Skip to Content
Nach YomiII Samuel · שמואל ב׳Chapter 17

II Samuel 17

שמואל ב׳ ׀ךק י׮ז

Section: נביאים · נביאים ךאשונים | Book: II Samuel | Chapter: 17 of 24 | Day: 93 of 742

Date: May 15, 2026

קלאוד על הנ׮ך

II Samuel 17 is the hinge upon which the entire Avshalom rebellion turns. Chapter 15 had ended with Dovid ascending the Mount of Olives barefoot and weeping, offering a single, almost desperate prayer: “סַכֶ֌ל-נ֞א אֶת-עֲ׊ַת אֲח֎יתֹ׀ֶל” — frustrate, please, the counsel of Achitofel. Chapter 17 is the literary fulfillment of that prayer. The narrative is structured as a chiasm of unraveling: Achitofel’s counsel, Chushai’s counter-counsel, the secret communication network, the flight across the Jordan, Achitofel’s suicide, and Dovid’s arrival at Machanayim. Every link in the chain is the consequence of the rejection of one man’s advice. The chapter reads like a meditation on the strange interplay between razor-sharp human strategy and the quiet, decisive hand of providence.

Achitofel’s counsel in verses 1-4 is, by every military standard, brilliant. Pick twelve thousand men, strike that very night while Dovid is “weary and disheartened” (×™Öž×’Öµ×¢Ö· ו֌ךְ׀ֵה י֞דַי֎ם), kill the king alone, and bring the rest of the people back in peace. Radak preserves the tradition that explains the bitterness behind the brilliance: Achitofel was Bat-Sheva’s grandfather (her father Eliam appears in 11:3 as one of Dovid’s mighty men, and Achitofel the Gilonite is named as Eliam’s father in 23:34), and his hatred of Dovid was rooted in the disgrace of the Bat-Sheva episode. Even his phrasing carries the venom — he speaks of pursuing “אַחֲךֵי ד־ו֮ד,” after Dovid, refusing to call him king. Chushai HaArki, Dovid’s secret agent planted in 15:32-37, must overturn this counsel by appealing not to military logic but to Avshalom’s vanity and fear. He paints Dovid as a wounded bear, “כְ֌דֹב שַׁכ֌ו֌ל בַ֌ש֞֌ׂדֶה,” a seasoned warrior hidden in pits and caves whose first counterstrike will melt the hearts of the bravest men. Better, Chushai urges, to gather all Israel “from Dan to Be’er-Sheva, like the sand on the sea-shore” with Avshalom himself at their head — a plan that flatters the usurper while buying Dovid the time he needs. The narrator’s interjection in verse 14 is among the most theologically explicit statements in all of Sefer Shmuel: “וַה׳ ׊֎ו֞֌ה לְה֞׀ֵך אֶת עֲ׊ַת אֲח֎יתֹ׀ֶל הַט֌וֹב֞ה לְבַעֲבו֌ך ה־ב֮יא ה׳ אֶל אַבְשׁ֞לוֹם אֶת ה֞ך֞ע֞ה.” The text concedes that Achitofel’s advice was, on its merits, good; only divine purpose overturned it. Dovid’s prayer was answered not by altering the facts of the world but by tilting the deliberations of one man’s mind.

The middle of the chapter (verses 15-22) is a tightly written espionage sequence. Chushai relays the news to the kohanim Tzadok and Evyatar; their sons Yehonatan and Achima’atz wait at Ein Rogel just outside Jerusalem; a maidservant carries the message; a boy spots them; they flee to Bachurim, where a sympathetic family hides them in a courtyard well, covering its mouth with a cloth and spreading groats (הךי׀ות) over it for camouflage. The woman misdirects Avshalom’s pursuers, and the messengers slip through. The geography here rhymes with bitter irony: Bachurim was the very village from which Shim’i ben Gera had cursed and stoned Dovid in chapter 16. The same place that produced Dovid’s tormentor now produces his rescuer. The episode also reaches further back — the woman of Bachurim covering the well with grain is a clear echo of Rachav at Yericho in Yehoshua 2, hiding the spies under stalks of flax. In both cases an unnamed woman, working alone, secures Israel’s future against pursuers; the literary cross-reference signals that the redemption of the Davidic monarchy is being woven into the same fabric as Israel’s earliest conquests.

Verse 23 stands utterly alone in tone — a single-verse vignette of devastating quiet. Achitofel sees that his counsel has been rejected, saddles his donkey (וַיַ֌חֲבֹשׁ אֶת הַחֲמוֹך, the verb tinged with the language of mourning), returns to his city, sets his house in order (וַיְ׊ַו אֶל בֵ֌יתוֹ), and hangs himself. He is then buried in his father’s tomb. He is one of only a handful of suicides in Tanakh — alongside Sha’ul, Avimelech, and Zimri — and the only one who dies neither in battle nor in immediate panic. Metzudat David explains the deliberation: Achitofel preferred a private death to execution as a rebel, since a rebel’s estate is forfeit to the crown, and he wished to preserve his property for his heirs. The tactical mind that had counseled the swift strike grasped instantly what Avshalom and the elders of Israel could not — that with Chushai’s plan adopted, the rebellion was already lost. In this respect Achitofel is a mirror image of Dovid himself: both are men of profound strategic intelligence; one prays and lives, the other calculates and dies.

The chapter closes with a quiet inversion of the opening of the rebellion. Dovid arrives at Machanayim in Gilead — the very place where Yaakov, fleeing his own family conflict, had encountered camps of angels in Bereishit 32. There, three Trans-Jordanian notables come out to meet him: Shovi ben Nachash from Rabbat-Ammon, Machir ben Ami’el from Lo Devar, and Barzilai HaGil’adi from Rogelim. They bring beds, basins, earthenware, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, honey, butter, sheep, and cheese, “for they said, the people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.” The catalogue of provisions is itself a theological statement. Just two chapters earlier Dovid had walked barefoot up the Mount of Olives with his head covered, abandoned by his son and his city; now an Ammonite, a man from the very household that had sheltered Mefivoshet (Sha’ul’s grandson) in Lo Devar, and a wealthy old Gileadite all converge to feed him. Avshalom’s army is led by Amasa, son of Avigayil, Dovid’s own sister — a reminder that the family that fights Dovid is also, hauntingly, his own. The chapter that opens with Dovid as the hunted king ends with him provisioned, encamped, and ready. Achitofel’s counsel was good; the LORD overturned it; and in the morning light at Machanayim, the war that Dovid is about to win is already, in its decisive moment, won.

