2 Samuel 17:3 kjv
And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace.
2 Samuel 17:3 nkjv
Then I will bring back all the people to you. When all return except the man whom you seek, all the people will be at peace."
2 Samuel 17:3 niv
and bring all the people back to you. The death of the man you seek will mean the return of all; all the people will be unharmed."
2 Samuel 17:3 esv
and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace."
2 Samuel 17:3 nlt
and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride returns to her husband. After all, it is only one man's life that you seek. Then you will be at peace with all the people."
2 Samuel 17 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 16:23 | Now the counsel of Ahithophel… was as if one consulted the word of God. | Ahithophel's reputed wisdom, often contrasted with divine will. |
| 2 Sam 17:14 | For the Lord had purposed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel… | God's sovereignty over human wisdom. |
| Prov 19:21 | Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. | God's ultimate control over human schemes. |
| Psa 33:10-11 | The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations… The plans of the Lord stand firm forever. | Divine frustration of ungodly counsel. |
| Job 5:12 | He frustrates the plans of the crafty so that their hands achieve no success. | God thwarts schemes of cunning men like Ahithophel. |
| 1 Cor 1:19-20 | I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate... Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? | God makes human worldly wisdom foolish. |
| Isa 9:6-7 | For to us a child is born… And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. | Contrast between Ahithophel's false peace and Messiah's true peace. |
| Phil 4:7 | And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. | God's peace, not attained through violence or conspiracy. |
| Jer 29:11 | "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." | God's good plans, differing from harmful human ones. |
| 1 Sam 24:6 | "The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed…" | David's respect for God's anointed, contrasting Absalom's disrespect. |
| 1 Sam 26:9 | But David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him, for who can lay a hand on the Lord's anointed and be guiltless?" | Reverence for God's anointed King. |
| Rom 13:1-2 | Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established... Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted… | Biblical principle of submission to governing authorities (though complicated by rebellion context here). |
| 1 Kin 11:13 | But I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of my servant David… | God’s covenant faithfulness to David, even amidst disobedience. |
| 1 Sam 16:13 | Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him… And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day forward. | David as God's chosen king, divinely empowered. |
| Gen 2:24 | That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. | Origin of the 'one flesh' union, providing context for the bride/husband imagery. |
| Isa 62:5 | As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. | Positive spiritual metaphor of bride/husband in divine relationship. |
| Hos 2:19-20 | I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord. | God's covenant relationship with His people as a marriage. |
| Eph 5:25-27 | Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her… to present her to himself as a radiant church… | Christ's relationship with the Church as bridegroom and bride. |
| 1 Sam 19:1-2 | Saul told his son Jonathan… to kill David. But Jonathan had great affection for David and warned him… | An example of "seeking one's life" and its thwarting. |
| Matt 2:13 | When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” | Herod's attempt to kill one specific person for his own security. |
| 1 Kings 2:32 | The Lord will bring back his blood on his own head… because he struck down two men… David’s army, without David’s knowledge. | Retribution for blood vengeance, indicating divine justice for murder. |
| Psa 29:11 | The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. | God is the source of true peace, not violence. |
2 Samuel 17 verses
2 Samuel 17 3 Meaning
This verse contains Ahithophel's counsel to Absalom, proposing a strategy to secure his new kingship. It suggests that by eliminating King David—the 'one man'—all of Israel will swiftly return to Absalom's allegiance, just as a 'bride returns to her husband,' signifying a natural, restored, and peaceful unity under his rule. Ahithophel argues that this swift and precise action would prevent a prolonged civil war and establish Absalom's reign on a foundation of perceived reconciliation and peace.
2 Samuel 17 3 Context
This verse is situated during Absalom's rebellion against his father, King David. David has fled Jerusalem, and Absalom has seized power. Ahithophel, formerly David's trusted counselor and now a key figure in Absalom's rebellion, provides counsel intended to solidify Absalom's usurpation of the throne. His advice follows his initial counsel in 2 Samuel 16 to defile David's concubines publicly, demonstrating Absalom's irreversible break with David. This verse represents Ahithophel's next critical strategic move: a swift, targeted strike against David himself, calculated to bring an end to the conflict and secure Absalom's reign by neutralizing the ultimate threat – the legitimate king. This advice is then contrasted with Hushai the Archite's counsel, who, unbeknownst to Absalom, is loyal to David and seeks to thwart Ahithophel's "good counsel" (2 Sam 17:14) through divine intervention.
2 Samuel 17 3 Word analysis
- And I will bring back (וַאֲשִׁיבָה - va'ashivah from שׁוּב - shuv): This Hebrew root means "to turn, return, restore." Here, it implies not merely leading back but causing a willing turning or reconciliation, suggesting the restoration of loyalty and allegiance to Absalom. Ahithophel aims for a unified submission.
- all the people (כָּל־הָעָם - kol-ha'am): This emphasizes the totality—the entire nation. Ahithophel's goal is complete national unity under Absalom, not merely a segment or faction. This reflects a grand vision of the kingdom consolidated under a new ruler.
