2 Samuel 17:18

18 And a youth seeth them, and declareth to Absalom; and they go on both of them hastily, and come in unto the house of a man in Bahurim, and he hath a well in his court, and they go 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 and now, send hastily, and declare to David, saying, Lodge not to-night in the plains of the wilderness, and also, certainly pass over, lest there be a swallowing up of the king and of all the people who are with him.'

17 And Jonathan and Ahimaaz are standing at En-Rogel, and the maid-servant hath gone and declared to them -- and they go and have declared [it] to king David -- for they are not able to be seen to go in to the city.

18 And a youth seeth them, and declareth to Absalom; and they go on both of them hastily, and come in unto the house of a man in Bahurim, and he hath a well in his court, and they go down there,

19 and the woman taketh and spreadeth the covering over the face of the well, and spreadeth on it the ground corn, and the thing hath not been known.

20 And the servants of Absalom come in unto the woman to the house, and say, `Where [are] Ahimaaz and Jonathan?' and the woman saith to them, `They passed over the brook of water;' and they seek, and have not found, and turn back to Jerusalem.