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Nach YomiII Samuel · שמואל ב׳Chapter 16

II Samuel 16

שמואל ב׳ ׀ךק ט׮ז

Section: נביאים · נביאים ךאשונים | Book: II Samuel | Chapter: 16 of 24 | Day: 92 of 742

Date: May 14, 2026

קלאוד על הנ׮ך

Chapter 16 unfolds in four sharply etched scenes that, taken together, constitute one of the most theologically dense passages in the David narrative. The fleeing king meets Tziva and is slandered into a hasty judgment; the same king, only verses later, absorbs Shimi’s curses with breathtaking equanimity; the usurping son enters Yerushalayim and is greeted by a planted spy whose loyalty formula is a masterpiece of double meaning; and the chapter closes with Aឥitofel issuing the counsel that will publicly fulfill Natan’s prophecy of chapter 12. Each scene is a study in language under pressure — in slander, curse, deception, and counsel — and the chapter’s deeper subject is how a man can read divine speech in the human voices arrayed against him.

The opening Tziva episode (vv. 1-4) is, on its surface, an act of generous timing. Tziva intercepts the exhausted royal cohort just past the summit of the Mount of Olives with a pair of saddled donkeys, two hundred loaves, a hundred raisin cakes, a hundred fig cakes (Rashi and Radak gloss קַי֎ץ as pressed dried figs), and a jar of wine. But his answer to David’s pointed question וְאַיֵ֌ה בֶ֌ן֟אֲדֹנֶיך֞ (‘and where is your master’s son?’) is a slander: Mefivoshet, he claims, has stayed in Yerushalayim hoping the House of Israel will return to him ‘the kingdom of my father’ (v. 3). Metzudat David supplies the manipulative logic Tziva is putting in Mefivoshet’s mouth — with David’s own son rising against him, the people will surely tire of David’s house and remember Shaul’s. David’s reaction is immediate and total: ה֎נֵ֌ה לְך־ כֹ֌ל אֲשֶׁך ל֎מְ׀֎יבֹשֶׁת — everything is yours. Read in light of chapter 19, where Mefivoshet appears unkempt with a very different account, the moment is morally fraught. David is exhausted, ascending the mountain in tears, and he passes a sweeping verdict on the testimony of one interested party. The Sages and later authorities will see this as a hasty judgment under duress, partially undone in chapter 19 when David splits the estate — a quiet admission that the original ruling overshot its evidence.

The Shimi episode that follows (vv. 5-14) is the chapter’s theological heart. A Benjaminite kinsman of Shaul’s house emerges from Bachurim hurling stones, dust, and the most savage labels in the Hebrew Bible’s lexicon — א֎ישׁ הַד֞֌מ֎ים and א֎ישׁ הַבְ֌ל֎י֞֌עַל — accusing David of having taken the blood of the house of Shaul (Radak names the suspicions: the death of Ish Boshet and the death of Avner). Avishai’s response is brittle and military: ל֞מ֞֌ה יְקַלֵ֌ל הַכֶ֌לֶב הַמֵ֌ת הַזֶ֌ה אֶת אֲדֹנ֎י הַמֶ֌לֶךְ — let me cross over and remove his head. David’s refusal is one of his greatest moments. מַה ל֎֌י וְל֞כֶם בְ֌נֵי ׊ְךֻי֞ה, he says, and then — כ֎֌י ה׳ א֞מַך לוֹ קַלֵ֌ל אֶת ד֞֌ו֎ד. Rashi enlarges the line magnificently: is it conceivable that a man like Shimi, whom Rashi identifies as a head of the Sanhedrin, would dare to curse the king if not by divine command? Radak softens the metaphysics — the Lord stirred his spirit as a punishment for my sin — but the point is the same. David refuses to read Shimi’s voice horizontally as the slur of a partisan; he reads it vertically, as the rough instrument of providence. The verse that crowns the speech, או֌לַי י֎ךְאֶה ה׳ בְ֌עֵינ֎י וְהֵש֎ׁיב ה׳ ל֮י טוֹב֞ה תַ֌חַת ק֎לְל֞תוֹ הַי֌וֹם הַזֶ֌ה (v. 12), is among the most moving in all of Tanakh; Rashi reads בְ֌עֵינ֎י as ד֎֌מְעַת עֵינ֎י, the tears of my eye, while the kethiv בעוני and the ancient versions point to suffering. Either way, David has converted insult into atonement, viewing the curses as the working out of Natan’s words from chapter 12. Shimi’s accusation that ‘the Lord has returned upon you all the blood of the house of Shaul’ is a private, painful counterpart to the public fulfillment that will close the chapter.

