Hushai's counsel defeats the good counsel of Ahithophel, 'for Hashem had ordained it, to bring evil upon Absalom'; the messengers hide in the well at Bahurim; Ahithophel sets his house in order and hangs himself.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom: ‘Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night;
verse value 3622
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "please" (נָּ֗א, 2 letters) and the longest is "to" (אֶל־אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "I·will·choose" (אֶבְחֲרָ֣ה), "and·let·me·rise" (וְאָק֛וּמָה), "and·let·me·be·behind" (וְאֶרְדְּפָ֥ה). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "to" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "man" (root איש, 140x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 9 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֲחִיתֹ֖פֶל [Ahithophel] (529) + אֶל־אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם [to] (410) + אֶבְחֲרָ֣ה [I·will·choose] (216) + נָּ֗א [please] (51) + שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֥ר [year·ten] (970) + אֶ֙לֶף֙ [thousand] (111) + אִ֔ישׁ [man] (311) + וְאָק֛וּמָה [and·let·me·rise] (158) + וְאֶרְדְּפָ֥ה [and·let·me·be·behind] (296) + אַֽחֲרֵי־דָוִ֖ד [after·David] (233) + הַלָּֽיְלָה [night] (80) = 3622.
Radak
Twelve thousand. A thousand from each tribe and tribe:
Metzudat David
"I will choose" etc. For it would take a long time to gather all of Israel, and in the meantime David would escape with his life.
“And I will arise.” For if Absalom were to go, lest he show him mercy when he sees his face.
The night. While he was weary and exhausted:
Malbim
And Ahithophel said: Ahithophel did not consult with Hushai the Archite, because his intention was to kill David, and he knew that Hushai would not agree to this; and for this purpose he put forward his counsel. And behold, he stipulated four conditions: 1. That he should pursue immediately, while David was weary and his hands were weakened, and not give him time to rest and to prepare counsel and strength for war; and this is what is written: "Let me choose," meaning now. 2. That he should not take with him all Israel, but only twelve thousand men. 3. That he should not have Absalom pursue, but rather that he himself should pursue. 4. That he should not pursue by day, but only by night. And he explained his reason:
and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid; and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only;
verse value 3806
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "and·he" (וְה֤וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "weary" (יָגֵ֙עַ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·terrify" (וְהַחֲרַדְתִּ֣י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 116: upon·him, and·will·flee. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·I·will·go·in" (וְאָב֣וֹא), "and·slack" (וּרְפֵ֣ה), "hand" (יָדַ֔יִם). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "that·with·him" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "and·I·will·go·in" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that·with·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאָב֣וֹא [and·I·will·go·in] (16) + עָלָ֗יו [upon·him] (116) + וְה֤וּא [and·he] (18) + יָגֵ֙עַ֙ [weary] (83) + וּרְפֵ֣ה [and·slack] (291) + יָדַ֔יִם [hand] (64) + וְהַחֲרַדְתִּ֣י [and·I·will·terrify] (633) + אֹת֔וֹ [him] (407) + וְנָ֖ס [and·will·flee] (116) + כׇּל־הָעָ֣ם [all·the·people] (165) + אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֑וֹ [that·with·him] (908) + וְהִכֵּיתִ֥י [and·I·will·strike] (451) + אֶת־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ [the·king] (496) + לְבַדּֽוֹ [alone] (42) = 3806.
Metzudat David
And he was faint of hand. For on this day he was deposed from the kingship, and he had as yet not taken counsel as to what to do.
"And I will strike him with terror." This refers to when the event occurs suddenly and at night.
"And all the people will flee." They will flee because of their terror, some fleeing in one direction and others in another, so that they do not remain with the king to fight for him. Then I will be able to strike him alone, without needing to kill any of his men, since they will not stand for battle, for they will flee and be gone.
Metzudat Zion
And feeble of hands. A matter of faintheartedness and despair.
Malbim
And I will come upon him, and he will be weary, by means of which, if I pursue immediately, I will overtake him while he is still weary and has slackened his hands. And by means of my coming suddenly, without preparation, and at night, I will terrify him, and all the people who are with him will flee. And by means of this, I will strike the king alone. And for this reason, it is also necessary that Absalom not pursue, for it is not fitting that a son should kill his father; rather, I will kill him, being the blood-avenger of Uriah, my son-in-law.
and I will bring back all the people to you; when all shall have returned, [save] the man whom you seek, all the people will be in peace.’
verse value 3169
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "all" (הַכֹּ֔ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·let·me·answer" (וְאָשִׁ֥יבָה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 165: all·the·people, all·the·people. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·let·me·answer" (וְאָשִׁ֥יבָה), "when·returning" (כְּשׁ֣וּב). The root כל appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "it·will·be" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel); "man" (root איש, 140x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 9 words. Full calculation: וְאָשִׁ֥יבָה [and·let·me·answer] (324) + כׇל־הָעָ֖ם [all·the·people] (165) + אֵלֶ֑יךָ [to·you] (61) + כְּשׁ֣וּב [when·returning] (328) + הַכֹּ֔ל [all] (55) + הָאִישׁ֙ [man] (316) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + אַתָּ֣ה [you] (406) + מְבַקֵּ֔שׁ [seeking] (442) + כׇּל־הָעָ֖ם [all·the·people] (165) + יִהְיֶ֥ה [it·will·be] (30) + שָׁלֽוֹם [belonging·to] (376) = 3169.
Rashi
As all return. To you.
The man whom you seek. Let him be put to death according to your request, and afterward all the people shall be at peace—and this is a truncated verse.
Radak
"As all shall return." Just as it is easy for a person to return anything he desires to return to himself, so too is it easy for Me to return all the people to You. And the Targum renders: "When all of them shall return."
"The man whom you seek." After I have killed the man whose evil you seek, and he is David, as it is said, "And I will strike the king alone." And so did Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] render it: "After the man whom you desire is killed." And they said that this great hatred with which Ahithophel hated David, to the point that he advised his murder, he also disgraced him in his words, for he said "after David" and did not say "after King David," on account of the deed he committed with Bathsheba. And they said that Bathsheba was the daughter of Ahithophel's son, as it is written, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam?" and it is written, "Eliam, the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite."
Ralbag
And I will bring back all the people to you, as the return of the man whom you seek. That is to say, in this way I will bring back all Israel in general to you, for my striking the man whom you seek will be like the return of all, for from David's death will come that all Israel return to you, and this will be the cause that you not destroy your people who are with you, nor those with David, but rather all the people will be at peace without war, for after his death it is not possible that there be any war at all over this.
Metzudat David
"And I will restore." And then I will restore to you all the people who are with your father:
"As all return. Just as all the multitude of Israel returned to You and accepted You as King:"
"The man who..." – This means: none of them shall be lost, except the man whom you seek, for he alone shall be put to death; but as for all the people with him, peace shall be theirs, and not a single person among them shall be lost.
