Commentary - 2 Samuel 17:23

Bird's-eye view

This single verse records the pathetic end of Ahithophel, a man whose wisdom was once regarded as the very oracle of God. His story is a stark illustration of the principle that worldly wisdom, no matter how shrewd, is utter foolishness when set against the determinate counsel of the Lord. Ahithophel had given Absalom tactically brilliant advice that would have almost certainly resulted in David's death and the success of the rebellion. But because David had prayed, and because the Lord had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, the whole affair unraveled. This verse shows us the final consequence of prideful rebellion. When a man stakes his entire identity and worth on his own counsel and reputation, the rejection of that counsel becomes a rejection of his very being, leaving him with nothing. Ahithophel's end is a dark foreshadowing of the fate of Judas, another betrayed counselor who, when his wicked plans went awry, went out and did the same.

The passage is therefore a demonstration of God's meticulous sovereignty over the political machinations of men. God did not just make Ahithophel's counsel fail; He used the vain flatteries of Hushai to do it, playing on Absalom's ego. And the result of this divine intervention is the self-destruction of the wicked. Ahithophel's suicide is not just a tragedy; it is a form of self-judgment. Unable to live with his humiliation and the certain knowledge that the rebellion was now doomed, he executes the sentence upon himself. It is a grim reminder that a life built on anything other than the fear of the Lord will ultimately collapse into ruin.

Outline

Context In 2 Samuel

This verse is the direct consequence of the events in the first half of 2 Samuel 17. David, fleeing Jerusalem after Absalom's coup, had prayed a short, desperate prayer: "O LORD, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness" (2 Sam 15:31). He then sent his loyal friend Hushai back into the city to act as a double agent. In Absalom's war council, Ahithophel proposed a swift, targeted strike against David that was tactically flawless (2 Sam 17:1-3). However, Absalom decided to seek a second opinion from Hushai. Hushai, a master of rhetoric, gave terrible military advice, but he packaged it in flattering and ego-stroking terms, urging Absalom to gather a massive army and lead it himself into a glorious battle (2 Sam 17:7-13). The text explicitly tells us why Absalom and his men chose the bad advice over the good: "For the LORD had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the LORD might bring calamity on Absalom" (2 Sam 17:14). Ahithophel's suicide in our verse is the immediate result of this divine intervention. He was wise enough to see that the rejection of his counsel meant the certain failure of the rebellion and his own subsequent execution as a traitor. This event marks the turning point in the Absalom rebellion; from here on, Absalom's demise is assured.

Key Issues

The Implosion of Pride

Ahithophel was the wisest man in the kingdom, and everybody knew it. His counsel was like asking at the oracle of God (2 Sam 16:23). He was the ultimate insider, the political guru, the man whose strategies won battles before they were ever fought. And this was the foundation of his identity. His worth, his reputation, his very being was wrapped up in the excellency of his counsel. So when Absalom, a vain and foolish usurper, chose the flamboyant and idiotic plan of Hushai over his own brilliant strategy, it was more than a professional setback. It was an utter demolition of his world.

Pride cannot handle this kind of public humiliation. Ahithophel saw two things with perfect clarity. First, he knew that with the rejection of his plan, the rebellion was doomed. David would have time to regroup, and Absalom's unwieldy army would be no match for David's hardened warriors. Second, he knew that when the rebellion failed, he would be at the top of the list for execution as a high traitor. But his suicide was not simply a pragmatic choice to avoid a worse death. It was the final, logical act of a man whose god was his own intellect. When that god was shown to be powerless, he had nothing left to live for. His pride, having been mortally wounded, turned inward and destroyed him. This is what all idolatry does. It promises you the world, and when it fails, it leaves you with a rope and a crossbeam.

