2 Samuel 17:14 kjv
And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.
2 Samuel 17:14 nkjv
So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel." For the LORD had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring disaster on Absalom.
2 Samuel 17:14 niv
Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel." For the LORD had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.
2 Samuel 17:14 esv
And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel." For the LORD had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the LORD might bring harm upon Absalom.
2 Samuel 17:14 nlt
Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "Hushai's advice is better than Ahithophel's." For the LORD had determined to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which really was the better plan, so that he could bring disaster on Absalom!
2 Samuel 17 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 15:31 | And David said, “O Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.” | David's prayer answered directly. |
| Prov 19:21 | Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. | God's plans always supersede human intentions. |
| Prov 21:30 | No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord. | Reaffirms the futility of human schemes opposing God. |
| Isa 46:10 | declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’ | Emphasizes God's sovereign control over all events and outcomes. |
| Isa 14:27 | For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? | Highlights God's irresistible power to accomplish His purposes. |
| Dan 4:35 | All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” | God's absolute sovereignty over human affairs. |
| Ps 33:10 | The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. | God's active role in nullifying wicked human counsel. |
| Ps 33:11 | The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. | Contrasts the enduring nature of God's counsel with fleeting human plans. |
| 1 Cor 1:19 | For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will frustrate.” | God frustrates human wisdom, paralleling His defeat of Ahithophel's counsel. |
| 1 Cor 1:25 | For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. | Divine wisdom supersedes human logic and cleverness. |
| Rom 8:28 | And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. | Even negative events (like Absalom's rebellion) fit into God's ultimate plan. |
| Eph 1:11 | In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will… | God's sovereign working of "all things" aligns with His specific "counsel" and "will." |
| Phil 2:13 | for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. | God's involvement in human choices, though in a different context. |
| Acts 2:23 | this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. | Human action (crucifixion) occurs within God's predetermined plan. |
| Gen 50:20 | As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. | Human evil intent redirected by God for His purposes. |
| 1 Sam 2:7 | The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. | God's control over life's circumstances. |
| Deut 28:20 | “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do... because of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me." | Divine curses/disasters linked to disobedience, foreshadowing Absalom's fate. |
| Ps 14:4 | Do all these evildoers not know—who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the Lord? | God allowing wicked plans to mature for judgment. |
| Prov 16:9 | The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. | While humans make plans, God determines their ultimate direction. |
| Ps 76:10 | Surely the wrath of man shall praise you; the remnant of wrath you will restrain. | God's ability to use or limit human rebellion for His glory. |
| Obad 1:3 | The pride of your heart has deceived you... | Absalom's pride also led to his downfall, fitting into God's plan. |
2 Samuel 17 verses
2 Samuel 17 14 Meaning
This verse reveals the hidden divine hand behind a human decision. It states that Absalom and the men of Israel accepted Hushai's seemingly weaker counsel over Ahithophel's superior strategic advice, not due to a flaw in Ahithophel's plan or a stroke of genius from Hushai, but because the Lord had divinely purposed to thwart Ahithophel's sound counsel. This divine intervention was specifically designed to bring disaster upon Absalom, directly linking his rebellion's failure to God's sovereign will.
2 Samuel 17 14 Context
The verse occurs during Absalom's rebellion against his father, King David. David has fled Jerusalem, and Absalom has taken over. Absalom consults his shrewd advisor, Ahithophel, whose counsel was as if "one inquired of God." Ahithophel advises immediate, decisive action to pursue and kill David while he is weak and unprepared, a plan that would almost certainly succeed. However, God, through David's prayer (2 Sam 15:31), intervenes by sending Hushai the Archite to frustrate Ahithophel's counsel. Hushai, a loyal friend to David acting as a double agent, offers a seemingly plausible but ultimately delaying and self-destructive counter-proposal to Absalom: gather all Israel, make a grand display of power, and lead them personally into battle. This verse captures Absalom's decision point, influenced by God's direct and sovereign will, leading him to choose Hushai's deceptive counsel, thereby sealing his own doom and ensuring David's survival and return to the throne.
2 Samuel 17 14 Word analysis
- And Absalom and all the men of Israel said: This emphasizes widespread acceptance and collective endorsement of the decision. It indicates general consensus among the rebels, lending legitimacy to Hushai's plan in human eyes.
