Chapter 17: The battle between Avshalom and Dovid

1.      The plot of Achitofal to assassinate Dovid and its rejection:

• The plot: Achitofal advised Avshalom to choose 12,000 men and get up and chase after Dovid at night. Achitofal said to Avshalom, “I myself will chase after Dovid and reach him when he is alone and scared, after having all of his army chased away, and then I will kill the king alone. I will then bring the entire nation in peace to follow you Avshalom.” The advice of Achitofal found favor in the eyes of Avshalom and in the eyes of all the elders of the Jewish people.
• Chushaiy the Arki is asked as to his opinion on the assassination, and he rejects it: Avshalom asked for Chushaiy the Arki to be brought to him in order to seek his advice as well regarding what he should to. So, Chushaiy came to Avshalom, and Avshalom told him the advice that he had received from Achitofal and the pending plot of assassination and asked Chushaiy as whether he too advises to do as Achitofal had said. Chushaiy responded that in his opinion the current advice and plot of Achitofal is not good as, “You know your father and the warriors who are with him that they are men of strong spirit like a wild beer in the field who is searching for prey, and your father is a man of war who will not sleep together with the nation [and therefore you will not be able to find him to assassinate him] as he will be hiding in one of the pits, or in another place. Now, if you end up battling Dovid’s warriors, they will end up killing your men and the nation will hear that your people have fallen to the warriors of Dovid, and this will bring fear to all the nation to rebel against Dovid and join you. Even a man of strong spirit who has the heart of a lion will be frightened when he hears the news, as everyone knows that your father and the men who are with him are great warriors.”

2.      Chushaiy gives alternative advice:

• Gather the entire nation to fight Dovid: “Rather, my advice to you is as follows: you should gather all the Jewish people from the area of Dan until Bear Sheba and they will be like the sand of the sea due to their great multitude and then you should go to the battle. We should then go together and confront Dovid in one of the places that he’s found and we will then fall upon him like the dew falls on the earth. We will kill all of Dovid’s camp and we will not allow any man to survive. Even if he fortifies himself in the city, we will bring ropes and destroy the walls and drag it until the channel until there is no rock left by the city.”
• The advice of Chushaiy is accepted: Avshalom together with all the Jewish people responded that the advice given by Chushaiy the Arkite is better than the advice given by Achitofel. G-d arranged this to be done because G-d desired to ruin the plot of Achitofel which was indeed a more productive plot, in order to bring Avshalom to his death.