← Back to the beginning of 2 Samuel 17
Ver. 10. Whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt.] Falling asunder in his bosom like drops of water. See Joshua 2:11. Those seeming lions shall become as harts and stags, that have great horns and strength, but do nothing with them, quia deest animus, through want of courage. That thy father is a mighty man, &c.] This he repeateth as his chief argument, for he knew that he spake to a carpet knight.
Ver. 11. Therefore I counsel that all Israel, &c.] This was crafty counsel, well fitted to Absalom’s ambitious humour: viz., that he should raise so great an army as was possible, and then have the heading and leading of them himself, that the honour of the victory might be ascribed to him, and not to any deputy. It is reported of Sigismund, the young king of Hungary, that beholding the greatness of his army, in his great jollity, hearing of the coming of the Turks, he should proudly say, What need we to fear the Turks, who need not at all to fear the falling of the heavens; which if they should fall, yet were we able with our spears and halberds to hold them up from failing upon us! But what was the issue? This vainglorious prince shortly after received a notable overthrow, many of his army being slain, and himself hardly escaping with his life in a little boat, like another Xerxes. The young man Absalom, deceived by Hushai’s counsel, and brought into the sublime dotage of a fool’s paradise, sped not so well, but well enough for such a stigmatical Belialist. Turk. Hist., 206.
Ver. 12. So shall we come upon him.] We: q.d., I also will be one of the first and forwardest: that he might not seem to come short of Ahithophel, who had offered Absalom his service, both as a counsellor and as a commander. There shall not be left so much as one.] Thus in every point he opposeth himself to Ahithophel, (2 Samuel 17:2) and is the rather heard.
Ver. 13. Then shall all Israel bring ropes,] i.e., With warlike engines we will as easily demolish it, as we would draw a great weight down a hill. A proverbial kind of speech, as Psalms 83:14. And we will draw it into the river.] As Queen Elizabeth once threatened to do Leghorn into the sea, if the duke of Florence—that duke of Clouts, as she called him—did not by such a day disembark her merchants’ ships, which he then upon some pretence detained.
Ver. 14. For the Lord had appointed.] Heb., He commanded—viz., his angels, saith Vatablus—that they should defeat Ahithophel’s counsel. The good counsel of Ahithophel.] The Vulgate Latin for bonum good, hath utile, profitable, the profitable counsel, sc., for the attaining of that end which Absalom aimed at: for otherwise, the counsel in itself was stark stinking nought.
Ver. 15. Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom.] Hushai might in this case safely discover Absalom’s counsels, for the glory of God and the safety of his sovereign: though by the civil law, it was death to betray the secrets of the state, in military matters especially; and at Venice, consilia et decreta Patrum revelasse quempiam raro auditum est, semper graviter punitum: to reveal the counsels and decrees of the senators, is a fault seldom committed, and ever grievously punished, saith a good author. Zevecat., Obser. Polit., cap. 14.
Ver. 16. Lest the king be swallowed up.] For Hushai observing Absalom’s and his followers fickleness, knew not but that they might yet follow Ahithophel’s counsel, when seconded and set on by him with new and better arguments. He would have David therefore get speedily out of their reach over Jordan.
Ver. 17. And a wench went.] She went to Enrogel, that is, the Fuller’s fountain, -where those two were by their parents’ appointment, under pretence of fetching water or washing clothes there, -and carried intelligence. Thus David’s safety depended upon the faithfulness of a wench. God delighteth to help his servants “with a little help,” as it is in Daniel 11:34.
Ver. 18. Nevertheless a lad saw them.] As the devil never wanteth instruments in such cases to work mischief. Who this lad was, it mattereth not: but sure he was none of Absalom’s horsemen, as Josephus writeth.
Ver. 19. And spread ground corn thereon.] Grana tusa et commolita; meal grist, under pretence it needed drying, being moist; or airing, being musty.
Ver. 20. They be gone over the brook of water.] Her hiding of them was ingenious—as women’s wits, they say, are best at a pinch; but her lie, though but officious, cannot be excused; for God could and would have wrought without it: nevertheless he is graciously pleased to lay the finger of mercy on the scars of such infirmities, where the bent and intent of the heart, for the main, is upright.
