Chapter 16 of Shmuel B continues the flight of David the king from before his son Avshalom. In a single chapter we will meet two men who come out toward David on his way: one comes with gifts and lashon hara, and the other with stones and curses. And facing them we will see David himself, silent, accepting, recognizing that everything is from Hashem. At the end of the chapter we will return to Yerushalayim, to Avshalom, Chushai the Arki and Achitofel, and to the first piece of advice that makes the rebellion irreversible.
וְדָוִד עָבַר מְעַט מֵהָרֹאשׁ וְהִנֵּה צִיבָא נַעַר מְפִיבֹשֶׁת לִקְרָאתוֹ וְצֶמֶד חֲמֹרִים חֲבֻשִׁים וַעֲלֵיהֶם מָאתַיִם לֶחֶם וּמֵאָה צִמּוּקִים וּמֵאָה קַיִץ וְנֵבֶל יָיִן׃ - And David had passed a little beyond the place called the top, and behold, Tziva the servant of Mefiboshet came toward him, with a pair of saddled donkeys, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred raisin cakes, a hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine.
David had gone a little past the place called "the top," and behold, Tziva, the servant of Mefiboshet, comes out toward him. Mefiboshet was the grandson of Shaul, and Tziva was his servant. It is worth remembering these two names, for we will meet them again later on. Tziva comes laden: a pair of saddled donkeys, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred raisin cakes, and a hundred "kayitz." "Kayitz" are dried figs, and as Rashi explains, they are called by this name because they are cut with an instrument, and for this reason the summer season is called kayitz - it is the time of cutting the figs and drying them.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל־צִיבָא מָה־אֵלֶּה לָּךְ וַיֹּאמֶר צִיבָא הַחֲמוֹרִים לְבֵית־הַמֶּלֶךְ לִרְכֹּב וְהַלֶּחֶם וְהַקַּיִץ לֶאֱכוֹל הַנְּעָרִים וְהַיַּיִן לִשְׁתּוֹת הַיָּעֵף בַּמִּדְבָּר׃ - And the king said to Tziva, What are these to you? And Tziva said, The donkeys are for the king's household to ride upon, and the bread and the summer fruits are for the young men to eat, and the wine is for those faint in the wilderness to drink.
Note the precision of the wording: the donkeys are not for the king, but for "the king's household." A person's "house" refers to his wife, and these are the king's wives who went with him (David had left the concubines in Yerushalayim). The bread and the figs are for the young men to eat, and the wine is for those faint in the wilderness to drink, for the wilderness is a place of thirst.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאַיֵּה בֶּן־אֲדֹנֶיךָ וַיֹּאמֶר צִיבָא אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ הִנֵּה יוֹשֵׁב בִּירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם כִּי אָמַר הַיּוֹם יָשִׁיבוּ לִי בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵת מַמְלְכוּת אָבִי׃ - And the king said, And where is your master's son? And Tziva said to the king, Behold, he remains in Yerushalayim, for he said, Today the house of Israel will restore to me the kingdom of my father.
How base Tziva was, a servant speaking this way about his master. But the Malbim reveals to us just how sophisticated he was. Tziva loaded the donkeys with all of his master's goods and set out from Yerushalayim toward David. Now seemingly, how did he not fear that Avshalom would seize him on the way and ask where he was taking all this baggage? But Tziva had a cover story ready for any trouble that might arise: if Avshalom's men seized him, he would say that his master Mefiboshet had commanded him to bring it to David, and Mefiboshet would be killed. And if he arrived safely to David, he would tell David that Mefiboshet was not with him at all, but rather was expecting that Avshalom would kill his father, and afterward they would judge Avshalom as a rebellious son for having killed his father, and the kingship would fall into his hands like ripe fruit. He was already tailoring suits for himself and waiting for the kingship to return to him.
According to this we also understand David's question, "And where is your master's son": from where did all this baggage come, is it from your master's house? And if it is from him, why did he not come himself? And furthermore, how is he not afraid to remain in Yerushalayim while sending such a delivery to David? To this Tziva replies: he has nothing to fear, for I brought it on my own initiative, whereas you do not interest him at all, and I have come to help you.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ לְצִבָא הִנֵּה לְךָ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר לִמְפִיבֹשֶׁת וַיֹּאמֶר צִיבָא הִשְׁתַּחֲוֵיתִי אֶמְצָא־חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - And the king said to Tziva, Behold, all that belongs to Mefiboshet is yours. And Tziva said, I bow down; may I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king.
