Useful Bible Studies > 2 Samuel Commentary > chapter 15
In the plot against King David, Ahithophel was one of Absalom’s most important supporters. Ahithophel was an old man, and he was famous as the wisest of all David’s advisers (16:23).
Ahithophel’s great-grandson, the son of his grandaughter, was Solomon, David’s son, who also was famous for his wisdom (1 Kings 4:30). However, the way that David married Bathsheba, Ahithophel’s grandaughter, had brought shame and shock to Ahithophel (2 Samuel chapter 11).
Ahithophel’s son was Eliam (23:34), one of the 30 famous soldiers, the heroes of David’s army. He had arranged for Bathsheba to marry Uriah, another of the famous soldiers (11:3; 23:39). However, David took her wrongly from Uriah, and then he arranged for Uriah to die in battle. Bathsheba had an honourable marriage with Uriah, her husband who loved her. However, David took her from there into his palace, where she was one of his many wives (compare 2 Samuel 12:1-3).
Probably, that is why Ahithophel decided to support Absalom against David. Some people supported Absalom because he impressed them. Other people supported him because David had offended them. Although David was a good, sincere and holy man, he did many wrong things. Some of those wrong acts, such as his affair with Bathsheba, were very serious matters. God had warned David that severe troubles in his own family would happen as a result of that affair (12:11).
Next part: David receives news of Absalom's revolution (2 Samuel 15:13)
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© 2023, Keith Simons.