׀ךק י׮ז · Chapter 17

׀סוק א׳ · Verse 1

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֥אמֶך אֲח֎יתֹ֖׀ֶל אֶל֟אַבְשׁ֞ל֑וֹם אֶבְחֲך֣֞ה נ֌֞֗א שְׁנֵים֟ע֞שׂ֥֞ך אֶ֙לֶף֙ א֎֔ישׁ וְא֞ק֛ו֌מ֞ה וְאֶךְד֌ְ׀֥֞ה אַ֜חֲךֵי֟ד֞ו֎֖ד הַל֌֞֜יְל֞ה׃

English:

And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me pick twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David.

Achitofel proposes a swift strike — picking 12,000 men and pursuing Dovid that very night. Metzudat David explains the urgency: Dovid is exhausted from his flight, and the small, elite force is chosen for speed. Achitofel insists on leading personally, fearing that Avshalom would hesitate and relent if he came face to face with his father; Radak adds that the 12,000 represent 1,000 from each tribe, lending the operation national legitimacy.

׀סוק ב׳ · Verse 2

Hebrew:

וְא֞ב֣וֹא ע֞ל֞֗יו וְהրו֌א ×™Öž×’ÖµÖ™×¢Ö·Ö™ ו֌ךְ׀ֵ֣ה י֞דַ֔י֎ם וְהַחֲךַדְת֌֎֣י אֹת֔וֹ וְנ֖֞ס כ֌ׇל֟ה֞ע֣֞ם אֲשֶׁך֟א֎ת֌֑וֹ וְה֎כ֌ֵית֎֥י אֶת֟הַמ֌ֶ֖לֶךְ לְבַד֌֜וֹ׃

English:

I will come upon him when he is weary and disheartened, and I will throw him into a panic; and when all the troops with him flee, I will kill the king alone.

The plan is surgical — strike Dovid while he is weary and disheartened, throw his camp into panic so the troops scatter, and kill only the king himself. Achitofel understands the political logic: a civil war with mass Israelite casualties would poison Avshalom's reign, but a single targeted assassination ends the crisis cleanly.

׀סוק ג׳ · Verse 3

Hebrew:

וְא֞שׁ֎֥יב֞ה כׇל֟ה֞ע֖֞ם אֵלֶ֑יך֞ כ֌ְשׁ֣ו֌ב הַכ֌ֹ֔ל ה֞א֎ישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ך אַת֌֣֞ה מְבַק֌ֵ֔שׁ כ֌ׇל֟ה֞ע֖֞ם י֎הְיֶ֥ה שׁ֞ל֜וֹם׃

English:

And I will bring back all the people to you; when all have come back [except] the man you are after,ato you; when all have come back [except] the man you are after Or “to you, as when everyone returned [to] the man you are after,” i.e., to David upon the deaths of the previous kings, namely Saul and his son Ish-baal (“Ish-bosheth”); so Abravanel. Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Septuagint reads “to you as a bride comes back to her husband; you seek the life of but one man, and
” all the people will be at peace.”

Achitofel promises to return all the people peacefully to Avshalom — only one man, Dovid, need die. Radak (citing tradition) notes the chilling intimacy of Achitofel's phrasing 'after Dovid' rather than 'after the king Dovid': his hatred is personal, going back to the Bat-Sheva incident, since Achitofel was Bat-Sheva's grandfather and never forgave Dovid.
ךש׎יRashi
כְ֌שׁו֌ב הַכֹ֌ל. אֵלֶיך֞: ה֞א֎ישׁ אֲשֶׁך אַת֞֌ה מְבַקֵ֌שׁ. יַעֲשֶׂה ב֌וֹ בַ֌ק֞֌שׁ֞תְך֞ וְיֵה֞ךֵג, וְאַחַך כ֞֌ךְ כ֞֌ל ה֞ע֞ם י֎הְיֶה שׁ֞לוֹם, וְזֶה מ֮קְ׹־א ק֞׊֞ך:
When they all return [to you]. To you. [Except] the man you want. You will do what you want with him and you will have him killed. And afterwords, all the people will have peace. This is a shortened verse.1Missing the words that Rashi adds here to make sense of the words.

׀סוק ד׳ · Verse 4

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎ישַׁ֥ך הַד֌֞ב֖֞ך ב֌ְעֵינֵ֣י אַבְשׁ֞לֹ֑ם ו֌בְעֵינֵ֖י כ֌ׇל֟ז֎קְנֵ֥י י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֜ל׃ {ס}        

English:

The advice pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

The counsel pleases Avshalom and all the elders of Israel — it is tactically brilliant and politically clean. Rashi sharply calls them 'wicked elders' (זקני אשמאי), faulting them for endorsing patricide when they should have known better.
ךש׎יRashi
ו֌בְעֵינֵי ז֎קְנֵי י֎שְׂך֞אֵל. ז֎קְנֵי אַשְׁמַאי:
And in the eyes of all of the elders of Yisroel. Wicked elders.

׀סוק ה׳ · Verse 5

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֙אמֶך֙ אַבְשׁ֞ל֔וֹם קְך֣֞א נ־֔א ג֌ַ֖ם לְחו֌שַׁ֣י ה֞אַךְכ֌֎֑י וְנ֎שְׁמְע֥֞ה מַה֟ב֌ְ׀֎֖יו ג֌ַם֟ה֜ו֌א׃

English:

But Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Archite as well, so we can hear what he too has to say.”

Avshalom asks to summon Chushai the Archite for a second opinion. Metzudat David notes that even though Avshalom suspected Chushai of being Dovid's friend, he wanted to hear his counsel as well — and this seemingly innocuous request for a second opinion is the divine opening through which Avshalom's downfall will come.

׀סוק ו׳ · Verse 6

Hebrew:

וַי֌֞בֹ֣א חו֌שַׁי֮ אֶל֟אַבְשׁ֞לוֹם֒ וַי֌ֹ֩אמֶך֩ אַבְשׁ֞ל֚וֹם אֵל֞֜יו לֵאמֹ֗ך כ֌ַד֌֞ב֞րך הַז֌ֶה֙ ד֌֎ב֌ֶ֣ך אֲח֎יתֹ֔׀ֶל הֲנַעֲשֶׂ֖ה אֶת֟ד֌ְב֞ך֑וֹ א֎ם֟אַ֖י֎ן אַת֌֥֞ה דַב֌ֵ֜ך׃ {ס}        

English:

Hushai came to Absalom, and Absalom said to him, “This is what Ahithophel has advised. Shall we follow his advice? If not, what do you say?”

׀סוק ז׳ · Verse 7

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֥אמֶך חו֌שַׁ֖י אֶל֟אַבְשׁ֞ל֑וֹם לֹ֜א֟טוֹב֧֞ה ה֞עֵ׊֛֞ה אֲשֶׁך֟י֞עַ֥ץ אֲח֎יתֹ֖׀ֶל ב֌ַ׀֌ַ֥עַם הַז֌ֹ֜את׃

English:

Hushai said to Absalom, “This time the advice that Ahithophel has given is not good.

Chushai opens with a carefully chosen phrase: the counsel is bad 'this time.' Metzudat David and Radak observe this as a deliberate rhetorical move — by implying that Achitofel is usually right, Chushai builds credibility for his contrary advice before subverting his rival.

׀סוק ח׳ · Verse 8

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך חו֌שַׁ֗י אַת֌֣֞ה י֞֠דַ֠עְת֌֞ אֶת֟א֞ב֎֚יך֞ וְאֶת֟אֲנ֞שׁ֞֜יו כ֌֎֧י ג֎ב֌ֹך֎֣ים הֵ֗מ֌֞ה ו֌מ֞ךֵ֥י נֶ֙׀ֶשׁ֙ הֵ֔מ֌֞ה כ֌ְדֹ֥ב שַׁכ֌֖ו֌ל ב֌ַשׂ֌֞דֶ֑ה וְא־ב֮֙יך־֙ א֎֣ישׁ מ֮לְח־מ־֔ה וְלֹ֥א י־ל֖֮ין אֶת֟ה֞ע֞֜ם׃

English:

You know,” Hushai continued, “that your father and his men are courageous fighters, and they are as desperate as a bear in the wild robbed of her whelps. Your father is an experienced soldier, and he will not spend the night with the troops;

Chushai's first counter-argument: Dovid and his men are seasoned veterans, now embittered like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Dovid himself, as a lifelong man of war, will not sleep among the troops where he could be ambushed. Rashi emphasizes that Dovid knows every strategy of warfare and ambush.
ךש׎יRashi
וְא־ב֮יך־ א֎ישׁ מ֮לְח־מ־ה. וְיוֹדֵעַ ע֎נְיְנֵי מ֮לְח־מ־ה וְטַכְס֎יסֶיה֞ וְט֮יב מַאֲך֞ב, ו֌ב֞טו֌חַ הו֌א שֶׁת֎֌ךְדֹ֌ף הַלַ֌יְל֞ה ל֞בֹא ע֞ל֞יו, לְ׀֎יכ֞ךְ לֹא י־ל֮ין ע֎ם שְׁא֞ך ה֞ע֞ם:
Your father is a man of war. He knows the concepts of war, its strategy and the nature of someone setting a trap. He is sure you will run after him tonight to get to him therefore he will not rest with the other people.

׀סוק ט׳ · Verse 9

Hebrew:

ה֎נ֌ֵ֚ה עַת֌֞րה ה֜ו֌א֟נֶחְב֌֞א֙ ב֌ְאַחַ֣ת הַ׀֌ְח֞ת֎֔ים א֖וֹ ב֌ְאַחַ֣ד הַמ֌ְקוֹמֹ֑ת וְה־י־֗ה כ֌֎נְ׀ֹրל ב֌֞הֶם֙ ב֌ַת֌ְח֎ל֌֞֔ה וְשׁ֞מַրע הַשׁ֌ֹמֵ֙עַ֙ וְא֞מַ֔ך ה֞֜יְת֞ה֙ מַג֌ֵ׀֞֔ה ב֌֞ע֞֕ם אֲשֶׁ֖ך אַחֲךֵ֥י אַבְשׁ֞לֹ֜ם׃

English:

even now he must be hiding in one of the pits or in some other place. And if any of thembthem Some Septuagint mss. read “the troops” (i.e., Absalom’s). fall at the first attack, whoever hears of it will say, ‘A disaster has struck the troops that follow Absalom’;

Dovid is surely hidden in some pit or concealed place, Chushai argues — when Avshalom's forces suffer the inevitable opening losses, word will spread that there has been a slaughter among Avshalom's troops. Rashi explains the trap: Dovid will not even be present to be struck down, while Avshalom's untested recruits, hearing of casualties, will conclude the whole campaign is collapsing.
ךש׎יRashi
ה֎נֵ֌ה עַת֞֌ה הו֌א נֶחְב֞֌א. ו֌כְשֶׁת֞֌בֹא עַל מַחֲנֵה ה֞ע֞ם אֲשֶׁך א֎ת֌וֹ, הו֌א לֹא י֎הְיֶה שׁ֞ם שֶׁתַ֌הַךְגֶנ֌ו֌: וְה־י־ה כ֎֌נְ׀ֹל ב֞֌הֶם בַ֌תְ֌ח֎ל֞֌ה. אֲנ֎י א֞מַךְת֎֌י לְך־ כ֎֌י אֲנ֞שׁ֞יו ג֎֌ב֌וֹך֎ים ו֌מ֞ךֵי נֶ׀ֶשׁ, וְא֮ם יַהַךְגו֌ בְ֌עַמְ֌ך֞, ת֎֌הְיֶה ב֞֌ם מַ׀֞֌ל֞ה בְ֌מ֎לְח֞מ֞ה זוֹ שֶׁה֎יא ך֎אשׁוֹנ֞ה, וְשׁ֞מַע הַש֌ׁוֹמֵעַ מ֎כ֞֌ל י֎שְׂך֞אֵל הַב֞֌א֎ים לְה֎תְחַבֵ֌ך אֵלֶיך֞, וְא֞מַך ה֞יְת֞ה מַגֵ֌׀֞ה ב֞֌ע֞ם שֶׁל אַבְשׁ֞לוֹם:
Now, he is hiding. When you reach the encampment of the people with him, he will not be there for us to kill. When some of the men fall at the beginning [of their battles]. I told you that his men are strong and embittered souls and if they kill some of your people that will [mean] a defeat in this battle which is the first. A person will hear, [i.e., a person] from among all of Yisroel who come to join you, and will say, There was a disaster amongst Avsholom's people'.

