2 Samuel 16

David flees Jerusalem before Absalom’s rebellion and meets three men on the way: Ziba, who brings gifts and a slander, Shimei, who curses him, and Hushai, who is sent back to spoil Absalom’s plans. David bears abuse with humility and trusts God. Meanwhile Absalom enters Jerusalem and takes Ahithophel’s shameful advice.

2 Samuel 16:1

Just past the top of the Mount of Olives, Ziba meets the fleeing king with a generous load of food and drink. Ziba had been Mephibosheth’s servant. The supplies are exactly what a weary, hurried company needs, so his timing looks kind, though his motives are not yet clear.

BSA: meet (“encounter, come face to face with”): Ziba deliberately confronts David at a vulnerable moment, when he is most in need and least able to check a story.

2 Samuel 16:2

David asks what the gifts are for, and Ziba answers smoothly: donkeys for the royal family, food for the young men, wine for the weary. Every item is matched to a need. In the wilderness, David’s company really is in danger of exhaustion.

BSA: refresh (“revitalize, renew”): The wine is meant to restore strength to people worn out by a hard escape.

2 Samuel 16:3

David asks about Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, whom he had once shown great kindness. Ziba says he stayed in Jerusalem hoping to be given Saul’s kingdom. It is a serious charge of disloyalty. Chapter 19 shows that Mephibosheth told a very different story.

See also: 2 Samuel 9:9-10; 2 Samuel 19:24-27.

2 Samuel 16:4

David, hurt and hurried, accepts Ziba’s word without hearing the other side and hands over all of Mephibosheth’s property. Ziba bows low and asks for favor. The verse shows that even a good king can decide too quickly under pressure.

BSA: bow (“show respect, worship”): Ziba’s deep bow is the posture of one who hopes to profit from his flattery.

2 Samuel 16:5

At Bahurim, east of Jerusalem, a man from Saul’s clan comes out. He is Shimei son of Gera, and he pours out curses as David approaches. Old resentment in Saul’s tribe of Benjamin now breaks out against a king who looks defeated.

BSA: curses (“evil words, condemnation”): Shimei is not just angry; he is calling down judgment on David in the open.

Hebrew: קַלֵּל (qallēl, H7043) — “to curse, to treat as light.” The Hebrew root means to make something light, treating a person as having no weight or honor. Shimei is trying to strip the king of his dignity.

2 Samuel 16:6

Shimei throws stones even though David is surrounded by soldiers and mighty men. His boldness shows how low David’s fortunes seem. The guards stay close to the king, and David himself restrains them from striking back.

BSA: mighty men (“strong, courageous warriors”): These are David’s famous fighters, yet they are held back from answering the insult.

2 Samuel 16:7-8

Shimei calls David a man of bloodshed and says God is repaying him for Saul’s house and giving the kingdom to Absalom. He has part of the picture wrong: David had not murdered Saul’s family. But David knows he has real blood guilt over Uriah, and the sting lands.

BSA: worthless (“man of Belial, wicked”): Belial means worthlessness or wickedness. Shimei uses the strongest name for a scoundrel. bloodshed (“man of blood, murderer”): The charge is that David is a killer, and it stings because of what he did to Uriah.

See also: 2 Samuel 12:9-10.

2 Samuel 16:9

Abishai, David’s fierce nephew, wants to kill Shimei at once. Calling him a dead dog means a worthless creature that has no right to insult a king. Abishai’s loyalty is real, but his answer is violence.

BSA: dead dog (“despised, worthless”): It is a phrase of deep contempt for someone seen as utterly beneath a king.

2 Samuel 16:10

David refuses. He says that if the LORD has allowed this cursing, no one has the right to demand why. David does not claim Shimei is righteous. He chooses to see God’s hand over even the cruelty of men, and he will not take revenge.

BSA: curses (“reviles, brings into contempt”): David hears even the insult as something God may be using to humble him.

See also: Romans 12:19.

2 Samuel 16:11

David reasons that if his own son wants him dead, a Benjamite’s curses are small by comparison. He lets Shimei go on, accepting the hurt as from God’s hand. Real humility here means bearing pain without bitterness.

BSA: seeks (“is trying to find, to discover”): Absalom is actively hunting David’s life, which makes Shimei’s words seem lesser.

2 Samuel 16:12

David still hopes. He says perhaps the LORD will look on his suffering and turn today’s cursing into a blessing. He does not demand it, but he lays his case before God. This is the humble hope of one who knows he has sinned yet trusts God’s mercy.

