2 Samuel 16:20-23 Meaning: When Trusting Human Counsel Replaces Seeking God
20Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your counsel what we shall do.”
21Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines that he has left to keep the house. Then all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong.”
22So they spread a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
23The counsel of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if a man inquired at the inner sanctuary of God. All the counsel of Ahithophel was like this both with David and with Absalom.
20Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do.
21And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father’s concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong.
22So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
23And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.
20Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give your counsel what we shall do.
21And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father’s concubines, that he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then will the hands of all that are with thee be strong.
22So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
23And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if a man inquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.
20And Absalom saith unto Ahithophel, `Give for you counsel what we do.'
21And Ahithophel saith unto Absalom, `Go in unto the concubines of thy father, whom he left to keep the house, and all Israel hath heard that thou hast been abhorred by thy father, and the hands of all who are with thee have been strong.'
22And they spread out for Absalom the tent on the roof, and Absalom goeth in unto the concubines of his father before the eyes of all Israel.
23And the counsel of Ahithophel which he counselled in those days is as when one inquireth at the word of God; so is all the counsel of Ahithophel both to David and to Absalom.
20And Absalom said to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do.
21And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go in to thy father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art become odious with thy father; and the hands of all that are with thee shall be strong.
22So they spread a tent for Absalom upon the roof; and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
23And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had inquired of the word of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Absalom seek Ahithophel's advice instead of asking God?
Context
David has fled Jerusalem. Absalom rides in and takes the city without a fight. The throne is within reach, but he needs a next move. So he turns to Ahithophel, David's longtime counselor who has switched sides. Ahithophel's advice is cold and calculated: publicly claim the palace by taking David's concubines. It is a brutal act that makes reconciliation impossible. The narrator then steps back to tell us something startling: in those days, Ahithophel's counsel was treated like a word from God himself. That is the clue to the whole scene. Absalom asked a man, not the Lord. And the man's wisdom, however admired, was leading straight into ruin.
Key Words
The Hebrew word עֵצָה (etzah, 'counsel') appears three times in these few verses. It is the same word used in Psalms for God's plans that stand forever. But here it is human advice, treated as though it came from heaven. The verb שָׁאַל (sha'al, 'inquired') in verse 23 is the same one used when Israel brought their questions to the Lord. Absalom could have asked God what to do. Instead, he asked a man. And the phrase 'word of God', דְּבַר הָאֱלֹהִים, is the very language reserved for divine revelation. The narrator does not say Ahithophel's counsel was from God. He says people treated it that way. That is a warning. When we stop seeking the Lord and start trusting human cleverness, we can mistake good advice for God's voice, and never notice we are heading the wrong way.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read this passage with different emphases. Many point out that the act fulfills Nathan's prophecy in 2 Samuel 12: David's sin with Bathsheba would be punished publicly in his own household. Others focus on the sheer wickedness of Absalom and Ahithophel, a son sleeping with his father's women was condemned even by pagan standards. Still others, like Matthew Henry, read the narrator's comment about Ahithophel's counsel as a sobering reminder: even worldly wisdom can look divine, yet still be wrong. Across traditions, readers agree that the passage shows how human wisdom, when set against God's will, leads to disaster, no matter how impressive it seems.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers take verse 23 as God's endorsement of Ahithophel's advice. They think because his counsel was like inquiring of God, it must have been right. In fact, the narrator simply describes how people regarded Ahithophel, not that his advice came from God. The counsel itself was wicked, used to deepen a rebellion. The same verse that praises his reputation also sets the stage for his own death by suicide (2 Samuel 17:23). High regard does not equal divine approval.
Living This Out
You have a big decision this week. A job offer, a relationship question, a financial choice. You talk to the smartest person you know, and their advice makes perfect sense. It feels solid, like the obvious answer. But do you also stop and ask God? Absalom had the best counselor in Israel, and it cost him everything. Human wisdom can be dazzling and still wrong. This week, before you act on the advice that sounds perfect, take that same question to the Lord. Let His word, not someone else's reputation, have the final say.
Main takeaway: Human wisdom that opposes God's will, no matter how admired, cannot stand against the Lord's purposes.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Absalom was supposed to ask God what to do. Instead, he asked a smart friend. The friend told him to do a very bad thing. Always ask God first, He gives the best advice.
For ages 9, 12
Absalom had a choice: he could pray and ask God what to do next, or he could ask his father's old advisor. He chose the advisor, Ahithophel, who gave him terrible advice, even though everyone thought Ahithophel was as wise as God. This shows that just because somebody seems smart, it doesn't mean their advice is right. You have to check it against what God actually says in His Word.
Questions People Ask
Why did Ahithophel give such wicked advice to Absalom?
Commentators suggest several reasons. Some think Ahithophel was bitter about David's sin with Bathsheba (his granddaughter), so he wanted to deepen David's suffering. Others say he simply gave the most politically shrewd counsel: by taking the king's concubines, Absalom would publicly claim the throne and make reconciliation impossible. The narrator doesn't give Ahithophel's motive, but the advice was calculated to burn every bridge.
What does it mean that Ahithophel's counsel was 'as if a man inquired at the inner sanctuary of God'?
This does not mean God approved of his advice. It means people valued his counsel so highly that they treated it like a direct answer from God, as if they had asked the Lord through the Urim and Thummim at the tabernacle. The verse describes Ahithophel's reputation, not the source of his wisdom. It is a sobering measure of how much people trusted him, and how far they had drifted from actually asking God.
How is this connected to Nathan's prophecy in 2 Samuel 12?
Nathan told David that because of his sin with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah, the sword would never leave his house, and someone close would lie with his wives in broad daylight (2 Samuel 12:11). This event on the roof of the palace, the very place where David first saw Bathsheba, is the literal fulfillment of that prophecy. The punishment fits the crime.
Why did Absalom sleep with his father's concubines in public?
In ancient Near Eastern culture, taking the king's harem was the most direct claim to the throne. By doing it publicly, Absalom showed all Israel that he was now the ruler and that David could never take him back. Ahithophel advised it to make the rebellion irreversible and to rally Absalom's supporters by showing there was no going back.
What happened to Ahithophel after this passage?
Later in 2 Samuel 17, Hushai gives Absalom different advice that seems better to him. When Ahithophel sees his counsel was rejected, he knows the rebellion will fail. He goes home, sets his house in order, and hangs himself (2 Samuel 17:23). The man whose advice was like an oracle of God ends his life in despair, a stark reminder that human wisdom without God leads only to death.
For pastors & researchers
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