The third movement (vv. 15-19) shifts to Yerushalayim, where Avshalom and Aឥitofel arrive with the men of Israel. Hushai the Archite, David’s planted agent, greets the prince with the doubled royal acclamation יְח֮י הַמֶ֌לֶךְ! יְח֮י הַמֶ֌לֶךְ! — and the doubling is the trick. The classical commentators read the formula as a calculated equivocation: each shout can be heard as cheering Avshalom and as praying for David. When Avshalom challenges his apparent disloyalty — זֶה חַסְדְ֌ך֞ אֶת ךֵעֶך֞ — Hushai answers in a sentence of luminous ambiguity. He will be loyal ‘to the one whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen’ (v. 18); Metzudat David lets the ambiguity stand by paraphrasing Hushai’s claim that his attachment to David was always for the throne, not the man. Verse 19 deepens the trap: לְמ֮י אֲנ֎י אֶעֱבֹד הֲלוֹא ל֎׀ְנֵי בְנוֹ, ‘before whose son if not his?’ — a phrase Avshalom reads as a tribute to filial succession but which the audience hears as a private oath to David himself. The whole scene is a dramatic counterweight to Shimi: where Shimi cursed truthfully (in the sense that his words contained an authentic divine charge), Hushai praises deceptively (in the sense that his words conceal his loyalty), and both serve God’s purpose.

The fourth scene (vv. 20-23) is the chapter’s prophetic punctuation. Aឥitofel, whose counsel the narrator famously rates as if a man had inquired of the word of God, advises Avshalom to publicly cohabit with David’s ten concubines on the rooftop of the palace. The political logic, sharpened by Rashi and Metzudat David, is that the supporters’ hands are still slack — they fear an eventual reconciliation between father and son — and only an act so unforgivable will harden them into commitment. The theological logic is older and more terrible: this is the precise fulfillment of Natan’s prophecy in chapter 12, ‘I will give your wives to your neighbor in your sight
 before this sun.’ The very rooftop from which David first saw Bat Sheva becomes the rooftop on which his ten concubines are publicly violated, and the same word לְעֵינֵי that signaled David’s secret sin now signals its open punishment. Radak’s note — that even this counsel was technically sound, ‘and would have killed David had not God ordered it broken’ — prepares the chapter’s hinge into chapter 17, where Hushai’s voice will overturn Aឥitofel’s oracle and the sage of Gilo will go home to hang himself.

׀ךק ט׮ז · Chapter 16

׀סוק א׳ · Verse 1

Hebrew:

וְד־ו֮֗ד ע֞בַրך מְעַט֙ מֵ֜ה֞ךֹ֔אשׁ וְה֎נ֌ֵ֥ה ש֮יב־֛א נַ֥עַך מְ׀֎יבￜￜ֖שֶׁת ל֎קְך֞את֑וֹ וְ׊ֶ֚מֶד חֲמֹך֎֜ים חֲבֻשׁ֎֗ים וַעֲלֵיהֶם֩ מ֞אתַ֚י֎ם לֶ֜חֶם ו֌מֵא֧֞ה ׊֎מ֌ו֌ק֎֛ים ו֌מֵ֥א֞ה קַ֖י֎ץ וְנֵ֥בֶל י֞֜י֎ן׃

English:

David had passed a little beyond the summit when Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth came toward him with a pair of saddled donkeys carrying two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred cakes of raisin, one hundred cakes of figs,afigs Lit. “summer fruit.” and a jar of wine.

Just past the crest of the Mount of Olives (Metzudat David identifies 'the summit' as Har HaZeitim), David is met by Tziva, Mefivoshet's servant, bearing a remarkably calculated gift: saddled donkeys, bread, raisin and fig cakes, and wine. The provisions seem to be exactly what an exiled king and his retinue need, and the abundance signals that Tziva has come prepared not merely to comfort but to position himself. The very lavishness of the offering sets the stage for the slander that follows.
ךש׎יRashi
ו֌מֵא֞ה קַי֎ץ. (תךגום:) ׎ו֌מְא֞ה מְנ־ן דְ֌בֵילְת֞֌א׎:
One hundred portions of dried figs. Yonoson translates: "One hundred portions of dried figs."

