20Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your counsel what we shall do.”
21Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines that he has left to keep the house. Then all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong.”
22So they spread a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.23The counsel of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if a man inquired at the inner sanctuary of God. All the counsel of Ahithophel both was like this with David and with Absalom.
20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your counsel what we shall do.”
21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines that he has left to keep the house. Then all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong.”
22 So they spread a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
23 The counsel of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if a man inquired at the inner sanctuary of God. All the counsel of Ahithophel both was like this with David and with Absalom.
KJVKing James Version
20 Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do.
21 And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father’s concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong.
22 So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
23 And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.
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JPSJPS Tanakh (1917)
20 Then said Absalom to Ahithophel: 'Give your counsel what we shall do.'
21 And Ahithophel said unto Absalom: 'Go in unto thy father's concubines, that he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that thou art abhorred of thy father; then will the hands of all that are with thee be strong.'
22 So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. —
23 Now the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man inquired of the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.
2 Samuel 15:16(vv21–22)The king went out, and all his household after him. The king left ten women, who were concubines, to keep the house.
2 Samuel 20:3(vv21–22)David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in…
2 Samuel 12:11-12(v22)“This is what Yahweh says: ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes,…
2 Samuel 15:12(v23)Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. The…
2 Samuel 17:14(v23)Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For Yahweh had…
Show all 51 cross-references
2 Samuel 17:23(v23)When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey, arose, and went home, to his city, and set his house in…
Leviticus 18:8(v21)“ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife. It is your father’s nakedness.
2 Samuel 2:7(v21)Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over…
Zechariah 8:13(v21)It shall come to pass that, as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you shall be…
1 Corinthians 3:19-20(v23)For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He has taken the wise in their craftiness.” And again, “The Lord…
Genesis 6:4(v21)The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God’s sons came in to men’s daughters and had children with them.…
Genesis 34:30(v21)Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the…
Genesis 35:22(v21)While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob…
Genesis 38:16(v21)He turned to her by the way, and said, “Please come, let me come in to you,” for he didn’t know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said,…
Genesis 49:3-4(v21)“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; excelling in dignity, and excelling in power. Boiling over like…
Exodus 1:10(v20)Come, let’s deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies…
Leviticus 20:11(v21)“ ‘The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness. Both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood…
Numbers 25:6(v22)Behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the…
Numbers 27:21(v23)He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before Yahweh. At his word they shall go…
1 Samuel 13:4(v21)All Israel heard that Saul had struck the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel was considered an abomination to the…
1 Samuel 27:12(v21)Achish believed David, saying, “He has made his people Israel utterly to abhor him. Therefore he will be my servant forever.”
1 Samuel 30:8(v23)David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “If I pursue after this troop, will I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue; for you will surely…
2 Samuel 11:2(v22)At evening, David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. From the roof, he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was…
2 Samuel 12:11(v21)“This is what Yahweh says: ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes,…
1 Kings 2:17(v21)He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king (for he will not tell you ‘no’), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”
1 Kings 2:22(v21)King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder…
Job 5:12(v23)He frustrates the plans of the crafty, So that their hands can’t perform their enterprise.
Job 28:28(v23)To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’ ”
Psalms 2:2(v20)The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh, and against his Anointed, saying,
Psalms 19:7(v23)Yahweh’s law is perfect, restoring the soul. Yahweh’s covenant is sure, making wise the simple.
Psalms 28:2(v23)Hear the voice of my petitions, when I cry to you, when I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.
Psalms 37:12-13(v20)The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord will laugh at him, for he sees that his day is coming.
Proverbs 21:30(v20)There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against Yahweh.
Ecclesiastes 10:1(v23)Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to produce an evil odor; so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.
Isaiah 3:9(v22)The look of their faces testify against them. They parade their sin like Sodom. They don’t hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have…
Isaiah 8:10(v20)Take counsel together, and it will be brought to nothing; speak the word, and it will not stand, for God is with us.”
Isaiah 29:15(v20)Woe to those who deeply hide their counsel from Yahweh, and whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us?” and “Who knows us?”
Jeremiah 3:3(v22)Therefore the showers have been withheld and there has been no latter rain; yet you have had a prostitute’s forehead and you refused to be…
Jeremiah 4:22(v23)“For my people are foolish. They don’t know me. They are foolish children, and they have no understanding. They are skillful in doing evil,…
Jeremiah 8:9(v23)The wise men are disappointed. They are dismayed and trapped. Behold, they have rejected Yahweh’s word. What kind of wisdom is in them?
Jeremiah 8:12(v22)Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed. They couldn’t blush. Therefore they will fall…
Ezekiel 24:7(v22)“ ‘ “For her blood is in the middle of her. She set it on the bare rock. She didn’t pour it on the ground, to cover it with dust.
Matthew 11:25(v23)At that time, Jesus answered, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding,…
Matthew 27:1(v20)Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
Luke 16:8(v23)“His lord commended the dishonest manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser…
Acts 4:23-28(v20)Being let go, they came to their own company and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard it,…
Romans 1:22(v23)Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
1 Corinthians 5:1(v21)It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles, that…
Philippians 3:19(v22)whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who think about earthly things.
1 Peter 4:11(v23)If anyone speaks, let it be as it were the very words of God. If anyone serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies, that in…
James 3:13-18(v23)Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom. But if you have…
51 distinct cross-references across this passage (53 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (17 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn vv21, 23Suspecting the change of the Kingdom, and so his…
Suspecting the change of the Kingdom, and so his own overthrow, he giveth such counsel as might most hinder his father’s reconciliation: and also declare to the people that Absalom was in highest authority.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv20–232Sa 16:20 Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel…
2Sa 16:20 Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do.
Ver. 20. Then said, Absalom to Ahithophel.] As president of his council: Hushai was present, but forced to dissemble at that time. {a}
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{a} Mentitur impiissimo tyranno. - Mart.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv21–23This counsel he gave, partly to revenge the injury…
This counsel he gave, partly to revenge the injury done to Bath-sheba, who was the daughter of Eliam, 2Sa 11:3 who was
the son of Ahithophel, 2Sa 23:34; and principally for his own and the people’s safety, that the breach between David and Absalom might be made wide and irreparable by so vile an action which must needs provoke David in the highest degree, both for the sin and shame of it; as the like action had done Jacob, Gen 49:3,4; and cut off all hopes of reconciliation, which otherwise might have been expected by some treaty between Absalom and his tender-hearted father; in which case his followers, and especially Ahithophel himself, had been left to David’s mercy.
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Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father; and therefore obliged by thy own interest to prosecute the war with all possible rigour, and to abandon all thoughts of peace; as knowing that his father, though he might dissemble, yet would never forgive so foul and scandalous a crime.
Then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong; they will fight with greater courage and resolution when they are freed from the fear of thy reconciliation, which otherwise would make their hearts faint and hands slack in thy cause. But by this we may see the character of Absalom’s party, and how abominably wicked they were, whom such a loathsome and scandalous action tied the faster to him, whom for that very reason they should have deserted and abhorred. And we may further learn how corrupt and filthy the body of the people was, and how ripe for that severe judgment which is now hastening to them.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv20–23Then said Absalom to Ahithophel,.... Having two such able…
Then said Absalom to Ahithophel,.... Having two such able counsellors as he and Hushai, he directs his speech to Ahithophel, as being his first and chief counsellor:
give counsel among you what we shall do; he orders them to form a counsel, consult among themselves what was proper to be now done at Jerusalem, whether it was right to stay here or pursue after David and his men. Absalom did not send to the high priest to ask counsel of God, by Urim and Thummim before the ark, but wholly confided in his privy council.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn vv21–23Go - This counsel he gave, partly to revenge…
Go - This counsel he gave, partly to revenge the injury done to Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, chap. xi, 3, who was the son of Ahithophel, chap. xxiii, 34, and principally for his own, and the people's safety, that the breach between David and Absalom might be irreparable. For this would provoke David in the highest degree and cut of all hope of reconciliation, which otherwise might have been expected by some treaty between Absalom and his tender-hearted father. But in that case his followers, and especially Ahithophel, had been left to David's mercy, and therefore obliged to prosecute the war with all vigour, and to abandon all thoughts of peace: as knowing that his father, though be might dissemble, yet would never forgive so foul a crime. Be strong - They will fight with greater courage and resolution, when they are freed from the fear of thy reconciliation, which otherwise would make their hearts faint, and hands slack in thy cause. But by this we may see the character of Absalom's party, and how abominably wicked they were, whom such a scandalous action tied the faster to him. And we may farther learn, how corrupt the body of the people was, how ripe for that judgment which is now hastening to them.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn v21Verse 21. Go in unto thy father's concubines] It…
Verse 21. Go in unto thy father's concubines] It may be remembered that David left ten of them behind to take care of the house, see 2Sa 15:16. Ahithophel advised this infernal measure, in order to prevent the possibility of a reconciliation between David and his son; thus was the prophecy to Nathan fulfilled, 2Sa 12:11. And this was probably transacted in the very same place where David's eye took the adulterous view of Bath-sheba; see 2Sa 11:2.
The wives of the conquered king were always the property of the conqueror; and in possessing these, he appeared to possess the right to the kingdom. Herodotus informs us that Smerdis, having seized on the Persian throne after the death of Cambyses, espoused all the wives of his predecessor, lib. iii., c. 68. But for a son to take his father's wives was the sum of abomination, and was death by the law of God, Le 20:11. This was a sin rarely found, even among the Gentiles.
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Every part of the conduct of Absalom shows him to have been a most profligate young man; he was proud, vindictive, adulterous, incestuous, a parricide, and, in fine, reprobate to every good word and work. We still however recollect that David had grievously sinned, and we should also recollect that he suffered grievously for it; and that his humiliation, repentance, and amendment, were most decisive and exemplary. Reader, God is as just as he is merciful.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn vv21–232Sa 16:21. Go in unto thy father’s concubines —…
2Sa 16:21. Go in unto thy father’s concubines — This counsel he gave, partly to revenge the injury done to Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, chap. 2Sa 11:3; the son of Ahithophel, 2Sa 23:34; and principally for his own and the people’s safety, that the breach between David and Absalom might be irreparable. For this, he foresaw, would provoke David in the highest degree, and cut off all hope of reconciliation, which otherwise might have been expected to take place, by some treaty between Absalom and his tender-hearted father. But in that case his followers, and especially Ahithophel, would have been left to David’s mercy. That thou art abhorred of thy father — And, therefore, art obliged to prosecute the war with all vigour, and to abandon all thoughts of peace; as knowing that thy father, though he may dissemble, yet will never forgive such an act. Then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong — They will fight with greater courage and resolution when they are freed from the fear of thy being ever reconciled to thy father, and see they are out of all danger of being sacrificed to any future treaty of peace or agreement between you. “An advice,” says Delaney, “for the present, and in appearance, wise; but in reality pernicious. Could not this long-headed, sagacious statesman foresee, that this action, for which some men would now become more attached to Absalom, must one day make him detestable in their eyes, when they reflected upon the horror of it? a guilt made mortal by the law of God, Lev 20:11, and not named even among the Gentiles; a guilt for which they must one day judge him more worthy to lose his crown than Reuben his birth-right. However, this hellish advice was immediately embraced.”
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn v21Taking possession of the harem was the most decided…
Taking possession of the harem was the most decided act of sovereignty (see 1Ki 2:22). It was also the greatest offence and insult that could be offered. Such an act on Absalom’s part made reconciliation impossible. A further motive has been found in this advice, namely, the desire on the part of Ahithophel to make David taste the bitterness of that cup which he had caused others (Uriah and all Bath-sheba’s family) to drink, and receive the measure which he had meted withal.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary1859 · Public DomainOn vv21–23Their hands may be strengthened, &c. The people might…
Their hands may be strengthened, &c. The people might apprehend lest Absalom should be reconciled to his father; and therefore they followed him with some fear of being left in the lurch, till they saw such a crime committed, as seemed to make a reconciliation impossible. (Challoner) --- This was the most heinous outrage that a son could offer to his father. Jacob resented it to the last, Genesis xlix. 4. Amyntor devoted his son Phœnix to all the furies, for a similar offence. (Homer, Iliad ix.) Armais treated the wives of his brother Sesostris in this manner, when he had resolved to rebel. (Josephus, contra Apion i.)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown1871 · Public DomainOn vv20–21AHITHOPHEL'S COUNSEL. (Sa2 16:20-23)
AHITHOPHEL'S COUNSEL. (Sa2 16:20-23)
Give counsel among you what we shall do--This is the first cabinet council on record, although the deference paid to Ahithophel gave him the entire direction of the proceedings.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn vv21–23AHITHOPHEL’S IMPIOUS COUNSEL, 2Sa_16:20-23.