׀סוק י׮ · Verse 10

Hebrew:

וְה֣ו֌א גַם֟ב֌ֶן֟חַ֗י֎ל אֲשֶׁ֥ך ל֎ב֌֛וֹ כ֌ְלֵ֥ב ה֞אַךְיֵ֖ה ה֎מ֌ֵ֣ס י֎מ֌֑֞ס כ֌֎֜י֟יֹדֵրעַ כ֌ׇל֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵל֙ כ֌֎י֟ג֎ב֌֣וֹך א־ב֮֔יך־ ו֌בְנֵי֟חַ֖י֎ל אֲשֶׁ֥ך א֎ת֌֜וֹ׃

English:

and even if he is a warrior with the heart of a lion, he will be shaken—for all Israel knows that your father and the soldiers with him are courageous fighters.

Even the most lion-hearted soldier will melt with fear, because all Israel knows Dovid and his men are mighty warriors. Rashi adds the ideological twist: even a brave man, hearing of losses, will conclude that Avshalom is being divinely punished for rebelling against his father — and will quietly withdraw from the cause.
ךש׎יRashi
וְהו֌א גַם בֶ֌ן חַי֎ל. וְאוֹתוֹ הַש֌ׁוֹמֵעַ אֲ׀֎ל֌ו֌ הו֌א בֶ֌ן חַי֎ל וְל֎ב֌וֹ כְ֌לֵב ה֞אַךְיֵה, ה֎מֵ֌ס י֎מַ֌ס בְ֌׀ַחַד ו֌ךְע֞ד֞ה, וְלֹא י֎תְקַשֵ֌ׁך עוֹד אֵלֶיך֞, כ֎֌י יֹאמַך כְ֌ב֞ך ה֎תְח֎יל ל֎׀֌וֹל וְנֶעֱנ֞שׁ הו֌א עַל א־ב֮יו, וְלֹא יַ׊ְל֎יחַ:
Even if he is a soldier. That person who hears [about the disaster] even if he is a soldier and his heart is like that of a lion his heart will surely melt in fear and trepidation. And he will no longer join you because he will say, "He [Avsholom] has already started to fall and he is being punished for [what he did to] his father and he will not succeed.

׀סוק י׮א · Verse 11

Hebrew:

כ֌֎֣י י֞עַ֗׊ְת֌֎י הֵ֠א֞סֹ֠ף יֵא֞סֵ֚ף ע֞לֶրיך֞ כׇל֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵל֙ מ֎ד֌֞ן֙ וְעַד֟ב֌ְאֵ֣ך שֶׁ֔בַע כ֌ַח֥וֹל אֲשֶׁך֟עַל֟הַי֌֖֞ם ל֞ךֹ֑ב ו֌׀֞נֶ֥יך֞ הֹלְכ֎֖ים ב֌ַקְך֞֜ב׃

English:

So I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba—as numerous as the sands of the sea—be called up to join you, and that you yourself march into battle.cinto battle Ancient versions read “among them.”

Chushai's positive proposal: gather ALL Israel from Dan to Be'er Sheva, as numerous as the sand by the sea, with Avshalom himself leading the troops into battle. Radak observes that the entire point of the muscular-sounding plan is delay -- mass conscription takes time, and that delay is precisely what gives Dovid room to escape across the Jordan; the proposal to have Avshalom personally lead also flatters his vanity and inflates the soldiers' courage.
ךש׎יRashi
כ֎֌י י֞עַ׊ְת֎֌י. כ֎֌י זֹאת עֲ׊֞ת֎י: ו֌׀֞נֶיך֞ הוֹלְכ֎ים בַ֌קְך֞ב. ב֞֌ךֹאשׁ, (תךגום:) ׎וְאַתְ֌ תְ֌הֵי א֞זֵיל בְ֌ךֵישׁ כ֌ו֌ל֞֌נ֞א׎:
But I advise [as follows:] Because this is my advice. And you yourself should go to war. At the head. [Yonoson translates:] "And then you should go at the head of everybody."

׀סוק י׮ב · Verse 12

Hebrew:

ו֌ב֣֞אנו֌ אֵל֞֗יו (באחת) [ב֌ְאַחַրד] הַמ֌ְקוֹמֹת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ך נ֎מְ׊֣֞א שׁ֞֔ם וְנַ֣חְנו֌ ע֞ל֞֔יו כ֌ַאֲשֶׁ֛ך י֎׀֌ֹ֥ל הַט֌ַ֖ל עַל֟ה֞אֲד֞מ֑֞ה וְלֹא֟נ֥וֹתַך ב֌֛וֹ ו֌בְכׇל֟ה֞אֲנ֞שׁ֎֥ים אֲשֶׁך֟א֎ת֌֖וֹ ג֌ַם֟אֶח֞֜ד׃

English:

When we come upon him in whatever place he may be, we’ll descend on him [as thick] as dew falling on the ground; and no one will survive, neither he nor any of the men with him.

With overwhelming numbers, Chushai promises, the army will descend on Dovid like dew on the ground, leaving not one of his men alive. Metzudat David notes the implicit answer to Achitofel's plan to single out Dovid: a force this massive needs no precision strike, since even if Dovid disguises himself among his men, all will be killed together.
ךש׎יRashi
וְנַחְנו֌ ע֞ל֞יו. וְנ֞נו֌חַ ע֞ל֞יו, לְשׁוֹן חֲנ֎י֞֌ה, כְ֌מוֹ ׎וַי֞֌נַח בְ֌כ֞ל גְ֌בו֌ל מ֮שְ׹־י֮ם׮ (שמות י:יד), ׮נ־ח־ה אֲך֞ם עַל אֶ׀ְך֞י֎ם׎ (ישעיהו ז:ב):
And we will encamp upon him. We will encamp upon him language [denoting] camping as [we find], "It camped within the entire boorder of Mitzraim"2Shemos 10:14. [and] "Arom has camped opposite Ephraim."3Yeshayohu 7:2.

׀סוק י׮ג · Verse 13

Hebrew:

וְא֎ם֟אֶל֟ע֎יך֙ יֵא֞סֵ֔ף וְה֎שׂ֌֎֧יאו֌ כׇ֜ל֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֛ל אֶל֟ה֞ע֎֥יך הַה֎֖יא חֲב֞ל֎֑ים וְס֞חַրבְנו֌ אֹתוֹ֙ עַד֟הַנ֌ַ֔חַל עַ֛ד אֲשֶׁ֜ך֟לֹ֜א֟נ֎מְ׊֥֞א שׁ֖֞ם ג֌ַם֟׊ְך֜וֹך׃ {×€}

English:

And if he withdraws into a city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city and drag its stonesdits stones Heb. “it.” as far as the riverbed, until not even a pebble of it is left.”