Malbim
The Questions: This verse is like a heavy stone for all the commentators:
"And I will bring back all the people to you" — He explained to him further the benefit that would result from this counsel, namely that in this way they would all return to him easily. For if war were to break out and many would fall by the sword, then even if he were to win, the people would be divided into two camps, and many would harbor a grudge over their brothers who fell by the sword. And if the king were to be killed in battle, so that Absalom would be the one leading the people, they would say that he murdered his father. Not so, however, if Ahithophel were to kill him at night; then the blame would be cast upon Ahithophel, and Absalom's anger would be kindled against the one who killed his father. Only then would he issue a decree of grace, forgiving everyone who sinned against him and allowing them all to return to their homes, as is the custom of kings to pardon all transgressions at the time of their accession to the throne. And through this, I too would be able to return to my house. This is what is written: "As all return, so shall the man whom you seek return." Its parsing is: "As all return, (so shall) the man whom you seek return." He directed this toward himself, meaning that even though at that time you might seek to kill me because I killed your father, nevertheless it will serve as a covering for your eyes, that I will return just as all return. For after you command that every rebel and sinner return, this man (who is also Ahithophel) will return, so that there may be peace for all the people. For you will say that it is impossible for you to judge the one who killed your father, because Ahithophel's lovers and David's haters would rebel over this. And in this manner, you will emerge unblemished, and all Israel will return to you. And it is more likely that the phrases of this verse parallel the preceding verse: "All the people who were with him fled," and "I will bring back all the people to you," meaning: "As all return" (i.e., at the time of their return to their homes).
“And I will smite the king alone, the man whom you seek.”
And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.
verse value 2158
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 36 letters. Verse gematria: 2158 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "the·word" (הַדָּבָ֖ר, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·in·the·eyes·of" (וּבְעֵינֵ֖י, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·it·was·right" (וַיִּישַׁ֥ר). The root עין appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·word" (root דבר, 107x in II Samuel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 77x in II Samuel); "in·eyes·of" (root עין, 42x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Absalom', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּישַׁ֥ר [and·it·was·right] (526) + הַדָּבָ֖ר [the·word] (211) + בְּעֵינֵ֣י [in·eyes·of] (142) + אַבְשָׁלֹ֑ם [Absalom] (373) + וּבְעֵינֵ֖י [and·in·the·eyes·of] (148) + כׇּל־זִקְנֵ֥י [all·elders·of] (217) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 2158.
Rashi
In the eyes of the elders of Israel. Wicked elders.
Ralbag
And in the eyes of all the elders of Israel. Behold, all the sages of Israel agreed in this counsel, for they also believed Absalom's words to the people that his father does not desire to do judgment and justice for any of those who come before him, even though this was from God to punish David because of Uriah the Hittite.
Metzudat Zion
And it seemed right. From the word uprightness, meaning: it was pleasing in his eyes.
Malbim
“And the thing was straight” – it did not say “and the thing was good,” for indeed this matter was evil in their eyes, to kill the king; only they found that it was a straightforward counsel, leading by a direct path to the goal, even though the matter itself was not pleasing in their eyes.
And Absalom said, "Therefore, let Hushai the Archite be called," because he knew that Hushai would strive to thwart this matter, and he would hear what counsel Hushai would offer to achieve the objective by a different means, so that they would not need to kill the king.
Then said Absalom: ‘Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he says.’
verse value 2290
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "please" (נָ֔א, 2 letters) and the longest is "Absalom" (אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "to·Hushai" (לְחוּשַׁ֣י), "and·let·us·hear" (וְנִשְׁמְעָ֥ה), "what?·in·his·mouth" (מַה־בְּפִ֖יו). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "Absalom" (root אבשלום, 64x in II Samuel); "call!" (root קרא, 46x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Archite', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + אַבְשָׁל֔וֹם [Absalom] (379) + קְרָ֣א [call!] (301) + נָ֔א [please] (51) + גַּ֖ם [also] (43) + לְחוּשַׁ֣י [to·Hushai] (354) + הָאַרְכִּ֑י [Archite] (236) + וְנִשְׁמְעָ֥ה [and·let·us·hear] (471) + מַה־בְּפִ֖יו [what?·in·his·mouth] (143) + גַּם־הֽוּא [also·he] (55) = 2290.
Metzudat David
Also he. Even though he is David's friend and suspect in his eyes, nevertheless he also will give his counsel:
And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him, saying: ‘Ahithophel has spoken after this manner; shall we do after his saying? if not, speak you.’
verse value 4442
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 73 letters. The shortest word is "this" (הַזֶּה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Absalom" (אֶל־אַבְשָׁלוֹם֒, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 206: has·spoken, speak. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "we·will·do" (הֲנַעֲשֶׂ֖ה), "His·word" (אֶת־דְּבָר֑וֹ), "if·not" (אִם־אַ֖יִן). The root דבר appears 4 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "to·Absalom" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "and·came" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·word', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Metzudat Zion
If not. If not so.
Malbim
The Questions: Why did he ask Hushai after Ahithophel’s counsel had already been settled in the eyes of all? And why did they abandon Ahithophel’s counsel, which in those days was regarded as the word of God? And why did he say, “Thus Ahithophel spoke,” rather than saying, “Thus Ahithophel counseled,” implying that his counsel was good, as indeed the reply was that the counsel was not good?
As regarding this matter, Ahithophel spoke: Indeed, Absalom had no doubt whatsoever about the counsel, that in this manner he would achieve what he had plotted; rather, his flesh quivered at this very thing—that he proposed to kill the king. And concerning this matter and this decision, he asked him whether he would agree to it. And if he would not agree to it, he would propose another counsel, how we might resolve it in a way that the king would not be killed. Therefore, it does not say, “According to this counsel Ahithophel advised,” for regarding the counsel itself he did not ask at all, since it was right in the eyes of all; only regarding the matter and the decree to kill the king did he ask.
And Hushai said to Absalom: ‘The counsel that Ahithophel has given this time is not good.’
verse value 3019
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "Hushai" (חוּשַׁ֖י, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·Absalom" (אֶל־אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "not·good" (לֹֽא־טוֹבָ֧ה), "the·counsel" (הָעֵצָ֛ה), "that·he·advised" (אֲשֶׁר־יָעַ֥ץ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "to·Absalom" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "that·he·advised" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root פעם ("in·the·this·time") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Absalom', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + חוּשַׁ֖י [Hushai] (324) + אֶל־אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם [to·Absalom] (410) + לֹֽא־טוֹבָ֧ה [not·good] (53) + הָעֵצָ֛ה [the·counsel] (170) + אֲשֶׁר־יָעַ֥ץ [that·he·advised] (671) + אֲחִיתֹ֖פֶל [Ahithophel] (529) + בַּפַּ֥עַם [in·the·this·time] (192) + הַזֹּֽאת [this] (413) = 3019.
Radak
“On this occasion.” Even though all his counsel was sound, on this occasion he himself sinned.
Metzudat David
At this time. And as though he said: but his counsel regarding the concubines was good, and since it has already passed, therefore he praised it in his eyes, so that he would believe in him:
Malbim
And Hushai said, "This counsel is not good." Indeed, Hushai was very discerning, and he did not say, "The matter is not good," but rather, "This counsel is not good." He meant to say that if it had been good counsel to achieve the desired end through it, he would have agreed to it; but it was foolish counsel, neither helpful nor beneficial.
Hushai said moreover: ‘You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are embittered in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field; and your father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.
verse value 5569
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 86 letters. Notable word values: "as·bear" (כְּדֹ֥ב) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֧י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·his·men" (וְאֶת־אֲנָשָׁ֜יו, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 311: in·the·field, man. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·his·men" (וְאֶת־אֲנָשָׁ֜יו), "and·bitter·of" (וּמָרֵ֥י), "as·bear" (כְּדֹ֥ב). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "and·his·men" (root איש, 140x in II Samuel); "for" (root כי, 110x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·field', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 6 words.
Rashi
And your father is a man of war. And he knows matters of war and their strategies and the nature of ambush; and he is confident that you will pursue him by night to come upon him; therefore he will not stay with the rest of the people.
Radak
Like a bear that has lost its cubs: it is bitter of spirit when its cubs have been killed, and it fights with any man it encounters with strength and bitterness of heart.
"And he shall not lodge with the troops." For he was a man skilled in war, and he feared lest an attack might come upon him suddenly.
"And he shall not lodge with the troops." [The word] "et" here is like [saying] "im" (with) the troops; rather, he will hide in one of the pits, and no one shall know his location. If so, what Ahithophel said, "I will strike down the king alone," will not come to pass. Therefore, his counsel is nullified.
Ralbag
As a bereaved bear in the field. That is to say, as a predatory bear, and because of the abundance of its predation they call it 'bereaved,' its being destructive. And your father is a man of war, and for this he knows in which manner it is fitting to conduct himself in this war. And for this the people will not stay in any well-known inn, but he is now hidden in one of the places in which it is possible for him to hide there. And it will be, when some of them fall at first, the warriors pursuing after them, and they die by their hands because they are not guarding against them that they are there, and the hearer will hear this and say that a plague has been among the people who are after Absalom. This will be the cause to bring a faint heart into the hearts of the remainder, and they will flee and fall into the hands of David and his men. And furthermore, David is also a warrior whose heart is like a lion's heart. And how do you think that his heart will melt, as Ahithophel said, 'And I will terrify him, and all the people that are with him will flee'? Behold, all Israel knows that your father is mighty, and those who are with him are warriors, and their hearts will not melt. Or he means by this that from the faint heart that will fall into the heart of the warriors who are with Absalom, when they hear that a plague was among the people who are after Absalom, there will not be one there, even though he be a warrior and his heart like a lion's heart, whose heart will not melt. And they will add to their faint heart what is known to all Israel: that your father is mighty and the men who are with him.
Metzudat David
"For they are mighty." And they do not tremble at the din of war, even though it comes suddenly and at night.
"And they are bitter of spirit." And all the more so are they now bitter of spirit, anxious over the hardship of their times, and they will perform mighty deeds like a bear robbed of her cubs, when she is running in the field searching for them; in the bitterness of her soul she will devour all who come near her.
"And your father is a man of war." This means: He is knowledgeable in the tactics of war, and he understands on his own that only he will be targeted by evil, and suddenly they will come to terrify the people who are with him. And since he understands this, he will not spend the night with the people in one place.
Metzudat Zion
One deprived. He whose children are lost is called bereaved, as (there 43:14): as I have lost, I have lost.
Malbim
And Hushai said, explaining his words, that behold, Ahithophel’s counsel is built upon two foundations: 1. That David’s servants are now depressed and weak of hand, and a sudden terror will terrify them; 2. That David lies secure among his troops without fear. In both of these, he did not understand, and it turned out to be the opposite: 1. You know your father and his men that they are mighty men, and they are bitter of spirit like a bear bereaved in the field, like the bear that has lost its cubs, who then, due to the bitterness of its soul, despises its life unto death; so too are they, when pursued into the field, they will not turn back because of anything and will despise their lives unto death. 2. That your father is a man of war, and it will come to his mind to guard himself lest they fall upon him suddenly.
"And he shall not spend the night with the troops" — rather, behold, he is hiding himself, etc.
Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some place; and it will come to pass, when they fall upon them at the first, and whosoever hears it shall say: There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom;
verse value 5704
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 86 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "or" (א֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "he·is·hidden" (הֽוּא־נֶחְבָּא֙, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "he·is·hidden" (הֽוּא־נֶחְבָּא֙), "the·pits" (הַפְּחָתִ֔ים), "when·falling" (כִּנְפֹ֤ל). The root אחד appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·will·say" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "that" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root תחלה ("in·the·beginning") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root מגפה ("plague") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·places', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 13 words.
Rashi
Behold, he is now hidden. And when you come upon the camp of the people that are with him, he will not be there that you may kill him.
And it shall be when they fall on them at first. I have told you that his men are mighty and strong of spirit; and if they slay among your people, there shall be a defeat in this war, which is the first one, and the hearer shall hear of all Israel who are coming to join you, and shall say 'there was a plague among Absalom's people.'
Radak
"Among one of the pits." The word *pachat* is mentioned in the feminine gender, as it says "among one [of them]," whereas in another place *pachat* is mentioned in the masculine gender: "to the great pit." And *pachat* means a ditch, and its Targum is *be-chad min qomtzaya*, like "he who digs a pit."
Or in one of the places. Where he will be able to hide there:
"And the one who heard." For in a battle fought at night, a person cannot distinguish between this formation and the opposing formation. The first contingent of these twelve thousand will fall by the hand of David's army, while David's army remains guarded and standing in their positions, fighting against those who fall upon them. There will be a cry among them, and the one who heard—from those twelve thousand of the latter group—when they hear the cry and realize that David's army are mighty men, fierce in spirit, and fighting with strength, will say: "A plague has struck the people who are behind Absalom," and they are the ones being defeated, for they cannot distinguish [the situation] at night.
Metzudat David
"Behold, now he is hiding." Now, when it was night, he concealed himself in a place separated from the people who were with him; and therefore, even if he were to terrify the people, he would not find the king to strike him.
"And it will be as if fallen." This is to say: Not only will it not help, but it will actually cause harm, for he [Ahithophel] said not to strike the people, yet they will strike as they please. And when they will cause casualties among your people at the beginning of the war, this means: in the first war.
"And the one who hears shall hear." And when one hears of that fall, he will say, "Surely there was a plague among the people of Absalom," and it will thus appear that the Lord had abandoned them to chance.
Metzudat Zion
The pits. Cisterns and excavations, as (below 18:17): to the great pit.
Pestilence. Meaning: a blow of the sword.
