You are strongly recommended to add to your library the excellent revised edition of Harper's Bible Dictionary titled, The Harper Collins Bible Dictionary, Revised Edition [book review], edited by Paul J. Achtemeier, with the Society of Biblical Literature (NY: Harper Collins, 1996). It is currently the best one-volume Bible dictionary in English, and it is available at Border's Books, Christian Science Reading Rooms, http://www.borders.com, or http://www.christianbook.com.

Hushai, an Archite who is called the ‘friend of David’ (2 Sam. 15:32; 1 Chron. 23:33), although this is a technical term for an official of the king who served as a personal advisor (1 Kings 4:5; for the feminine counterpart, see Ps. 45:14). He remained loyal to David during Absalom’s attempt to seize the throne and was sent by David back to Absalom as a spy (2 Sam. 15:32-37). He convinced Absalom of his loyalty and persuaded Absalom to take his counsel over the advice of Ahithophel, another advisor of David’s who had joined Absalom’s conspiracy. He then sent word to David of Absalom’s plans, allowing David and his men to escape (2 Sam. 16:16-18; 17:5-22). He is probably the same person mentioned as the father of Baana, an official of King Solomon (1 Kings 4:16).