2 Samuel 18:8

Contextual Overview

¹David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. ¹ David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. ¹Then David numbered the people who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. ¹ Then David numbered the people who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. ¹ And Dauid numbred the people that were with him, and set captaynes of thousandes and of hundredes ouer them. ¹ David counted his men and chose captains over 1000 and captains over 100 to lead them. ¹ And David mustered the people who were with him, and he set over them commanders of hundreds. ¹ Then David mustered the men who were with him, and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. ¹ David numbered the people who were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. ¹ And Dauid numbred the people that were with him, and set captaines of thousands, and captaines of hundreds ouer them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

in the wood, That is, probably, many more were slain in pursuit through the wood than in the battle, by falling into swamps, pits, etc., and being entangled and cut down by David's men. Such is the relation of Josephus; but the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic state, that they were devoured by wild beasts in the wood. Exodus 15:10, Joshua 10:11, Judges 5:20, Judges 5:21, 1 Kings 20:30, Psalms 3:7, Psalms 43:1

devoured more: Heb. multiplied to devour

Reciprocal: Psalms 18:38 - General Proverbs 24:22 - their Ecclesiastes 4:16 - they also

Cross-References

Genesis 19:3
But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.

Genesis 19:3
But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.

Genesis 19:3
Yet he pressed them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he made a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

Genesis 19:3
Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

Genesis 19:3
And he preassed vpon them exceedinglye: and they returnyng in vnto hym, entred into his house, & he made them a feast, and did bake vnleuened bread, and they did eate.

Genesis 19:3
But Lot continued to ask them to come to his house, so they agreed and went with him. Lot gave them something to drink. He baked some bread for them, and they ate it.

Genesis 19:3
But he urged them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

Genesis 19:3
He constreynede hem greetli, that thei schulden turne to hym. And whanne thei weren entrid in to his hous, he made a feeste, he bakide therf breed, and thei eten.

Genesis 19:3
And he pressed vpon them greatly, and they turned in vnto him, and entred into his house: and he made them a feast, and did bake vnleauened bread, and they did eate.

Genesis 19:3
And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the country,.... Or the warriors were scattered, as the Targum; Absalom's soldiers, their ranks were broken, and they were thrown into the utmost confusion, and ran about here and there all over the field or plain in which the battle was fought, and into the neighbouring wood:

and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured; there were more slain in it the in the field of battle, what by one thing or another; as by falling into pits and on stumps of trees, and being entangled in the bushes, and could make but little haste, and so were overtaken by David's men, and slain; insomuch that, as Josephus h observes, there were more slain fleeing than fighting, and perhaps some might perish by wild beasts; so the Targum,

"and the beasts of the wood slew more of the people than were slain by the sword;''

and so the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words to the same purpose.

h Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 7. c. 10. sect. 2.)

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The battle was scattered - Probably Absalom’s forces were far more numerous than David’s; but, most likely by Joab’s skillful generalship, the field of battle was such that numbers did not tell, and David’s veteran troops were able to destroy Absalom’s rabble in detail. The wood entangled them, and was perhaps full of pits, precipices, and morasses 2 Samuel 18:17.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 18:8. The wood devoured more people — It is generally supposed that, when the army was broken, they betook themselves to the wood, fell into pits, swamps, c., and, being entangled, were hewn down by David's men but the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic, state that they were devoured by wild beasts in the wood.