In this chapter, and the next three chapters, we see that David’s troubles and the trouble for his household are continued to be lived out as Nathan the prophet told him earlier, 2 Samuel 12:10.
After all the evil acts that Absalom has done over the years, in his rebellion against his father, David, in this chapter, we read the events building up to Absalom’s death.
Ahithophel suggests to Absalom, that he would choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David, 2 Samuel 17:1. He suggests that he would attack David while he is weary and weak and strike him with terror, and then all the people with him will flee, 2 Samuel 17:2.
He suggest that he would strike down only David and bring all the people back to Absalom because the death of David will mean the return of all, all the people will be unharmed, 2 Samuel 17:2-3. It appears that Ahithophel’s ideas were met with approval, 2 Samuel 17:4.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Had this counsel been followed, David and his little troop would soon have been destroyed; nothing but the miraculous interposition of God could have saved them. Twelve thousand chosen troops coming against him, in his totally unprepared state, would have soon settled the business of the kingdom. Ahithophel well saw that, this advice neglected, all was lost.’
However, it appears that Ahithophel’s advice to Absalom to defeat David and his men was far too ambitious, and so Absalom went to Hushai the Arkite for his opinion, 2 Samuel 17:5.
When Hushai came to him, Absalom said, Ahithophel has given this advice, should we do what he says? If not, give us your opinion, 2 Samuel 17:6. Hushai now gives his advice, and he starts by telling Absalom that the advice Ahithophel has given is not good this time, 2 Samuel 17:7.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘He contrasts it with that given before, 2 Samuel 16:21, which was good. This gave an appearance of candour to his conduct, and so gave weight to his dissent. Observe the working of David’s prayer, 2 Samuel 15:31.’
He says David and his men are fighters, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Besides, David is an experienced fighter and he will not spend the night with the troops, 2 Samuel 17:8.
He says, even now, David is hidden in a cave or some other place and if he should attack Absalom’s troops first, whoever hears about it will say, there has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom, 2 Samuel 17:9.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Hushai’s argument is that there was no chance of seizing David by surprise as Ahithophel suggested. There was sure to be sharp fighting, and the terror of the names of David, Joab, Abishai, Ittai, and their companions would magnify the first few blows received into a victory, and Absalom’s men would flee in panic. It is likely that Absalom was not a man of courage, and Hushai, knowing this, adroitly magnified the terror of the warlike prowess of David and his mighty men.’
He says if that happens then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt with fear, for all Israel knows that David is a fighter and that those with him are brave, 2 Samuel 17:10.
Hushai then advises Absalom to let all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, as numerous as the sand on the seashore, be gathered to him, with Absalom himself leading them into battle, 2 Samuel 17:12.
Then we will attack him wherever he may be found, and we will fall on him as dew settles on the ground, neither he nor any of his men will be left alive, 2 Samuel 17:12.
He says if David withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it down to the valley until not so much as a pebble is left, 2 Samuel 17:13.
Basically, he suggests that David’s men were far too smart when it comes to war because David and his men would be expecting Absalom and his men to come to them.
The stakes were high here for Absalom because if he lost this battle, then everyone would turn against him, and so, Hushai advises Absalom to wait until he got a great army behind him so he would have enough men to defeat David and his men. Absalom decided to take this advice, 2 Samuel 17:14, which, as we shall read in a moment, was going to lead to his death.
Notice Absalom and his men say, ‘for the LORD had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom,’ 2 Samuel 17:14.
Ahithophel’s plan was far too ambitious and far from being perfect, and Hushai had exposed some flaws in his plan, but for Absalom, it was the best option he had, Job 5:13.
Why did Absalom reject the advice that could have given him the victory? Because it was simply God’s will that he would do so. The advice of Hushai was part of the chain of events that caused it, and David’s earlier prayer was another part, 2 Samuel 15:31.
Hushai warns David not to stay at night at the fords, 2 Samuel 17:15-16. It appears that Hushai isn’t aware whether Absalom took his advice or the advice of Ahithophel.
It also appears that David has secret informants who were keeping him up to date with what Absalom was doing, 2 Samuel 17:17. A young man saw them and told Absalom and so, Jonathan and Ahimaaz, left at once and went to the house of a man in Bahurim who had a well in his courtyard, and so, they climbed down into it, 2 Samuel 17:18.
The young man’s wife takes the time to cover the entrance of the well, and no one knew anything about it, 2 Samuel 17:19. When Absalom’s men came to the woman at the house, they asked her where Ahimaaz and Jonathan were. And the woman tells them, they crossed over the brook, 2 Samuel 17:20.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘As soon as ever she had hid the men, she went into the house, as if busy about her usual occupations. Had Absalom’s servants, who had had information from some of the people of Bahurim that the men had come to this house, found her in the court, it might have directed their attention to the peeled barley.’
The men searched but found no one, so they returned to Jerusalem, 2 Samuel 17:20. This tells us that not everyone favoured Absalom. After they had gone, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climbed out of the well and went to inform King David and tell him to set out and cross the river at once because Ahithophel had advised such and such against him, 2 Samuel 17:21.
We can imagine how much effort, organisation, and time it must have taken David to move twelve thousand men with all their supplies and equipment across the Jordan, 2 Samuel 17:22 / Psalms 42:6. The time and effort were necessary for David and his men to go to war against Absalom and his men.
When Ahithophel came to realise that Hushai’s advice would lead to the victory of David over Absalom, he knew that David would punish him for his betrayal, this is why he commits suicide by hanging himself, 2 Samuel 17:23.
Ahithophel is one of four people who are recorded in the Scriptures to have committed suicide, Judas Iscariot, Matthew 27:5, Zimri, 1 Kings 16:18, and King Saul, 1 Samuel 31:5.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This self-murder could not be called lunacy, as every step to it was deliberate. He foresaw Absalom’s ruin, and he did not choose to witness it, and share in the disgrace, and he could expect no mercy at the hands of David. He was a very bad man, and died an unprepared and accursed death.’
Some believe that because Ahithophel was buried in the family tomb, 2 Samuel 17:23, this meant that the Jews of that period accepted suicide as much as any other form of death, but no one can be sure if that’s what they believed or not.
As soon as news about what Absalom was doing, David went to Mahanaim, 2 Samuel 17:24. It appears that a large number of people were loyal to David and wanted to support him in his war against Absalom.
David then gets his men to gather east of the Jordan because he knows that Absalom would follow him and attack, 2 Samuel 17:25. Note that Abigal in Hebrew is a variant of Abigail.
Both Abigal, says that some and Zeruiah, 2 Samuel 17:25, were David’s sisters, daughters of Jesse, 1 Chronicles 2:16-17, which possibly means that Nahash was Jesse’s wife.
If Zeruiah and Abigal were David’s sisters only by the mother, then Nahash might possibly be the name of her first husband. We are told that the Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead, 2 Samuel 17:26. Because of the foolish decision of Absalom, a bloody civil war was now about to happen, which would involve everyone.
All of the men mentioned here were powerful warriors of Israel who graciously supplied David’s men with much-needed provisions. Shobi, the Ammonite’s father, 2 Samuel 17:27, was possibly the king of the Ammonites, who David may have appointed as governor of Ammon after he took Rabbah, 2 Samuel 12:29.
Ammiel, who was from Lo Debar, 2 Samuel 17:27, was the son of Ahithophel and the father of Bathsheba, which makes Machir Bathsheba’s brother. Barzillai the Gileadite, 2 Samuel 17:27, was from Rogelim; he was an ancestor through a daughter of a family of priests, who were called after him, ‘Sons of Barzillai’. They returned from the Babylonian captivity with Ezra, Ezra 2:61-63 / Nehemiah 7:63.
All of these people brought much needed sullies for David and his men, because they knew that the people had become exhausted and hungry and thirsty in the wilderness, 2 Samuel 17:28-29.
David needed time to gather together all those who weren’t a part of Absalom’s rebellion, and it’s clear that David had a greater following than Absalom, and so, because of the delay, this fell to David’s advantage.