"... Ahithophel’s suicide is recorded in 2 Samuel 17:23: “When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order, and hanged himself.” Ahithophel’s radical action to end his own life came as a result of Absalom’s failure to heed Ahithophel’s advice to pursue David and overtake him before David regrouped (2 Samuel 17:1–3). When Absalom chose the advice of Hushai over Ahithophel, Ahithophel knew it was only a matter of time before David would regain the throne and exact vengeance for Ahithophel’s betrayal. While there are a number of suicides within the Old Testament, his is the only suicide by hanging. (Judges 9:54; 1 Samuel 31:4-5; 1 Kings 16:18) The Gospel of Matthew details Judas’ remorse after his betrayal, his confession to the religious leaders, throwing of the thirty silver pieces into the temple, and subsequent suicide by hanging (27:3–10).36 There have been numerous scholars who have drawn a connection between Judas’ death and the death of Ahithophel, with just as many detractors. Raymond Brown went so far as to state that “the Ahithophel story generated Matthew’s account of suicide by hanging.” It is more likely that the author of Matthew has passed on the tradition received regarding Judas’ death and not created it, and then crafted his narrative to display this typological connection ..."