Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, August 23rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

Amplified Bible

2 Samuel 18:17

They took [down the body of] Absalom and threw him into a deep pit in the forest and set up a huge mound of stones over him. Then all Israel fled, everyone to his own tent.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Absalom;   Ephraim;   Thompson Chain Reference - Retribution;   Reward-Punishment;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ahimaaz;   Joab;   Sepulchre;   Stone;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Burial;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Achan;   Fox;   Punishments;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Grave;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Abishai;   Joab;   Pit;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Sepulchre;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Forest;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Absalom;   David;   Fox;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Punishments;   Stones;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Absalom (1);   Burial;   Forest;   Heap;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Tombs;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and raised up a huge mound of stones over him. And all Israel fled, each to his tent.
Hebrew Names Version
They took Avshalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones: and all Yisra'el fled everyone to his tent.
King James Version
And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled every one to his tent.
Lexham English Bible
They took Absalom and they threw him into the large pit in the forest and raised a very great heap of stones over him. Then all of Israel fled, each to his tent.
English Standard Version
And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled every one to his own home.
New Century Version
Then Joab's men took Absalom's body and threw it into a large pit in the forest and filled the pit with many stones. All the Israelites ran away to their homes.
New English Translation
They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and stacked a huge pile of stones over him. In the meantime all the Israelite soldiers fled to their homes.
New American Standard Bible
And they took Absalom and threw him into a deep pit in the forest, and erected over him a very large pile of stones. And all Israel fled, each to his own tent.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they tooke Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and layed a mightie great heape of stones vpon him: and all Israel fled euery one to his tent.
Legacy Standard Bible
And they took Absalom and cast him into a deep pit in the forest and set over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled, each to his tent.
Contemporary English Version
They threw Absalom's body into a deep pit in the forest and put a big pile of rocks over it. Meanwhile, the people of Israel had all run back to their own homes.
Complete Jewish Bible
They took Avshalom and threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled a big heap of stones over him. All Isra'el fled, each one to his tent.
Darby Translation
And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and raised a very great heap of stones upon him. And all Israel fled every one to his tent.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then Joab's men took Absalom's body and threw it into a large hole in the forest and covered it with stones. All the Israelites ran away and went home.
George Lamsa Translation
And they took Absaloms body and cast it into a great pit, and raised over it a great heap of large stones; and all Israel fled every man to his tent.
Good News Translation
They took Absalom's body, threw it into a deep pit in the forest, and covered it with a huge pile of stones. All the Israelites fled to their own hometowns.
Literal Translation
And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest, and set up a very great heap of stones over him. And all Israel fled, each one to his tent.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And they toke Absalom, and cast him in the wod in to a greate pytt, and layed a greate heape of stones vpon him. And all Israel fled, euery one vnto his tente.
American Standard Version
And they took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones: and all Israel fled every one to his tent.
Bible in Basic English
And they took Absalom's body and put it into a great hole in the wood, and put a great mass of stones over it: and every man of Israel went in flight to his tent.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they toke Absalom, and cast him into a great pyt in the wood, and layed a mightie great heape of stones vpon him: And all Israel fled euery one to their tentes.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones; and all Israel fled every one to his tent.--
King James Version (1611)
And they tooke Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and layd a very great heape of stones vpon him: and all Israel fled euery one to his tent.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he took Abessalom, and cast him into a great cavern in the wood, into a deep pit, and set up over him a very great heap of stones: and all Israel fled every man to his tent.
English Revised Version
And they took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones: and all Israel fled every one to his tent.
Berean Standard Bible
They took Absalom, cast him into a large pit in the forest, and piled a huge mound of stones over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled, each to his home.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei token Absolon, and castiden forth him in to a greet dich in the forest, and baren togidere a ful greet heep of stoonys on hym; forsothe al Israel fledde in to his tabernaclis.
Young's Literal Translation
and they take Absalom and cast him in the forest unto the great pit, and set up over him a very great heap of stones, and all Israel have fled -- each to his tent.
Update Bible Version
And they took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones: and all Israel fled every one to his tent.
Webster's Bible Translation
And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled every one to his tent.
World English Bible
They took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones: and all Israel fled everyone to his tent.
New King James Version
And they took Absalom and cast him into a large pit in the woods, and laid a very large heap of stones over him. Then all Israel fled, everyone to his tent.
New Living Translation
They threw Absalom's body into a deep pit in the forest and piled a great heap of stones over it. And all Israel fled to their homes.
New Life Bible
They took Absalom and threw him into a deep hole among the trees, and set many stones over him. And all Israel ran away, every one to his own home.
New Revised Standard
They took Absalom, threw him into a great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones. Meanwhile all the Israelites fled to their homes.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And they took Absolom, and cast him, in the forest, into a large pit, and raised up over him a very great heap of stones, - and, all Israel, fled, every man to his home.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the forest, and they laid an exceeding great heap of stones upon him: but all Israel fled to their own dwellings.
Revised Standard Version
And they took Ab'salom, and threw him into a great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones; and all Israel fled every one to his own home.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They took Absalom and cast him into a deep pit in the forest and erected over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled, each to his tent.