׀סוק ב׳ · Verse 2

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֧אמֶך הַמ֌ֶ֛לֶךְ אֶל֟׊֎יב֖֞א מ֞ה֟אֵ֣ל֌ֶה ל֌֑֞ךְ וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך ש֮֠יב־֠א הַחֲמוֹך֎֚ים לְבֵית֟הַמ֌ֶ֜לֶךְ ל֎ךְכ֌ֹ֗ב (ולהלחם) [וְהַל֌ֶրחֶם] וְהַק֌ַ֙י֎ץ֙ לֶאֱכ֣וֹל הַנ֌ְע֞ך֎֔ים וְהַי֌ַ֕י֎ן ל֎שְׁת֌֥וֹת הַי֌֞עֵ֖ף ב֌ַמ֌֎דְב֌֞֜ך׃

English:

The king asked Ziba, “What are you doing with these?” Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for Your Majesty’s family to ride on, the bread and figs are for the attendants to eat, and the wine is to be drunk by any who are exhausted in the wilderness.”

David asks what the provisions are for, and Tziva carefully apportions them: donkeys for the royal household, food for the young attendants, wine for those exhausted in the wilderness. Radak observes that the king's wives needed mounts because they had fled in such haste they took no transport, recalling David's earlier urgent command to flee. Tziva's display of solicitude is deliberate — by appearing as the indispensable provider in David's hour of need, he prepares the ground to claim Mefivoshet's estate.

׀סוק ג׳ · Verse 3

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ וְאַי֌ֵ֖ה ב֌ֶן֟אֲדֹנֶ֑יך֞ וַי֌ֹ֚אמֶך ש֮יב־֜א אֶל֟הַמ֌ֶ֗לֶךְ ה֎נ֌ֵה֙ יוֹשֵׁ֣ב ב֌֎יךו֌שׁ֞לַ֔͏֎ם כ֌֎֣י א֞מַ֔ך הַי֌֗וֹם י֞שׁ֎րיבו֌ ל֮י֙ ב֌ֵ֣ית י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֔ל אֵ֖ת מַמְלְכ֥ו֌ת א֞ב֎֜י׃

English:

“And where is your master’s son?” the king asked. “He is staying in Jerusalem,” Ziba replied to the king, “for he thinks that the House of Israel will now give him back the throne of his grandfather.”

David asks after Mefivoshet ('your master's son'), and Tziva delivers his slander: Mefivoshet remained in Jerusalem hoping to be restored to Shaul's throne. Metzudat David fleshes out the alleged reasoning Tziva attributes to Mefivoshet — seeing the chaos in David's house, with brother killing brother and son rising against father (calamities that never befell Shaul's family), Mefivoshet supposedly concluded the people would now return the kingship to its original line. The accusation is a perfectly timed knife in David's back: at the moment of his deepest vulnerability, the grandson of Shaul whom he had taken in as a son is portrayed as conspiring against him.

׀סוק ד׳ · Verse 4

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹրאמֶך הַמ֌ֶ֙לֶךְ֙ לְש֮ב־֔א ה֎נ֌ֵ֣ה לְך־֔ כ֌ֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֣ך ל֎מְ׀֎יבֹ֑שֶׁת וַי֌ֹրאמֶך ש֮יב־א֙ ה֎֜שְׁת֌ַחֲוֵ֔ית֎י אֶￜￜְ׊֞א֟חֵ֥ן ב֌ְעֵינֶ֖יך֞ אֲדֹנ֎֥י הַמ֌ֶ֜לֶךְ׃

English:

The king said to Ziba, “Then all that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours!” And Ziba replied, “I bow low. Your Majesty is most gracious to me.”

׀סוק ה׳ · Verse 5

Hebrew:

ו֌ב֛֞א הַמ֌ֶ֥לֶךְ ד֌֞ו֎֖ד עַד֟ב֌ַחו֌ך֎֑ים וְה֎נ֌ֵ֣ה מ֎שׁ֌֞ם֩ א֎֚ישׁ יוֹ׊ֵ֜א מ֎מ֌֎שְׁ׀֌ַ֣חַת ב֌ֵית֟שׁ֞א֗ו֌ל ו֌שְׁמוֹ֙ שׁ֎מְע֎֣י בֶן֟ג֌ֵך֞֔א יֹ׊ֵ֥א י֞׊֖וֹא ו֌מְקַל֌ֵ֜ל׃

English:

As King David was approaching Bahurim, a member of Saul’s clan—a man named Shimei son of Gera—came out from there, hurling insults as he came.

As David nears Bachurim — a Benjaminite town that Radak identifies with Almavet — a kinsman of Shaul named Shimi ben Gera comes out cursing the fleeing king. The setting is loaded: David is now passing through Shaul's tribal heartland, where old loyalties never truly accepted his kingship. The doubled verb 'יֹ׊ֵא י֞׊וֹא' (going out and going) suggests Shimi keeps emerging to curse him, transforming a single insult into a sustained public assault.

