And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB The saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.
- BSB This proposal seemed good to Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
- NKJV And the saying pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
- NASB And the plan pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
- NLT This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the elders of Israel.
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
Absalom and the elders are pleased with Ahithophel's plan. The rebellion seems poised to succeed, raising the stakes for David.
Overview
The endorsement of both Absalom and Israel's elders shows the counsel's persuasive force and the gravity of David's peril. With such unanimity, only divine intervention can change the outcome. The verse heightens tension before Hushai is summoned, reminding readers that what seems settled in human courts remains subject to God's overruling will.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Esth 5:14Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.
- Rom 1:32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
- 2 Chr 30:4And the thing pleased the king and all the congregation.
- 1 Sam 18:20–21And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
- Esth 1:21And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan:
- 1 Sam 23:21And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the LORD; for ye have compassion on me.
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 17:4 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.