'Counsel' in the Bible

Now listen to me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God,

Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the Lord.

“For they are a nation lacking in counsel,And there is no understanding in them.

So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the Lord.

All who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen from the day when the sons of Israel came up from the land of Egypt to this day. Consider it, take counsel and speak up!”

Behold, all you sons of Israel, give your advice and counsel here.”

Now someone told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, I pray, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness.”

But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so I will now be your servant,’ then you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me.

But I counsel that all Israel be surely gathered to you, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea in abundance, and that you personally go into battle.

Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring calamity on Absalom.

Now when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and arose and went to his home, to his city, and set his house in order, and strangled himself; thus he died and was buried in the grave of his father.

So now come, please let me give you counsel and save your life and the life of your son Solomon.

King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you counsel me to answer this people?”

But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served him.

So he said to them, “What counsel do you give that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?”

You say (but they are only empty words), ‘I have counsel and strength for the war.’ Now on whom do you rely, that you have rebelled against me?

So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against the Lord, because of the word of the Lord which he did not keep; and also because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of it,

Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you counsel me to answer this people?”

But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served him.

So he said to them, “What counsel do you give that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?”

The king answered them harshly, and King Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the elders.

He also walked according to their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the Arameans wounded Joram.

As he was talking with him, the king said to him, “Have we appointed you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” Then the prophet stopped and said, “I know that God has planned to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face each other.”

and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

So now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.

and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his possessions should be forfeited and he himself excluded from the assembly of the exiles.

You have also appointed prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, ‘A king is in Judah!’ And now it will be reported to the king according to these reports. So come now, let us take counsel together.”

“With Him are wisdom and might;To Him belong counsel and understanding.

“Do you hear the secret counsel of God,And limit wisdom to yourself?

“Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

“Yet He filled their houses with good things;But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

“What counsel you have given to one without wisdom!What helpful insight you have abundantly provided!

“To me they listened and waited,And kept silent for my counsel.

“Who is this that darkens counselBy words without knowledge?

‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,Nor stand in the path of sinners,Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

The kings of the earth take their standAnd the rulers take counsel togetherAgainst the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,

How long shall I take counsel in my soul,Having sorrow in my heart all the day?How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

You would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted,But the Lord is his refuge.

May He grant you your heart’s desireAnd fulfill all your counsel!

For I have heard the slander of many,Terror is on every side;While they took counsel together against me,They schemed to take away my life.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations;He frustrates the plans of the peoples.

The counsel of the Lord stands forever,The plans of His heart from generation to generation.

Hide me from the secret counsel of evildoers,From the tumult of those who do iniquity,

With Your counsel You will guide me,And afterward receive me to glory.

They quickly forgot His works;They did not wait for His counsel,

Many times He would deliver them;They, however, were rebellious in their counsel,And so sank down in their iniquity.

Because they had rebelled against the words of GodAnd spurned the counsel of the Most High.

A wise man will hear and increase in learning,And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,

And you neglected all my counselAnd did not want my reproof;

“They would not accept my counsel,They spurned all my reproof.

“Counsel is mine and sound wisdom;I am understanding, power is mine.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

Through insolence comes nothing but strife,But wisdom is with those who receive counsel.

Listen to counsel and accept discipline,That you may be wise the rest of your days.

Many plans are in a man’s heart,But the counsel of the Lord will stand.

There is no wisdom and no understandingAnd no counsel against the Lord.

Oil and perfume make the heart glad,So a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,The spirit of wisdom and understanding,The spirit of counsel and strength,The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

This also comes from the Lord of hosts,Who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great.

I say, ‘Your counsel and strength for the war are only empty words.’ Now on whom do you rely, that you have rebelled against me?

Then they said, “Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah. Surely the law is not going to be lost to the priest, nor counsel to the sage, nor the divine word to the prophet! Come on and let us strike at him with our tongue, and let us give no heed to any of his words.”

I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will give over their carcasses as food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth.

great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds;

Concerning Edom.Thus says the Lord of hosts,“Is there no longer any wisdom in Teman?Has good counsel been lost to the prudent?Has their wisdom decayed?

Disaster will come upon disaster and rumor will be added to rumor; then they will seek a vision from a prophet, but the law will be lost from the priest and counsel from the elders.

The thing itself will be carried to AssyriaAs tribute to King Jareb;Ephraim will be seized with shameAnd Israel will be ashamed of its own counsel.

Surely the Lord God does nothingUnless He reveals His secret counselTo His servants the prophets.

Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the Lord, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.”’