שמואל ב, פרק י״ז, פסוק י״ג

Hushai the Archite paints a vivid, highly exaggerated picture of total destruction to convince Absalom of the invincible power of a massive army. He addresses a strategic concern: if they wait to gather all the Israelites, David might use the time to escape and hide inside a walled mountain city. Hushai argues that an enormous army could easily tear down a fortified city, something a smaller force could never achieve [מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד]. However, his true, hidden motive is to use this flattering imagery merely to delay Absalom, buying precious time for David to flee to safety [מצודת דוד].

To illustrate this unstoppable power, Hushai describes what would happen if David retreats into a fortress [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. He claims the troops would bring ropes to the city [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. There are two ways to understand these ropes. The simple approach is that the soldiers would use literal ropes to pull the city down. Alternatively, this refers to military camps, convoys, or the tent ropes of the massive army that would completely surround the area [רש״י, רד״ק].

Once surrounded, the fighters would drag the city walls from the mountain straight down into the valley [רש״י, מצודת ציון]. The destruction would be so absolute that they would even pull down any strong tower located inside the city [רד״ק]. Ultimately, the devastation would be so thorough that not a single small pebble or clump of dirt would be left behind [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators is that this entire description is an intentional exaggeration, meant to assure Absalom that absolutely no fortress could withstand the sheer size of the force he is about to gather.