2 Samuel 17:7
in 2 Samuel 17Hushai replied, “This time the advice of Ahithophel is not sound.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given this time is not good.
KJV
And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 17
Commentary
5 notes on this verseAnd Hushai said to Absalom,.... Having leave to give his opinion freely: the counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time; he owns that Ahithophel was a good counsellor, and that the counsel he gave was for the most part, if not always, good, but what he gave at this time was not so; the wisest of men may sometimes be mistaken. Abarbinel thinks he respects his former counsel, particularly that that was good, advising him to defile his father's bed, 2Sa 16:21; but this was not, for which he gives the following reasons.
This site's exposition
is not good at this time
on 2 Samuel 17:7-13
Hushai concedes what everyone in the room already knows, that Ahithophel's counsel has generally been sound, and stakes his objection only on this time, which gives his dissent the appearance of fairness rather than rivalry. His argument is picture and flattery together: David and his mighty men are a bear robbed of her whelps, too dangerous to be caught by surprise, so let Absalom instead gather all Israel from Dan to Beersheba and lead the host himself, as the sand of the sea for multitude. Every word plays to the young man's vanity and buys David the one thing Ahithophel's plan would have denied him, time.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
It has often proved of bad consequence to despise an enemy. See how plausibly Hushai reasoned. [1.] He insisted much upon it that David was a great soldier, a man of great conduct, courage, and experience; all knew and owned this, even Absalom himself: " Thy father is a man of war (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
At this time - Rather, “The counsel which Ahithophel has given this time is not good.” He contrasts it with that given before 2Sa 16:21, which was good. This gave an appearance of candour to his conduct, and so gave weight to his dissent. Observe the working of David’s prayer 2Sa 15:31.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
But his dexterity was chiefly displayed in that part of his counsel which recommended a general levy throughout the country; and that Absalom should take command of it in person--thereby flattering at once the pride and ambition of the usurper. The bait was caught by the vainglorious and wicked prince.
The words behind it
12 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֥אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| חוּשַׁ֖י | chushai | Hushai | H2365 → | 14 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם | ʾavshalom | Absalom | H53 → | 110 times |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| טוֹבָ֧ה | tovah | [is] good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| הָעֵצָ֛ה | haetzah | the counsel | H6098 → | 89 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יָעַ֥ץ | yaatz | he has counseled | H3289 → | 79 times |
| אֲחִיתֹ֖פֶל | ʾachitofel | Ahithophel | H302 → | 20 times |
| בַּפַּ֥עַם | bapaam | at the time | H6471 → | 118 times |
| הַזֹּֽאת׃ | hazot | <the> this | H2063 → | 603 times |
וַיֹּ֥אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
חוּשַׁ֖יHushai
chushaiH2365 →14 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אַבְשָׁל֑וֹםAbsalom
ʾavshalomH53 →110 times
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
טוֹבָ֧ה[is] good
tovahH2896 →538 times
הָעֵצָ֛הthe counsel
haetzahH6098 →89 times
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
יָעַ֥ץhe has counseled
yaatzH3289 →79 times
אֲחִיתֹ֖פֶלAhithophel
ʾachitofelH302 →20 times
בַּפַּ֥עַםat the time
bapaamH6471 →118 times
הַזֹּֽאת׃<the> this
hazotH2063 →603 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 31:8Open your mouth for those with no voice, for the cause of all the dispossessed.
it leads to
- Psalms 82:3–4
Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed.
- Proverbs 24:11–12
Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.
- Jeremiah 38:7–10
Now Ebed-melech the Cushite, a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin,
- Jeremiah 26:24
Nevertheless, Ahikam son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
- Esther 4:13–16
he sent back to her this reply: “Do not imagine that because you are in the king’s palace you alone will escape the fate of all the Jews.
- Psalms 82:3–4
About 2 Samuel
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.