2 Samuel 17

1 Furthermore, Ahithophel [a trusted advisor, one of David’s closest counselors] said to Absalom, “Let me choose [select, pick out] twelve thousand men [a large army, a numerous company] and set out [arise, go forth] tonight [in the darkness, this very night] in pursuit [to chase, to follow after] of David [the king, God’s anointed]. word study 2 I will attack him while he is weak [weak and feeble, weary] and weary; I will throw him into a panic [make him afraid, cause him to tremble], and all the people [his entire army, nation] with him will flee [quickly leave, escape]; I will strike down [smite, kill] only the king [the ruler, monarch alone] word study 3 and bring all [every single one, the entire nation] the people [Amaw, a nation or tribe] back to you as a bride [like a woman returning to her husband, in a state of complete devotion] returning to her husband [in a covenant relationship, with loyalty and commitment]. You seek [are searching for, desire to find] the life [the very existence, the soul] of only one man [a single individual, a lone person]; then all [every single one, the whole] the people will be at [experience, enjoy] peace [shalom, completeness, wellness, and friendship].” word study 4 This proposal [seeming good, pleasing] seemed good [right, pleasant, to smooth] to Absalom [son of King David] and all [everything, the entirety] the elders [old, elderly, experienced leaders] of Israel [Jacob’s descendants, God’s chosen people]. word study 5 Then Absalom [the son of King David] said, “Summon [call now, please] Hushai [a friend of King David] the Archite as well [also, too], and let us hear [listen to, give ear to] what he [Hushai] too [also] has to say [speak, utter].” word study 6 So Hushai [the Archite, a friend of King David] came to Absalom, who told him, “Ahithophel [my brother’s uncle, a trusted advisor] has spoken this proposal [counsel, plan, or scheme]. Should we carry it out [fulfill, execute, or follow]? If not [in that case, or otherwise], what do you say [think, advise, or suggest]?” word study 7 Hushai [a friend of King David, an Archite] replied, “This time [on this occasion, at this moment] the advice [counsel, guidance] of Ahithophel [my brother’s foolishness, one of David’s closest advisors] is not [lacking, absent] sound [good, pleasant, beneficial].” word study 8 He continued, “You know your father [the patriarch, leader of the family] and his men [mighty warriors, brave fighters]. They are mighty men [strong, courageous, and powerful], and as fierce [bitter, chafed in their minds] as a wild bear [a mother bear, a ferocious animal] robbed of her cubs [left childless, having lost her young]. Moreover, your father [a man of great experience] is a man of war [a skilled and seasoned warrior] who will not spend the night [lodge, rest] with the troops [the people, his army]. word study 9 Surely [behold, look] by now [at this time, currently] he is hiding [concealed, in seclusion] in a cave [pit, hole] or some other location [place, spot]. If some of your troops [soldiers, warriors] fall [are defeated, slain] first, whoever hears [listens, is informed] of it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter [massacre, killing] among the troops [army, forces] who follow [are loyal to, support] Absalom [David’s son, the rebel].’ word study 10 Then even the most valiant [bravest, strongest] soldier with the heart [inner being, feelings] of a lion will melt [utterly melt, become like water] with fear, because all [every single one] Israel knows [is aware, recognizes] that your father [parent, ancestor] is a mighty [strong, powerful] man [warrior, champion] who has valiant [brave, courageous] men [sons, warriors] with him [by his side, in his company]. word study 11 Instead, I advise [counsel, give guidance] that all [every single one, the entire nation] Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] from Dan [the northernmost tribe] to Beersheba [the southernmost city, a place of covenant]—a multitude [a large number, an abundance] like the sand [small particles, countless grains] on the seashore [the edge of the sea, a vast expanse]—be gathered [assembled, brought together] to you, and that you yourself [personally, as the leader] lead them into battle [to war, to fight]. word study 12 Then we will attack David wherever we find him [in some place, at a location], and we will descend on him [fall upon, light upon] like dew [the moisture that covers plants and grass overnight] on the ground [the earth, the land]. And of all [every single one] the men with him [who are with, accompany], not even one [not a single person, no one] will remain [be left, survive]. word study 13 If he retreats [escapes, flees] to a city [town, settlement], all Israel [the entire nation, every tribe] will bring ropes [cords, strong cords] to that city, and we will drag [pull, draw] it down to the valley [brook, river] until not even a pebble [small stone, stone] can be found [discovered, seen].” word study 14 Then Absalom [the son of King David] and all the men of Israel said, “The advice [counsel, guidance] of Hushai the Archite [a wise and loyal friend] is better [more pleasing, wiser] than that of Ahithophel [a trusted advisor, but with flawed counsel].” For the LORD [Yehovah, the sovereign God] had purposed [ordained, decreed] to thwart [frustrate, make void] the good [wise, beneficial] counsel of Ahithophel [with the intention of bringing harm] in order to bring disaster [evil, calamity] on Absalom. word study 15 So Hushai [a faithful friend and advisor] told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests [spiritual leaders and mediators], “This [specific plan] is what Ahithophel [a trusted counselor, my brother] has advised [given guidance to] Absalom [the rebellious son] and the elders [respected leaders, old men] of Israel [God’s chosen people], and this [alternative plan] is what I have advised [counseled, given guidance]. word study 16 Now [at this time, immediately] send quickly [with haste, speedily] and tell David [the king, God’s anointed], ‘Do not [by no means, lest] spend the night [in the darkness, during the time of rest] at the fords [crossing points, shallow areas] of the wilderness [desert, barren land], but be sure [certainly, without fail] to cross over [pass through, transition]. Otherwise [if not, lest] the king [the ruler, leader] and all [every, the entire] the people [nation, community] with him will be swallowed up [destroyed, consumed].’” word study 17 Now Jonathan [the son of King Saul and friend of David] and Ahimaaz [my brother is anger, a son of Zadok] were staying at En-rogel [the fount of the fuller, a place near Jerusalem], where a servant girl [a maidservant, a female slave] would come and pass along information [tell, declare openly] to them. They in turn would go [walk, move from one place to another] and inform King David [the king of Israel, a descendant of Jesse], for they dared not [were not able, had no power] be seen [to look, to appear] entering the city [a town, a place with a wall]. word study 18 But a young man [youth, from infancy to adolescence] did see [to perceive with the eyes, to discern] them and told [to declare openly, to stand boldly] Absalom [a son of King David]. So the two [a pair, a duality] left quickly [with haste, speed] and came to the house [a dwelling place, a family home] of a man [a male person, an individual] in Bahurim [a town in the region of Benjamin]. He had a well [a water source, a spring] in his courtyard [a village, a small settlement], and they climbed down [to go down, to descend] into it [there, to that place]. word study 19 Then the man’s wife [the woman, a female person] took [to get, to seize] a covering [a screen, a veil] and spread [to stretch out, to scatter] it over the mouth [the opening, the face] of the well [a water source, a spring], scattering [strewing, spreading out] grain [ground corn, crushed grain] over it so nobody [no one, not anyone] would know [be aware of, perceive] a thing [a matter, an affair]. word study 20 When Absalom’s servants [attendants, those serving under him] came to the woman [wife, female] at the house [dwelling place, home], they asked, “Where [in what location] are Ahimaaz [my brother is anger] and Jonathan [Jehovah has given]?” “They have crossed over [passed beyond, transitioned] the brook [small stream, watercourse],” she replied. The men [servants, those searching] searched [sought, looked for] but did not find [discover, locate] them, so they returned [turned back, went back] to Jerusalem [city of peace, capital city]. word study 21 After the men had gone, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climbed up out of the well [a water source, a pit] and went to inform King David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel], saying, “Get up [rise, stand up] and cross over the river [the water, a boundary] at once [quickly, with haste], for Ahithophel [my brother’s foolishness, a close advisor] has given this advice [counsel, guidance] against you [to your detriment, in opposition to you].” word study 22 So David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] and all [every single one, the entire group] the people with him got up [rose, stood up] and crossed [passed over, transitioned] the Jordan [the river running from Lebanon to the Dead Sea]. By daybreak [the morning light, the break of day], there was no one left [not a single person remained] who had not [lacked, was missing] crossed [passed over, transitioned] the Jordan [the river running from Lebanon to the Dead Sea]. word study 23 When Ahithophel [a trusted advisor, one of King David’s closest confidants] saw that his advice [counsel, guidance] had not been followed, he saddled [tied, prepared] his donkey [ass, beast of burden] and set out for his house [dwelling place, home] in his hometown [city, place of origin]. He put his affairs [household, family] in order [arranged, settled] and hanged [strangled, took his own life] himself. So he died [passed away, met his end] and was buried [laid to rest, interred] in his father’s [ancestor’s, paternal] tomb [grave, sepulchre]. word study 24 Then David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] went to Mahanaim [a place of two camps, east of the Jordan River], and Absalom [a son of King David] crossed the Jordan [the key river of Palestine, running from Lebanon to the Dead Sea] with all [the entire company, every single one] the men [individuals, male persons] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people, with him]. word study 25 Absalom had appointed Amasa [his cousin, a relative] over the army [the large group of people, the military force] in place of Joab [Jehovah is father, a prominent Israelite]. Amasa was the son [a male child, a descendant] of a man named Ithra [an Israelite, the father of Amasa], the Ishmaelite [a descendant of Ishmael] who had married Abigail [a wise and kind woman], the daughter [a female child, a woman] of Nahash [a non-Israelite king] and sister [a biological sibling, a close relative] of Zeruiah [balsam tree] the mother [a female parent, a maternal figure] of Joab [Jehovah is father, a prominent Israelite]. word study 26 So the Israelites [descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] and Absalom [son of King David, a rebellious leader] camped [pitched, set up their tents, encamped] in the land [earth, territory, region] of Gilead [a mountainous area, rocky region]. word study 27 When David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] came to Mahanaim [a place of two camps, east of the Jordan River], he was met by Shobi [an Ammonite supporter] son of Nahash [a non-Israelite king] from Rabbah [a great city] of the Ammonites [descendants of Lot], Machir [an Israelite] son of Ammiel [meaning’my kinsman is God’] from Lo-debar [not a pasture, a town in Palestine], and Barzillai [meaning’my iron’] the Gileadite [an inhabitant of Gilead, a region in Manasseh] from Rogelim [a place in the highlands, meaning’place of foot’]. word study 28 They brought beds [sleeping mats, or couches], basins [or containers for holding liquids], and earthen vessels [clay pots, or utensils], as well as wheat [a staple grain], barley [a common food], flour [or meal], roasted grain [parched corn, or toasted], beans [a type of legume], lentils [a common pulse, or legume], word study 29 honey [a sweet and valuable food], curds [butter, or cheese], sheep, and cheese [milk-cheeses, or cheese from the herd] from the herd [cattle, or kine] for David [the king of Israel] and his people [the nation, or those with him] to eat [to devour, or consume]. For they said [spoke, or declared], “The people [the nation, or crowd] have become hungry [faint with hunger, or starving], exhausted [weary, or faint], and thirsty [parched, or dry] in the wilderness [the desert, or open field].” word study