Moreover, Hushai said, "You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men and they are fierce, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is an expert in warfare, and will not spend the night with the people.This is an interesting piece of reverse psychology by Hushai, to use Absalom's own respect for David's capabilities against him. Absalom's doubtless grown up hearing about the amazing things David did. He fought battles where he bested opponents single-handed, and also led armies. He was also cunning enough to evade Saul when he had tried to kill David. So of course David's most loyal men would not run in fear when outnumbered, and he would not be caught unawares by a surprise attack. This all makes perfect sense to Absalom.
However, it appears he's wrong on most of those assessments. From what happens later, it appears that David was staying with his men, or at least very close to them. He certainly appears he wasn't holed up in a defensible cave. So with that having been disproven, was Hushai also lying about teh courage of David's remaining followers? Would they have broken when confronted with overwhelming odds?
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