2 Samuel 17:14

17:14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite sounds better than the advice of Ahithophel.” Now the Lord had decided ¹  to frustrate the sound advice of Ahithophel, so that the Lord could bring disaster on Absalom.

2 Samuel 16:23

16:23 In those days Ahithophel’s advice was considered as valuable as a prophetic revelation. ²  Both David and Absalom highly regarded the advice of Ahithophel. ³ 

2 Samuel 17:15

17:15 Then Hushai reported to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the leaders ⁴  of Israel to do, and here is what I have advised.

2 Samuel 17:7

17:7 Hushai replied to Absalom, “Ahithophel’s advice is not sound this time.” ⁵ 

2 Samuel 17:11

17:11 My advice therefore is this: Let all Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba – in number like the sand by the sea! – be mustered to you, and you lead them personally into battle.

2 Samuel 17:23

17:23 When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and returned to his house in his hometown. After setting his household in order, he hanged himself. So he died and was buried in the grave ⁶  of his father.

2 Samuel 17:21

17:21 After the men had left, Ahimaaz and Jonathan ⁷  climbed out of the well. Then they left and informed King David. They advised David, “Get up and cross the stream ⁸  quickly, for Ahithophel has devised a plan to catch you.” ⁹ 

2 Samuel 17:6

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?”

2 Samuel 15:31

15:31 Now David ¹⁰  had been told, “Ahithophel has sided with the conspirators who are with Absalom. So David prayed, ¹¹  “Make the advice of Ahithophel foolish, O Lord!”

2 Samuel 15:12

15:12 While he was offering sacrifices, Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s adviser, ¹²  to come from his city, Giloh. ¹³  The conspiracy was gaining momentum, and the people were starting to side with Absalom.

2 Samuel 16:20

16:20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?”

2 Samuel 17:4

17:4 This seemed like a good idea to Absalom and to all the leaders ¹⁴  of Israel.

2 Samuel 15:34

15:34 But you will be able to counter the advice of Ahithophel if you go back to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king! Previously I was your father’s servant, and now I will be your servant.’

2 Samuel 20:18

20:18 She said, “In the past they would always say, ‘Let them inquire in Abel,’ and that is how they settled things.

2 Samuel 8:18

8:18 Benaiah son of Jehoida supervised ¹⁵  the Kerithites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests. ¹⁶ 

2 Samuel 15:33

15:33 David said to him, “If you leave ¹⁷  with me you will be a burden to me.

[17:14]  ¹ tn Heb “commanded.”

[16:23]  ² tn Heb “And the advice of Ahithophel which he advised in those days was as when one inquires of the word of God.”

[16:23]  ³ tn Heb “So was all the advice of Ahithophel, also to David, also to Absalom.”

[17:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “elders.”

[17:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “Not good is the advice which Ahithophel has advised at this time.”

[17:23]  ⁶ tc The Greek recensions of Origen and Lucian have here “house” for “grave.”

[17:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “they”; the referents (Ahimaaz and Jonathan) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “the water.”

[17:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “for thus Ahithophel has devised against you.” The expression “thus” is narrative shorthand, referring to the plan outlined by Ahithophel (see vv. 1-3). The men would surely have outlined the plan in as much detail as they had been given by the messenger.

[15:31]  ¹⁰ tc The translation follows 4QSam^a, part of the Greek tradition, the Syriac Peshitta, Targum, and Vulgate uldavid in reading “and to David,” rather than MT וְדָוִד (vÿdavid, “and David”). As Driver points out, the Hebrew verb הִגִּיד (higgid, “he related”) never uses the accusative for the person to whom something is told (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 316).

[15:31]  ¹¹ tn Heb “said.”

[15:12]  ¹² tn Traditionally, “counselor,” but this term is more often associated with psychological counseling today, so “adviser” was used in the translation instead.

[15:12]  ¹³ tn Heb “Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, the adviser of David, from his city, from Giloh, while he was sacrificing.” It is not entirely clear who (Absalom or Ahithophel) was offering the sacrifices.

[17:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “elders.”

[8:18]  ¹⁵ tc The translation follows the Syriac Peshitta, Targum, and Vulgate in reading “over,” rather than the simple conjunction that appears in MT. See also the parallel passage in 1 Chr 18:17.

[8:18]  ¹⁶ sn That David’s sons could have been priests, in light of the fact that they were not of the priestly lineage, is strange. One must assume either (1) that the word “priest” (כֹּהֵן, kohen) during this period of time could be used in a broader sense of “chief ruler” (KJV); “chief minister” (ASV, NASB), or “royal adviser” (NIV), perhaps based on the parallel passage in 1 Chr 18:17 which has “the king’s leading officials”, or (2) that in David’s day members of the king’s family could function as a special category of “priests” (cf. NLT “priestly leaders”). The latter option seems to be the more straightforward way of understanding the word in 2 Sam 8:18.

[15:33]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “cross over.”