Bible Strands
2 Samuel 17:5
Then Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Archite as well, and let us hear what he too has to say.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Absalom addresses his rebel council after his initial acceptance of Ahithophel’s battle plan, deciding to pause the campaign. He speaks to his loyal elders at the precise moment of consolidating his usurped leadership.
The words — The verse centers on קְרָא (qə.rā’, summon) and וְ/נִשְׁמְעָ֥ה (wə.niš.mə.ʿāh, let us hear), capturing Absalom’s command to call Hushai and his deliberate choice to listen to a second opinion.
The thread — Hushai surfaces earlier in 2 Samuel 15:32 when David meets him at the worship summit, and again in 2 Samuel 16:16 when he publicly pledges allegiance to Absalom’s faction.
Why it lands — The text records Absalom’s procedural delay, showing how political caution interrupts military momentum. It asks the reader to observe how deliberation functions as a structural vulnerability in rebellion rather than a virtue.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 15:32 When David came to the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Archite was there to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head.
- 2 Samuel 16:16 And David’s friend Hushai the Archite went to Absalom and said to him, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”