Ver. 21. For thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you.] And who can yet tell what course they will take, though for present my counsel be cried up for the better? “ Plebs tantum constans in levitate sua est. ”
Ver. 22. Then David arose, and all the people that were with him.] This was a hard task to those that had tired themselves all day before with a long and tedious march: but there was a necessity of doing so. Perquam durum est, sed lex ita scripta est, saith the civilian. Soldiers must suffer hardship. There lacked not one of them.] This was comfortable: “Unto the righteous there ariseth light in darkness.” Christ likewise loseth not any of his. (John 17:12) Baptism, figured out by Jordan, sayeth us. (1 Peter 3:21)
Ver. 23. And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed.] Discontent then was the ground of his suicide; like as it was also of Judas’, who could not brook it, that his counsel about the woman’s costly ointment to be sold rather, was rejected; but thereupon began to practise against his Master’s, and in fine against his own life. Principiis obsta; discontentedness paveth a way to desperation: it undid the devil. He saddled his ass.] Being conscious to himself, that for conspiring against his sovereign, and giving such perilous and pernicious counsel, there wanted but a hurdle, a horse, and a halter—as Judge Belknap afterwards, for like cause, said of himself—to do him right. Had Ahithophel bridled his anger, when he saddled his ass, he would not, saith a worthy divine, of an oraculous counsellor, have turned such a notorious fool or madman, as to put his house in order, and himself into such a desperate and irrecoverable confusion. But the world’s wizards must show themselves in their colours. (Romans 1:22) Cato first readeth Plato’s book of the immortality of the soul, and then stabbeth himself at Utica. Pliny thinketh that God never gave a man any greater happiness than this, that he may die when he pleaseth. Sensit idem et reipsa comprobavit Seneca. So Brutus, and many others, who, through pusillanimity or desperation, brake the lanthern of their body, and quench the light of their life. This was to be like Hercules Furens, or Ajax Flagellifer, who, restored to his right mind, slew himself; dementior quam cum demens, being therein more mad, than when he was stark mad. What if Ahithophel feared that Absalom following Hushai’s counsel would be ruined, David restored, and himself for his perfidy hanged, as he well deserved; “ Hic rogo, non furor est, ne moriare, mori? ” Gat him home to his house, to his city.] That is, saith Vatablus, To his house in the city of Giloh; (2 Samuel 15:12) for he had many houses elsewhere, having feathered his nest under David’s government; like as Judas the thief licked his fingers in our Saviour’s family. And put his household in order.] Heb., Gave charge concerning his house; viz, what he would have done after his death. Josephus saith that he told his household that Absalom would be undone, and himself should be hanged: wherefore it was better for him to prevent it, and manfully to die with his own hands. He should first have set himself in order, and bethought him what would become of his precious soul. Then might he have hanged his house with tapestry, (Proverbs 7:16) and with broidered work of Egypt, (Ezekiel 27:7) but this was the furthest end of his thoughts, as they say. Or if he had at his death any thoughts of eternity, they were, likely, not unlike those of Thomas Blaverus, chief counsellor sometime to the King of Scots, who believed not that there was God or devil, heaven or hell, till he came to die; and then cried out he was damned for ever. Ahithophel was curious to provide for his family after his death; yet had no care to preserve himself from eternal death. Was not this a madness even to a miracle? saith one. And hanged himself.] Ipse sibi fauces strangulavit, quibus impium consilium dederat, et dominum suum Davidem prodiderat. The like end to like counsellors, God send! saith Willet. Speed, 747. Theat. Hist., pp. 127,128. Bolton. A Lapide.
Ver. 24. Then David came to Mahanaim.] Where Jacob sometime had met with a double camp of angels, that made a lane for him, as it were. (Genesis 32:2) The remembrance of this was some relief doubtless to distressed David; for there God spoke with us, (Hosea 12:4) as he did likewise when he said to Joshua, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5) And Absalom passed over Jordan.] In pursuit of his father, like an impious parricide: but not till he had got all the men of Israel to him, which was much for David’s advantage; for in the interim, David got together three potent armies, wherewith he worsted Absalom. (2 Samuel 18)
Ver. 25. Ithra an Israelite,] sc, For his faith and religion, as by nature he was an Ishmaelite. (1 Chronicles 7:17) That went in to Abigail,] i.e., Married her; went in to the wedding chamber to her, as Judges 15:1. The daughter of Nahash.] Otherwise called Ishai, the father of David; wherefore many Greek copies for Naas have Jesse, and both Josephus and Jerome affirm him to be the same. Kimchi thinketh he was called Nahash, or Serpent, per antiphrasin, as being void of venom or bitterness.
Ver. 26. Pitched in the land of Gilead.] Near Mahanaim, that they might keep in and contrain David, or draw him out to fight them.
Ver. 27. Shobi, the son of Nahash.] Second brother, likely, to that unworthy Hanun, (2 Samuel 10:2) who abused David’s messengers, did him much more mischief, and was therefore worthily deposed, this brother of his being set up king in his stead. We read of Attilus, king of Suecia, that he made a dog king of the Danes, in revenge of a great many injuries he had received from them. Gunno, likewise king of the Danes, made a dog king of Norway, and appointed counsellors to do all things under his title and name. David was not so spiteful: but appointed this thankful man Shobi king of those injurious Ammonites; and married his son Solomon to Naamah, this man’s sister, or daughter, likely, but a convert to the Jewish religion. (1 Kings 14:21) And Machir.] He with whom Mephibosheth had been brought up, seeing his unexpected kindness to that poor cripple, ministereth to him.