Here King David sinned: he accepted lashon hara. Without investigation and without hearing the other side, he transfers all of Mefiboshet's property to Tziva, and Tziva hurries to thank him. And the punishment comes at once.
וּבָא הַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִד עַד־בַּחוּרִים וְהִנֵּה מִשָּׁם אִישׁ יוֹצֵא מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת בֵּית־שָׁאוּל וּשְׁמוֹ שִׁמְעִי בֶן־גֵּרָא יֹצֵא יָצוֹא וּמְקַלֵּל׃ - And King David came to Bachurim, and behold, from there a man came out of the family of the house of Shaul, and his name was Shimi ben Gera, coming out and cursing as he came.
The Malbim explains: until Bachurim no man came out to him, neither to greet him nor to comfort him. And at Bachurim, at last, someone does come out toward him, but not to comfort and not to help, rather to curse.
וַיְסַקֵּל בָּאֲבָנִים אֶת־דָּוִד וְאֶת־כׇּל־עַבְדֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִד וְכׇל־הָעָם וְכׇל־הַגִּבֹּרִים מִימִינוֹ וּמִשְּׂמֹאלוֹ׃ וְכֹה־אָמַר שִׁמְעִי בְּקַלְלוֹ צֵא צֵא אִישׁ הַדָּמִים וְאִישׁ הַבְּלִיָּעַל׃ - And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were at his right and at his left. And thus said Shimi in his cursing: Get out, get out, you man of blood and man of wickedness.
He draws near and throws stones at them, and he is not satisfied with that. "Man of blood" alludes to the killing of Avner, of Ish Boshet and of Uriah. "Man of wickedness" alludes to the affair of Bat Sheva. A truly bitter curse: adulterer, illegitimate one, murderer, oppressor, abomination.
הֵשִׁיב עָלֶיךָ יְהֹוָה כֹּל דְּמֵי בֵית־שָׁאוּל אֲשֶׁר מָלַכְתָּ תַּחְתָּו וַיִּתֵּן יְהֹוָה אֶת־הַמְּלוּכָה בְּיַד אַבְשָׁלוֹם בְּנֶךָ וְהִנְּךָ בְּרָעָתֶךָ כִּי אִישׁ דָּמִים אָתָּה׃ - Hashem has brought back upon you all the blood of the house of Shaul, in whose place you reigned, and Hashem has given the kingship into the hand of Avshalom your son, and behold, you are caught in your evil, for you are a man of blood.
Sharp and harsh words. Shimi claims that David is worse than Shaul in three respects. First, Shaul did not seize the kingship by force but it came to him, whereas David, by his claim, took Shaul's kingdom by force and rebelled against him. Second, "and Hashem has given the kingship into the hand of Avshalom your son": he pointed out that the harshest evil is when the enemy rises from within a person's own house. With Shaul an external enemy rose up, but with you it is your own offspring who seeks your life. Third, "and behold, you are caught in your evil": with Shaul the fall of the kingship came after his death, whereas here the Holy One, blessed be He, arranged that David would remain alive to see it and suffer.
And one must take note of who this curser is: Shimi ben Gera was from the tribe of Binyamin, and it grieved him that the kingship had been taken from Binyamin and passed to Yehuda. And this was no simple man at all: Shimi ben Gera was the head of the Sanhedrin.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲבִישַׁי בֶּן־צְרוּיָה אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ לָמָּה יְקַלֵּל הַכֶּלֶב הַמֵּת הַזֶּה אֶת־אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶעְבְּרָה־נָּא וְאָסִירָה אֶת־רֹאשׁוֹ׃ - And Avishai ben Tzeruya said to the king: Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over, please, and remove his head.
Avishai asks for a simple and easy permission: let me go and remove his head. "This dead dog": a person who has died still has some worth, but a dog has no worth even in its life, and when it is dead there is nothing in it but harm. And the essence of his wonderment: "Why should he curse?" Did you kill Shaul and his sons, that he casts the blood upon you? Were you not anointed by Hashem? And was what you did against His will, may He be blessed?