Malbim
"And when [some] fall among them at first" — after he had shown that this counsel would not be of benefit, he showed that it would lead to harm and loss. For by means of their not succeeding on the first attempt, even though only twelve thousand would go out, the hearer would not distinguish the details of the matter, and would say that the troops with Absalom fought and also stumbled and fell. And through this, the hearts of the people would be melted, who still feared your father and his mighty men.
then even he that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, will utterly melt; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and they that are with him are valiant men.
verse value 3191
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "and·he" (וְה֣וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "also·son·of·strength" (גַם־בֶּן־חַ֗יִל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "also·son·of·strength" (גַם־בֶּן־חַ֗יִל), "his·heart" (לִבּ֛וֹ), "surely" (הִמֵּ֣ס). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "also·son·of·strength" (root בין, 98x in II Samuel); "all·Israel" (root כל, 95x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root מסס ("surely") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·be·dissolved', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
And he too is a mighty man. And even that hearer, even if he is a mighty man and his heart like a lion's heart, his courage shall melt with fear and trembling, and he will not join you again; for he shall say 'it has already begun to fall and he has been punished for his father,' and he shall not succeed.
Radak
"And he also is a man of valor." Explanation: And he is Ahithophel, who is a man of valor, as he said, "Let me choose, I pray, twelve thousand men." Although he is a man of valor, his heart is like the heart of a lion. He praised him so that he would not appear to be speaking in order to disparage him. That is to say, even Ahithophel, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, his courage will melt away at the sound of the news he will hear, and he will think that his men are the ones being defeated, and his heart will melt. Rather, my counsel is that the battle take place during the day, with all Israel knowing it, gathering from Dan to Beersheba, and the battle will be conducted openly.
Metzudat David
And he also is a man of valor. And even if the hearer were a man of valor, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, nevertheless his heart would melt within him, for it is known to all that your father is a man of war, and the people with him are men of valor. And if the matter is abandoned to chance, surely their fear will intensify and their hands will grow weak, and they will refuse to go down to war any longer (and even if they do not act alone according to Ahithophel's counsel, but also Absalom's men strike David's men likewise, then there would be no place for this fear. Nevertheless he expanded the discourse to foil his counsel, to show to all that he was not speaking wisely):
But I counsel that all Israel be gathered together to you, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that you go to battle in your own person.
verse value 3904
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·upon·the·sea" (אֲשֶׁר־עַל־הַיָּ֖ם, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "surely" (הֵ֠אָסֹ֠ף), "as·the·sand" (כַּח֥וֹל), "that·upon·the·sea" (אֲשֶׁר־עַל־הַיָּ֖ם). The root אסף appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·upon·the·sea" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "upon·you" (root על, 121x in II Samuel); "for" (root כי, 110x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·abundance', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Rashi
For my counsel. For this is my counsel.
And you yourself march into battle. At the front. (Targum:) 'And you shall go at the head of all of us.'
Radak
"And you shall go forth in the battle." You will be in the battle, not as Ahithophel said, that he should go with twelve thousand men and you should remain in Jerusalem, and he would return all Israel to you. His counsel was not good, for it is better that you go forth in the battle, for the Israelites will be strengthened to fight when you are in the battle. And the meaning of "And you shall go forth in the battle" is that you yourself shall go, and not send another in your place. And likewise, "If Your presence does not go [with us]" — for they said that the idiom for 'going' is expressed through 'face,' since the face embodies the watchfulness and providence [that accompanies] a person as he goes. And the Targum: "And you shall go at the head of all of us."
Metzudat David
"Ki ya'atzti" – Rather, thus do I advise: "Gather, etc." And on account of the multitude of the people, we shall prevail in battle.
"And your face..." For then they will all perform mighty deeds, to find favor in your eyes.
Metzudat Zion
And your face. You yourself.
In battle. In war, as (Psalms 144:1): who teaches my hands to war.
Malbim
"For when I advised, after having nullified Ahithophel's counsel, I gave another counsel that was the opposite of Ahithophel's counsel in every detail: 1) That they should not fall upon him immediately, but rather wait until all Israel is gathered; 2) That they should not go out with a small force, but rather, 'Let all Israel be gathered to you, etc.'; 3) That Ahithophel should not fall upon him, but rather, 'and you shall go forth in your own strength.'"
So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men that are with him we will not leave so much as one.
verse value 5356
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 88 letters. Verse gematria: 5356 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֔ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·in·all·the·men" (וּבְכׇל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֥ים, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 120: and·we·will·rest, will·fall. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·we·will·go·in" (וּבָ֣אנוּ), "was·found" (נִמְצָ֣א), "and·we·will·rest" (וְנַ֣חְנוּ). The root אחד appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "and·in·all·the·men" (root איש, 140x in II Samuel); "and·we·will·go·in" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·the·soil', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 5 words.
Rashi
And we will fall upon him. And we will rest upon him—language of encampment, as (Exodus 10:14): 'and it rested in all the border of Egypt,' (Isaiah 7:2): 'Aram encamped upon Efrayim.'
Radak
"In one of the places." It is written "ba'achat" with a tav, and read "ba'echad" with a dalet.
"As the dew falls"—which covers the whole face of the earth, so shall we descend upon him.
"And none remained of him." Like "ve-lo yotar" [future tense]—the past-tense form is used in place of the future, and there are many like it.
Metzudat David
“And we came to him.” This means: Since the people were numerous, we would surely come to one of the places where he had hidden himself, for we would encamp over him like dew that covers the entire face of the earth without leaving any place empty of it; so too, we would scatter to all the places to seek him, some here and some there, and we would certainly find him.
"And in all the men." For perhaps he would disguise himself to dress like one of his men; therefore, not a man remained from among them all, and he too would be killed along with his own disguising.
Metzudat Zion
And we pitched. From the word pitching.
Malbim
4. That they should not fall upon them at night, and in a case of doubt, if it is found that David is among the people, only that we come to him in one of the places where we know with certainty that he is found there, and not at night, but rather we shall be upon him when the dew falls, meaning in the light of morning at the time when dew falls upon the earth, and so is the explanation of the Mahariya, and we shall not kill only the king, but rather "and we shall not leave him and all the men, etc., even one," meaning whether by killing or if we capture the king alive, and do not fear that in the meantime he will find fortified cities and take refuge there, for:
Moreover, if he withdraw himself into a city, then shall all Israel bring up ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the valley until there be not one small stone found there.’
verse value 4227
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 74 letters. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֛ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·not·will·be·found" (אֲשֶֽׁר־לֹֽא־נִמְצָ֥א, 9 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·if·to·city" (וְאִם־אֶל־עִיר֙), "and·cause·them·to·bear" (וְהִשִּׂ֧יאוּ), "that" (הַהִ֖יא). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·if·to·city" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "that·not·will·be·found" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "all·Israel" (root כל, 95x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'cords', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְאִם־אֶל־עִיר֙ [and·if·to·city] (358) + יֵאָסֵ֔ף [will·be·gathered] (151) + וְהִשִּׂ֧יאוּ [and·cause·them·to·bear] (328) + כׇֽל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל [all·Israel] (591) + אֶל־הָעִ֥יר [to·the·city] (316) + הַהִ֖יא [that] (21) + חֲבָלִ֑ים [cords] (90) + וְסָחַ֤בְנוּ [and·we·will·drag] (132) + אֹתוֹ֙ [him] (407) + עַד־הַנַּ֔חַל [until·the·valley] (167) + עַ֛ד [until] (74) + אֲשֶֽׁר־לֹֽא־נִמְצָ֥א [that·not·will·be·found] (713) + שָׁ֖ם [there] (340) + גַּם־צְרֽוֹר [also·pebble] (539) = 4227.
