2 Samuel 17:20

2 Samuel 17:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when Absalom’s servants came to the woman to the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They be gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
• New International Version (NIV)When Absalom’s men came to the woman at the house, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman answered them, “They crossed over the brook.” The men searched but found no one, so they returned to Jerusalem.
• English Standard Version (ESV)When Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house, they said, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" And the woman said to them, "They have gone over the brook of water." And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And when Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” So the woman said to them, “They have gone over the water brook.” And when they had searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

Context of 2 Samuel 17:20

18But a boy saw them and told Absalom; so the two of them left quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and [with his permission] they went down into it. 19And the woman [of the house] took a covering and spread it over the mouth of the well and scattered grain on it; so nothing was discovered. Then Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And the woman said to them, “They have crossed over the brook.” When they searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. 21After they left, Jonathan and Ahimaaz came up out of the well and went and informed King David, and said to David, “Arise and cross over the Jordan River quickly, for Ahithophel has advised [an attack] against you.” 22Then David and all the people who were with him departed and crossed over the Jordan. By daybreak, not even one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

2 Samuel 17:20 word by word

וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ עַבְדֵי֩ אַבְשָׁל֨וֹם אֶֽל־הָאִשָּׁ֜ה הַבַּ֗יְתָה וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ אַיֵּ֗ה אֲחִימַ֙עַץ֙ וִיה֣וֹנָתָ֔ן וַתֹּ֤אמֶר לָהֶם֙ הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה עָבְר֖וּ מִיכַ֣ל הַמָּ֑יִם וַיְבַקְשׁוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א מָצָ֔אוּ וַיָּשֻׁ֖בוּ יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And when Absalom’sאֲבִישָׁלוֹם'ăbîyshâlôm 'abshâlôm · AbsalomH53
• servantsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
• cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• to the womanאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
• to the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
• they saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Ahimaazאֲחִימַ֫עַץ'ăchîyma‛ats · AhimaazH290
• and Jonathanיְהוֹנָתָןyehônâthân · JonathanH3083
• unto them, They be gone overעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
• the brookמִיכָלmîykâl · brookH4323
• of waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
• And when they had soughtבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
• and could not findמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
• they returnedשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• to Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389

Cross-references for 2 Samuel 17:20

• 2 Samuel 15:34But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in the past, so I will be your servant now;’ then you can thwart (make useless) the advice of Ahithophel for me.
• Exodus 1:19The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth quickly and their babies are born before the midwife can get to them.”
• Joshua 2:4But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them; so she said, “Yes, two men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.
• 1 Samuel 19:14And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.”
• 1 Samuel 21:2David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commissioned me with a matter and has told me, ‘Let no one know anything about the matter for which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you. I have directed the young men to a certain place.’
• 1 Samuel 27:11David did not leave a man or a woman alive to bring news to Gath, saying [to himself], “Otherwise they will tell about us, saying, ‘This is what David has done, and this has been his practice all the time that he has lived in the country of the Philistines.’ ”
• Joshua 2:22They left and went [on their way] to the hill country [west of Jericho], and stayed there [hidden in the caves] three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers had searched all along the road but had not found them.

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 17:20

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20As soon as ever she had hid the men she went into the house, as if busy about her usual occupations. Had Absalom‘s servants, who had had information from some of the people of Bahurim that the men had come to this house, found her in the court it might have directed their attention to the peeled barley. Over the brook of water - Compare 2 Samuel 16:9 note. The word for “brook” (“Michal”) occurs only here. One has been found in this very district, still so…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18-20Bahurim was where Shimei, a supporter of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin, lived (2 Samuel 16:5; 19:16). Shimei’s cursing of David at Bahurim showed David’s decline. In contrast, the escape of Ahimaaz and Jonathan showed hope for David’s return to power.Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Samuel 17:20

• Abiathar
• Ahimaaz
• Ahithophel
• Falsehood
• Friendship
• Jonathan
• Zadok

In the dictionaries

• Jerusalem
• Jonathan
• Ahimaaz
• Ahithophel
• Instead
• Prayer
• Bahurim
• Bible, the
• David
• Israel, History of

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings