When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city — He put his house in order and hanged himself — and he died and was buried in the tomb of his father — Ahithophel's response to the rejection of his counsel is suicide. His hanging (*vayishkol*—hanged himself) is both a physical death and a spiritual one: the man whose counsel was regarded as the word of God has been overridden by the word of God. His suicide suggests that he has understood the ultimate failure of his position. He prepares his house and ends his life, unable to bear the shame of being wrong. His burial in his father's tomb suggests a kind of restoration, though hollow.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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