Rashi
Ropes. (Targum:) 'Camps,' as (I Samuel 10:5): 'A company of prophets,' (Psalms 119:61): 'Bands of the wicked.'
Until the brook. The city wall will be dragged to the valley.
Radak
"And they shall bring up." This is stated by way of exaggeration: he said Israel would be so numerous that even if they lifted ropes to the city to drag and haul it until it reached the river, they would be able to do so, until not even a single stone remained in the city. As for the word "oto" [it, masculine] that he used—though he mentions "city," which is feminine—he said "oto" referring to a tower that would be within the city; that is, even if there were a tower of strength within the city gathering everything to itself, they would drag away both the city and the tower. And Jonathan rendered in the Targum: "and they shall lift up—and all Israel shall gather upon that city and surround it with armies," etc. As above, he translated "ropes" (chavalim) as *mashrayin* (armies/camps), like "chevel nevi'im" (a band of prophets), or perhaps he had in mind the ropes of the tents in the camp.
Metzudat David
And if he gathers into a city. As though saying: and if there is a fear, that when the matter is delayed until all Israel are gathered, he will escape with his life into a stronghold city standing on a mountain, and will strengthen himself in the city's fortress. And he said: behold even so he will not escape, for surely with the great multitude with us, even if he gathers to a city, the power is in our hands to bring ropes upon the city, to drag it from the mountain to the valley, until not even a pebble remains in that city. And he spoke in the manner of hyperbole and exaggeration, to say that even in a stronghold city he will not withstand against the great people with us. And so that he would not perceive his cunning, he sweetened his words in a pleasant manner with all aspects of refutation. But the essence of his intention was, so that the matter would be delayed until they all gathered, and in the meantime he would send his words to him to escape with his life, as he truly did:
Metzudat Zion
He shall gather. He shall enter:
And they raised. And they lifted:
And we shall drag. A matter of dragging and pulling, as (Jeremiah 22:18): drag and cast.
The riverbed. The valley:
A clod. A coarse piece of earth, as (Amos 9:9): not a clod shall fall to the ground.
Malbim
"If he is gathered to a city, and all Israel shall bring [ropes], etc." — all of this is easy if a large and mighty army is gathered, but not with a small army.
And Absalom and all the men of Israel said: ‘The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.’—For Hashem had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that Hashem might bring evil upon Absalom.
verse value 7225
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 104 letters. Notable word values: "to·bring" (הָבִ֧יא) = 18, chai, 'life'. Verse gematria: 7225 = 85². The shortest word is "counsel·of" (עֲצַת֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Absalom" (אֶל־אַבְשָׁל֖וֹם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 529: Ahithophel, Ahithophel. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "from·counsel·of" (מֵעֲצַ֖ת), "to·break" (לְהָפֵ֞ר), "to·bring" (הָבִ֧יא). The root עצה appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "to·Absalom" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Ahithophel', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 11 words.
Ralbag
And Absalom and all the men of Israel said. This indicates that the elders of Israel did not agree in this second counsel.
Metzudat David
And the Lord commanded. Meaning: not because Hushai's counsel was truly better than Ahithophel's counsel, and therefore his counsel was pleasing in their eyes, for truly Ahithophel's counsel was the true way to reach the desired end. But this was from the Lord, for He decreed to foil Ahithophel's good counsel etc.:
Metzudat Zion
To break. To abolish.
Malbim
And he said, “At that time, all agreed that Hushai’s counsel was better, and the Scripture testifies that this was from the Lord, for truly, if they had acted according to Ahithophel’s counsel, they would have succeeded.”
Then said Hushai to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests: ‘Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled.
verse value 6551
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "advised" (יָעַ֤ץ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·Abiathar" (וְאֶל־אֶבְיָתָר֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 434: and·like·this, and·like·this, and·like·this. The root זאת appears 4 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 77x in II Samuel); "and·to·Abiathar" (root אל, 72x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Metzudat David
As this and as this etc. Meaning: he told them the two counsels, that of Ahithophel and his own:
Malbim
"Like this and like that," etc. – He means to say that he [Hushai] was still in doubt, lest [Absalom] turn back and act according to the counsel of Ahithophel; therefore,
Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying: Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but in any wise pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.’
verse value 5422
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "lest" (פֶּ֚ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·all·the·people" (וּלְכׇל־הָעָ֖ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "do·not·lodge" (אַל־תָּ֤לֶן), "surely" (עָב֣וֹר), "cross·over" (תַּעֲב֑וֹר). The root עבר appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "of·David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "to·the·king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root בלע ("will·be·swallowed·down") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'cross·over', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Rashi
And you shall also pass over. The Yarden.
Lest the king be swallowed. That I did not advise him well, and he will do according to Achitophel's words.
Swallowed. He shall tell him secretly and with swallowing.
Radak
"Send." Before you are Jonathan and Ahimaaz, who were outside the city:
And they told. Through them they told David:
"Cross over the Jordan:"
"Lest the king be swallowed up." Meaning: lest harm befall him, like "if it swallows him up from his place." For I fear that they may follow the counsel of Ahithophel; even though they said, "for my counsel is better than his," perhaps his mind will yet turn back to the counsel of Ahithophel. Therefore do not spend the night in the plains of the wilderness, which is known [to them], but cross the Jordan tonight. And Targum Yonatan renders "pen yevula" as "dilma yithanei lemalka" [perhaps it will benefit the king], and I do not know his intention.
Ralbag
Lest evil befall the king and all the people who are with him. In order that the counsel be settled between them over this. Or he means by this: lest he destroy what belongs to the king, from his wives and his sons and his children, and what belongs to all the people who are with him. And they did not say 'lest the king be swallowed up,' so as to pay honor to the kingship, and so as not to open his mouth to evil against him.
Metzudat David
"Do not lodge [for the night]." For lest he [Absalom] act according to the counsel of Ahithophel — even though they cunningly said that my counsel was proper — this was so that I would not fail to inform David to escape that night.
“And also you shall pass over the Jordan.”
Lest he be swallowed up. Lest he be destroyed, what will become of David and his people, when they pursue him by night?
Metzudat Zion
Be swallowed. A matter of destruction, as (below 20:19): why will you swallow the Lord's heritage?
