2 Samuel 18:6

6 itaque egressus est populus in campum contra Israhel et factum est proelium in saltu Ephraim

2 Samuel 18:6 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 18:6

So the people went out into the field against Israel
Josephus ^F5 calls it a great field, with a wood behind it:

and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim;
or near it ^F6 rather; not in a wood in the tribe of Ephraim, which lay on this side Jordan; whereas this battle was fought on the other side Jordan, in the land of Gilead, not far from Mahanaim, where was this wood; and which was so called, either from the slaughter of the Ephraimites here in the times of Jephthah, ( Judges 12:4-6 ) ; or from the Ephraimites feeding their cattle here and near it; for the Jews say ^F7, that Joshua gave them a grant to feed their cattle in any wood in any of the tribes of Israel; and lying near Jordan, they used to drive their cattle over to this place, from whence it had its name.

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 7. c. 10.) sect. 2.
F6 (reyb) "ad sylvam", Junius & Tremellius; "prope sylvam", Piscator.
F7 In Jarchi, Kimchi, & Abarbinel, in loc.

2 Samuel 18:6 In-Context

4 ad quos rex ait quod vobis rectum videtur hoc faciam stetit ergo rex iuxta portam egrediebaturque populus per turmas suas centeni et milleni

5 et praecepit rex Ioab et Abisai et Ethai dicens servate mihi puerum Absalom et omnis populus audiebat praecipientem regem cunctis principibus pro Absalom

6 itaque egressus est populus in campum contra Israhel et factum est proelium in saltu Ephraim

7 et caesus est ibi populus Israhel ab exercitu David factaque est ibi plaga magna in die illa viginti milium

8 fuit autem ibi proelium dispersum super faciem omnis terrae et multo plures erant quos saltus consumpserat de populo quam hii quos voraverat gladius in die illa