But if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father’s servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.
But if you go back to the city and tell Absalom, 'I will serve you as king; just as I served your father before, I will now serve you too,' then you can help me by working against Ahithophel's advice.
David is asking Hushai to pretend to join Absalom's rebellion so he can secretly undermine the enemy's plans from within.
📚 Historical Context
In the midst of Absalom's rebellion against his father King David, David was fleeing Jerusalem to avoid being overthrown by his own son, who had won over the hearts of the people. Hushai, a faithful advisor to David, was instructed to return to the city and pretend to switch his loyalty to Absalom in order to secretly undermine the counsel of Ahithophel, who had betrayed David and joined the rebels. This strategy was part of David's efforts to protect his kingdom and disrupt the enemy's plans during a time of civil war.
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