for God can, and sometimes does, disappoint crafty counsellors, that they cannot perform what they devise, but they are taken in their own craftiness, and their counsel is carried headlong, ( Job 5:12 Job 5:13 ) ; this prayer was answered, ( 2 Samuel 17:14 2 Samuel 17:23 ) .

2 Samuel 15:31 In-Context

29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the Ark of God back to the city and stayed there.

30 David walked up the road to the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went. His head was covered and his feet were bare as a sign of mourning. And the people who were with him covered their heads and wept as they climbed the hill.

31 When someone told David that his adviser Ahithophel was now backing Absalom, David prayed, “O LORD, let Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice!”

32 When David reached the summit of the Mount of Olives where people worshiped God, Hushai the Arkite was waiting there for him. Hushai had torn his clothing and put dirt on his head as a sign of mourning.

33 But David told him, “If you go with me, you will only be a burden.