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ מַה־לִּי וְלָכֶם בְּנֵי צְרֻיָה כֹּה יְקַלֵּל כִּי יְהֹוָה אָמַר לוֹ קַלֵּל אֶת־דָּוִד וּמִי יֹאמַר מַדּוּעַ עָשִׂיתָה כֵּן׃ - And the king said: What have I to do with you, sons of Tzeruyah? So let him curse, for Hashem has said to him: Curse David, and who shall say: Why have you done so?
David answers by way of "either way." If he is cursing on his own initiative, why should it trouble me? This is the meaning of "so let him curse" (the written text has "כי" and the read text has "כה"): let him curse as much as he wishes. For when a person is accused of something that has no bearing on him at all, he is not disgraced in the least; it is only when he is accused of something that has a trace of truth to it that it insults and wounds, because he knows there is something to it. If someone were to come and tell me that I brought down the Twin Towers, let him keep talking until tomorrow. And here his curse is a plain lie: who does not know that David did not kill Avner? Who does not know that he did not kill Ish Boshet, and on the contrary judged his killers? Who does not know that he was anointed by Shmuel and did not seize the kingship by force?
And should you say: perhaps he is an emissary of divine providence, not merely a man inventing accusations, to this David says: "for Hashem has said to him: Curse David, and who shall say: Why have you done so?" If so, I have no complaint against him at all, for he is only a messenger. If Hashem desires my shame and my humiliation, He has sent me this too as part of the punishment I deserve, and as you will recall, the whole chain of events began with the sin of Bat Sheva.
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל־אֲבִישַׁי וְאֶל־כׇּל־עֲבָדָיו הִנֵּה בְנִי אֲשֶׁר־יָצָא מִמֵּעַי מְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת־נַפְשִׁי וְאַף כִּי־עַתָּה בֶּן־הַיְמִינִי הַנִּחוּ לוֹ וִיקַלֵּל כִּי אָמַר־לוֹ יְהֹוָה׃ - And David said to Avishai and to all his servants: Behold, my son who came out of my own body seeks my life, and how much more now this Benjamite; let him alone and let him curse, for Hashem has said to him.
Now David comes to strengthen his reasoning that the curse is from Hashem. And at first glance this is puzzling: does Hashem nullify a person's free will? If he cursed, then he wanted to curse, so why attribute it to Hashem? Rather David tells them: do not be surprised, for by the will of Hashem nature itself changes. Is it reasonable that my own son would rebel against me and seek my life? Yet it happened, and how? Because Hashem told him.
From here the Malbim explains why David grieved so greatly over the death of Avshalom. On the face of it, Avshalom was a wicked man who sought to kill him, so what room is there for such grief? Rather David felt: it was because of me that Hashem drove him to this. For it was said, "Behold, I raise up evil against you from your own house," and had it not been for my sin, my son would never have come to all this. I brought all of it upon him.
The answer is that David did not forgo it, but rather deferred the claim of royal honor and charged Shlomo with it after his death. And why did he not do it himself? As you will recall, when David went to kill Naval the Carmelite, Avigail told him that his reputation had not yet spread through the world, that he was not seated on his royal throne, and therefore the law of one who rebels against the kingship did not apply. So too here: at this moment David is descending from his kingship, fleeing, not in his palace and not on his throne, and Shimi does not have the full status of one who rebels against the kingship. On the other hand, from the standpoint of the evil deed itself he ought to have been called to account. Therefore he charged Shlomo, "and bring his gray head down to the grave in blood," and yet he did not tell him to kill him immediately for the rebellion, but rather to open a new case against him: he told him that he must not leave Jerusalem, and if he left, his blood would be upon his own head. In the end he did leave, and then he was punished. Moreover, David had sworn to him not to put him to death, and therefore a new pretext had to be found in order to call him to account.
And in explaining David's words there is a fine kal vachomer here. If the Holy One, blessed be He, turned the heart of one who loves me, my son, to be ready to kill me and to pursue me, how much more easily can He turn the heart of one who hates me to come and curse me. First, he now has a reason: I am being pursued, and so he feels that he too may join the pursuers. Second, "this Benjamite": he is from the tribe of Benjamin, and the Benjamites are not fond of David, who took the kingship from their king. Third, "let him alone and let him curse": if Avshalom, who came to kill me, did something entirely contrary to nature, how much more so this one, who does not come to kill but only to curse and degrade, and who already hated me from the start, so that the thing is close to his nature and it is easy to turn his heart to it. Do not be surprised: this is from Hashem.