׀סוק ו׳ · Verse 6

Hebrew:

וַיְסַק֌ֵրל ב֌֞֜אֲב֞נ֎ים֙ אֶת֟ד֌֞ו֎֔ד וְאֶת֟כ֌ׇל֟עַבְדֵ֖י הַמ֌ֶ֣לֶךְ ד֌֞ו֎֑ד וְכׇל֟ה֞ע֞ם֙ וְכׇל֟הַג֌֎ב֌ֹך֎֔ים מ֎ימ֎ינ֖וֹ ו֌מ֎שׂ֌ְמֹאל֜וֹ׃

English:

He threw stones at David and all King David’s courtiers, while all the troops and all the warriors were at his right and his left.

Shimi escalates from words to violence, hurling stones at David and his servants while the king's warriors flank him on both sides. Radak emphasizes the audacity: Shimi pelts the entire royal company with stones even though armed gibborim stand at David's right and left, men who could cut him down in an instant. The image starkly captures David's humiliation — a single Benjaminite is permitted to stone the anointed king of Israel, and David's mighty men do nothing because David himself restrains them.

׀סוק ז׳ · Verse 7

Hebrew:

וְכֹה֟א֞מַ֥ך שׁ֎מְע֎֖י ב֌ְקַ֜לְל֑וֹ ׊ֵ֥א ׊ֵ֛א א֎֥ישׁ הַד֌֞מ֎֖ים וְא֎֥ישׁ הַב֌ְל֎י֌֞֜עַל׃

English:

And these are the insults that Shimei hurled: “Get out, get out, you criminal, you villain!

Shimi's curse takes shape: 'Get out, get out, man of bloodshed (איש הדמים) and worthless man (איש הבליעל)!' Metzudat David explains the demand to 'leave your kingship' as accusing David of having engineered the deaths of Avner and Ish-Boshet to clear his path to the throne. Radak (citing Targum Yonatan) renders 'איש הדמים' as 'a man deserving of death.' This is the deepest cut: not a generic insult but the specific accusation that David's whole kingship rests on murdered Saulide blood.

׀סוק ח׳ · Verse 8

Hebrew:

הֵשׁ֎יב֩ ע֞לֶ֚יך֞ יְהֹו֞֜ה כ֌ֹ֣ל ׀ ד֌ְמֵ֣י בֵית֟שׁ֞א֗ו֌ל אֲשֶׁրך מ֞לַ֙כְת֌֞֙ ת֌ַחְת֌֞֔ו וַי֌֎ת֌ֵրן יְהֹו֞ה֙ אֶת֟הַמ֌ְלו֌כ֞֔ה ב֌ְיַ֖ד אַבְשׁ֞ל֣וֹם ב֌ְנֶ֑ך֞ וְה֎נ֌ְך֞֙ ב֌ְך֣֞ע֞תֶ֔ך֞ כ֌֎֛י א֎֥ישׁ ד֌֞מ֎֖ים א֞֜ת֌֞ה׃

English:

GOD is paying you back for all your crimes against the family of Saul, whose throne you seized. GOD is handing over the throne to your son Absalom; you are in trouble because you are a criminal!”

Shimi's curse becomes a theological indictment: Hashem has returned upon David all the blood of Shaul's house, transferring the kingship to Avshalom as just retribution. Metzudat David glosses 'דמי בית שאול' as the punishment for Ish-Boshet's death, which Shimi attributes to David's counsel. The accusation weaponizes Avshalom's revolt — Shimi reads David's current crisis as theodicy, the proof that God himself agrees with the Benjaminite verdict on David's blood-guilt.

׀סוק ט׳ · Verse 9

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֚אמֶך אֲב֎ישַׁրי ב֌ֶן֟׊ְךו֌י֞ה֙ אֶל֟הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ ל֣֞מ֌֞ה יְקַל֌ֵ֞ל הַכ֌ֶրלֶב הַמ֌ֵת֙ הַז֌ֶ֔ה אֶת֟אֲדֹנ֎֖י הַמ֌ֶ֑לֶךְ אֶעְב֌ְך֞ה֟נ֌֖֞א וְא֞ס֎֥יך֞ה אֶת֟ךֹאשׁ֜וֹ׃ {ס}        

English:

Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why let that dead dog abuse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!”

Avishai ben Tzeruyah, David's nephew and one of his fiercest warriors, erupts in fury — calling Shimi a 'dead dog' and demanding permission to cross over and remove his head. Metzudat David hears in Avishai's protest the implicit retort: 'as if you killed Shaul and his sons!' The request crystallizes the political logic any normal king would follow: a public curser of the anointed monarch is a capital case, and silence here will embolden every other Benjaminite. David's response in the next verses will show why he is no normal king.