A hyperbolic flourish: should Dovid take refuge in a fortified city, all Israel will bring ropes and drag the city itself down into the valley until not even a pebble remains. Metzudat David explains that the absurd exaggeration is calculated -- it flatters Avshalom with images of grandeur while masking Chushai's real aim, which is simply to buy Dovid time.
ךש׎יRashi
חֲב֞ל֎ים. (תךגום:) ׎מַש֎ׁךְי֞ן׎, כְ֌מוֹ ׎חֶבֶל נְב֮יא֮ים׮ (שמואל א י:ה) ׎חֶבְלֵי ךְשׁ֞ע֎ים׎ (תהלים קיט:סא): עַד הַנ֞֌חַל. חוֹמַת ה֞ע֎יך נ֎סְחוֹב אֶל הַגַ֌י:
In groups. [Yonoson translates:] "Groups" as [we find], "A group of prophets."4Shmuel I 10:5. [and] "Groups of evildoers."5Tehilim 119:61. Into the valley [below]. We will drag the city wall into the valley.

׀סוק י׮ד · Verse 14

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹրאמֶך אַבְשׁ֞לוֹם֙ וְכׇל֟א֎֣ישׁ י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֔ל טוֹב֞֗ה עֲ׊ַת֙ חו֌שַׁ֣י ה֞אַךְכ֌֎֔י מֵעֲ׊ַ֖ת אֲח֎יתֹ֑׀ֶל {ס}        וַיהֹו֣֞ה ׊֎ו֌֞֗ה לְה֞׀ֵ֞ך אֶת֟עֲ׊ַրת אֲח֎יתֹ֙׀ֶל֙ הַט֌וֹב֞֔ה לְבַעֲב֗ו֌ך ה־ב֧֮יא יְהֹו֛֞ה אֶל֟אַבְשׁ֞ל֖וֹם אֶת֟ה֞ך֞ע֞֜ה׃ {ס}        

English:

Absalom and all of Israel’s force agreed that the advice of Hushai the Archite was better than that of Ahithophel.—GOD had decreed that Ahithophel’s sound advice be nullified, in order that GOD might bring ruin upon Absalom.

Avshalom and all Israel pronounce Chushai's counsel better than Achitofel's, and the narrator inserts a striking theological aside: God Himself ordained the rejection of Achitofel's GOOD counsel in order to bring disaster on Avshalom. Metzudat David emphasizes that the verse openly concedes Achitofel's plan was strategically superior by human standards -- only divine providence overruled it, fulfilling Dovid's prayer in 15:31 that Hashem turn Achitofel's counsel to folly.

׀סוק ט׮ו · Verse 15

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך חו֌שַׁ֗י אֶל֟׊֞דրוֹק וְאֶל֟אֶבְי֞ת֞ך֙ הַכ֌ֹ֣הֲנ֎֔ים כ֌֞זֹ֣את וְכ֞זֹ֗את ×™Öž×¢Ö·Ö€×¥ אֲח֎יתֹ֙׀ֶל֙ אֶת֟אַבְשׁ֞לֹ֔ם וְאֵ֖ת ז֎קְנֵ֣י י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֑ל וְכ֞זֹ֥את וְכ֞זֹ֖את י֞עַ֥׊ְת֌֎י א֞֜נ֎י׃

English:

Then Hushai told the priests Zadok and Abiathar, “This is what Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel; this is what I advised.

Chushai immediately reports both counsels -- Achitofel's and his own -- to the kohanim Tzadok and Evyatar, activating the intelligence network Dovid had set up before fleeing Jerusalem in 15:35-36.

׀סוק ט׮ז · Verse 16

Hebrew:

וְעַת֌֞֡ה שׁ֎לְח֣ו֌ מְהֵך֞ה֩ וְהַג֌֎֚ידו֌ לְד־ו֮֜ד לֵאמֹ֗ך אַל֟ת֌֞րלֶן הַל֌ַ֙יְל֞ה֙ ב֌ְעַ֜ךְב֣וֹת הַמ֌֎דְב֌֞֔ך וְגַ֖ם ע֞ב֣וֹך ת֌ַעֲב֑וֹך ׀֌ֶ֚ן יְבֻל֌ַ֣ע לַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ ו֌לְכׇל֟ה֞ע֖֞ם אֲשֶׁ֥ך א֎ת֌֜וֹ׃

English:

Now send at once and tell David, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but cross over at once; otherwise the king and all the troops with him will be annihilated.’”

The urgent message: do NOT spend the night at the wilderness fords -- cross the Jordan immediately. Rashi and Radak explain Chushai's anxiety: even though Avshalom accepted his counsel for now, he may yet reverse himself and follow Achitofel's plan, so Dovid must put the river between himself and any pursuit before nightfall.
ךש׎יRashi
וְגַם ע֞בוֹך תַ֌עֲבֹך. אֶת הַיַ֌ךְדֵ֌ן: ׀ֶ֌ן יְבֻלַ֌ע לַמֶ֌לֶךְ. שֶׁלֹ֌א י֞עַ׊ְת֎֌יו לְטוֹב֞ה, וְיַעֲשֶׂה כְ֌ד֎בְךֵי אֲח֎יתֹ׀ֶל: יְבֻלַ֌ע. יֵא֞מֵך לוֹ בְ֌סֵתֶך ו֌ב֎בְל֎יע֞ה:
Cross over it. The Yardein. Because [my suggestion] may be rejected by the king. That I did not advise him well and [instead] he will proceed according to the advice of Achitophel. Rejected. He will be told secretely and by a concealed method.

׀סוק י׮ז · Verse 17

Hebrew:

ו֎יהוֹנ֞ת֚֞ן וַאֲח֎ימַ֜עַץ עֹמְד֎֣ים ב֌ְעֵין֟ךֹגֵ֗ל וְה֞לְכ֞րה הַשׁ֌֎׀ְח֞ה֙ וְה֎ג֌֎֣יד֞ה ל֞הֶ֔ם וְהֵם֙ יֵ֜לְכ֔ו֌ וְה֎ג֌֎֖ידו֌ לַמ֌ֶ֣לֶךְ ד֌֞ו֎֑ד כ֌֎֣י לֹ֥א יו֌כְל֛ו֌ לְהֵך֞א֖וֹת ל֞ב֥וֹא ה֞ע֎֜יך֞ה׃

English:

Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, and a maidservant would go and bring them word and they in turn would go and inform King David. For they themselves dared not be seen entering the city.

