2 Samuel 15:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And it was told David, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." And David said, "O Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness."

NIV: Now David had been told, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." So David prayed, "Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness."

NASB: Now someone informed David, saying, 'Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.' And David said, 'Lord, please make the advice of Ahithophel foolish.'

CSB: Then someone reported to David: "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." "Lord," David pleaded, "please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!"

NLT: When someone told David that his adviser Ahithophel was now backing Absalom, David prayed, 'O Lord, let Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice!'

KJV: And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Lord, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.

NKJV: Then someone told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”

David's son Absalom is marching to Jerusalem to take the throne and kill David. David has gathered his servants and a small number of soldiers to join him as he flees the city. He's in deep mourning: barefoot and covered head (2 Samuel 15:13–30). Now, he receives yet another blow: his trusted advisor, Ahithophel, has joined Absalom's cause. Ahithophel may have been motivated by vengeance. Scripture seems to indicate that Bathsheba was Ahithophel's granddaughter (2 Samuel 11:3; 23:34). His betrayal of David might have been a way of avenging Bathsheba's mistreatment.

After David sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, God laid out His judgment. David would restore to Bathsheba what he had taken, and he would experience what he'd done to Uriah (2 Samuel 15:9–12). God told David that because he killed Uriah with violence, violence would come to his house. This came true when Absalom murdered Amnon for raping Absalom's sister Tamar (2 Samuel 13). God also said that because David betrayed a close friend, evil would come from his own house. Absalom's army is getting closer.

Finally, God told David that because he slept with another man's wife in secret, a man would sleep with his wives in public. To take a king's wife or concubine is to assume dominance over that king. Ahithophel knows this. As Absalom settles into his new home, he asks Ahithophel what he should do next. Ahithophel tells him to have sex with the concubines David left to care for the house, and to do it publicly. They set up a tent on David's roof so everyone in Jerusalem will know that Absalom is king (2 Samuel 16:20–22).

As David reaches the summit of the Mount of Olives, he sees another man in mourning, coat torn and head covered in dirt. It's his friend Hushai. The wise old man has come to follow David into exile; David stops him. It's difficult enough with the servants and the children of the soldiers; the old man would slow David down even more. Even so, Hushai does have a purpose. He can make his way into Absalom's group of advisors. David's prayer is that God would twist Ahithophel's advice, so it works against Absalom, rather than for him.

If anyone can derail Ahithophel's wisdom, it's Hushai (2 Samuel 15:32–34). Hushai does as David asks. With the help of the priests Abiathar and Zadok, as well as their sons, the old man saves David and helps restore him to the throne (2 Samuel 17).

Second Samuel 15:30–37 details David losing one advisor and gaining another. David's best counselor, Ahithophel, has fallen to Absalom's charms. He follows as Absalom marches towards Jerusalem to take the throne. As David flees, he meets an old friend, Hushai. Hushai wants to come with David, but David sends him to the city to counter Ahithophel's plans. Hushai can't stop Absalom from sleeping with David's concubines (2 Samuel 16:20–23), but he does keep Ahithophel from attacking David's people while they're fleeing (2 Samuel 17).

God's curses against David continue (2 Samuel 12:10–12). David's son Absalom stages a coup. His followers declare him king and escort him to Jerusalem. David and those faithful to him flee the city for the wilderness. He leaves behind two priests, their sons, and an advisor to thwart Absalom's plans. As he travels, David willingly endures every humiliation, not knowing which are from God. Joab kills Absalom, and the kingdom is restored (2 Samuel 16—18). Absalom's betrayal is not recorded in 1 Chronicles.