2 Samuel 17:18

18 But a young man saw them and told Absalom, so both of them went quickly and came to the house of a man at Bahurim. Now he had a well in his courtyard, so they went down there.

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 then, send quickly and tell David, 'Don't spend the night at the fords of the wilderness! Moreover, by all means cross over lest the king and all the people who [are] with him be swallowed up.'"

17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz [were] staying at En Rogel, so a servant girl used to go and tell them, then they would go and tell King David, for they [were] not able to be seen coming to the city.

18 But a young man saw them and told Absalom, so both of them went quickly and came to the house of a man at Bahurim. Now he had a well in his courtyard, so they went down there.

19 Then the woman took and spread a covering over the opening of the well; then she spread out dried grain on it, so nothing was discovered.

20 When the servants of Absalom came to the woman [at] the house, they said, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" And she said to them, "They crossed over the brook of water." So they searched but could not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.