Shmuel Bais 18:8

8 For the milchamah was there scattered over the face of kol ha’aretz; and the ya’ar devoured more people that day than the cherev devoured.

Shmuel Bais 18:8 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 18:8

For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the
country
Or the warriors were scattered, as the Targum; Absalom's soldiers, their ranks were broken, and they were thrown into the utmost confusion, and ran about here and there all over the field or plain in which the battle was fought, and into the neighbouring wood:

and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured;
there were more slain in it the in the field of battle, what by one thing or another; as by falling into pits and on stumps of trees, and being entangled in the bushes, and could make but little haste, and so were overtaken by David's men, and slain; insomuch that, as Josephus

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 observes, there were more slain fleeing than fighting, and perhaps some might perish by wild beasts; so the Targum,

``and the beasts of the wood slew more of the people than were slain by the sword;''

and so the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words to the same purpose.

F8 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 7. c. 10. sect. 2.)

Shmuel Bais 18:8 In-Context

6 HaAm went into the sadeh against Yisroel; the milchamah was in ya’ar (forest) of Ephrayim;

7 Where Am Yisroel were slain before the avadim of Dovid, and there was there a magefah gedolah that day of esrim elef.

8 For the milchamah was there scattered over the face of kol ha’aretz; and the ya’ar devoured more people that day than the cherev devoured.

9 And Avshalom met the avadim of Dovid. And Avshalom rode upon a pered (mule), and the pered went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his rosh (head) caught hold of elah (tree, oak), and he was suspended between HaShomayim and ha’aretz; the pered under him went on.

10 And a certain ish saw it, told Yoav, and said, Hinei, I saw Avshalom [ben Dovid] talui (hanged) b’elah (on a tree, oak) [ZECHARYAH 12:10].