2 Samuel 17 Introduction

Structure and Formatting

This chapter continues the story of what David did as the king of Israel and specifically how he resisted Absalom’s attempt to replace him as king. It tells how Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, persuaded Absalom to reject the counsel of Ahithophel and not attack David immediately. This gave Hushai time to send David a warning so that he crossed the Jordan River to safety while Absalom was gathering a great army. The chapter also tells how other friends of David provided food and supplies for him.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

“the people”

In this chapter, the term “people” continues to vary in meaning. Sometimes it refers to David’s or Absalom’s soldiers, and sometimes it refers to the large group that left Jerusalem with David, which included many individuals who were not soldiers. The UST gives an indication of the meaning in each context, and this may help you translate the term in that context in a way that will be helpful to your readers.

Hushai’s overstatements for emphasis

In this chapter, Hushai continues to make overstatements for emphasis as he speaks to Absalom. He says in [17:11](../17/11.md) that Absalom may gather an army that is “like the sand that is by the sea for multitude,” that is, one that has too many troops to count. In [17:12](../17/12.md), he says that not a single soldier from David’s army will escape. And in [17:13](../17/13.md), he says that Absalom’s troops may tear down a city so that “not even a pebble will be found there.” These overstatements suggest that Hushai is loyal to Absalom. They also appeal to Absalom’s pride and vanity in order to get him to follow a course that is actually foolish and not in his interests. As with the overstatement made in [16:18](../16/18.md), we suggest that it would be good to show in your translation that Hushai is making overstatements for emphasis in these further cases, so we recommend that you not translate his statements as less emphatic ones.