BSA: affliction (“iniquity, moral evil”): This gloss reflects a different reading of the word, hinting that David sees his suffering as tied to his own wrongdoing.

See also: Psalm 3:1-4; Romans 8:28.

2 Samuel 16:13

The scene drags on. David walks the road while Shimei keeps pace along the hillside, shouting, throwing stones and tossing dust. The dust is a picture of contempt. David keeps walking and does not reply.

BSA: ridge (“side, hillside”): Shimei keeps close to David on the slope, making the abuse constant rather than a passing outburst.

2 Samuel 16:14

At last the king and his people reach a resting place, worn out. There he refreshes himself. After humiliation and flight, God gives plain, physical rest. It is a small mercy that matters.

BSA: refreshed (“rested, breathed again, rejuvenated”): The Hebrew idea is of drawing breath again, a literal recovery of spirit and strength.

Hebrew: וַיִּנָּפֵשׁ (wayyinnāphēsh, H5314) — “and he caught his breath, was refreshed.” It comes from the word for life or soul. David’s inner self was restored, not just his body.

2 Samuel 16:15

The scene shifts to Jerusalem, where Absalom arrives with the men of Israel. Ahithophel comes with him. He had been David’s counselor, so his defection is a heavy blow and makes the rebellion look strong.

BSA: Ahithophel (“a wise and trusted advisor”): He is known for wisdom, which is why his move to Absalom is so dangerous.

See also: Psalm 41:9.

2 Samuel 16:16

Hushai, David’s friend, arrives and cries out, Long live the king, twice. He is carrying out David’s plan to undermine Ahithophel’s advice from within. His words are carefully worded so that Absalom takes them as flattery.

BSA: friend (“close companion, loyal associate”): Hushai is a true friend of David, so his greeting to Absalom is actually part of a loyal act.

See also: 2 Samuel 15:32-37.

2 Samuel 16:17

Absalom is suspicious. He asks why Hushai has left a friend so quickly. His question is a fair one, and it shows that he is watching for any sign of disloyalty. Hushai must answer carefully.

BSA: loyalty (“kindness, mercy”): The Hebrew word is the covenant kindness owed to a friend, which is what Absalom says Hushai has failed to show.

2 Samuel 16:18-19

Hushai answers cleverly. He says he will serve whomever the LORD, the people and Israel have chosen. He then says it is natural to serve the king’s son, as he served the father. His words are true-sounding but pointed, and Absalom hears only what he wants to hear.

BSA: chosen (“selected, elected”): Hushai uses the language of choice in a way that Absalom thinks means himself, though it could also mean David. serve (“work, minister, or attend”): Hushai promises faithful service, but only the same kind he gave to David.

2 Samuel 16:20

Absalom now turns to Ahithophel and asks what they should do next. He wants a plan from the man whose counsel carries such weight. The rebel has gained a throne but he has no sense of direction without advice.

BSA: counsel (“advice, guidance, wisdom”): Absalom leans completely on another man’s judgment, which becomes a weakness in the next chapter.

2 Samuel 16:21

Ahithophel advises Absalom to take his father’s concubines, whom David left to look after the palace. It would be a public break with David that makes reconciliation impossible. His reasoning is political, and it is also a deeply shameful act.

BSA: stench (“morally offensive, detestable”): The act would make Absalom hateful to David, which is the very point: a final and public break that commits his followers.

2 Samuel 16:22

A tent is put up on the roof, where all Israel can see, and Absalom does it. This fulfills the word God spoke through Nathan after David’s sin with Bathsheba. David sinned in secret; now the shame comes in the open. God’s word stands, though it is carried out by sinful hands.

BSA: roof (“top of the house, highest point”): It was the very rooftop from which David had once seen Bathsheba, so the place echoes his old sin.

See also: 2 Samuel 12:11-12; 2 Samuel 11:2.

2 Samuel 16:23

Ahithophel’s advice was treated almost like a word from God. Both David and Absalom trusted it. The verse prepares for the next chapter, where God uses Hushai’s counsel to overturn Ahithophel’s. Human wisdom, however admired, is not the same as God’s.

BSA: word (“divine message, oracle”): People thought Ahithophel’s advice was as reliable as an answer from God, which sets up how surprising its failure will be.

See also: 2 Samuel 17:14; Proverbs 21:30.