The relay system in action: Yehonatan ben Evyatar and Achima'atz ben Tzadok wait at Ein Rogel just outside Jerusalem, a maidservant carries the message out to them, and they then run to Dovid -- they cannot enter the city themselves without arousing suspicion. Rashi notes that Ein Rogel takes its name from the launderers (׹גל from the verb to tread), who would tread woolens with their feet there.
ךש׎יRashi
בְ֌עֵין ךֹגֵל. (תךגום:) ׎בְ֌עֵין קַ׊֞֌ך֞א׎, כ֌וֹבְסֵי ב֎֌גְדֵי ׊ֶמֶך, שֶׁחוֹבְט֎ין אוֹת֞ם שׁ֞ם, שֶׁב֌וֹעֲט֎ים אוֹת֞ם ב֞֌ךֶגֶל:
By the launderers' fountain. [Yonason translates:] "By the launderers' fountain." Launderers of woolen garments that bring them [the garments] there by kicking them with [their] foot.

׀סוק י׮ח · Verse 18

Hebrew:

וַי֌ַրךְא אֹת֞ם֙ נַ֔עַך וַי֌ַג֌ֵ֖ד לְאַבְשׁ֞לֹ֑ם וַי֌ֵלְכו֌֩ שְׁנֵיהֶ֚ם מְהֵך֞֜ה וַי֌֞בֹ֣או֌ ׀ אֶל֟ב֌ֵ֜ית֟א֎֣ישׁ ב֌ְבַחו֌ך֎֗ים וְל֥וֹ בְאֵ֛ך ב֌ַחֲ׊ֵך֖וֹ וַי֌ֵ֥ךְדו֌ שׁ֞֜ם׃

English:

But a boy saw them and informed Absalom. They left at once and came to the house of a man in Bahurim who had a well in his courtyard. They got down into it,

A boy spots the two messengers and informs Avshalom; they flee swiftly to a sympathetic household in Bachurim -- the same village from which Shim'i ben Gera had cursed Dovid in chapter 16 -- and lower themselves into a well in the courtyard. The geographic detail underscores that even in hostile territory there were loyalists prepared to risk their lives for Dovid.

׀סוק י׮ט · Verse 19

Hebrew:

וַת֌֎ק֌ַ֣ח ה֞א֎שׁ֌֞֗ה וַת֌֎׀ְךֹրשׂ אֶת֟הַמ֌֞ס֞ךְ֙ עַל֟׀֌ְנֵ֣י הַב֌ְאֵ֔ך וַת֌֎שְׁטַ֥ח ע֞ל֖֞יו ה֞ך֎׀֑וֹת וְלֹ֥א נוֹדַ֖ע ד֌֞ב֞֜ך׃

English:

and the wife took a cloth, spread it over the mouth of the well, and scattered groats on top of it, so that nothing would be noticed.

The woman of the house spreads a cloth over the mouth of the well and scatters הךי׀ות (crushed grain or groats) on top to disguise it, so that nothing about the well betrays its hidden occupants. The scene deliberately echoes Rachav's concealment of the spies in Yehoshua 2 -- a brave woman saves the king's men from his enemies.
ךש׎יRashi
אֶת הַמ֞֌ס֞ךְ. ו֎ילוֹן: ה֞ך֎׀וֹת. ח֎ט֎֌ין כְ֌תו֌שׁוֹת, כְ֌מוֹ ׎בְ֌תוֹךְ ה֞ך֎י׀וֹת׎ (משלי כז:כב):
The curtain. Curtain. Ground wheat. Ground wheat as [we find], "Among the ground wheat."6Mishlei 27:22.

׀סוק כ׳ · Verse 20

Hebrew:

וַי֌֞בֹ֣או֌ עַבְדֵי֩ אַבְשׁ֞ל֚וֹם אֶ֜ל֟ה֞א֎שׁ֌֞֜ה הַב֌ַ֗יְת֞ה וַי֌ֹ֜אמְךו֌֙ אַי֌ֵ֗ה אֲח֎ימַ֙עַץ֙ ו֎יה֣וֹנ֞ת֞֔ן וַת֌ֹրאמֶך ל֞הֶם֙ ה֞א֎שׁ֌֞֔ה ע֞בְך֖ו֌ מ֎יכַ֣ל הַמ֌֑֞י֎ם וַיְבַקְשׁו֌֙ וְלֹ֣א מ֞׊֞֔או֌ וַי֌֞שֻׁ֖בו֌ יְךו֌שׁ֞ל֞֜͏֎ם׃ {ס}        

English:

When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and asked where Ahimaaz and Jonathan were, the woman told them that they had crossed a bit beyond the water.ea bit beyond the water Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Targum reads “the Jordan.” They searched, but found nothing; and they returned to Jerusalem.

Avshalom's men ask after the messengers; the woman misdirects them with a single ambiguous phrase -- 'they have crossed the מיכל המים' (Targum: the Jordan, though it could also mean a small channel of water nearby). The search fails, the pursuers return empty-handed to Jerusalem, and the messengers escape to deliver Chushai's warning to Dovid.
ךש׎יRashi
מ֎יכַל הַמ֞֌י֎ם. אֵינ֎י יוֹדֵעַ לוֹ ׀֎֌תְךוֹן בְ֌מַחְבֶ֌ךֶת כַ֌ל, ו֌׀֎תְךוֹנוֹ לְ׀֎י ע֎נְי֞נוֹ, כְ֌מוֹ ש֎ׁבֹ֌לֶת הַנ֞֌ה֞ך:
Stream of water. I do not know the translation of this word מ֎יכַל. In the Machberes7Notebook written by Menachem (one of the Rishonim). [under the entry] כַ֌ל [he writes] that its translation is according to the context. [Here] its as [if to say] streaming water of the river.