Malbim
"And now, send quickly," etc. — [Meaning:] Do not lodge among the people, and moreover, you shall surely cross over with all the people. Its explanation: "Do not lodge" — lest harm befall the king; and "you shall surely cross over" — lest harm befall all the people.
Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by En-rogel; and a maid-servant used to go and tell them; and they went and told king David; for they might not be seen to come into the city.
verse value 3242
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 89 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Jonathan" (וִיהוֹנָתָ֨ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 66: and·she·goes, shall·go. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "standing" (עֹמְדִ֣ים), "at·En-rogel" (בְּעֵין־רֹגֵ֗ל), "and·she·goes" (וְהָלְכָ֤ה). The root הלך appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "to·the·king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "to·come" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Rashi
At Rogel Spring. (Targum:) 'At the fuller's spring'—the wool-washers, who beat them there, who kick them with their feet.
Radak
"Be'ein Rogel." Jonathan translates: "Be'ein Qatzra." And "qatzra" is the washerman. And in this "eye" (i.e., the hollow or basin) they used to wash clothes. And the washerman is called "rogel" because he rubs the clothes with his feet.
"And the maid went." The maid of the House of Zadok went to En-Rogel, to the place where Jonathan and Ahimaaz were, and she told them that they should go and inform David of the words that Hushai had spoken.
Metzudat David
“And they shall go forth.” In order that they shall go forth, etc.:
"For they could not." Jonathan and Ahimaaz could not show themselves by entering the city, lest they be detected:
But a lad saw them, and told Absalom; and they went both of them away quickly, and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down thither.
verse value 4295
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָֽׁם, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·house·of·a·man" (אֶל־בֵּֽית־אִ֣ישׁ, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "to·house·of·a·man" (אֶל־בֵּֽית־אִ֣ישׁ), "in·Bahurim·and·to·him" (בְּבַחוּרִ֗ים), "and·to·him" (וְל֥וֹ). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·house·of·a·man" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "and·they·came" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel); "and·they·went" (root הלך, 96x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Absalom', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 11 words.
Metzudat David
"And he saw them." At En-rogel:
"And they went." Because they perceived that the youth had seen them, therefore they went from En-rogel to their hiding place, which was in Bahurim.
Malbim
And a lad saw them: In this was [an instance of] the verse, "The eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear Him" (Psalms 33:18): (1) that they sensed that the lad had seen them and they went quickly; (2) that they came to the house of a man who had a well.
And the woman took and spread the covering over the well’s mouth, and strewed groats thereon; and nothing was known.
verse value 4688
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·covering" (אֶת־הַמָּסָךְ֙, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·spread" (וַתִּפְרֹ֤שׂ), "the·covering" (אֶת־הַמָּסָךְ֙), "and·spread" (וַתִּשְׁטַ֥ח). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·him" (root על, 121x in II Samuel); "a·thing" (root דבר, 107x in II Samuel); "and·not" (root לא, 76x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'a·grain·or·fruit', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַתִּקַּ֣ח [and·took] (514) + הָאִשָּׁ֗ה [the·woman] (311) + וַתִּפְרֹ֤שׂ [and·spread] (986) + אֶת־הַמָּסָךְ֙ [the·covering] (526) + עַל־פְּנֵ֣י [upon·face] (240) + הַבְּאֵ֔ר [well] (208) + וַתִּשְׁטַ֥ח [and·spread] (723) + עָלָ֖יו [upon·him] (116) + הָרִפ֑וֹת [a·grain·or·fruit] (691) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + נוֹדַ֖ע [was·known] (130) + דָּבָֽר [a·thing] (206) = 4688.
Rashi
The covering. A curtain.
Crushed grain. Wheat that has been crushed, as (Proverbs 27:22): 'Among the crushed.'
Radak
"Upon the face of the well." Like "upon the mouth of the well"; and so Targum Yonatan translated: "al pumei deveira." And it is one of three cases of "sevirin" [one would think to read "peh" (mouth) but it reads "penei" (face)], and the meaning is the same, for the mouth of the well is its face.
"Ha-ripot" (the groats). The crushed wheat kernels are called "ripot"; likewise "amid the groats, with a pestle" (Proverbs 27:22). And it is related to "the pillars of heaven shall totter" [yerofafu] (Job 26:11). And Jonathan translated "ha-ripot" as "deqilan" [roasted grains].
Ralbag
And the rafot was spread upon him. It is wheat that is crushed in a mortar, and they spread it first so that it would dry.
Metzudat David
The woman. The wife of the man:
"Alav." Upon the screen:
"And no word was known." It was not discernible from the well, which was beneath the screen.
Metzudat Zion
The curtain. A curtain, as (Exodus 26:36): and you shall make a curtain.
And she stretched out. And she spread, as (Ezekiel 26:14): a spreading of nets.
The roasted corn. Wheat crushed and husked, as (Proverbs 27:22): in the midst of the grits, with the pestle, and it is from the word looseness, for they were loosened and husked from their husks.
Malbim
3. That the woman had compassion on them, and that it was her counsel to spread the groats; 4. and that it was her counsel to say that they had been there and had crossed the water channel, just as it was Rahab's counsel to say likewise, "Thus the men came to me," as explained there.
And Absalom’s servants came to the woman to the house; and they said: ‘Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?’ And the woman said to them: ‘They are gone over the brook of water.’ And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. .
verse value 5293
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 96 letters. Notable word values: "slave" (עַבְדֵי֩) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "where?" (אַיֵּ֗ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Jonathan" (וִיה֣וֹנָתָ֔ן, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "where?" (אַיֵּ֗ה), "crossed" (עָבְר֖וּ), "and·they·sought" (וַיְבַקְשׁוּ֙). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "to·the·woman" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "and·they·came" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'water', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 5 words.
Rashi
The water hole. I do not know its explanation in the Machberet [Menachem's dictionary] at all; but its explanation, according to its context, is like 'the stream of the river.'
Radak
"Michal hamayim." It has no companion, and according to its context, it means "a division of waters," and Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it as "they crossed the Jordan."
Ralbag
The vessel of water. Meaning a channel of water.
Metzudat David
"Where are they?" For it was reported to them that they had come home.
"And they sought." In the woman's house, or where they had crossed a bit beyond the water, to seek them there:
Metzudat Zion
The channel of the water. Its meaning is the stream of water, and it has no companion.
And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David; and they said to David: ‘Arise you, and pass quickly over the water; for thus has Ahithophel counselled against you.’
verse value 3779
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 88 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִ֑ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·said" (וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 170: advised, upon·you. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "their·going" (לֶכְתָּ֗ם), "from·the·well" (מֵֽהַבְּאֵ֔ר), "and·cross" (וְעִבְר֤וּ). The root הלך appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "to·the·king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 10 words.
Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over the Jordan; by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over the Jordan.
verse value 4717
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "Jordan" (אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 670: Jordan, Jordan. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "until·light·of" (עַד־א֣וֹר), "even·one" (עַד־אַחַד֙), "was·helped" (נֶעְדָּ֔ר). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "that" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "and·all·the·people" (root כל, 95x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jordan', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Metzudat David
Until one etc. Meaning: when the morning light came, not even one was missing who etc.:
Metzudat Zion
Missing. Was lacking, as (Isaiah 40:26): none is missing.