אוּלַי יִרְאֶה יְהֹוָה בְּעֵינִי וְהֵשִׁיב יְהֹוָה לִי טוֹבָה תַּחַת קִלְלָתוֹ הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃ - Perhaps Hashem will look upon my affliction, and Hashem will return good to me in place of his cursing this day.
The Malbim explains a great principle: when a person receives punishment for an evil deed he committed, there is no chance that good will grow from that punishment, for it comes to exact payment from him. But if he receives more than the punishment due to him, that added portion is in the category of afflictions of love, and from these good most certainly can grow. This is what David is saying: "Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house" - this is Avshalom, this I deserve, and from it no good will come to me. But Shimi ben Gera is already an addition, dividends, an extra humiliation that is not due to me by law, and therefore it is afflictions of love. And of such people it is said: those who are insulted and do not insult back, who hear themselves reviled and do not respond, who act out of love and rejoice in afflictions - of them Scripture says "and those who love Him are like the sun going forth in its might." Perhaps through this I too will merit that.
וַיֵּלֶךְ דָּוִד וַאֲנָשָׁיו בַּדָּרֶךְ וְשִׁמְעִי הֹלֵךְ בְּצֵלַע הָהָר לְעֻמָּתוֹ הָלוֹךְ וַיְקַלֵּל וַיְסַקֵּל בָּאֲבָנִים לְעֻמָּתוֹ וְעִפַּר בֶּעָפָר׃ - And David and his men went on the way, and Shimi went along on the hillside opposite him, going along and cursing, and he threw stones at him and flung dust.
Shimi sees that David does not react and continues: going along and cursing, throwing stones and even scattering dust in his face. And David fulfills in himself "I did not hide my face from shame and spitting, I gave my back to those who smite and my cheeks to those who pluck." He does not turn his face away, and is ready to accept the afflictions with love.
The Yalkut says: "And David and his men went on the way" - did they then have to walk in the air? Rather, the intent is not to the physical way but to the spiritual way: they walked in the way of humility. And the emphasis "and Shimi went along on the hillside" is also not incidental. David said "and I am ready to stumble (letzela)," and the tzela (rib) is Bat Sheva, who is called by that name after Chava, who was created from the rib of Adam. Shimi on the hillside (betzela) reminded him of the sin of the tzela - that he took Bat Sheva unlawfully. And on "and behold you are in your evil," Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: the threshold of Bat Sheva walks before David, meaning this evil always goes before you, and as long as you have not been cleansed of it and have not received the full punishment promised to you, you are still "in your evil."
The Sages say that here David was tested with a most difficult test, and through this act he merited to be a fourth leg of the divine chariot: Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov and David. The idea is astounding - not Moshe, not Aharon, not Pinchas, not Yosef, nor any of the other great ones, but David. And in what merit? In the merit that David kept silent. They degrade him, they humiliate him, and he restrains his mouth and keeps silent.
Here we also see the fundamental difference between David and Shaul throughout the entire way. Shaul was not able to wait and to restrain himself: "and I forced myself and offered up the burnt offering" - he restrained himself up to a certain point and no further, and with Amalek he did not hold himself back and took of the spoil. David, in contrast, possessed an immense power of restraint. We saw this too when he was pursued by Shaul and did not raise a hand against the Lord's anointed, and also when he was commanded to wait until he heard the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees and only then to go out and fight, and he restrained himself until that very moment. This is the aleph bet of kingship: a king is one who rules over the forces of his soul, and one who is able to rule over himself is able to rule over others as well. Therefore Shaul was rejected from the kingship, and David merited it, he and his seed forever.
וַיָּבֹא הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכׇל־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר־אִתּוֹ עֲיֵפִים וַיִּנָּפֵשׁ שָׁם׃ - And the king and all the people who were with him arrived weary, and he rested there.
They arrived at Bachurim, the name of the place, weary from the journey along the way. "Vayinafesh" - like the language of "He ceased and rested (shavat vayinafash)," a time or a place of restoring the soul, a place of rest.
