2 Samuel 16:22

2Sa 16:22 So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

Ver. 22. Upon the top of the house.] Whence David first saw Bathsheba.

And Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines.] By a worse kind of incest than that of Amnon, or any other unless it were Amida above mentioned, or Pope John XII, as Luitprandus writeth. {a}

{a} Lib. De Reb. Gest. in Europ.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Sa 16:22. So they spread a tent upon the top of the house — Of the king’s palace, the very place from whence David had gazed upon Bath-sheba: so that his sin was legible in the very place of his punishment. And Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines — To one or some of them. In the sight of all Israel — Who saw him go into the tent, and thence concluded that he had converse with them as he had designed. “An action of such profligate impiety, and abandoned impudence, as it were to be wished no sun had seen, or history related.” By this we may see the character of Absalom and his party, and how abominably wicked they must have been, whom such a scandalous action tied the faster to him. And we may further learn how corrupt the body of the people were, and how ripe for that judgment, which was now hastening toward them. Now was David’s adultery (which had been planned, and, it may be, perpetrated in the same place) judicially chastised, and God’s vengeance denounced upon it by his prophet signally executed, and his wives prostituted in the sight of the sun, 2Sa 12:11. The Lord is righteous, and no word of his shall fall to the ground!

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

16:22 Absalom intended to show the people that he had assumed the throne with its royal prerogatives. His shameful act echoed David’s adultery with Bathsheba, which also began on that roof (11:2-4); the episode fulfilled Nathan’s prophecy (12:11-12).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(22) A tent upon the top of the house.—Nathan had foretold that the nature of David’s public punishment should correspond to the character of his secret crime. The fact that this punishment takes place on the very roof where David had first yielded to his guilty passion makes it particularly striking.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

22. upon the top of the house] The fact that the very roof on which David was walking when he secretly conceived his great sin was the public scene of its punishment, and the nature of the punishment, corresponding to the nature of the sin, as Nathan had foretold, make this retribution signally striking. See ch. 2Sa_12:11-12; and cp. 2Ki_9:25-26.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

So they spread Absalom a tent on the top of the house,.... On the top of his father's palace; this, as houses in Jerusalem and Judea were, was built flat, Deu 22:8; and it was on the very spot from whence David had a sight of Bathsheba, and conceived an impure lust after her. The Targum renders it, a canopy; which Kimchi describes as consisting of four pillars, upon and round about which curtains were hung:

and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel; they saw the tent or canopy erected, and saw him go into it, and might reasonably conclude he lay with his father's concubines, or half wives, in it; and this being done in so public a manner fulfilled the prophecy, which said it should be done in the sight of the sun, and of all Israel, Sa2 12:11; this shows how corrupt the people of Israel were at this time, at least those that were with Absalom, that there should be none to object to the counsel Ahithophel gave, nor any to remonstrate against the execution of it, but all seemed to look upon it with pleasure; nor even did Hushai, David's friend, oppose it; perhaps he saw it was to no purpose.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Israel, who saw him enter the tents, (Calmet) on the flat roof, chap. xi. 2., and xii. 11. (Haydock) --- The wives of the conquered king were reserved for the victor. Smerdis married all the wives of his predecessor, Cambyses. (Herodotus iii. 68, 83.) (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Upon the top of the house, to wit, of the king’s palace, the very place from whence David had spied and gazed upon Bath-sheba, 2Sa 11:2. So that his sin was legible in the very place of his punishment.

Unto his father’s concubines, i.e. to one or some of them; and by so doing did further make claim to the kingdom as his own; and, as it were, take possession of it; it being usual in the eastern countries to account the wives and concubines of the late king to belong of right to the successor: See Poole on 2Sa 12:8.

In the sight of all Israel; who saw him go into the tent, and thence concluded that he lay with them, as he had designed to do.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

22. Upon the top of the house — That roof of the royal palace whence David took the lustful look upon Bathsheba. 2Sa_11:2.

In the sight of all Israel — As Nathan’s bitter prophecy foretold. See 2Sa_12:11-12.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A tent; Hebrew, the tent; that constantly used by David and his family for the enjoyment of the cool evening breeze, and which the citizens of Jerusalem had frequently seen erected on the flat roof of David"s house. It was when walking on this roof that David had given way to guilty passion, and now it is the scene of his dishonour.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The top - Of the king's palace, the very place from whence David had gazed upon Bathsheba, chap. xi, 2, so that his sin was legible in the very place of his punishment. Went in - To one, or some of them. And by so doing did farther make claim to the kingdom; and, as it were, take possession of it. It being usual in the eastern countries to account the wives and concubines of the late king, to belong of right to the successor. Israel - Who saw him go into the tent; and thence concluded, that he lay with them, as he had designed to do. God had threatened by Nathan, that for his defiling Bathsheba, David's own wives should be defiled in the face of the sun. This is now fulfilled: the Lord is righteous; and no word of his shall fall to the ground.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Absalom had a tent put up on the roof of the king's palace, that his going in to the concubines might be done publicly in the sight of all Israel. For (as the historian adds in Sa2 16:23 by way of explanation) the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was like a divine oracle both with David and with Absalom. The words from ועצת to ההם are placed at the commencement absolutely: "and (as for) the counsel of Ahithophel, ... as if one inquired the word of God, so was every counsel of Ahithophel." The Masoretes have supplied אישׁ as the Keri to ישׁאל. This is correct so far as the sense is concerned, but it is quite unnecessary, as ישׁאל may be taken impersonally. האלהים בּדבר שׁאל is to be explained from the formula בּעלהים שׁאל (see at Jdg 1:1).

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

they spread

"they set up"

in the sight of all Israel

This means that people were able to see the tent and Absalom walking in and out of the tent with the women. The phrase "all of Israel" is a generalization, for only people near the palace could see it. AT: "where the Israelites could see him go into the tent" (See: Hyperbole and Generalization)

Now the advice of Ahithophel ... was as if a man heard

Here the author compare how much people trusted Ahithophel's advice with how much they would trust advice directly from God. AT: "Now people trusted the advice of Ahithophel in those days in the same way they would have trusted it if had come" (See: Simile)

as if a man heard from the mouth of God himself

Here God's mouth represents himself and emphasizes his speech. AT: "as if God had said it with his own mouth" or "as if a man heard it spoken by God himself" (See: Synecdoche and Reflexive Pronouns)

all of Ahithophel's advice was viewed by both David and Absalom

This can be translated in active form. AT: "both David and Absalom viewed all of Ahithophel's advice"

was viewed

"was thought of"

translationWords

tent

had relations with

concubine

advice

God

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.