׀סוק י׮ · Verse 10

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ מַה֟ל֌֎֥י וְל֞כֶ֖ם ב֌ְנֵ֣י ׊ְךֻי֑֞ה (כי) [כ֌ֹ֣ה] יְקַל֌ֵ֗ל (וכי) [כ֌֎րי] יְהֹו֞ה֙ א֞րמַך לוֹ֙ קַל֌ֵ֣ל אֶת֟ד֌֞ו֎֔ד ו֌מ֎֣י יֹאמַ֔ך מַד֌֖ו֌עַ ע֞שׂ֎֥ית֞ה כ֌ֵ֜ן׃ {ס}        

English:

But the king said, “What has this to do with you,bWhat has this to do with you Lit. “What have I and you.” you sons of Zeruiah? He is abusing [me] only because GOD told him to abuse David; and who is to say, ‘Why did You do that?’”

David rebukes Avishai with a famous phrase — 'מה לי ולכם בני ש׹ויה' — distancing himself from the violent instincts of Tzeruyah's sons and reframing Shimi's curse as divine commission. Rashi makes a striking point: Shimi was no commoner but the head of the Sanhedrin, and a man of that stature would never curse the anointed king unless commanded by God. David's logic is humbling — 'who can say to Hashem, why have You done this?' — converting public humiliation into accepted decree. This refusal to silence Shimi marks the turning point of the chapter: David passes the test of accepting affliction without lashing out.
ךש׎יRashi
כֹ֌ה יְקַלֵ֌ל. כֵ֌ן יְקַלֵ֌ל: ה׳ א֞מַך לוֹ. אֶ׀ְשׁ֞ך א־ד־ם כְ֌מוֹתוֹ שֶׁהו֌א ךֹאשׁ לְסַנְהֶדְך֎ין, יְקַלֵ֌ל אֶת הַמֶ֌לֶךְ א֎ם לֹא שֶׁנֶ֌אֱמַך לוֹ מֵאֵת הַק֌֞דוֹשׁ ב֌֞ךו֌ךְ הו֌א:
He should curse [me] like this. He should curse like this. God told him. Is it possible that a man like him who is head of the Sanhedrin would curse the king if he were not told [to do so] by God?

׀סוק י׮א · Verse 11

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֚אמֶך ד֌֞ו֎րד אֶל֟אֲב֎ישַׁי֙ וְאֶל֟כ֌ׇל֟עֲב֞ד֞֔יו ה֎נ֌ֵ֥ה בְנ֛֮י אֲשֶׁך֟י֞׊֥֞א מ֎מ֌ֵעַ֖י מְבַק֌ֵ֣שׁ אֶת֟נַ׀ְשׁ֎֑י וְאַ֚ף כ֌֎֜י֟עַת֌֞֜ה ב֌ֶן֟הַיְמ֎ינ֎֗י הַנ֌֎րחו֌ לוֹ֙ ו֎֜יקַל֌ֵ֔ל כ֌֎֥י א֞מַך֟ל֖וֹ יְהֹו֞֜ה׃

English:

David said further to Abishai and all the courtiers, “If my son, my own issue, seeks to kill me, how much more the Benjaminite! Let him go on hurling abuse, for GOD has told him to.

David widens his theological response with a kal vachomer: 'My own son, who came forth from my loins, seeks my life — how much more this Benjaminite!' Metzudat David draws out the logic: a son's natural instinct is to spare his father, yet Avshalom hunts David's life, proving that the hand of Hashem is at work. If God can turn a son into a pursuer, then a Benjaminite kinsman of Shaul cursing him is well within the bounds of divine providence. David widens the circle of acceptance, refusing to distinguish between curses he can bear and curses he cannot.

׀סוק י׮ב · Verse 12

Hebrew:

או֌לַ֛י י֎ךְאֶ֥ה יְהֹו֖֞ה (בעוני) [ב֌ְעֵינ֎֑י] וְהֵשׁ֎֚יב יְהֹו֥֞ה ל֮י֙ טוֹב֞֔ה ת֌ַ֥חַת ק֎לְל֞ת֖וֹ הַי֌֥וֹם הַז֌ֶ֜ה׃

English:

Perhaps GOD will look upon my punishmentcpunishment So kethib; qere “eye.” Ancient versions read “suffering.” and recompense me for the abuse [Shimei] has uttered today.”

