2 Samuel 16:22, commentary and pictures

During Absalom's rebellion, after David fled Jerusalem, Absalom took his father's concubines on a tent spread upon the palace roof in the sight of all Israel, acting on Ahithophel's counsel that was esteemed as an oracle of God. Where David had secretly sinned after seeing Bath-sheba from a roof, his son sinned openly in daylight before the nation, taking women who were wives of inferior rank. This was the public fulfillment of God's warning through Nathan that evil would rise against David from his own house and what he did secretly would be done before all Israel. It was fitting judicial retribution in which David suffered what he had made Uriah suffer, reaping in kind for his wrongdoing even though God pardoned him and spared his life. The trouble grew largely out of David's multiplying wives to himself and his failure to control his sons, teaching that every transgression carries its inherent curse and no one can walk contrary to God's laws without suffering.

Setting and Shameful Act

2 Samuel 16:22 belongs to the history of David's reign during Absalom's rebellion against him, when David fled Jerusalem and Absalom occupied it and made war against him. It shows the difficulties David encountered, the sad consequences of his many wives, and the heavy disgrace and sorrow that came upon him on account of his sons Amnon and Absalom. It is part of the record of events leading up to the battle where Absalom was defeated and died.

Acting on Ahithophel's counsel, which was regarded as an oracle of God, Absalom had a tent spread on the top of the palace house and went in to his father's concubines there. The rooftop location recalls the roof where David had secretly seen Bath-sheba; where David sinned in secret, Absalom acted openly in the sight of all Israel and in daylight. The concubines he took were legally wives of inferior rank, possibly slave wives, not merely illicit temporary connections.

The act was base, rebellious, and an unnatural crime for which the law prescribed death, crowning Absalom's earlier murder of Amnon and his incitement of insurrection. The event occurred about three months before Absalom's defeat and death at the hand of Joab. During the interval David numbered his adherents and organized his army while Absalom rallied the people to his standard, the delay coming through Hushai's counsel in answer to David's prayer that Ahithophel's counsel be brought to nothing. Absalom's superiority in numbers counted for nothing against David's trained heroes under experienced generals because God was not with Absalom.

The detailed faithfulness of this account stamps it as inspired, showing that God does not hide the sins of even the greatest kings.

Prophecy Fulfilled as Judgment

The shameful act on the palace roof was the open fulfillment of the divine warning given through Nathan after David's sin involving Uriah and Bath-sheba, that evil would rise against him from his own house and that what he had done secretly would be done before all Israel. Absalom's taking of David's concubines in the sight of all Israel turned David's hidden sin into public disgrace, fulfilling Nathan's prophetic denunciation in David's later history. Though David was pardoned and his life was spared, he still suffered the consequence and gained nothing by his sin.

It was a fitting judicial retribution in which the son's public outrage against his father matched the father's wrong against Uriah. What David had done secretly was done to him openly and in daylight, by deliberate design to make him suffer what he had made others suffer. David's guilt was thus reflected in similar guilt in his son, whose rebellion and unnatural crimes brought shame, trouble, and sorrow upon David within his own family and household. In this he reaped the bitter consequence of his wrongdoing, receiving back in kind and proving that wrongdoing brings consequences of its own kind.

Causes and Moral Warnings

The shame enacted on the housetop grew out of David multiplying wives to himself, which produced a large family of children by different wives in which idleness and luxury and jealousy formed unenviable characters. To that multiplicity of wives may be traced largely all the miseries that came upon David, including the heavy disgrace and sorrow brought upon him by his sons Amnon and Absalom. Flattery roused the ambition of the beautiful and shrewd prince until base conduct in going in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel became part of the troubles in David's family.

The verse belongs to the difficulties David encountered from sons he was unable to control, and to the sad consequences of his many wives. Around that open act stood the treachery of Ahithophel and the cursing of Shimei and the fear and flight of the king. No one can walk contrary to God's laws without suffering, because every transgression of divine law carries its inherent curse even when God does not openly reprove but seems to wink at blindness.

Ahithophel's counsel was regarded as an oracle of God, proving great wisdom in mere head knowledge while devoid of moral feeling. As David's false friend turned counselor to Absalom, his course warns against intellect without heart training. Intellect and passion must bow to moral feeling so that the heart rules, for God wants young men whose goodness is their greatness. Absalom's occupation of Jerusalem came about three months before his defeat and death at the hand of Joab, and during those three months David numbered his adherents and organized his army while Absalom rallied the people to his standard, the delay coming through Hushai's counsel in answer to David's prayer that Ahithophel's counsel be brought to nothing. Absalom's superiority of numbers counted for nothing against David's trained heroes under experienced generals because God was not with Absalom, proving that however loud the profession, large the following, or flattering the prospects, ultimate failure is certain if God is not in the move.