2 Samuel 17:17

17 Y'honatan and Achima'atz were staying at 'Ein-Rogel; a female servant was to go and tell them, and they in turn were to go and tell King David - for it would not do to have them seen entering the city.

2 Samuel 17:17 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 17:17

Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel
Who were the sons of the priests; these did not go into the city of Jerusalem with their parents, when they were sent back by David, ( 2 Samuel 15:27 ) ; but stayed by their direction at this place, which was near Jerusalem, and is called in the Targum the fuller's fountain, where they washed their clothes; and, as Kimchi and Jarchi say, by treading them with their feet, whence it had the name of Rogel, of which (See Gill on Joshua 15:7);

(for they might not be seen to come into the city);
having been charged by their parents to continue there for the sake of carrying intelligence to David, or because suspected by Absalom's party of carrying on such an intrigue:

and a wench went and told them:
what Hushai had communicated to the priests, and what was his advice to David; this girl is supposed by Kimchi and Abarbinel to be of the family of Zadok, by whom she was sufficiently instructed to tell her message, and of whom there would be no suspicion:

and they went and told King David;
the sons of the priests went and related to him all that had been transmitted to them.

2 Samuel 17:17 In-Context

15 Then Hushai said to Tzadok and Evyatar the cohanim, "Achitofel gave such-and-such advice to Avshalom and the leaders of Isra'el, but I advised so and so.

16 Now therefore send quickly and tell David, "Don't stay tonight in the desert plains; but, whatever it takes, move on from there! Otherwise, the king and all the people with him will be engulfed."

17 Y'honatan and Achima'atz were staying at 'Ein-Rogel; a female servant was to go and tell them, and they in turn were to go and tell King David - for it would not do to have them seen entering the city.

18 But a boy saw them and told Avshalom; so both of them took off quickly and came to the house of a man in Bachurim who had a cistern in his courtyard; and they went down into it.

19 His wife spread a covering over the cistern's opening and scattered drying grain on it, so that nothing showed.