2 Samuel 17:1-8

The Death of Ahithophel

17:1 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me pick out twelve thousand men. Then I will go and pursue David this very night. 17:2 When I catch up with ¹  him he will be exhausted and worn out. ²  I will rout him, and the entire army that is with him will flee. I will kill only the king 17:3 and will bring the entire army back to you. In exchange for the life of the man you are seeking, you will get back everyone. ³  The entire army will return unharmed.” ⁴ 

17:4 This seemed like a good idea to Absalom and to all the leaders ⁵  of Israel. 17:5 But Absalom said, “Call for ⁶  Hushai the Arkite, and let’s hear what he has to say.” ⁷  17:6 So Hushai came to Absalom. Absalom said to him, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow his advice? If not, what would you recommend?”

17:7 Hushai replied to Absalom, “Ahithophel’s advice is not sound this time.” ⁸  17:8 Hushai went on to say, “You know your father and his men – they are soldiers and are as dangerous as a bear out in the wild that has been robbed of her cubs. ⁹  Your father is an experienced soldier; he will not stay overnight with the army.

[17:2]  ¹ tn Heb “and I will come upon him.”

[17:2]  ² tn Heb “exhausted and slack of hands.”

[17:3]  ³ tc Heb “like the returning of all, the man whom you are seeking.” The LXX reads differently: “And I will return all the people to you the way a bride returns to her husband, except for the life of the one man whom you are seeking.” The other early versions also struggled with this verse. Modern translations are divided as well: the NAB, NRSV, REB, and NLT follow the LXX, while the NASB and NIV follow the Hebrew text.

[17:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “all of the people will be safe.”

[17:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “elders.”

[17:5]  ⁶ tc In the MT the verb is singular, but in the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate it is plural.

[17:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “what is in his mouth.”

[17:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “Not good is the advice which Ahithophel has advised at this time.”

[17:8]  ⁹ tc The LXX (with the exception of the recensions of Origen and Lucian) repeats the description as follows: “Just as a female bear bereft of cubs in a field.”