Shmuel Bais 15:23

23 And kol ha’aretz wept with a kol gadol (loud voice), and kol haAm crossed over; HaMelech also himself crossed over the brook Kidron, and kol haAm crossed over, toward the derech of the midbar.

Shmuel Bais 15:23 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 15:23

And all the country wept with a loud voice
The people that came out of the country villages round about, upon the report of the king's leaving Jerusalem, because of his son's conspiracy against him; these wept when they saw him in the circumstances in which he was, obliged to fly from a rebellious son:

and all the people passed over;
the people that were with David passed over Kidron, and so the Cherethites, and Pelethites:

the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron;
this explains what place it was they passed over, which is not before mentioned, but is particularly named in the account of the king's passing over it; over which same brook the Messiah, his antitype, passed a little before his sufferings and death; of which brook, (See Gill on John 18:1). It is often by Josephus ^F13 called a valley, sometimes a brook, it having little water, except in winter; Mr. Maundrell ^F14 says, it ran along the bottom of the valley of Jehoshaphat, a brook in the wintertime; but without the least drop of water in it all the time, says he, we were in Jerusalem; and so Reland ^F15, that in summertime it ceases to be a river, and has the name of a valley; and Le Bruyn says ^F16, it is at present dried up; it runs along the valley of Jehoshaphat, and is not above three paces broad; it has no other but rain water, which flows from the adjacent hills:

and all the people passed over to the way of the wilderness;
which lay between Jerusalem and Jericho.

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FOOTNOTES:

F13 Antiqu. l. 8. c. 1. sect. 5. & l. 9. c. 7. sect. 3. De Bello Jud. l. 5. c. 2. sect. 3. c. 4. sect. 2. c. 6. sect. 1.
F14 Journey from Aleppo p. 102.
F15 Palestin. Illustrat. tom. 1. p. 294, 351.
F16 Voyage to the Levant, ch. 48. p. 188.

Shmuel Bais 15:23 In-Context

21 And Ittai answered HaMelech, and said, As Hashem liveth, and as adoni HaMelech liveth, surely in what makom adoni HaMelech shall be, whether in mavet or chayyim, even there also will thy eved be [Ruth 1:17].

22 And Dovid said to Ittai, Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gitti passed over, and all his anashim, and all the little ones that were with him.

23 And kol ha’aretz wept with a kol gadol (loud voice), and kol haAm crossed over; HaMelech also himself crossed over the brook Kidron, and kol haAm crossed over, toward the derech of the midbar.

24 And hinei Tzadok also, and all the Levi’im were with him, bearing the Aron Brit HaElohim; and they set down the Aron HaElohim; and Evyatar (Abiathar) went up, until kol HaAm had done passing out of the Ir.

25 And HaMelech said unto Tzadok, Carry back the Aron HaElohim into the Ir; if I shall find chen (grace) in the eyes of Hashem, He will bring me again, and show me both Him, and His habitation;