David seals his theological response with hope: perhaps Hashem will see his affliction (or, per the kethiv, his tears) and return good in place of Shimi's curse. Rashi (citing Targum Yonatan) reads 'בעיני' as 'the tears of my eyes,' a poignant gloss that captures David's silent suffering under the stones and dust. Metzudat David explains that the very humiliation may become a vehicle of mercy — God may choose to repay this day's curse with future good. The verse completes David's transformation of disgrace into prayer: he accepts the curse, offers his tears, and entrusts the verdict to Heaven.
ךש׎יRashi
י֎ךְאֶה ה׳ בְ֌עֵינ֎י. ד֎֌מְעַת עֵינ֎י:
God will see [the tears] in my eyes. [Yonoson translates:] "The tears of my eyes."

׀סוק י׮ג · Verse 13

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֵ֧לֶךְ ד֌֞ו֎֛ד וַאֲנ֞שׁ֖֞יו ב֌ַד֌֑֞ךֶךְ {ס}        וְשׁ֎מְע֎֡י הֹלֵךְ֩ ב֌ְ׊ֵ֚לַע ה־ה־֜׹ לְעֻמ֌֞ת֗וֹ ה֞לוֹךְ֙ וַיְקַל֌ֵ֔ל וַיְסַק֌ֵրל ב֌֞אֲב֞נ֎ים֙ לְעֻמ֌֞ת֔וֹ וְע֎׀֌ַ֖ך ב֌ֶע֞׀֞֜ך׃ {×€}

English:

David and his men continued on their way, while Shimei walked alongside on the slope of the hill, insulting him as he walked, and throwing stones at him and flinging dirt.

The verse paints an extended, almost cinematic image: David walks along the road below while Shimi parallels him on the slope, cursing, hurling stones, and flinging dust. Radak observes that the stones and dust never actually reached David because Shimi was too far away -- he was throwing 'in his direction' (לעומתו) rather than at him -- so the assault was largely symbolic, a sustained public humiliation. The doubled phrase 'flinging dust with dust' (וע׀ך בע׀ך) Radak takes as an intensifying repetition, underscoring how relentless the abuse was even though it accomplished little physically.

׀סוק י׮ד · Verse 14

Hebrew:

וַי֌֞בֹ֥א הַמ֌ֶ֛לֶךְ וְכׇל֟ה֞ע֥֞ם אֲשֶׁך֟א֎ת֌֖וֹ עֲיֵ׀֎֑ים וַי֌֎נ֌֞׀ֵ֖שׁ שׁ֞֜ם׃

English:

The king and all who accompanied him arriveddarrived Some Septuagint mss. add “at the Jordan.” exhausted, and he rested there.

David and his entourage finally arrive at Bachurim utterly drained -- the word עֲיֵ׀֎ים captures both physical exhaustion from the steep climb and the emotional exhaustion of having absorbed Shimi's verbal assault. Rashi, Metzudat David, and Radak all identify 'there' as Bachurim, the very town from which Shimi had emerged, which gives the rest a bittersweet quality: the king finds respite at the edge of the territory of the man who had just cursed him. The pause marks a structural breath in the narrative before the scene shifts to Yerushalayim and Avshalom's triumphal entry.
ךש׎יRashi
וַי֎֌נ֞֌׀ֵשׁ שׁ֞ם. בְ֌בַחו֌ך֎ים:
And they rested there. In Bachurim.

׀סוק ט׮ו · Verse 15

Hebrew:

וְאַבְשׁ֞ל֗וֹם וְכׇל֟ה֞ע֞ם֙ א֎֣ישׁ י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֔ל ב֌֖֞או֌ יְךו֌שׁ֞ל֑֞͏֎ם וַאֲח֎יתֹ֖׀ֶל א֎ת֌֜וֹ׃

English:

Meanwhile Absalom and all the troops, Israel’s force, arrived in Jerusalem, together with Ahithophel.

׀סוק ט׮ז · Verse 16

Hebrew:

וַיְה֎֗י כ֌ַאֲשֶׁך֟ב֌֞֞א חו֌שַׁ֧י ה֞אַךְכ֌֎֛י ךֵעֶ֥ה ד־ו֖֮ד אֶל֟אַבְשׁ֞ל֑וֹם וַי֌ֹրאמֶך חו֌שַׁי֙ אֶל֟אַבְשׁ֞ל֔וֹם ×™Ö°×—ÖŽÖ¥×™ הַמ֌ֶ֖לֶךְ ×™Ö°×—ÖŽÖ¥×™ הַמ֌ֶ֜לֶￜￜְ׃

English:

When Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came before Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

׀סוק י׮ז · Verse 17

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹրאמֶך אַבְשׁ֞לוֹם֙ אֶל֟חו֌שַׁ֔י זֶ֥ה חַסְד֌ְך֖֞ אֶת֟ךֵעֶ֑ך֞ ל֥֞מ֌֞ה לֹא֟ה֞לַ֖כְת֌֞ אֶת֟ךֵעֶ֜ך֞׃

English:

But Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why didn’t you go with your friend?”