Verse by Verse Commentary

23 Now Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed.

The verb "saw" here means more than just a casual observation. It implies a deep perception, a clear-eyed understanding of the situation. Ahithophel was no fool. He immediately grasped the full implications of Absalom's decision. He saw that Hushai had won the day, that David would be given precious time to escape and gather his forces, and that the entire rebellion, which had been on the cusp of success, was now destined for catastrophic failure. This was not a pique of frustration; it was the cold, hard realization of a brilliant strategist who had just watched his king make a fatal blunder. He saw the end from the beginning of this new development, and the end was ruin.

So he saddled his donkey and arose and went to his home, to his city,

There is a grim deliberateness in these actions. This is not a panicked flight. He methodically prepares for his journey. He saddles his own donkey, a simple, final task. He is leaving the seat of power, the court of the would-be king, and returning to his ancestral home. This is an act of resignation. He is finished with the politics of Jerusalem. He has staked everything on Absalom, and Absalom has proven to be an idiot. There is nothing more for him to do in the capital but await the inevitable. His journey home is a funeral procession for his own ambitions and, as it turns out, for his own life.

and set his house in order,

This phrase is pregnant with meaning. In the ancient world, it meant settling one's affairs before an impending death. We see it used when the prophet Isaiah tells King Hezekiah, "Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live" (2 Kings 20:1). Ahithophel calmly and rationally settles his business. He likely wrote his last will and testament, gave instructions to his family, and ensured his estate was properly arranged. This is the action of a man who is not in the grip of a wild, irrational passion. He is clear-headed. He has weighed the consequences and has made a final, calculated decision. His wisdom, which failed him in the court of Absalom, is now applied to the neat arrangement of his own demise. It is a chilling picture of a man using the great gifts of God to serve his own despair.

and strangled himself; thus he died and was buried in the grave of his father.

The text is blunt and unsparing. He "strangled himself," which most commentators take to mean he hanged himself. The act is the culmination of his wounded pride. Having lived by his reputation for wisdom, he could not bear to live with its public rejection. This is the ultimate outworking of a life lived for the approval of men and the glory of self. When the idol of self is toppled, there is nothing left. His death is a dark mirror of what happens to all who betray the Lord's anointed. He is a type, a forerunner, of Judas Iscariot, another counselor who betrayed his king for his own ends. When Judas saw that his counsel had led to Jesus's condemnation, he was filled with remorse, threw the money back, and went and hanged himself (Matt 27:5). The parallels are intentional and instructive. Rebellion against God's chosen king, whether David or David's greater Son, leads to self-destruction.

The final detail, that he was buried in his father's tomb, adds a touch of final pathos. He received a proper burial, which was important in that culture, but it does not erase the shame of his end. He returns to his fathers, but as a man who threw away a legacy of wisdom for a fool's rebellion.

Application

The story of Ahithophel is a profound warning against the idolatry of the intellect. It is possible to be brilliant, strategic, and correct in all your assessments, and yet be profoundly wicked and foolish in the sight of God. Our world, and often the church, celebrates cleverness. We are impressed by the man with the plan, the sharp analyst, the witty debater. But God is not impressed. He regularly takes the wisdom of the wise and turns it into foolishness. He does this to show that the outcome of history does not depend on the best-laid plans of men, but on His sovereign decree.

We must therefore take inventory of our own hearts. Where do we place our ultimate confidence? Is it in our intelligence, our reputation, our skills, our political savvy? If any of those things are the bedrock of our identity, then we are setting ourselves up for an Ahithophel-like fall. When our counsel is rejected, when our plans fail, when we are humiliated, will we despair? Or will we find our standing and identity in Christ alone? The gospel tells us that our very best wisdom is foolishness, and our most righteous acts are filthy rags. Our only hope is to abandon our own counsel and cast ourselves entirely on the wisdom of God revealed in the cross of Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, we see the power of prayer. David's simple, heartfelt plea to God was more powerful than Ahithophel's entire strategic playbook. We should never underestimate the power that is unleashed when God's people cry out to Him in their distress. God governs the world, and He delights to govern it in response to the prayers of His saints. He can turn the hearts of kings, frustrate the plans of the wicked, and bring down the proud, all because one of his children asked Him to.