׀סוק כ׮א · Verse 21

Hebrew:

וַיְה֎֣י ׀ אַחֲךֵ֣י לֶכְת֌֞֗ם וַ֜י֌ַעֲלו֌֙ מֵ֜הַב֌ְאֵ֔ך וַי֌ֵ֣לְכ֔ו֌ וַי֌ַג֌֎֖דו֌ לַמ֌ֶ֣לֶךְ ד֌֞ו֎֑ד וַי֌ֹאמְך֣ו֌ אֶל֟ד֌֞ו֎֗ד ק֣ו֌מו֌ וְע֎בְךրו֌ מְהֵך֞ה֙ אֶת֟הַמ֌ַ֔י֎ם כ֌֎י֟כ֛֞כ֞ה ×™Öž×¢Ö·Ö¥×¥ עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם אֲח֎יתֹ֜׀ֶל׃

English:

After they were gone, [Ahimaaz and Jonathan] came up from the well and went and informed King David. They said to David, “Go and cross the water quickly, for Ahithophel has advised thus and thus concerning you.”

׀סוק כ׮ב · Verse 22

Hebrew:

וַי֌֣֞קׇם ד֌֞ו֎֗ד וְכׇל֟ה֞ע֞ם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ך א֎ת֌֔וֹ וַי֌ַעַבְך֖ו֌ אֶת֟הַי֌ַךְד֌ֵ֑ן עַד֟א֣וֹך הַב֌ֹ֗קֶך עַד֟אַחַד֙ לֹ֣א נֶעְד֌֞֔ך אֲשֶׁ֥ך לֹא֟ע֞בַ֖ך אֶת֟הַי֌ַךְד֌ֵ֜ן׃

English:

David and all the troops with him promptly crossed the Jordan, and by daybreak not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

Dovid and his entire company cross the Jordan that same night, and by daybreak not a single person remains on the western bank. Metzudat David emphasizes the totality of the operation: every soul made it across, a testament both to disciplined urgency and to the divine providence shielding Dovid's flight.

׀סוק כ׮ג · Verse 23

Hebrew:

וַאֲח֎יתֹ֣׀ֶל ׹־א־֗ה כ֌֎֣י לֹ֣א נֶעֶשְׂת֞ה֮ עֲ׊֞תוֹ֒ וַי֌ַחֲבֹ֣שׁ אֶ֜ת֟הַחֲמ֗וֹך וַי֌֞֜קׇם וַי֌ֵրלֶךְ אֶל֟ב֌ֵיתוֹ֙ אֶל֟ע֎יך֔וֹ וַיְ׊ַ֥ו אֶל֟ב֌ֵית֖וֹ וַי֌ֵח֞נַ֑ק וַי֌֞֕מׇת וַי֌֎ק֌֞בֵ֖ך ב֌ְקֶ֥בֶך א֞ב֎֜יו׃ {ס}        

English:

When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and went home to his native town. He set his affairs in order, and then he hanged himself. He was buried in his ancestral tomb.

Achitofel sees that his counsel has been rejected, saddles his donkey, returns to his city, sets his affairs in order, and hangs himself. Metzudat David explains that he hanged himself to die a private death rather than be executed by Dovid as a rebel -- preserving his estate from royal confiscation for his heirs. He joins a small handful of suicides in Tanakh alongside Sha'ul, Avimelech, and Zimri, and his death marks the collapse of the rebellion's strategic mind.

׀סוק כ׮ד · Verse 24

Hebrew:

וְד־ו֖֮ד ב֌֣֞א מַחֲנ֑֞יְמ֞ה וְאַבְשׁ֞לֹ֗ם ע֞בַך֙ אֶת֟הַי֌ַךְד֌ֵ֔ן ה֕ו֌א וְכׇל֟א֎֥ישׁ י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֖ל ע֎מ֌֜וֹ׃

English:

David had reached Mahanaim when Absalom, and Israel’s entire force with him, crossed the Jordan.

׀סוק כ׮ה · Verse 25

Hebrew:

וְאֶת֟עֲמ֞שׂ֞֗א שׂ֧֞ם אַבְשׁ֞לֹ֛ם ת֌ַ֥חַת יוֹא֖֞ב עַל֟הַ׊֌֞ב֑֞א וַעֲמ֞שׂ֣֞א בֶן֟א֎֗ישׁ ו֌שְׁמוֹ֙ י֎תְך֣֞א הַי֌֎שְׂךְאֵל֎֔י אֲשֶׁך֟ב֌֞א֙ אֶל֟אֲב֎יגַ֣ל ב֌ַת֟נ֞ח֞֔שׁ אֲח֥וֹת ׊ְךו֌י֖֞ה אֵ֥ם יוֹא֞֜ב׃

English:

Absalom had appointed Amasa army commander in place of Joab; Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Israelite, who had married Abigal, daughter of Nahash and sister of Joab’s mother Zeruiah.fIsraelite 
 Zeruiah Some Septuagint mss. and 1 Chron. 2.12–17 read “Ishmaelite” and give a somewhat different genealogy.

Avshalom appoints Amasa over the army in place of Yoav -- a pointed choice, since Amasa is Yoav's first cousin (their mothers, Avigayil and Tzeruyah, being sisters and Dovid's half-sisters). Rashi and Radak, citing Bava Batra 17a, explain that 'Nachash' here refers to Yishai, Dovid's father, who was called Nachash because he died only on account of the serpent's counsel in Eden -- meaning he was one of the rare righteous figures who died without personal sin.
ךש׎יRashi
בַ֌ת נ֞ח֞שׁ. הו֌א י֎שַׁי אֲב֎י ד־ו֮ד, ךַב֌וֹתֵינו֌ א֞מְךו֌ (בבא בתךא יז א): שֶׁמֵ֌ת בְ֌לֹא ע֞וֹן, בְ֌עֶטְיוֹ שֶׁל נ֞ח֞שׁ:
The daughter of Nochosh. This is Yeshai, Dovid's father. Our Rabbis said that [Yeshai] died without sin [but only] because of the serpent's counsel.8Baba Besra 16. The serpent in the Gan Fden who suggested to Chavah to eat from the Tree of knowledge. That sin brought death into the world. That is why Yeshai died because he had no sin of his own to merit death.

׀סוק כ׮ו · Verse 26

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎րחַן י֎שְׂך֞אֵל֙ וְאַבְשׁ֞לֹ֔ם אֶ֖ךֶץ הַג֌֎לְע֞֜ד׃ {ס}        

English:

The Israelites and Absalom encamped in the district of Gilead.

