2 Samuel 16:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give your counsel. What shall we do?"

NIV: Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give us your advice. What should we do?"

NASB: Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, 'Give your advice. What should we do?'

CSB: Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give me your advice. What should we do?"

NLT: Then Absalom turned to Ahithophel and asked him, 'What should I do next?'

KJV: Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do.

NKJV: Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give advice as to what we should do.”

Before launching the coup to steal the throne from David, Absalom had successfully recruited Ahithophel to join his conspiracy. This was David's most respected and wise counselor. David and all those loyal to him are fleeing for their lives toward the Jordan River. Absalom turns to Ahithophel and asks what he should do next.

Absalom must take full, unquestioned possession of the kingdom. Ahithophel knows it's not enough to occupy Jerusalem. Nor is it sufficient to win the hearts of much of Israel. It will require more than Absalom crowning himself king. Absalom's remaining hurdle is that David still lives and has many loyal followers. Absalom needs to show the people that he has definitively supplanted his father.

David has several wives including Michal, Abigail, Maacah, and Bathsheba. In addition, he has many concubines (1 Chronicles 3:1–9). This is normal for kings of the day; each wife, except Abigail and Bathsheba, probably represents an alliance with either a foreign king or a powerful domestic ally.

When David heard that Absalom was coming, he took his family and fled the city. He left ten concubines to care for the house. It's customary for a new king to inherit the wives and concubines of the man he replaced (2 Samuel 12:8). So, to show Jerusalem that Absalom is fully breaking with his father, he needs to have sex with his father's remaining concubines (2 Samuel 16:21).

Second Samuel 16:20–23 explains how Absalom fulfills one of God's curses on David. Because David secretly took Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, God promised that another would take David's wives in public (2 Samuel 12:11). When David fled Jerusalem, he took his servants but left ten concubines to care for the house (2 Samuel 15:16). On Ahithophel's advice, Absalom has sex with the concubines in a tent on David's roof, an act of dominance over his father. After Absalom is killed and David returns, David will put the women in a house under protective guard for the rest of their lives (2 Samuel 20:3).

David flees and Absalom takes Jerusalem. Absalom arrives with his supporters while David and his servants race to the Jordan River (2 Samuel 15). Mephibosheth's servant Ziba brings David donkeys, provisions, and news that Mephibosheth has also betrayed David. Shimei, Saul's relative, throws stones and curses at David and his people. David's former counselor Ahithophel convinces Absalom to have sex with David's concubines. But David's friend Hushai has infiltrated Absalom's council and will prove to be an exceptionally good spy (2 Samuel 17:1–22).

In 2 Samuel 16, leadership in Jerusalem changes hands. Because of David's sin (2 Samuel 11), God predicts death and controversy in David's life. That starts with assault and murder within David's own family (2 Samuel 12—14). The murderer, David's son Absalom, took four years to gain the people's trust and declare himself king (2 Samuel 15:1–11). He won over David's counselor, but David has his servants, warriors, two priests, and an old friend: the last three stay as spies (2 Samuel 15:13–37). As Absalom takes the throne, David meets two Benjamites: one helpful and one horrible. Soon, Absalom will plan an attack, but the priests and David's friend send word and save David's people (2 Samuel 17:1–22).

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.