2 Samuel 18:23

2 Samuel 18:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But howsoever, said he, let me run. And he said unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overran Cushi.
• New International Version (NIV)He said, “Come what may, I want to run.” So Joab said, “Run!” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and outran the Cushite.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"Come what may," he said, "I will run." So he said to him, "Run." Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“But whatever happens,” he said, “let me run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.

Context of 2 Samuel 18:23

21Then Joab spoke to a servant who came from Ethiopia, ‘Go now to the king. Tell him what you have seen.’ The man bent down in front of Joab and then he ran off with the message. 22Zadok's son Ahimaaz spoke to Joab again. He said, ‘I am not afraid of what may happen to me. Please let me run after the Ethiopian man.’ But Joab replied, ‘Why do you want to go as well? The king will not give you any gift for this news.’ Ahimaaz said, ‘But I do want to go, whatever happens.’ So Joab said, ‘Run after him, then!’ So Ahimaaz ran fast along a road in the Jordan Valley. He arrived near Mahanaim before the Ethiopian man. 24David was sitting between the two gates of Mahanaim city. A man went up to the top of the wall, on the roof above the gate. He was watching the road. As he looked, he saw a man who was running towards the city. He was running alone. 25So the man on the wall shouted a message to the king, to say what he had seen. The king said, ‘If the man is alone, he is bringing good news.’ The man who was running towards the city came much nearer.

2 Samuel 18:23 word by word

וִיהִי־מָ֣ה אָר֔וּץ וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ל֖וֹ ר֑וּץ וַיָּ֤רָץ אֲחִימַ֙עַץ֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ הַכִּכָּ֔ר וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֖ר אֶת־הַכּוּשִֽׁי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• let me runרוּץrûts · to run: runH7323
• And he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Then Ahimaazאֲחִימַ֫עַץ'ăchîyma‛ats · AhimaazH290
• by the wayדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: roadH1870
• of the plainכִּכָּרkikâr · talentH3603
• and overranעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
• Cushiכּוּשִׁיkûshîy · EthiopianH3569

Cross-references for 2 Samuel 18:23

• John 20:4Both of them were running. But the other disciple ran faster than Peter ran. So he reached the hole first.

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 18:23

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23The plain - The floor of the valley through which the Jordan runs. The Cushite did not run by that road, but took the road over the hills, which may well have been the shorter but also the more difficult road. The two roads would probably meet a short distance from Mahanaim. These words, which have been thought to prove that the battle took place on the west of Jordan, are a clear proof that it took place on the east, because if the runners had had to…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-33Verses 19-33 By directing David to give God thanks for his victory, Ahimaaz prepared him for the news of his son's death. The more our hearts are fixed and enlarged, in thanksgiving to God for our mercies, the better disposed we shall be to bear with patience the afflictions mixed with them. Some think David's wish arose from concern about Absalom's everlasting state; but he rather seems to have spoken without due thought. He is to be blamed for showing…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. by the way of the plain--or ciccar, "circle." This word is only used elsewhere in connection with the valley of the Jordan. It is possible that there may have been a place or region so called on the tablelands of Gilead, as the Septuagint seems to indicate. Or Mahanaim may have been so situated, with the regard to the battlefield, as to be more easily accessible by a descent to the plain of the Jordan, than over the hills themselves. Or the word may…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Samuel 18:23

• Ahimaaz
• Cushi
• Readings, Select

In the dictionaries

• Ahimaaz
• Charge
• Lift
• Pillar
• Plain
• Rise
• Thrust
• Bible, the
• Cities of the Plain; Ciccar
• Cushi

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 18

• 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
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings