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Friday, June 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 6 / Ordinary 11
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Bible in Basic English

2 Samuel 2:18

There were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel: and Asahel was as quick-footed as a roe of the fields.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Abner;   Asahel;   David;   Deer;   Homicide;   Israel;   Joab;   War;   Zeruiah;   Thompson Chain Reference - Abishai;   Animals;   Asahel;   Deer;   Joab;   Zeruiah;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Beasts;   Feet, the;   Roe, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Abishai;   Asahel;   Gibeon;   Roe and Roebuck;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Abishai;   Abner;   Joab;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Abishai;   Asahel;   Joab;   Roe;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ahimaaz;   High Priest;   Joab;   Naphtali;   Roe;   War;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Asahel;   Samuel, Books of;   Son of God;   Zeruiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Abishai;   Abner;   Asahel;   Gazelle;   Gibeon;   Joab;   Pool, Pond;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Abner ;   Asahel ;   Zeruiah ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Joab;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Abishai;   Asahel;   Gibeon;   Smith Bible Dictionary - As'ahel;   Roe, Roebuck;   War;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Asahel;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Abishai;   Asahel;   Deer;   Games;   Gazelle;   Roe;   Zeruiah;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Abner;   Asahel;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Abner;   Asa;   Asahel;   Ish-Bosheth;   Roe;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was a fast runner, like one of the wild gazelles.
Hebrew Names Version
The three sons of Tzeru'yah were there, Yo'av, and Avishai, and `Asa'el: and `Asa'el was as light of foot as a wild roe.
King James Version
And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.
Lexham English Bible
The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was swift with his feet as one of the gazelles which is in the open field.
English Standard Version
And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle.
New Century Version
Zeruiah's three sons, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, were there. Now Asahel was a fast runner, as fast as a deer in the field.
New English Translation
The three sons of Zeruiah were there—Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. (Now Asahel was as quick on his feet as one of the gazelles in the field.)
Amplified Bible
Three sons of Zeruiah [the half sister of David] were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as light and swift-footed as one of the [wild] gazelles in the field.
New American Standard Bible
Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was as swift-footed as one of the gazelles that is in the field.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And there were three sonnes of Zeruiah there, Ioab, and Abishai, and Asahel. And Asahel was as light on foote as a wilde roe.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel; and Asahel was as swift-footed as one of the gazelles which is in the field.
Contemporary English Version
Zeruiah's three sons were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel could run as fast as a deer in an open field,
Complete Jewish Bible
The three sons of Tz'ruyah were there, Yo'av, Avishai and ‘Asah'el. ‘Asah'el was as fleet-footed as a gazelle in an open field.
Darby Translation
And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was swift of foot, as one of the gazelles that are in the field.
Easy-to-Read Version
Zeruiah had three sons, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was a fast runner, as fast as a wild deer.
George Lamsa Translation
And there were three sons of Zoriah there, Joab, Abishai, and Ashael; and Ashael was as swift of foot as a desert gazelle.
Good News Translation
The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel, who could run as fast as a wild deer,
Literal Translation
And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. And Asahel was swift with his feet, like one of the gazelles in the field.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thre sonnes of Zeru Ia were there, Ioab, Abisai & Asahel. As for Asahel, he was lighte of fete as a Roo in ye felde,
American Standard Version
And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And there were three sonnes of Zaruia there: Ioab, Abisai, and Asahel: And Asahel was as light of foote as a wilde Roe.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was as light of foot as one of the roes that are in the field.
King James Version (1611)
And there were three sonnes of Zeruiah there, Ioab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wilde Roe.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And there were there the three sons of Saruia, Joab, and Abessa, and Asael: and Asael was swift in his feet as a roe in the field.
English Revised Version
And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.
Berean Standard Bible
The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was fleet of foot like a wild gazelle,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe thre sones of Saruye weren there, Joab, and Abisai, and Asahel; forsothe Asahel was a `rennere moost swift, as oon of the capretis that dwellen in woodis.
Young's Literal Translation
And there are there three sons of Zeruiah, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel, and Asahel [is] light on his feet, as one of the roes which [are] in the field,
Update Bible Version
And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.
Webster's Bible Translation
And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel [was as] light of foot as a wild roe.
World English Bible
The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.
New King James Version
Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel was as fleet of foot as a wild gazelle.
New Living Translation
Joab, Abishai, and Asahel—the three sons of Zeruiah—were among David's forces that day. Asahel could run like a gazelle,
New Life Bible
Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel. Asahel was as fast as a wild deer.
New Revised Standard
The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now there were there, three sons of Zeruiah, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel, - and, Asahel, was light of foot as a wild gazelle.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And there were the three sons of Sarvia there, Joab, and Abisai, and Asael: now Asael was a most swift runner, like one of the roes that abide in the woods.
Revised Standard Version
And the three sons of Zeru'iah were there, Jo'ab, Abi'shai, and As'ahel. Now As'ahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle;
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel; and Asahel was as swift-footed as one of the gazelles which is in the field.

Contextual Overview

18 There were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel: and Asahel was as quick-footed as a roe of the fields. 19 Asahel went running after Abner, not turning to the right or to the left. 20 Then Abner, looking back, said, Is it you, Asahel? And he said, It is I. 21 And Abner said, Then go to the right or to the left and put your hands on one of the fighting-men and take his arms. But Asahel would not be turned away from going after Abner. 22 Then again Abner said to Asahel, Go to one side, do not keep on coming after me: why will you make me put an end to you? for then I will be shamed before your brother Joab. 23 But still he did not go to one side: so Abner gave him a back blow in the stomach with his spear, so that the spear came out at his back; and he went down on the earth, wounded to death: and all those who came to the place where Asahel went down dead, came to a stop. 24 But Joab and Abishai went after Abner: and the sun went down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is to the east of the road through the waste land of Geba.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

three: 1 Chronicles 2:15, 1 Chronicles 2:16, 1 Chronicles 11:26

was as light: 2 Samuel 1:23, 1 Chronicles 12:8, Psalms 147:10, Psalms 147:11, Ecclesiastes 9:11, Amos 2:14

foot: Heb. his feet

a wild roe: Heb. one of the roes that is in the field, Psalms 18:33, Song of Solomon 2:17, Song of Solomon 8:14, Habakkuk 3:19, The word tzevee, rather denotes the gazelle or antelope (see note on Deuteronomy 15:22).

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 26:6 - to Abishai 2 Samuel 2:13 - Joab 2 Samuel 14:1 - Joab 2 Samuel 20:6 - Abishai 2 Samuel 22:34 - like hinds' 2 Samuel 23:18 - Abishai 2 Samuel 23:24 - Asahel 1 Chronicles 11:6 - Joab 1 Chronicles 11:20 - Abishai 1 Chronicles 27:7 - Asahel Joel 2:7 - They shall run

Cross-References

Genesis 1:31
And God saw everything which he had made and it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Genesis 2:7
And the Lord God made man from the dust of the earth, breathing into him the breath of life: and man became a living soul.
Genesis 2:9
And out of the earth the Lord made every tree to come, delighting the eye and good for food; and in the middle of the garden, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:11
The name of the first is Pishon, which goes round about all the land of Havilah where there is gold.
Genesis 2:12
And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
Genesis 2:13
And the name of the second river is Gihon: this river goes round all the land of Cush.
Genesis 3:12
And the man said, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me the fruit of the tree and I took it.
Ruth 3:1
And Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, My daughter, am I not to get you a resting-place where you may be in comfort?
Proverbs 18:22
Whoever gets a wife gets a good thing, and has the approval of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 7:36
But if, in any man's opinion, he is not doing what is right for his virgin, if she is past her best years, and there is need for it, let him do what seems right to him; it is no sin; let them be married.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And there were three sons of Zeruiah there,.... In the battle,

Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel; Joab was the general of the array, Abishai was he who went into Saul's host at night, and took away his spear and cruse of water at his head, 1 Samuel 26:6; and it is for the sake of the third, Asahel, that the account is given, the story of his death being about to be told.

And Asahel [was as] light of foot as a wild roe: swiftness of foot, as well as courage, for which this man was famous, 1 Chronicles 11:26; was a very great qualification for a warrior e. So Achilles, in Homer f, is often said to be swift of foot, and others of his heroes are commended for their swiftness. Harold son of King Canutus, was from his swiftness g called Harefoot; as here this man for the same reason is compared to a wild roe, which is a very swift creature, or to one of the roes that were in the field as in the original text. See Song of Solomon 2:7; one sort of which, called "kemas", is said to run as swift as a tempest h.

e Cornel. Nepos, Epaminond. l. 2. f ποδας ωκυς, Iliad. 1. lin. 15. g Rapin's History of England, vol. 1. p. 128. h Aelian. Hist. de Animal, l. 14. c. 14.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 2:18. Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe — To be swift of foot was deemed a great accomplishment in the heroes of antiquity; ποδας ωκυς Αχιλλευς, the swift-footed Achilles, is an epithet which Homer gives to that hero no less than thirty times in the course of the Ilias. It has a qualification also among the Roman soldiers; they were taught both to run swiftly, and to swim well.


 
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