Avshalom immediately challenges Hushai's loyalty -- Metzudat David paraphrases his sting: 'Is this the kindness you show your friend David, abandoning him on his day of trouble? Why didn't you go with him?' The question is dangerous, because if Avshalom concludes that Hushai is a plant, the entire counter-mission David sent him on (15:32-37) collapses. The narrative tension is sharp: the survival of David's last source of intelligence at court depends on Hushai's next sentence.

׀סוק י׮ח · Verse 18

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך חו֌שַׁי֮ אֶל֟אַבְשׁ֞לֹם֒ לֹ֕א כ֌֎י֩ אֲשֶׁ֚ך ב֌֞חַ֧ך יְהֹו֛֞ה וְה֞ע֥֞ם הַז֌ֶ֖ה וְכׇל֟א֎֣ישׁ י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֑ל (לא) [ל֥וֹ] אֶהְיֶ֖ה וְא֎ת֌֥וֹ אֵשֵׁ֜ב׃

English:

“Not at all!” Hushai replied. “I am for the one whom GOD and these troops and all the rest of Israel’s force has chosen, and I will stay with him.

Hushai's reply is a masterpiece of strategic ambiguity: 'No -- the one whom Hashem and this people and all Israel have chosen, to him I will belong and with him I will sit.' Metzudat David explains his framing: my loyalty is to whoever holds the kingship, and I am only telling you that I serve the legitimate king. Radak notes the kri/ktiv tension -- the written לא ('not') versus the read לו ('to him') -- which itself encodes the doubleness: in his heart he means David, while letting Avshalom hear it as a pledge to himself. The line is the linchpin of David's entire counter-conspiracy.

׀סוק י׮ט · Verse 19

Hebrew:

וְהַשׁ֌ֵנ֎֗ית לְמ֮י֙ אֲנ֎֣י אֶעֱבֹ֔ד הֲל֖וֹא ל֎׀ְנֵ֣י בְנ֑וֹ כ֌ַאֲשֶׁրך ע֞בַ֙דְת֌֎י֙ ל֎׀ְנֵ֣י א־ב֮֔יך־ כ֌ֵ֖ן אֶהְיֶ֥ה לְ׀֞נֶ֜יך֞׃ {×€}

English:

Furthermore, whom should I serve, if not David’seDavid’s Heb. “his.” son? As I was in your father’s service, so I will be in yours.”

Hushai's second argument seals the performance: 'And whom should I serve, if not before his son? As I served before your father, so will I be before you.' Metzudat David and Radak both note that Hushai phrases this as a second independent justification -- even granting affection for David personally, royal service naturally flows to the son, not to the rival house of Shaul. Crucially, the pivotal phrase 'before his son' (ל׀ני בנו) never names whose son, leaving open in Hushai's own mind that he serves the rightful Davidic line, while Avshalom hears the obvious flattering reading.

׀סוק כ׳ · Verse 20

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֥אמֶך אַבְשׁ֞ל֖וֹם אֶל֟אֲח֎יתֹ֑׀ֶל ה֞ב֥ו֌ ל֞כֶ֛ם עֵ׊֖֞ה מַ֜ה֟נ֌ַעֲשֶׂ֜ה׃

English:

Absalom then said to Ahithophel, “What do you advise us to do?”

Avshalom turns to Aឥitofel for guidance with the plural 'you all give counsel' -- which Metzudat David reads as addressed to Aឥitofel and the assembled elders, while Radak alternatively takes it as a stylized honorific or as referring to Aឥitofel together with the sages around him. Either way, the moment is decisive: having seized the city, the new regime must now make a move that will consolidate what has been won. The question hands Aឥitofel center stage and sets up his first piece of fateful counsel.

׀סוק כ׮א · Verse 21

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹրאמֶך אֲח֎יתֹ֙׀ֶל֙ אֶל֟אַבְשׁ֞לֹ֔ם ב֌֚וֹא אֶל֟׀֌֎֜לַגְשֵׁ֣י א־ב֮֔יך־ אֲשֶׁ֥ך ה֎נ֌֎֖יחַ ל֎שְׁמ֣וֹך הַב֌֑֞י֎ת וְשׁ֞מַրע כ֌ׇל֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵל֙ כ֌֎֜י֟נ֎בְאַ֣שְׁת֌֞ אֶת֟א֞ב֎֔יך֞ וְח֣֞זְק֔ו֌ יְדֵ֖י כ֌ׇל֟אֲשֶׁ֥ך א֎ת֌֞֜ךְ׃

English:

And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Have intercourse with your father’s concubines, whom he left to mind the palace; and when all Israel hears that you have dared the wrath of your father, all who support you will be encouraged.”