- to you (אֵלֶיךָ - eleikha): Directly to Absalom, highlighting him as the new, desired center of national loyalty and authority.
- as a bride (כַּכַּלָּה - kakhallah): From כַּלָּה (kallah), meaning "bride" or "daughter-in-law." The prefix "כַּ" (ka-) means "like" or "as." This vivid simile evokes intimacy, new beginnings, peace, and natural belonging. The bride leaving her father’s house and cleaving to her husband represents a complete, settled, and rightful transition of loyalty and belonging. This metaphor is often used positively in the Bible for the relationship between God and Israel, or Christ and the Church, making its use here by Ahithophel, for a violent coup, profoundly ironic and manipulative.
- returns to her husband (אֶל־אִישׁ - el-ish): Ish means "man, husband." This further emphasizes the intimate and rightful nature of the return being portrayed. Ahithophel casts Absalom as the legitimate, natural "husband" for the nation (the "bride"), suggesting that David's removal would simply be a proper re-alignment.
- You will seek the life (וְהִקְּשַׁשְׁתָּ אֶת־נֶפֶשׁ - v’hiqqashat et-nephesh from בָּקַשׁ - bakash): While bakash can mean "to seek," when paired with nephesh (soul, life), it means "to seek after someone's life," a common idiom for desiring to kill them or take their life (e.g., 1 Sam 19:1). It's a euphemistic but clear call for assassination.
- of only one man (אִישׁ אֶחָד - ish echad): This points explicitly to David. The phrase emphasizes the singularity of the target, portraying his elimination as the isolated action required to prevent wider bloodshed and consolidate power.
- and all the people (וְכָל־הָעָם - vechol-ha'am): Reiterates the national scope and promise.
- will be at peace (יִהְיֶה שָׁלוֹם - yihyeh shalom): Shalom means "peace, welfare, completeness, prosperity." This is the ultimate promised outcome—a state of security and absence of conflict achieved by decisive action. Ahithophel argues for a peace forged through calculated violence, contrasting with biblical peace, which often comes through justice, repentance, and divine blessing.
Words-group analysis:
- "I will bring back all the people to you, as a bride returns to her husband": This phrase masterfully crafts a vision of seamless and rightful transition. The imagery of the bride signifies a complete, willing, and natural transfer of allegiance and love. Ahithophel uses an archetype of harmonious union to justify an act of rebellion and murder, subtly implying that the nation (the 'bride') has always belonged with Absalom (the 'husband') or would naturally cleave to him once David (the current 'husband') is removed. This metaphor appeals to deeply ingrained social and relational ideals of fidelity and belonging.
- "You will seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace": This is the core pragmatic and chilling logic. Ahithophel argues for minimal, targeted violence to achieve maximal societal stability. By focusing on "only one man," he attempts to rationalize regicide as a surgical solution that would avoid a protracted civil war and deliver swift "peace" to the nation. This peace, however, would be founded on the murder of God's anointed king, rendering it a superficial and false shalom, built on rebellion rather than divine order.
2 Samuel 17 3 Bonus section
- Ahithophel's advice reveals a cold, utilitarian perspective where one life is deemed expendable for the supposed benefit of the many. This foreshadows philosophies that prioritize ends over means, often seen in human attempts to establish utopia through unrighteous methods.
- The tension in 2 Samuel 17 between Ahithophel's practical wisdom and Hushai's seemingly illogical but divinely-inspired counter-counsel underscores a core biblical theme: God's ability to confound the wisdom of the world (1 Cor 1:19-20) and bring His own purposes to pass.
- The speed proposed by Ahithophel – "only one man" and immediate peace – signifies the crucial strategic need for decisive action in a coup. Delay could allow David to regroup, illustrating the tactical intelligence of Ahithophel, even if his moral compass was broken.
- The metaphor of the bride and husband also subtly highlights the depth of the betrayal; just as a bride would not normally betray her husband, the nation's supposed "return" to Absalom involved a radical breaking of loyalty to God's anointed.
2 Samuel 17 3 Commentary
Ahithophel's counsel in 2 Samuel 17:3 is a masterful example of human shrewdness aimed at securing power through pragmatic brutality. His plan is surgically precise: eliminate King David, and the entire nation, currently fragmented by the rebellion, would naturally 'return' and reconcile to Absalom's rule. The use of the "bride returning to her husband" metaphor is particularly powerful and insidious. It invokes an image of profound unity, legitimacy, and peaceful natural order, effectively normalizing Absalom's usurpation as a rightful alignment rather than a violent overthrow. This calculated rhetoric aims to minimize opposition and convey a sense of security to a populace weary of conflict.
However, the "peace" Ahithophel promises is a worldly one, achieved through a swift and decisive act of murder. It contrasts sharply with the divine shalom, which flows from justice, righteousness, and a right relationship with God and His anointed. God's intervention, frustrating this "good counsel" through Hushai, highlights that human wisdom, no matter how cunning, cannot thwart His sovereign will or establish lasting peace through ungodly means. The events that follow demonstrate the fragility of peace built on rebellion and bloodshed, ultimately leading to Absalom's demise and the painful restoration of David, though not without severe consequences for the nation.