2 Samuel 16:23

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ And Absalom, and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. ¹⁵ Meanwhile, Absalom and all the army of Israel arrived at Jerusalem, accompanied by Ahithophel. ¹⁵ And Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. ¹⁵ Meanwhile, Absalom, Ahithophel, and all the Israelites arrived at Jerusalem. ¹⁵ Now when Absalom and all the men of Israel arrived in Jerusalem, Ahithophel was with him. ¹⁵ And Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. ¹⁵ Absalom, and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. ¹⁵Then Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. ¹⁵ Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. ¹⁵ Forsothe Absolon, and al the puple of Israel entriden in to Jerusalem, but also Achitofel with hym.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

as if: Numbers 27:21, 1 Samuel 30:8, Psalms 28:2, 1 Peter 4:11

oracle of God: Heb. word of God, Psalms 19:7

so was: The first counsel of this sagacious but wicked man to Absalom was more like an oracle of Satan, both for subtlety and atrocity. He advised the shameless measure just detailed, in order to establish Absalom, and to preclude the possibility of a reconciliation with David. The wives of a conquered king were always the property of the conqueror; and in possessing these he appeared to possess the right to the kingdom.

all the counsel: 2 Samuel 17:14, 2 Samuel 17:23, Job 5:12, Job 28:28, Jeremiah 4:22, Jeremiah 8:9, Matthew 11:25, Luke 16:8, Romans 1:22, 1 Corinthians 3:19, 1 Corinthians 3:20, James 3:13-18

both: 2 Samuel 15:12, Ecclesiastes 10:1

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 15:31 - turn the counsel 1 Kings 2:23 - if Adonijah 1 Chronicles 27:33 - Ahithophel Job 19:14 - familiar Psalms 55:13 - my guide Psalms 119:96 - I have seen Isaiah 44:25 - turneth 1 Corinthians 1:20 - hath Hebrews 5:12 - the oracles James 3:15 - but

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he had counselled in those days,.... Both in the days of David, and in the days of Absalom, before and since the rebellion:

[was] as if a man had inquired of the oracle of God; such an opinion was entertained of it, so well satisfied were they with it, and as confident of success in taking it, as if the Lord himself had been consulted by Urim and Thummim; this is a very great exaggeration of Ahithophel's counsel, and is observed as a reason why it was so readily taken, though so bad in the preceding instance:

so [was] all the counsel of Ahithophel, both with David and with Absalom; Ahithophel was a crafty man, a time server, that temporized with princes, and knew how to suit his counsels with their tempers and interests: to David he gave good counsel, what was acceptable with him, and to Absalom bad counsel, which was pleasing to him.