Aឥitofel's counsel is shockingly bold: take your father's concubines publicly, so that all Israel hears that you have made yourself utterly odious to your father (נ֎בְאַשְׁת֞֌) -- and then your supporters will be emboldened. Rashi and Metzudat David both supply the political logic: until now, Avshalom's followers have held back, fearing that father and son might still reconcile and that the king would punish those who joined the revolt; an irrevocable public outrage burns that bridge and locks them in. The advice is morally horrifying but politically shrewd, and it is the very act that fulfills Natan's prophecy in chapter 12 that David's wives would be taken 'before this sun.'
ךש׎יRashi
וְח֞זְקו֌ יְדֵי כ֞֌ל אֲשֶׁך א֎ת֞֌ךְ. כ֎֌י עַת֞֌ה י־ד־ם ך֞׀֞ה לַעֲזֹך לְך־, שֶׁאוֹמְך֎ים בְ֌ל֎ב֞֌ם הַבֵ֌ן י֎תְח֞ךֵט אֵ׊ֶל א־ב֮יו, ו֞א֞נו֌ נ֎הְיֶה שְׂנו֌א֎ים לַמֶ֌לֶךְ:
And you will strengthen the hands of all those who are with you. Because at present their hands are feeble in their ability to help you because they are saying [to themselves] in their hearts, "The son will change towards [and reconcile with] his father and we will be hated by the king.1For having joined a conspiracy against him.

׀סוק כ׮ב · Verse 22

Hebrew:

וַי֌ַט֌֧ו֌ לְאַבְשׁ֞ל֛וֹם ה֞אֹ֖הֶל עַל֟הַג֌֑֞ג וַי֌֞בֹրא אַבְשׁ֞לוֹם֙ אֶל֟׀֌֎֜לַגְשֵׁ֣י א־ב֮֔יו לְעֵינֵ֖י כ֌ׇל֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֜ל׃

English:

So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom lay with his father’s concubines with the full knowledgefwith the full knowledge Lit. “before the eyes.” of all Israel.—

A tent is pitched on the palace rooftop -- the very rooftop from which David first saw Bat-Sheva (11:2) -- and Avshalom goes in to his father's concubines 'before the eyes of all Israel.' Metzudat David and Radak both note that 'before the eyes' does not mean physically watching the act itself but rather that the entry into the tent was conducted in full public view, leaving no doubt about what occurred inside. The moment is the precise fulfillment of Natan's curse from 12:11-12: 'I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he will lie with them in the sight of this sun... before all Israel and before the sun.' What David did secretly, the prophet had said, would be done to him in broad daylight.

׀סוק כ׮ג · Verse 23

Hebrew:

וַעֲ׊ַ֣ת אֲח֎יתֹ֗׀ֶל אֲשֶׁրך ×™Öž×¢Ö·×¥Ö™ ב֌ַי֌֞מ֎֣ים ה֞הֵ֔ם כ֌ַאֲשֶׁ֥ך י֎שְׁאַל֟[א֎֖ישׁ] ב֌֎דְבַ֣ך ה֞אֱלֹה֎֑ים כ֌ֵ֚ן כ֌ׇל֟עֲ׊ַ֣ת אֲח֎יתֹ֔׀ֶל ג֌ַם֟לְד֞ו֎֖ד ג֌ַ֥ם לְאַבְשׁ֞לֹ֜ם׃ {ס}        

English:

In those days, the advice that Ahithophel gave was accepted like an oracle sought from God; that is how all the advice of Ahithophel was esteemed both by David and by Absalom.

The chapter closes with one of the most arresting comments in Tanakh: Aឥitofel's counsel in those days was 'as if a man had inquired of the word of God' -- both for David and for Avshalom. Metzudat David explains the comparison: just as someone asking a divine oracle is sure the answer is true, so Aឥitofel's advice was reliably effective at securing its desired outcome; that is why even the next counsel he gives (to pursue David at once) was strategically correct, and only Hashem's intervention, working through Hushai, would frustrate it. Radak unpacks the ktiv/kri (איש written but not pronounced) and notes the midrashic reading that Aឥitofel was almost like an angel -- a chilling note that frames the crisis to come: David's survival will require nothing less than divine override of near-prophetic political genius.

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