2 Samuel 17:18

18 But a boy saw them, and gave word of it to Absalom: so the two of them went away quickly, and came to the house of a man in Bahurim who had a water-hole in his garden, and they went down into it.

2 Samuel 17:18 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 17:18

Nevertheless, a lad saw them, and told Absalom
Saw them conversing with the girl, and departing for David's army; according to Josephus ^F15, they were some horsemen that saw them about two furlongs or a quarter mile from Jerusalem, and acquainted Absalom with it:

but they went both of them away quickly;
made all the haste they could with their message to David:

and came to a man's house in Bahurim;
where very probably they had been informed David had been, whither he came weary, and had refreshment, ( 2 Samuel 16:14 ) ; or rather, perceiving they were discovered and pursued, they turned in hither, the first place they came to, for safety:

which had a well in his court;
which they observed, and was the reason of their turning in:

whither they went down;
to hide themselves from their pursuers, it being dry, as sometimes wells were in the summertime: Josephus says {p}, a woman let them down by a rope.

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FOOTNOTES:

F15 Antiqu. l. 7. c. 9. sect. 7.
F16 Ibid.

2 Samuel 17:18 In-Context

16 So now send the news quickly to David, and say, Do not take your night's rest by the way across the river to the waste land, but be certain to go over; or the king and all the people with him will come to destruction.

17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting by En-rogel; and a servant-girl went from time to time and gave them news and they went with the news to King David, for it was not wise for them to let themselves be seen coming into the town.

18 But a boy saw them, and gave word of it to Absalom: so the two of them went away quickly, and came to the house of a man in Bahurim who had a water-hole in his garden, and they went down into it.

19 And a woman put a cover over the hole, and put crushed grain on top of it, and no one had any knowledge of it.

20 And Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house and said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said to them, They have gone from here to the stream. And after searching for them, and seeing nothing of them, they went back to Jerusalem.