And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and got him home, to his city, and set his house in order, and strangled himself; and he died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.
verse value 5999
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 87 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Ahithophel" (וַאֲחִיתֹ֣פֶל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 449: to·his·house, to·his·house. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "was·done" (נֶעֶשְׂתָה֮), "his·counsel" (עֲצָתוֹ֒), "and·saddled" (וַיַּחֲבֹ֣שׁ). The root איל appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·his·house" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "for" (root כי, 110x in II Samuel); "and·went" (root הלך, 96x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·was·strangled', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 4 words.
Radak
"To his house, to his city." Some manuscripts read "ve-el iro" [and to his city, with a vav], but the corrected manuscript reads "el iro" [to his city, without a vav].
"And he commanded his household." Just as a person who is near death commands his household regarding what will happen after him, so too did he speak concerning his household and his inheritance.
"And he strangled himself." He chose to kill himself, rather than have David kill him, for he knew that since his counsel had not been carried out, Absalom and all who were with him would fall into David's hands.
Ralbag
And he commanded his house and strangled himself. It is possible that he strangled himself, for he saw the evil that would come from this to Absalom, and he feared David, that this counsel which he counseled against him would be made known to him.
Metzudat David
“to his city.” This implies: to his home that is in his city, and not to his lodging house that is in Jerusalem.
"And he commanded." He made a testament for his household:
"And he hanged himself." He hanged himself, for from that moment on he believed that David would return to his kingship, and that he would be put to death as a rebel against the monarchy, and that his property would also be confiscated by the king, in accordance with the law regarding a rebel against the monarchy. Therefore, he hanged himself, in order to save his property for his heirs.
Metzudat Zion
And he saddled. He girt the saddle.
Malbim
And Ahithophel saw that until now he had exerted himself to have his counsel followed, and when he heard that David had crossed the Jordan, he knew that it was from the Lord who had thwarted his counsel, and that David would return to his kingdom, and then he would put him to death and seize his property, for the property of those executed by the king belongs to the king. Therefore, he strangled himself, and by doing so he left orders for his household, for he knew that he [the king] would not be able to seize his property. And he was buried in his father's tomb, which would not have been the case had the king put him to death.
And Absalom had set Amasa over the host instead of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man, whose name was Ithra the Jesraelite, that went in to Abigal the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother.
verse value 6982
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "thered" (שָׂ֧ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Amasa" (וְאֶת־עֲמָשָׂ֗א, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 19: Joab, Joab. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·Amasa" (וְאֶת־עֲמָשָׂ֗א), "Ithra" (יִתְרָ֣א), "Israelite" (הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִ֔י). The root עמשא appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Abigail" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "that·went·in" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "Joab" (root יואב, 101x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root עמשא ("and·Amasa") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'over·the·host', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 12 words.
Rashi
Daughter of a serpent. He is Yishai, David's father; our Sages said (Bava Batra 17a): that he died without sin, because of the scheme of the serpent.
Radak
"Ve'Amasa ben ish" – that is to say, the son of a great man, as in "ve-chazakta ve-hayita le-ish" ("be strong and be a man"), meaning, be a good and God-fearing man; and so, wherever [Scripture uses the word] "anashim" (men), it means great men.
Yitra the Israelite. And in Chronicles, it says Yitra the Ishmaelite. He was an Israelite, but he dwelled in the land of Ishmael; therefore, he was called "Israelite" [to denote his origin] and "Ishmaelite" [to denote his residence]. He was called "Ishmaelite" due to his dwelling there, and "Israelite" so that one should not assume that he was truly an Ishmaelite. My master and father, of blessed memory, wrote that when he was in the land of the Ishmaelites, they called him "Israelite" there, and when he came from there to the Land of Israel, they called him "Ishmaelite." And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, there is a derivation as to why he was called "Ishmaelite": because he girded his sword like Ishmael. When Saul wanted to disqualify David from kingship because he came from Ruth the Moabite, he stood, girded his sword, and said, "Anyone who does not heed this ruling shall be pierced by the sword." Such is the tradition I received from the court of Samuel. [Regarding the law that one may not marry an Ammonite or a Moabite:] "Ammonite and not an Ammonite woman; Moabite and not a Moabite woman." What is the reason? [The Torah states:] "Because they did not meet you with bread and water on the way when you came out of Egypt." It is the custom of a man to go out to greet [travelers], but it is not the custom of a woman to go out to greet.
"Who came to Abigail, the daughter of Nahash." This is Jesse, the father of David, and he had two names: Jesse and Nahash; and there are many like him. The reason it says "who came" and not "husband of Abigail" is that perhaps he came to her before he married her, and she bore Amasa to him; therefore it says "who came." And our Sages of blessed memory expounded that Jesse was therefore called Nahash [serpent], because he died without sin, on account of [the enticement of] the serpent – that is, because of the counsel of the serpent, who counseled Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, and then death was decreed upon Adam and Eve, and Jesse had no other sin for which he died. And my father, of blessed memory, explained that he was called Nahash because vipers issued from him who killed among the nations of the world, and so it is written, "For from the root of the serpent shall come forth a viper" – that is, from the root of Jesse, who was called Nahash, came forth a viper, namely Hezekiah.
Ralbag
Who came to Abigail, the daughter of Nachash. It seems that Jesse had two names, and he said that she was the sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother, to indicate that Amasa and Joab were relatives, sons of two sisters. And despite this, Joab killed Amasa so that he remain commander of the army as he was.
Metzudat David
On the army. To be a commander over the army:
“Son of a man.” He means: the son of a distinguished and exalted person, as it is stated (1 Samuel 26:15): “Are you not a man?”
The Israelite. And in Chronicles (1 Chronicles 2:17) it says "the Ishmaelite," because he dwelled in the land of Ishmael.
Nachash. Our Sages of blessed memory said (Shabbat 55b): He is Yishai, and he is called Nachash, because he died through the scheme of the serpent, and not because of any sin. (And it is possible to say that she was born to Yishai's wife from her first husband, whose name was Nachash, and therefore he said "the sister of Tzruya" and did not say "the sister of David," because Tzruya was her sister also on her father's side, as we have said in I Samuel 16:10.)
Malbim
"And Amasa": The text relates that Amasa's mother and Joab's mother were sisters, both daughters of Jesse, and Amasa had an advantage over Joab on account of his father. For Joab was called "son of Zeruiah" after his mother, because his father was not known by name; but Amasa was "son of a man," not "son of a woman" — meaning he was called after his father, whose name was Ithra the Israelite. In Chronicles [Divrei HaYamim] he is called "the Ishmaelite," and our Sages of blessed memory expounded on this, and [taught] that he was great in Torah.
And Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.
verse value 1397
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "land" (אֶ֖רֶץ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Absalom" (וְאַבְשָׁלֹ֔ם, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·encamped" (וַיִּ֤חַן), "Gilead" (הַגִּלְעָֽד). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 77x in II Samuel); "land" (root ארץ, 40x in II Samuel). Full calculation: וַיִּ֤חַן [and·encamped] (74) + יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ [Israel] (541) + וְאַבְשָׁלֹ֔ם [and·Absalom] (379) + אֶ֖רֶץ [land] (291) + הַגִּלְעָֽד [Gilead] (112) = 1397.
And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,
verse value 3281
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 73 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָוִ֖ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Ammon" (בְּנֵי־עַמּ֗וֹן, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "when·came" (כְּב֥וֹא), "and·Shobi" (וְשֹׁבִ֨י), "from·Rabbah" (מֵרַבַּ֣ת). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel); "when·came" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root ברזלי ("and·Barzillai") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Mahanaim', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 11 words.
Rashi
And Shobi, the son of Nachash. He is Chanun, the son of Nachash.
Radak
And Shobi, son of Nahash, was from Rabbah of the Ammonites. He was an Israelite and had become a resident alien in Rabbah of the Ammonites after David had conquered it. The interpretation that says he was Hanun, son of Nahash, king of the Ammonites, is far-fetched — that David would have spared his life. Did he not execute judgments against all the people who were in Rabbah and in all the cities of the Ammonites? How much more so against Hanun the king, who had humiliated his servants! It is possible that he converted, and David spared his life.
The Gileadite was from Rogelim. From the land of Gilead, he was known from a city whose name was Rogelim.
Ralbag
And behold it relates that when David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nachash and Machir son of Ammiel and Barzillai the Gileadite provided for him what he needed of all bedding and basins, and they are household receptacle-vessels of metal and potter's vessels to use in all their needs. And they brought him for food wheat and barley and flour and roasted grain from the wheat and from the barley, so that they could eat immediately from the roasted grain. And they brought him from kinds of legumes: fava beans and lentils. And they also brought him from them roasted [grain] to eat immediately. And they brought him also honey and butter to eat with the bread, and to drink, and sheep to eat, and curds of cow's milk to eat, for they are more esteemed than the rest of the curds. And behold, these three agreed from their places to send this gift to David.
Malbim
And it came to pass when David came to Mahanaim — behold, until now he had not found a supporter and sustainer, as stated above. And now many bestirred themselves to support him, for after Absalom had come to his father's concubines and David had fled the land, he [David] received his punishment, and, like the light of morning, the sun would shine.
brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and meal, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse,
verse value 2983
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "bed" (מִשְׁכָּ֤ב, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·barley" (וּשְׂעֹרִ֖ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 146: and·parched·grain, and·parched·grain. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·basins" (וְסַפּוֹת֙), "potter" (יוֹצֵ֔ר), "and·wheat" (וְחִטִּ֥ים). The root קלי appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·parched·grain', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. 9 of the verse's 11 words begin with the letter ו. Full calculation: מִשְׁכָּ֤ב [bed] (362) + וְסַפּוֹת֙ [and·basins] (552) + וּכְלִ֣י [and·a·vessel·of] (66) + יוֹצֵ֔ר [potter] (306) + וְחִטִּ֥ים [and·wheat] (73) + וּשְׂעֹרִ֖ים [and·barley] (626) + וְקֶ֣מַח [and·flour] (154) + וְקָלִ֑י [and·parched·grain] (146) + וּפ֥וֹל [and·beans] (122) + וַעֲדָשִׁ֖ים [and·lentils] (430) + וְקָלִֽי [and·parched·grain] (146) = 2983.
Rashi
Beds. Bedding.
Pans. They are household utensils, as (II Kings 12:14): 'Silver pans.'
And parched grain. Types of parched grains; our Sages said (Avodah Zarah 38b): two types of drink that Barzilai brought to David—one of wheat, and one of lentils, as is said here; 'flour and parched grain' is of grain, 'and pulses and lentils and parched grain'—from types of legumes that they dry in the oven when they are moist, and they are always sweet, and they are ground, and from them they make a food that they call 'shitita.'
Radak
"Bedding and basins." Vessels from which one pours [water] on the hands. "Mishkav" [bedding] is a term of pouring, as in "and the layer of dew ascended" (Exodus 16:14), and "the bottles of heaven, who can tilt them?" (Job 38:37). And some explain it as a bed, called "mishkav" because a person lies upon it. And the Targum [renders it] "makhvin," meaning sheets; and the Targum of "and the shawls" [renders it] "ukhvantin." And so in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, [it is taught,] "let my shawl be given to my daughter." And the meaning of "vesafot" is like basins (mizrakim); and so, "from the blood that is in the basin" (Exodus 12:22), and the Targum [renders it] "ve-qolin." And so, "and the basins" in Jeremiah, and the Targum [renders it] "qolya." And the Targum of "and her jar on her shoulder" [renders it] "ve-tzulata." And the "kali" [parched grain] next to the flour is parched grain of wheat, and the one next to the lentils is parched grain of types of legumes — a matter understood from its context.
Metzudat Zion
Bedding. Beds to lie upon them:
And basins. Basins, as (Exodus 12:22): of the blood that is in the basin.
And potters' vessels. Vessels molded of clay.
And parched corn. Flour from roasted ears.
And beans and lentils. They are kinds of pulses.
And parched beans. It is flour from roasted pulses.
and honey, and curd, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat; for they said: ‘The people is hungry, and faint, and thirsty, in the wilderness.’
verse value 4337
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·with·him" (אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֖וֹ, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·honey" (וּדְבַ֣שׁ), "and·curd" (וְחֶמְאָ֗ה), "and·flock" (וְצֹאן֙). The root עם appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "of·David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "that·with·him" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root רעב ("famine") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·eat', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Rashi
And cheese from cattle. (Targum:) And curds of milk.
Radak
"And shefot bakar" [cheese of the herd]. Targum Yonatan: "and curds of the milk of cattle." The cheeses are called "shafot" because they are made through a process like that of "ve-shafu atzmotav" [his bones are made bare].
Hungry. They said: the people were hungry in the wilderness, and it was necessary to provide them with food in advance, for they had not brought their provisions with them from Jerusalem, since they went out in haste and fled.
"And weary." From the journey. And so it said above, "weary" (עיפים) and "there he rested" (וינפש). And our Rabbis of blessed memory expounded: "weary" [alludes] to bloodshed, and "thirsty" [is to be taken literally]. For in the wilderness, even though it is within settled land, which is a place for grazing animals, water is not found there in abundance.
Metzudat David
They brought. Those three men brought a bed, etc., honey, etc.
In the wilderness. Because they traveled in the wilderness, they found neither food nor drink, and they were wearied by the toil of the journey.
Metzudat Zion
And curds of cattle. Cheeses made from the milk of cattle, and because it is made by pressing and pounding, they are called shafot, and it is from (Job 32:21): and his bones are rubbed bare.
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim