Ahithophel

Ahithophel was born in Giloh, a town in the hill country of Judah (2 Samuel 15:12). He was the father of Eliam, one of David’s mighty warriors, and possibly the grandfather of Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:3; 23:34). Ahithophel’s name means “brother of foolishness.” His actions, which he considered wise, were seen as foolish in God’s eyes.

Originally, Ahithophel was a shrewd counselor to David, and his advice was highly esteemed, as if it were the very word of God (2 Samuel 16:23). However, this close friend of David’s conspired with David’s son Absalom and joined his rebellion. As a leader of the rebel forces, Ahithophel advised Absalom to publicly sleep with David’s concubines. He also asked Absalom to let him lead 12,000 men to pursue David, intending to strike him down while he was exhausted, weak, and in a state of panic (2 Samuel 15:31; 16:15, 21; 17:1-4). However, the Lord caused Absalom to follow the advice of Hushai, thus thwarting Ahithophel’s “wise counsel” (2 Samuel 15:32-34; 17:5-14). Ahithophel’s plan to pursue and kill David was a common strategy used in royal succession conflicts. The Chinese Xuanwu Gate Incident and the Jingnan Campaign both successfully followed this approach. Ahithophel’s advice was extreme, and his character was equally extreme. When Absalom did not follow his counsel and instead opted for a strategy that would lead to a full-scale civil war, Ahithophel knew that Absalom’s defeat was inevitable and that he himself would not have a good end. He saddled his donkey, went back to his hometown, put his house in order, and then hanged himself. He was buried in his father’s tomb (2 Samuel 17:23).

This was God answering David’s prayer: “But you, O God, will bring the wicked down to the pit of decay; the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you” (Psalm 55:23).