AHITHOPHEL’S IMPIOUS COUNSEL, 2Sa_16:20-23.
21. Go in unto thy father’s concubines — This would be a most bold and irrevocable assumption of all the royal rights, and render the breach between Absalom and his father utterly irreconcilable.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv20, 22, 2320–23. Ahithophel’s counsel
20–23. Ahithophel’s counsel
21. And Ahithophel said, &c.] Ahithophel advised Absalom to make a decisive assumption of royal authority by publicly taking possession of the royal harem. This act was a claim of heirship and succession[101], and was not regarded with abhorrence by the Israelites, whose feelings on such matters were blunted by the practice of polygamy. See note on ch. 2Sa_3:7. Its object was to make the breach between Absalom and his father irreparable, and to strengthen the resolution of his followers, by proving that the rebellion was not to end in his securing a pardon from his father and leaving them to their fate, but that he was determined to run all risks.
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[101] A similar custom existed among the heathen Saxons. See Green’s Making of England, p. 246.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers1878 · Public DomainOn vv21–22(21) And Ahithophel said.—The counsel of Ahithophel was in…
(21) And Ahithophel said.—The counsel of Ahithophel was in effect that Absalom should make the breach between him and his father absolute and irreconcilable. His followers would thus be assured of the impossibility of his securing a pardon for himself while they were left to their fate. After adopting this course, he must necessarily persist to the end. The taking of the harem of his predecessor by the incoming monarch was an Oriental custom, to the enormity of which the mind was blunted by the practice of polygamy.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv20–23Give counsel among you; Hebrew, for you; but we…
Give counsel among you; Hebrew, for you; but we have no way in English of expressing the force of this phrase. In Greek it is called the ethic dative, and is supposed to give character to the address, and indicate that those to whom the words are spoken have also an interest in the matter.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary1892 · Public DomainOn v202Sa_16:20. “Give counsel,” etc. This is the first cabinet…
CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES.—
2Sa_16:20. “Give counsel,” etc. This is the first cabinet council on record.” (Jamieson).
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2Sa_16:21. “Go in unto,” etc. “This advice was sagacious enough. Lying with the king’s concubines was an appropriation of the royal harem, and, as such, a complete usurpation of the throne (see at 2Sa_3:7) which would render any reconciliation between Absalom and his father utterly impossible, and therefore would of necessity instigate the followers of Absalom with all the greater firmness. This was what Ahithophel hoped to attain by his advice. For unless the breach was too great to be healed, with the affection of David towards his sons, which might in reality be called weakness, it was always a possible thing that he should forgive Absalom, and in this case Ahithophel would be the one to suffer. But under the superintendence of God this advice was to effect the fulfilment of the threat held over David in 2Sa_12:8.” (Keil.) Perhaps Ahithophel was also avenging the wrong done to Bathsheba. (See note on 2Sa_11:3.)
2Sa_16:22. “The top of the house.” The same roof where David’s look at Bathsheba led him into the path of sin.
2Sa_16:23. “The oracle of God.” That is, the counsel of Ahithophel had almost the weight of a Divine command with both father and son.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—2Sa_16:20-23
AHITHOPHEL’S COUNSEL
I. When all the plans of the wicked have been worked out, God’s counsel will be found to prevail. Sometimes a man may permit a thief to escape from his grasp and run away from him because he knows that in front of him is a precipice, and that every step he takes brings him nearer to his final fall. He has only to let him pursue his own course and he will be the author of his own ruin. So, when men break away from God, and seem to think they can leave Him out of their calculations, He sometimes leaves them entirely to their own devices, and they become their own destroyers, and at the same time fulfil the Divine purposes. At this crisis in the history of the people of Israel it might have seemed to some good men that God had entirely withdrawn from the nation, and that these bad men were having their own way in everything. The last assumption was true, but not the first—Ahithophel and Absalom met with no hindrance as yet in the execution of their designs, but God was looking on and seeing in them the instruments of His will, as they unconsciously executed a part of the sentence against David. (2Sa_12:11).
II. The sin which the parent commits in secret will probably be committed openly by the child. Children show themselves apt pupils in the school of vice, and often go far beyond their teachers in the wrong direction. None of David’s virtues were reproduced in Absalom, but his deed of sin was not only closely imitated but far exceeded, and what the father did in secret the son did not blush to do in the sight of all Israel. Let no parent or any man deceive himself by thinking that those under his influence will stop in the path of sin just where he stopped—it is a downward road and they who set out upon it neither know where they will stop themselves, nor can they stay the course of those who may follow in their steps. Let the father or mother who breaks God’s law and blushes for the sin, think how likely it is that their child may make a boast of the same deed of shame.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
It is not improbable that Ahithophel remembered God’s denunciation against David by the prophet Nathan, and therefore considered it a deep stroke of policy thus to take advantage of existing circumstances, to establish the Divine purposes. He might hope perhaps, thus to encourage a belief, that Absalom was a chosen instrument in the hands of God for the execution of His judgments, and consequently, that all opposition to him was both wicked and fruitless. But Ahithophel with all his wisdom, was not wise enough to know that the rule of man’s conduct is not the secret purposes, but the revealed precepts of God; that a man may be fulfilling the former, yet incurring God’s severe displeasure by transgressing the latter.—Lindsay.
2Sa_16:23. David’s chief counsellors were God’s testimonies (Psa_119:24) to these as to the test he brought all counsel given him, whether by Ahithophel or any other … Absalom and his adherents followed Ahithophel’s counsel, howsoever, as infallible, because it was for their purpose.—Trapp.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv20, 22See how you translated this man's name in 2…
Ahithophel
See how you translated this man's name in 2 Samuel 15:12. (See: How to Translate Names)
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to keep the palace
The phrase "to keep" means to take care of. AT: "to take care of the palace" (See: Idiom)
become a stench to your father
Ahithophel speaks of Absalom offending his father as if he would become something that had a strong and offensive odor. AT: "become offensive to your father" or "greatly insulted father" (See: Metaphor)
Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong
Here the people who followed Absalom are referred to by their hands. The news will strengthen the peoples' loyalty to Absalom and encourage them. This can be stated clearly. AT: "The news of this will strengthen the loyalty of all who follow you" (See: Synecdoche and Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
Tyndale Open Study Notes2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv21–2316:21 Go and sleep with your father’s concubines: A…
16:21 Go and sleep with your father’s concubines: A usurper took a predecessor’s harem to assert or strengthen his claim to the throne (see 3:7). Absalom’s action was in violation of Deut 22:30.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv21, 23 Suspecting the change of the Kingdom, and so his…
Suspecting the change of the Kingdom, and so his own overthrow, he giveth such counsel as might most hinder his father’s reconciliation: and also declare to the people that Absalom was in highest authority.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv20–23 2Sa 16:20 Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel…
2Sa 16:20 Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do.
Ver. 20. Then said, Absalom to Ahithophel.] As president of his council: Hushai was present, but forced to dissemble at that time. {a}
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{a} Mentitur impiissimo tyranno. - Mart.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv21–23 This counsel he gave, partly to revenge the injury…
This counsel he gave, partly to revenge the injury done to Bath-sheba, who was the daughter of Eliam, 2Sa 11:3 who was
the son of Ahithophel, 2Sa 23:34; and principally for his own and the people’s safety, that the breach between David and Absalom might be made wide and irreparable by so vile an action which must needs provoke David in the highest degree, both for the sin and shame of it; as the like action had done Jacob, Gen 49:3,4; and cut off all hopes of reconciliation, which otherwise might have been expected by some treaty between Absalom and his tender-hearted father; in which case his followers, and especially Ahithophel himself, had been left to David’s mercy.
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Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father; and therefore obliged by thy own interest to prosecute the war with all possible rigour, and to abandon all thoughts of peace; as knowing that his father, though he might dissemble, yet would never forgive so foul and scandalous a crime.
Then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong; they will fight with greater courage and resolution when they are freed from the fear of thy reconciliation, which otherwise would make their hearts faint and hands slack in thy cause. But by this we may see the character of Absalom’s party, and how abominably wicked they were, whom such a loathsome and scandalous action tied the faster to him, whom for that very reason they should have deserted and abhorred. And we may further learn how corrupt and filthy the body of the people was, and how ripe for that severe judgment which is now hastening to them.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv20–23 Then said Absalom to Ahithophel,.... Having two such able…
Then said Absalom to Ahithophel,.... Having two such able counsellors as he and Hushai, he directs his speech to Ahithophel, as being his first and chief counsellor:
give counsel among you what we shall do; he orders them to form a counsel, consult among themselves what was proper to be now done at Jerusalem, whether it was right to stay here or pursue after David and his men. Absalom did not send to the high priest to ask counsel of God, by Urim and Thummim before the ark, but wholly confided in his privy council.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv21–23 Go - This counsel he gave, partly to revenge…
Go - This counsel he gave, partly to revenge the injury done to Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, chap. xi, 3, who was the son of Ahithophel, chap. xxiii, 34, and principally for his own, and the people's safety, that the breach between David and Absalom might be irreparable. For this would provoke David in the highest degree and cut of all hope of reconciliation, which otherwise might have been expected by some treaty between Absalom and his tender-hearted father. But in that case his followers, and especially Ahithophel, had been left to David's mercy, and therefore obliged to prosecute the war with all vigour, and to abandon all thoughts of peace: as knowing that his father, though be might dissemble, yet would never forgive so foul a crime. Be strong - They will fight with greater courage and resolution, when they are freed from the fear of thy reconciliation, which otherwise would make their hearts faint, and hands slack in thy cause. But by this we may see the character of Absalom's party, and how abominably wicked they were, whom such a scandalous action tied the faster to him. And we may farther learn, how corrupt the body of the people was, how ripe for that judgment which is now hastening to them.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v21 Verse 21. Go in unto thy father's concubines] It…
Verse 21. Go in unto thy father's concubines] It may be remembered that David left ten of them behind to take care of the house, see 2Sa 15:16. Ahithophel advised this infernal measure, in order to prevent the possibility of a reconciliation between David and his son; thus was the prophecy to Nathan fulfilled, 2Sa 12:11. And this was probably transacted in the very same place where David's eye took the adulterous view of Bath-sheba; see 2Sa 11:2.
The wives of the conquered king were always the property of the conqueror; and in possessing these, he appeared to possess the right to the kingdom. Herodotus informs us that Smerdis, having seized on the Persian throne after the death of Cambyses, espoused all the wives of his predecessor, lib. iii., c. 68. But for a son to take his father's wives was the sum of abomination, and was death by the law of God, Le 20:11. This was a sin rarely found, even among the Gentiles.
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Every part of the conduct of Absalom shows him to have been a most profligate young man; he was proud, vindictive, adulterous, incestuous, a parricide, and, in fine, reprobate to every good word and work. We still however recollect that David had grievously sinned, and we should also recollect that he suffered grievously for it; and that his humiliation, repentance, and amendment, were most decisive and exemplary. Reader, God is as just as he is merciful.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv21–23 2Sa 16:21. Go in unto thy father’s concubines —…
2Sa 16:21. Go in unto thy father’s concubines — This counsel he gave, partly to revenge the injury done to Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, chap. 2Sa 11:3; the son of Ahithophel, 2Sa 23:34; and principally for his own and the people’s safety, that the breach between David and Absalom might be irreparable. For this, he foresaw, would provoke David in the highest degree, and cut off all hope of reconciliation, which otherwise might have been expected to take place, by some treaty between Absalom and his tender-hearted father. But in that case his followers, and especially Ahithophel, would have been left to David’s mercy. That thou art abhorred of thy father — And, therefore, art obliged to prosecute the war with all vigour, and to abandon all thoughts of peace; as knowing that thy father, though he may dissemble, yet will never forgive such an act. Then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong — They will fight with greater courage and resolution when they are freed from the fear of thy being ever reconciled to thy father, and see they are out of all danger of being sacrificed to any future treaty of peace or agreement between you. “An advice,” says Delaney, “for the present, and in appearance, wise; but in reality pernicious. Could not this long-headed, sagacious statesman foresee, that this action, for which some men would now become more attached to Absalom, must one day make him detestable in their eyes, when they reflected upon the horror of it? a guilt made mortal by the law of God, Lev 20:11, and not named even among the Gentiles; a guilt for which they must one day judge him more worthy to lose his crown than Reuben his birth-right. However, this hellish advice was immediately embraced.”
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v21 Taking possession of the harem was the most decided…
Taking possession of the harem was the most decided act of sovereignty (see 1Ki 2:22). It was also the greatest offence and insult that could be offered. Such an act on Absalom’s part made reconciliation impossible. A further motive has been found in this advice, namely, the desire on the part of Ahithophel to make David taste the bitterness of that cup which he had caused others (Uriah and all Bath-sheba’s family) to drink, and receive the measure which he had meted withal.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv21–23 Their hands may be strengthened, &c. The people might…
Their hands may be strengthened, &c. The people might apprehend lest Absalom should be reconciled to his father; and therefore they followed him with some fear of being left in the lurch, till they saw such a crime committed, as seemed to make a reconciliation impossible. (Challoner) --- This was the most heinous outrage that a son could offer to his father. Jacob resented it to the last, Genesis xlix. 4. Amyntor devoted his son Phœnix to all the furies, for a similar offence. (Homer, Iliad ix.) Armais treated the wives of his brother Sesostris in this manner, when he had resolved to rebel. (Josephus, contra Apion i.)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv20–21 AHITHOPHEL'S COUNSEL. (Sa2 16:20-23)
AHITHOPHEL'S COUNSEL. (Sa2 16:20-23)
Give counsel among you what we shall do--This is the first cabinet council on record, although the deference paid to Ahithophel gave him the entire direction of the proceedings.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv21–23 AHITHOPHEL’S IMPIOUS COUNSEL, 2Sa_16:20-23.
AHITHOPHEL’S IMPIOUS COUNSEL, 2Sa_16:20-23.
21. Go in unto thy father’s concubines — This would be a most bold and irrevocable assumption of all the royal rights, and render the breach between Absalom and his father utterly irreconcilable.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv20, 22, 23 20–23. Ahithophel’s counsel
20–23. Ahithophel’s counsel
21. And Ahithophel said, &c.] Ahithophel advised Absalom to make a decisive assumption of royal authority by publicly taking possession of the royal harem. This act was a claim of heirship and succession[101], and was not regarded with abhorrence by the Israelites, whose feelings on such matters were blunted by the practice of polygamy. See note on ch. 2Sa_3:7. Its object was to make the breach between Absalom and his father irreparable, and to strengthen the resolution of his followers, by proving that the rebellion was not to end in his securing a pardon from his father and leaving them to their fate, but that he was determined to run all risks.
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[101] A similar custom existed among the heathen Saxons. See Green’s Making of England, p. 246.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv21–22 (21) And Ahithophel said.—The counsel of Ahithophel was in…
(21) And Ahithophel said.—The counsel of Ahithophel was in effect that Absalom should make the breach between him and his father absolute and irreconcilable. His followers would thus be assured of the impossibility of his securing a pardon for himself while they were left to their fate. After adopting this course, he must necessarily persist to the end. The taking of the harem of his predecessor by the incoming monarch was an Oriental custom, to the enormity of which the mind was blunted by the practice of polygamy.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv20–23 Give counsel among you; Hebrew, for you; but we…
Give counsel among you; Hebrew, for you; but we have no way in English of expressing the force of this phrase. In Greek it is called the ethic dative, and is supposed to give character to the address, and indicate that those to whom the words are spoken have also an interest in the matter.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v20 2Sa_16:20. “Give counsel,” etc. This is the first cabinet…
CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES.—
2Sa_16:20. “Give counsel,” etc. This is the first cabinet council on record.” (Jamieson).
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2Sa_16:21. “Go in unto,” etc. “This advice was sagacious enough. Lying with the king’s concubines was an appropriation of the royal harem, and, as such, a complete usurpation of the throne (see at 2Sa_3:7) which would render any reconciliation between Absalom and his father utterly impossible, and therefore would of necessity instigate the followers of Absalom with all the greater firmness. This was what Ahithophel hoped to attain by his advice. For unless the breach was too great to be healed, with the affection of David towards his sons, which might in reality be called weakness, it was always a possible thing that he should forgive Absalom, and in this case Ahithophel would be the one to suffer. But under the superintendence of God this advice was to effect the fulfilment of the threat held over David in 2Sa_12:8.” (Keil.) Perhaps Ahithophel was also avenging the wrong done to Bathsheba. (See note on 2Sa_11:3.)
2Sa_16:22. “The top of the house.” The same roof where David’s look at Bathsheba led him into the path of sin.
2Sa_16:23. “The oracle of God.” That is, the counsel of Ahithophel had almost the weight of a Divine command with both father and son.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—2Sa_16:20-23
AHITHOPHEL’S COUNSEL
I. When all the plans of the wicked have been worked out, God’s counsel will be found to prevail. Sometimes a man may permit a thief to escape from his grasp and run away from him because he knows that in front of him is a precipice, and that every step he takes brings him nearer to his final fall. He has only to let him pursue his own course and he will be the author of his own ruin. So, when men break away from God, and seem to think they can leave Him out of their calculations, He sometimes leaves them entirely to their own devices, and they become their own destroyers, and at the same time fulfil the Divine purposes. At this crisis in the history of the people of Israel it might have seemed to some good men that God had entirely withdrawn from the nation, and that these bad men were having their own way in everything. The last assumption was true, but not the first—Ahithophel and Absalom met with no hindrance as yet in the execution of their designs, but God was looking on and seeing in them the instruments of His will, as they unconsciously executed a part of the sentence against David. (2Sa_12:11).
II. The sin which the parent commits in secret will probably be committed openly by the child. Children show themselves apt pupils in the school of vice, and often go far beyond their teachers in the wrong direction. None of David’s virtues were reproduced in Absalom, but his deed of sin was not only closely imitated but far exceeded, and what the father did in secret the son did not blush to do in the sight of all Israel. Let no parent or any man deceive himself by thinking that those under his influence will stop in the path of sin just where he stopped—it is a downward road and they who set out upon it neither know where they will stop themselves, nor can they stay the course of those who may follow in their steps. Let the father or mother who breaks God’s law and blushes for the sin, think how likely it is that their child may make a boast of the same deed of shame.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
It is not improbable that Ahithophel remembered God’s denunciation against David by the prophet Nathan, and therefore considered it a deep stroke of policy thus to take advantage of existing circumstances, to establish the Divine purposes. He might hope perhaps, thus to encourage a belief, that Absalom was a chosen instrument in the hands of God for the execution of His judgments, and consequently, that all opposition to him was both wicked and fruitless. But Ahithophel with all his wisdom, was not wise enough to know that the rule of man’s conduct is not the secret purposes, but the revealed precepts of God; that a man may be fulfilling the former, yet incurring God’s severe displeasure by transgressing the latter.—Lindsay.
2Sa_16:23. David’s chief counsellors were God’s testimonies (Psa_119:24) to these as to the test he brought all counsel given him, whether by Ahithophel or any other … Absalom and his adherents followed Ahithophel’s counsel, howsoever, as infallible, because it was for their purpose.—Trapp.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv20, 22 See how you translated this man's name in 2…
Ahithophel
See how you translated this man's name in 2 Samuel 15:12. (See: How to Translate Names)
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to keep the palace
The phrase "to keep" means to take care of. AT: "to take care of the palace" (See: Idiom)
become a stench to your father
Ahithophel speaks of Absalom offending his father as if he would become something that had a strong and offensive odor. AT: "become offensive to your father" or "greatly insulted father" (See: Metaphor)
Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong
Here the people who followed Absalom are referred to by their hands. The news will strengthen the peoples' loyalty to Absalom and encourage them. This can be stated clearly. AT: "The news of this will strengthen the loyalty of all who follow you" (See: Synecdoche and Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
advice
had relations with
concubine
palace
hand
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv21–23 16:21 Go and sleep with your father’s concubines: A…
16:21 Go and sleep with your father’s concubines: A usurper took a predecessor’s harem to assert or strengthen his claim to the throne (see 3:7). Absalom’s action was in violation of Deut 22:30.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.