שמואל ב, פרק י״ז, פסוק ה׳

Faced with a critical choice, Absalom seeks out an additional perspective before making a final decision on how to proceed. He instructs one of his men to summon Hushai the Archite in order to hear his stance on the matter [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Reaching out to Hushai, however, is a complicated move. Absalom is fully aware that Hushai is a close friend of David, making his loyalties highly suspect. Even with this underlying distrust, Absalom decides that it is still worth hearing what advice Hushai might offer [מצודת דוד].