- 'The counsel (עֵצָה - 'ētsah) of Hushai the Archite is better':
'ētsah(עֵצָה): Means "counsel," "advice," "plan," or "purpose." It refers to the specific strategy put forward.- "is better": From a human perspective, this was a misjudgment. Ahithophel's counsel was tactically superior. This highlights the subjective and often fallible nature of human evaluation, especially when divine purposes are at play.
- 'than the counsel (עֵצָה - 'ētsah) of Ahithophel.':
- Ahithophel was known for his extraordinarily shrewd and reliable advice, often likened to divine guidance (2 Sam 16:23). His counsel was the strategically superior option for Absalom.
- For the Lord (יהוה - YHWH):
YHWH(יהוה): The covenant name of God, indicating His active, personal, and redemptive involvement. This is the central pivot of the verse, shifting causality from human choice to divine orchestration.
- had purposed (יָעַץ - yāʿats):
yāʿats(יָעַץ): Meaning "to advise," "to counsel," "to plan," or "to purpose." This word creates a powerful wordplay with 'ētsah ("counsel"). While humans counsel (Absalom, Hushai, Ahithophel), God also "counsels" or "purposes." This signifies divine intentionality and predetermined will.- The "had purposed" (a Piel perfect tense) indicates a firm, established divine decree preceding and underlying the human events.
- to defeat (לְהָפֵר - ləhāfēr) the good (טּוֹבָה - tôvāh) counsel (עֵצָה - 'ētsah) of Ahithophel:
ləhāfēr(לְהָפֵר): Literally "to break," "to annul," "to frustrate," "to make void." This implies a forceful and decisive nullification by God.tôvāh(טּוֹבָה): Meaning "good," "beneficial," "pleasant," "effective." Ahithophel's counsel was objectively "good" and sound from a military and strategic standpoint for Absalom. The verse does not diminish its quality; rather, it highlights God's power to frustrate even excellent human plans.
- to the intent that the Lord (יהוה - YHWH) might bring disaster (רָעָה - raʿah) upon Absalom:
YHWH(יהוה): Reiteration of the Lord's involvement, emphasizing His direct agency in the outcome.raʿah(רָעָה): Meaning "evil," "calamity," "harm," "misfortune," "disaster." This directly links Absalom's ultimate destruction to God's predetermined will. God used the rejection of the wise counsel as a means to achieve His judgment upon Absalom for his rebellion.
2 Samuel 17 14 Bonus section
The Hebrew word yāʿats (purposed/counseled) in this verse for God's action is significant, as it mirrors the same word (and its noun form, ‘ētsah, counsel) used for human counsel. This parallelism emphasizes that God too has "counsel" or "plans," and His plans ultimately supersede all human deliberation. This underscores the theological principle that even though humans exercise free will and make choices, these choices operate within the larger framework of God's overarching purpose. This event also highlights the concept of a "divine deception" where God does not Himself lie, but sovereignly uses the circumstances, including human misjudgments or even human lies (like Hushai's pretense), to accomplish His will and bring judgment upon those who oppose Him. This is not about God sanctioning sin but using its consequences or a natural course of events to fulfill His ultimate plan, often leading to the downfall of His enemies and the triumph of His righteous purposes.
2 Samuel 17 14 Commentary
This verse serves as a crucial theological statement within the narrative of Absalom's rebellion, affirming God's active sovereignty over human affairs, even those seemingly driven by chance or human cunning. David's earlier prayer that God would "turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness" (2 Sam 15:31) finds its direct answer here. The narrator explicitly pulls back the curtain, revealing that the ultimate decision to choose Hushai's inferior plan was not merely a human error in judgment by Absalom and his allies but a direct act of divine providence. God purposefully orchestrated the frustration of Ahithophel's excellent strategic advice precisely "to bring disaster upon Absalom."
This passage powerfully illustrates how God accomplishes His purposes, even through deceptive human actions (Hushai's feigned loyalty) and misjudgment by wicked individuals (Absalom's decision). It's a reminder that no human wisdom, however shrewd or well-intentioned (from a human perspective), can ultimately stand against the will of the Almighty. Absalom's ambition and rebellion, though seemingly ascendant, were destined for failure because they clashed with God's preordained plan for His anointed King David. The "good counsel" was frustrated because its success would have thwarted God's divine purpose. The outcome wasn't a fluke; it was God's direct decree for judgment upon a usurper.