Bird's-eye view
This passage marks the consolidation of Absalom's coup as he enters Jerusalem, the seat of power, not as a conqueror laying siege but as one acclaimed by the people. The scene is thick with political intrigue and moral gravity. We witness the feigned loyalty of Hushai, David's plant in the new regime, and the cunning, wicked counsel of Ahithophel. Absalom, now in the palace, must decide how to proceed. The advice he receives and acts upon is not merely a strategic political move; it is a brazen, public act of defilement designed to sever all possibility of reconciliation with his father. This is more than just a family squabble or a political rebellion; it is a playing out of the covenantal curses Nathan had pronounced upon David for his sin with Bathsheba. God is sovereignly working through the treachery of men to bring His own righteous judgments to pass, demonstrating that no sin, especially the sin of a king, goes unaddressed.
The central tension revolves around counsel. Who will Absalom listen to? Hushai, the friend of the rightful king, offers a duplicitous loyalty. Ahithophel, the traitor whose counsel was once regarded as the very word of God, offers advice that is both politically shrewd and diabolically wicked. Absalom's choice to follow Ahithophel's first piece of advice is a public declaration of his usurpation, a point of no return that strengthens the resolve of his followers by making the rebellion absolute. The entire episode is a stark illustration of how sin begets sin, and how God, in His terrifying providence, uses the wicked counsel of men to fulfill His own prophetic word.
Outline
- 1. The Usurper in the Capital (2 Sam 16:15-23)
- a. Absalom's Triumphal Entry (2 Sam 16:15)
- b. Hushai's Treacherous Greeting (2 Sam 16:16)
- c. Absalom's Suspicion and Hushai's Pliable Politics (2 Sam 16:17-19)
- d. The Call for Counsel (2 Sam 16:20)
- e. Ahithophel's Diabolical Advice (2 Sam 16:21)
- f. The Public Fulfillment of Prophecy (2 Sam 16:22)
- g. The Weight of Ahithophel's Counsel (2 Sam 16:23)
Context In 2 Samuel
This passage occurs at the zenith of Absalom's rebellion. David, the Lord's anointed, has been forced to flee his own capital city in humiliation (2 Sam 15). As he fled, he was betrayed by Ziba and cursed by Shimei, bearing these indignities as part of the Lord's discipline. But David has not been entirely passive; he has sent his loyal counselor, Hushai, back into Jerusalem with the express purpose of frustrating the counsel of Ahithophel, David's former advisor who has treacherously joined Absalom (2 Sam 15:32-37). Our text picks up at the very moment Absalom enters the city, with both counselors, the traitor and the counter-spy, now with him. The stage is set for a battle of wits that will determine the immediate course of the civil war. Crucially, this event is the direct fulfillment of the prophet Nathan's curse on David in 2 Samuel 12:11-12, where God promised to take David's wives and give them to his neighbor in the sight of the sun. The private sin on the roof with Bathsheba is now receiving its public answer on the very same roof.
Key Issues
- The Nature of Political Loyalty and Deception
- The Fulfillment of God's Prophetic Judgment
- The Difference Between Human Wisdom and Godly Counsel
- Public Sin as a Political Act
- The Sovereignty of God in the Midst of Human Wickedness
The Politics of Defilement
We must understand that what happens on the roof of the palace is not primarily about lust. It is a calculated political act, a piece of brutal statecraft. In the ancient Near East, the royal harem was not just a collection of the king's wives and concubines; it was a symbol of his power, his wealth, and his claim to the throne. To take possession of the previous king's harem was to declare, in the most unambiguous way possible, that you were now the king. It was a statement that the transfer of power was complete and irreversible. Ishbosheth accused Abner of this very thing when Abner slept with Saul's concubine, an act tantamount to a claim on the throne (2 Sam 3:7).
Ahithophel's counsel is therefore shrewd in a worldly sense. He knows that some of Absalom's followers might be wavering, hoping for a last-minute reconciliation between father and son. Such a reconciliation would leave them exposed as traitors. By having Absalom commit this public, outrageous act of filial defilement, Ahithophel forces everyone to choose a side permanently. It makes Absalom "odious" to his father, burning the bridges and making the civil war a fight to the death. It is a wicked means to a wicked end, but it is also, unbeknownst to the plotters, the very means by which God would fulfill His word of judgment against David. God's left hand of judgment was using the wicked right hand of Ahithophel.
Verse by Verse Commentary
15 Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, had entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.
The coup appears to be a stunning success. Absalom, the handsome and charismatic rebel, enters the capital not to the sound of battle, but to the acclaim of "all the people, the men of Israel." This is a popular revolt. And at his side is the man whose wisdom was legendary, Ahithophel. From a human perspective, David's cause is lost. The people have chosen, the levers of power are in Absalom's hands, and he has the wisest political advisor in the kingdom. But God is not swayed by popular opinion or political savvy.
16 And it happened that when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
Here comes David's counter-move. Hushai is specifically identified as "David's friend," a formal title but also a statement of fact that makes his actions here deeply ironic. He plays his part perfectly. His greeting, "Long live the king!" is the standard acclamation for a new monarch. He says it twice for emphasis. He is seemingly all in, another high-profile defector from David's inner circle, which would be a great encouragement to the rebellion.
17 And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your lovingkindness to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?”
Absalom is not a complete fool. He is initially suspicious, and rightly so. He challenges Hushai with a deeply cutting question. The word for "lovingkindness" is hesed, that great covenant term for loyal, steadfast love. "Is this your covenant loyalty to your friend David?" Absalom asks. He is using the language of faithfulness to question an act of apparent faithlessness. It is a moment of high drama. Will Hushai's cover be blown before he can even begin his mission?
18 Then Hushai said to Absalom, “No! For whom Yahweh, this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain.
Hushai's reply is a masterpiece of diplomatic ambiguity. He doesn't answer the question about his loyalty to David directly. Instead, he reframes his loyalty in populist and pseudo-theological terms. He says "No!", he is not being disloyal. Why? Because his ultimate allegiance is to the one chosen by "Yahweh, this people, and all the men of Israel." Notice the order. He cleverly puts Yahweh first, giving his argument a pious sheen. Then he appeals to the democratic will of the people. Since Absalom is the one who is currently acclaimed, Hushai's loyalty must therefore be to him. It is a slippery argument, the kind of thing politicians are still good at, but it is plausible enough for a vain man like Absalom to swallow.
19 Besides, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father’s presence, so I will be in your presence.”
He presses his case with a second argument that appeals to Absalom's ego. It is only natural, he says, to transfer his service from the father to the son. It is a matter of succession. "As I have served in your father's presence, so I will be in your presence." Every word is true on the surface, and every word is a lie in its intent. He will be in Absalom's presence, and he will serve, but his service will be to David's cause, not Absalom's. Absalom, flattered by the deference and convinced by the logic, accepts the explanation. The fox is now in the henhouse.
20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What shall we do?”
Having secured his position and accepted Hushai into his council, Absalom now turns to business. He asks Ahithophel for counsel. This shows the high esteem in which Ahithophel was held. He is the first one consulted. The question is open-ended: "What shall we do?" What is our first move as the new government?
21 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father. The hands of all who are with you will also be strengthened.”
Ahithophel's advice is immediate, specific, and brutal. He doesn't suggest forming a cabinet or issuing a decree. He suggests a public act of sexual and filial violation. The logic is purely political. This act will make a final, irreparable break with David. It will prove to "all Israel" that Absalom is not playing games and that there is no turning back. This, in turn, will strengthen the resolve of his followers, who will now have to fight for their lives, knowing there can be no negotiated settlement.
22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
The vile counsel is acted upon immediately. The location is significant. It is on the roof of the palace, the very place where David's own sin with Bathsheba began (2 Sam 11:2). A tent is pitched to provide a modicum of privacy for the act itself, but the symbolism is entirely public. Absalom goes into the tent "in the sight of all Israel." The sin that David committed in secret is now being answered with a punishment in public, just as Nathan the prophet had foretold (2 Sam 12:12). God's word does not return to Him void. He uses the treachery of Ahithophel and the arrogant rebellion of Absalom to perform His righteous judgment.
23 Now the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was as if one asked of the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel regarded by both David and Absalom.
This final verse is a parenthetical comment from the narrator, explaining why Ahithophel's advice was taken so readily and why his defection was such a blow to David. His wisdom was so profound, his political instincts so sharp, that his counsel was treated with the same authority as a prophetic oracle. It was considered as reliable as the "word of God." This is a terrifying reminder that great intelligence and wisdom, when divorced from the fear of the Lord, can become a tool for immense evil. Both David, the good king, and Absalom, the usurper, recognized Ahithophel's gift. But here, that gift is put to the service of rebellion and defilement, and ultimately, to the fulfillment of God's judgment.
Application
First, we see the long and bitter harvest of sin. David's sin with Bathsheba was years in the past. He had repented, he had been forgiven (2 Sam 12:13). And yet, the consequences of that sin were still unfolding, exactly as God said they would. Forgiveness does not always remove the temporal consequences. The sword that David brought into his own house is now being wielded by his own son. This should be a sobering warning to us. We must not trifle with sin, thinking that a quick confession will wipe the slate clean of all earthly repercussions. We are forgiven in Christ, eternally secure, but our sins can still cause immense damage to ourselves and others in this life.
Second, this passage is a potent lesson on the nature of counsel. Ahithophel's advice was brilliant from a worldly perspective. It was politically astute and achieved its intended goal of solidifying the rebellion. But it was profoundly wicked. It was counsel from the pit. This reminds us that not all good advice is godly advice. We live in a world saturated with the counsel of Ahithophels, pragmatic, effective, and utterly godless. The church must be a place where we learn to distinguish between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom that comes from above (James 3:17). We must measure all counsel, no matter how smart it sounds, against the unchanging word of God.
Finally, we see the absolute sovereignty of God over the most chaotic and sinful of human affairs. Every actor in this drama, Absalom, Ahithophel, Hushai, is pursuing his own agenda. Yet, through their plotting, their deception, and their wickedness, God is meticulously working out His own stated plan. He is judging David, He is setting a trap for Absalom, and He is preserving His kingdom for His anointed. This should give us immense confidence. No matter how out of control our world seems, no matter how successful the wicked appear to be, God is on His throne. He uses the wrath of man to praise Him, and He will bring all His purposes to their appointed end. Our job is not to be clever like Ahithophel or duplicitous like Hushai, but to be faithful like David, who, even in his flight and humiliation, trusted in the Lord's ultimate vindication.