So David’s friend Hushai arrived in Jerusalem just as Absalom was entering the city.
Parallel translations
- WEB So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city; and Absalom came into Jerusalem.
- KJV So Hushai David’s friend came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.
- NKJV So Hushai, David’s friend, went into the city. And Absalom came into Jerusalem.
- NASB So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.
- NLT So David’s friend Hushai returned to Jerusalem, getting there just as Absalom arrived.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Hushai enters Jerusalem just as Absalom arrives, putting David's plan into action. The stage is set for the counsel-against-counsel that will save David.
Overview
The narrator notes the precise timing: Hushai, David's friend, reaches the city as Absalom enters it. This providential coincidence positions Hushai to subvert Ahithophel's advice at the crucial moment. Chapter 15 thus ends with God's quiet sovereignty already at work to preserve the rejected king.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- 2 Sam 16:15–16Then Absalom and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him.
- 1 Chr 27:33Ahithophel was the king’s counselor. Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 15:37 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.