׀סוק כ׮ז · Verse 27

Hebrew:

וַיְה֎֕י כ֌ְב֥וֹא ד־ו֖֮ד מַחֲנ֑֞יְמ֞ה וְשֹׁב֎֚י בֶן֟נ֞ח֞֜שׁ מֵךַב֌ַ֣ת ב֌ְנֵי֟עַמ֌֗וֹן ו֌מ֞כ֎րיך ב֌ֶןￜￜעַמ֌֎יאֵל֙ מ֎ל֌ֹ֣א דְב־֔׹ ו֌בַךְז֎ל֌ַ֥י הַג֌֎לְע֞ד֎֖י מֵךֹגְל֎֜ים׃

English:

When David reached Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbath-ammon, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim

Three notables come to Dovid's aid at Machanayim: Shovi ben Nachash from Rabbat-Ammon (Rashi identifies him as Chanun's brother turned ally, though Radak suggests he was an Israelite sojourning in Ammon), Machir ben Ami'el from Lo Devar (the same Machir who had once sheltered Mefivoshet in chapter 9), and Barzilai HaGil'adi from Rogelim. That support pours in even from former enemy territory signals divine favor and the deep loyalty Dovid still commands beyond Israel's heartland.
ךש׎יRashi
וְשֹׁב֎י בֶן נ֞ח֞שׁ. הו֌א ח֞נו֌ן בֶ֌ן נ֞ח֞שׁ:
Shovi, the son of Nochosh. He is Chonun, the son of Nochosh.9Mentioned earlier in 10:1.

׀סוק כ׮ח · Verse 28

Hebrew:

מ֎שְׁכ֌֞րב וְסַ׀֌וֹת֙ ו֌כְל֎֣י יוֹ׊ֵ֔ך וְח֎ט֌֎֥ים ו֌שְׂעֹך֎֖ים וְקֶ֣מַח וְק־ל֑֮י ו֌׀֥וֹל וַעֲד֞שׁ֎֖ים וְק֞ל֎֜י׃

English:

presentedgpresented Moved up from v. 29 for clarity. couches, basins, and earthenware; also wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, parched grain,hparched grain Lacking in the Septuagint and Syriac.

They bring beds, basins, earthenware vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, and parched grain -- a quartermaster's inventory matched precisely to the needs of an army on the run. Rashi, citing Avodah Zarah 38b, explains the doubled mention of ק־ל֮י as referring to two kinds of porridge that Barzilai prepared for Dovid -- one of wheat and one of lentils.
ךש׎יRashi
מ֎שְׁכ֞֌ב. מַ׊֞֌עוֹת: וְסַ׀֌וֹת. כְ֌לֵי תַשְׁמ֎ישׁ הֵם, כְ֌מוֹ ׎ס֎׀֌וֹת כֶ֌סֶף׎ (מלכים ב יב:יד): וְק־ל֮י. מ֎ינֵי קְל֞יוֹת, א֞מְךו֌ ךַב֌וֹתֵינו֌ (עבודה ז׹ה לח ב): שְׁנֵי מ֎ינֵי שְׁת֎ית֞א ה֮קְ׹֮יב בַ֌ךְז֎לַ֌י לְד־ו֮ד, אֶח֞ד שֶׁל ח֎ט֎֌ים, וְאֶח֞ד שֶׁל עֲד֞ש֎ׁים, כְ֌ע֎נְי֞ן ה֞א֞מו֌ך כ֞֌אן; קֶמַח וְק־ל֮י, הו֌א שֶׁל ד֞֌ג֞ן, ו֌׀וֹל וַעֲד֞ש֎ׁים וְק־ל֮י, מ֎מ֎֌ינ֎ים שֶׁל ק֎טְנ֎י֌וֹת שֶׁמְ֌יַבְ֌ש֎ׁין אוֹת֞ן בַ֌תַ֌נ֌ו֌ך כְ֌שֶׁהֵן לַח֎ין, וְהֵם מְתו֌ק֎ין לְעוֹל֞ם, וְטוֹחֲנ֎ין אוֹת֞ן, וְעוֹש֎ׂין מֵהֶם מַאֲכ֞ל שֶׁק֌וֹך֎ין שְׁת֎ית֞א:
Mats. Mats. Utensils. They are utensils for practical use. as [we find], "Silver utensils."10Melochim II, 12:14. Toasted grain. Types of toasted foods Our Rabbis said Barzilai brought two types of porridge to Dovid, one made of wheat and one made of lentils as described here flour and ק־ל֮י, this one was made from wheat. Beans, lentils and ק־ל֮י [this one] was made from types of beans.11The word ק־ל֮י appears twice in this verse. The first ק־ל֮י written after קֶמַח refers to a porridge made from grain. The second ק־ל֮י written after עֲד֞שׁ֎ים refers to a porridge made from lentils. They used to dry them in ovens [having been put in] while they were [still] moist, they [thus] were permenantly sweet [then] they ground them and made from them a food that was called "porridge."

׀סוק כ׮ט · Verse 29

Hebrew:

ו֌דְבַ֣שׁ וְחֶמְא֞֗ה וְ׊ֹאן֙ ו֌שְׁ׀֣וֹת ב֌֞ק֞֔ך ה֎ג֌֎֧ישׁו֌ לְד־ו֛֮ד וְל֞ע֥֞ם אֲשֶׁך֟א֎ת֌֖וֹ לֶאֱכ֑וֹל כ֌֎֣י א֞מְך֔ו֌ ה֞ע֞֗ם ך֞עֵ֛ב וְע֞יֵ֥ף וְ׊֞מֵ֖א ב֌ַמ֌֎דְב֌֞֜ך׃ {ס}        

English:

honey, curds, a flock,icurds, a flock Emendation yields “curds from the flock.” and cheesejcheese Meaning of Heb. uncertain. from the herd for David and the troops with him to eat. For they knew that the troops must have grown hungry, faint, and thirsty in the wilderness.

They also bring honey, butter, sheep, and cheese, presenting it all to Dovid and his people, for they said: the people are hungry, weary, and thirsty from the wilderness. Radak observes that Dovid's company had fled Jerusalem in such haste that they carried no provisions; the local notables of Gilead make up the deficit entirely. With searing irony, the chapter that opened with Achitofel proposing to crush a 'weary and disheartened' Dovid closes with that very weariness being met by overflowing abundance.
ךש׎יRashi
ו֌שְׁ׀וֹת ב֞֌ק֞ך. (תךגום:) ׎וְגוֹבְנ֎ין דְ֌ח֞ל֞ב׎:
And cow's cheese. [Yonoson translates:] "And cheese made from milk."

← II Samuel 16 | II Samuel 18 →

Back to II Samuel | Back to Nach Yomi

Last updated on
Chapter 16Chapter 18