Contextual Overview

9Now Absalom met the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a massive tree, and his head was caught in [the thick branches of] the tree; and he was left hanging [in midair] between heaven and earth, while the mule that had been under him kept going. 10A certain man saw it and informed Joab, saying, "I saw Absalom hanging in a tree." 11Joab said to the man who informed him, "You saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt." 12The man told Joab, "Even if I were to feel the weight of a thousand pieces of silver in my hands, I would not put out my hand against the king's son; for we all heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, 'Protect the young man Absalom, for my sake.' 13"Otherwise, if I had acted treacherously against his life (for nothing is hidden from the king) you yourself would have taken sides against me." 14Joab said, "I will not waste time with you." So he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was still alive [and caught] in the midst of the tree. 15And ten young men, Joab's armor bearers, surrounded and struck Absalom and killed him. 16Then Joab blew the trumpet [to signal the end of the combat], and the men returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab held them back. 17They took [down the body of] Absalom and threw him into a deep pit in the forest and set up a huge mound of stones over him. Then all Israel fled, everyone to his own tent.18Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a memorial pillar which is in the King's Valley, for he said, "I have no son to keep my name in remembrance." He named the memorial pillar after himself, and to this day it is called Absalom's Monument.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

laid: This was the ancient method of burying, whether heroes or traitors; the heap of stones being designed to perpetuate the memory of the event, whether good or bad. The Arabs in general make use of no other monument than a heap of stones over a grave. Thus, in an Arabic poem, it is related, that Hatim the father, and Adi the grandfather of Kais, having been murdered, at a time before Kais was capable of reflection, his mother kept it a profound secret; and in order to guard him against having any suspicion, she collected a parcel of stone on two hillocks in the neighbourhood, and told her son that the one was the grave of his father, and the other of his grandfather. The ancient cairns in Ireland and Scotland, and the tumuli in England, are of this kind. Joshua 7:26, Joshua 8:29, Joshua 10:27, Proverbs 10:7, Jeremiah 22:18, Jeremiah 22:19

Reciprocal: Genesis 31:46 - Gather Genesis 35:20 - the pillar 2 Kings 14:12 - they fled Psalms 119:96 - I have seen Ecclesiastes 3:5 - to cast Acts 5:6 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 19:24
Then the LORD rained down brimstone (flaming sulfur) and fire on Sodom and on Gomorrah from the LORD out of heaven,
2 Kings 4:27
When she came to the mountain to the man of God, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi approached to push her away; but the man of God said, "Let her alone, for her soul is desperate and troubled within her; and the LORD has hidden the reason from me and has not told me."
2 Chronicles 20:7
"O our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Your friend Abraham?
Psalms 25:14
The secret [of the wise counsel] of the LORD is for those who fear Him, And He will let them know His covenant and reveal to them [through His word] its [deep, inner] meaning.
John 15:15
"I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you [My] friends, because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father.
James 2:23
And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND THIS [faith] WAS CREDITED TO HIM [by God] AS RIGHTEOUSNESS and AS CONFORMITY TO HIS WILL," and he was called the friend of God.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood,.... In the wood of Ephraim, near to which the battle was fought, and into which Absalom fled, and where he was slain:

and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: his punishment was very exemplary; he was first hanged on an oak, and then thrust through with darts, and swords, and then covered with stones, 2 Samuel 18:9, pointing to the death that a rebellious son, according to the law, ought to die, Deuteronomy 21:21; though this might be done in honour of him as a king's son; for such "tumuli", or heaps of stones or earth, were used by the ancients as sepulchral monuments, and the larger the more honourable n; Deuteronomy 21:21- : and

Deuteronomy 21:21- :;

and all Israel fled everyone to his tent; or to his city, as the Targum; everyone returned to their own house, and to their own business, and so the rebellion ceased.

n Homer. Iliad. 23. ver. 245, 257.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A great heap of stones - See the marginal reference. This kind of monument is common to almost all early nations.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 18:17. And laid a very great heap of stones — This was the method of burying heroes, and even traitors, the heap of stones being designed to perpetuate the memory of the event, whether good or bad. The ancient cairns or heaps of stones, in different parts of the world, are of this kind. The various tumuli or barrows in England are the same as the cairns in different parts of Ireland and Scotland. In the former, stones were not plenty; hence they heaped up great mounds of earth.


 
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