וְאַבְשָׁלוֹם וְכׇל־הָעָם אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאוּ יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם וַאֲחִיתֹפֶל אִתּוֹ׃ וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר־בָּא חוּשַׁי הָאַרְכִּי רֵעֶה דָוִד אֶל־אַבְשָׁלוֹם וַיֹּאמֶר חוּשַׁי אֶל־אַבְשָׁלוֹם יְחִי הַמֶּלֶךְ יְחִי הַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - And Avshalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Achitofel with him. And it came to pass, when Chushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Avshalom, that Chushai said to Avshalom, Long live the king, long live the king.
וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְשָׁלוֹם אֶל־חוּשַׁי זֶה חַסְדְּךָ אֶת־רֵעֶךָ לָמָּה לֹא־הָלַכְתָּ אֶת־רֵעֶךָ׃ - And Avshalom said to Chushai: Is this your kindness to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?
Avshalom asks: Is this how one shows kindness to a friend? David was your friend, yet you abandon him and come to me?
וַיֹּאמֶר חוּשַׁי אֶל־אַבְשָׁלֹם לֹא כִּי אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר יְהֹוָה וְהָעָם הַזֶּה וְכׇל־אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל לוֹ אֶהְיֶה וְאִתּוֹ אֵשֵׁב׃ - And Chushai said to Avshalom: No, but the one whom Hashem and this people and all the men of Yisrael have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain.
The answer is ready: "No" - it is not fitting that I go with your father, but rather that I align myself with the choice. And on three counts: first, Hashem chose you, for behold, you are the one actually reigning. Second, "and this people" - meaning the Sanhedrin. Third, "and all the men of Yisrael." If so, it is not fitting that I choose one whom Hashem does not desire. And notice the precise wording: it is written "לא" (no) but read "לו" (his). In truth Chushai did not lie: he said "I will not be, and with him I will remain," that is, I will not be with you, whereas Avshalom heard "his I will be" - that I will be with him.
וְהַשֵּׁנִית לְמִי אֲנִי אֶעֱבֹד הֲלוֹא לִפְנֵי בְנוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר עָבַדְתִּי לִפְנֵי אָבִיךָ כֵּן אֶהְיֶה לְפָנֶיךָ׃ - And second, whom should I serve? Should it not be before his son? As I served before your father, so will I be before you.
And a further consideration: I hope that in the end David too will come to terms with your reigning, and will accept it as an accomplished fact without confrontation. And then he himself will be glad that I serve his son and not a stranger or a foreigner. And you too will love me, for I was your father's servant and friend, and I continue to serve you just as I served him - my loyalty is doubled, for I serve the son of my beloved.
וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְשָׁלוֹם אֶל־אֲחִיתֹפֶל הָבוּ לָכֶם עֵצָה מַה־נַּעֲשֶׂה׃ - And Avshalom said to Achitofel: Give counsel among yourselves, what shall we do?
After hearing that Chushai does not break his brotherhood with David but expects that David will in the end agree to his son's reign, and will remain a kind of figure in the background without actually running the kingdom (and let us not forget that David was already in his final years) - Avshalom asks for advice. The Malbim explains: there were here two kinds of advisers, Achitofel and Chushai the Archite. Achitofel's stature was immense, for one who inquired of Achitofel's word was like one inquiring of the word of Hashem. On the other hand, Achitofel wanted David dead. And Avshalom, as we have seen, was not at peace with killing his father - it is not a matter of course that a son would murder his father. Therefore he asked "give counsel among yourselves" in the plural: advice agreed upon by both of you, in the hope that Chushai would temper Achitofel, and that advice would emerge which would establish his kingdom without harming his father. But Achitofel was wiser than he.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲחִיתֹפֶל אֶל־אַבְשָׁלֹם בּוֹא אֶל־פִּלַגְשֵׁי אָבִיךָ אֲשֶׁר הִנִּיחַ לִשְׁמוֹר הַבָּיִת וְשָׁמַע כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי־נִבְאַשְׁתָּ אֶת־אָבִיךָ וְחָזְקוּ יְדֵי כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר אִתָּךְ׃ - And Achitofel said to Avshalom: Come to your father's concubines whom he left to keep the house, and all Yisrael will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.
Achitofel makes a condition: I am not willing to tell you my counsel until you act according to my instruction, and first - come to your father's concubines. And why? Achitofel was afraid. He said in his heart: if this rebellion is reversible, and I advise Avshalom to kill David, and in the end the rebellion fails or Avshalom reconciles with his father - whose head rolls first? My head, for they will say: this is the one who advised killing David. Therefore Achitofel had to bring the rebellion to an irreversible state, and there was no way to do this except that Avshalom become odious in his father's eyes. Coming to his father's concubines is a step from which there is no return, for it forbids David's women to him forever, and after such a grave act it is no longer conceivable that love and brotherhood would reign between father and son.
The Ralbag offers another reason: perhaps the people think that the rebellion is not absolute and final. Maybe David and Avshalom are merely testing them, and perhaps tomorrow or the next day peace will prevail, and then whoever took a stand against David will pay a heavy price. Therefore Avshalom must signal to the people that the rebellion is absolute and that there is no chance he will reconcile with his father, so that they can follow him with eyes closed and without fear. This is the meaning of "and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened." We see this in politics as well: when a person breaks away and runs on his own, if everyone thinks he might eventually return to the parent party and receive some position, who will want to burn himself and follow him? But when it is clear to everyone that the break is absolute and that he is independent, many join him.
The Malbim adds a further explanation: the people will say, if the break between David and Avshalom is so absolute, how did David leave his concubines to guard the house? You are forced to conclude that he is relying on Avshalom not to harm them, a sign that the rift can be mended. Therefore precisely through this act, with the concubines who were left to guard the house, one must prove to the people that the rift is absolute and will not be mended.
וַיַּטּוּ לְאַבְשָׁלוֹם הָאֹהֶל עַל־הַגָּג וַיָּבֹא אַבְשָׁלוֹם אֶל־פִּלַגְשֵׁי אָבִיו לְעֵינֵי כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - So they pitched a tent for Avshalom on the roof, and Avshalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
They pitched the tent specifically on the roof, so that it would be "in the sight of all Israel." This does not mean that he actually lay with them in public, for Avshalom too had self respect, but rather that his seclusion with them was done in the sight of all, so that anyone standing outside saw Avshalom entering and secluding himself with his father's concubines. This is seclusion according to halacha, and it was clear to all what was taking place there. All this was in order to fulfill the word of the prophet to David: "Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it in secret, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun." Hashem said it would be public and open, and this was David's punishment corresponding to the matter of Bat Sheva.
וַעֲצַת אֲחִיתֹפֶל אֲשֶׁר יָעַץ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשְׁאַל אִישׁ בִּדְבַר הָאֱלֹהִים כֵּן כׇּל־עֲצַת אֲחִיתֹפֶל גַּם־לְדָוִד גַּם לְאַבְשָׁלֹם׃ - And the counsel of Achitofel, which he counseled in those days, was as if a man inquired of the word of God: so was all the counsel of Achitofel both with David and with Avshalom.
The verse comes to explain why Avshalom was drawn to such a harsh piece of advice: because the counsel of Achitofel in those days was like one who inquires of the word of God. Chazal say: a person would come and ask Achitofel what to do in a given situation, and he would advise him. If he would say to him, "It does not seem quite right to me," he would send him to inquire of the Urim VeTumim, and just as Achitofel had said, so it would turn out. Achitofel never once missed with his counsel. This includes even the final time that we will see later on: Achitofel's counsel was the correct one, and the counsel of Chushai the Arki was the mistaken one, except that Hashem thwarted Achitofel's counsel as David had prayed. But his counsel, both to David and to Avshalom, was always correct and sound, and whoever acted upon it succeeded.
Therefore Avshalom said to himself: I have no choice, I must follow the counsel of Achitofel and first fulfill his first instruction and go in to my father's concubines. For Achitofel made one dependent on the other, first do this, and only afterward I will tell you my advice. Since his counsel was like the Urim VeTumim, Avshalom agreed and accepted his first piece of advice.
In this chapter we encountered two forms of falling and one form of greatness. Tziva falls into the lowliness of a servant who informs against his master, and David fails by accepting lashon hara and is immediately punished for it. Shimi ben Gera, head of the Sanhedrin from the tribe of Binyamin, goes out to curse and to throw stones, and Avshalom is dragged after Achitofel's counsel into an act from which there is no return. Standing opposite them is David, who is silent, who accepts the disgrace as a mission from Hashem, who recognizes that the evil came out of his own house because of his sin, and who hopes that the excess in the suffering will be in the category of sufferings of love that lead to good. Through the power of this silence and restraint, the ability to rule over himself, David merited to be a fourth leg of the chariot, and he merited the kingship for himself and his descendants forever.