Lectionary Calendar
Friday, September 12th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Read the Bible

Geneva Bible

2 Samuel 18:8

For the battel was skattered ouer all the countrey: and the wood deuoured much more people that day, then did the sworde.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ephraim;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Forests;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ahimaaz;   Ephraim;   Joab;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Absalom;   Ephraim;   Easton Bible Dictionary - David;   Ephraim, Wood of;   Forest;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Fox;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Betah;   Ephraim, Forest of;   Forest;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Abishai;   Amasa;   Joab;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Forest;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Absalom;   David;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Tree;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Armor;   Forest;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The battle spread over the entire area, and that day the forest claimed more people than the sword.
Hebrew Names Version
For the battle was there spread over the surface of all the country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
King James Version
For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the country: and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
Lexham English Bible
The battle there was spreading over the surface of all the land, and the forest devoured more among the army than the sword did on that day.
English Standard Version
The battle spread over the face of all the country, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword.
New Century Version
The battle spread through all the country, but that day more men died in the forest than in the fighting.
New English Translation
The battle there was spread out over the whole area, and the forest consumed more soldiers than the sword devoured that day.
Amplified Bible
For the battle there was spread out over the surface of the entire countryside, and the [hazards of the] forest devoured more men that day than did the sword.
New American Standard Bible
For the battle there was spread over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
Legacy Standard Bible
And the battle there was scattered over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
Complete Jewish Bible
For the battle there was spread all over the countryside; the forest devoured more people that day than did the sword.
Darby Translation
And the battle was there scattered over the face of all the country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
Easy-to-Read Version
The battle spread throughout the country, but more men died in the forest than by the sword.
George Lamsa Translation
For there was a great battle which spread over the face of the country; and the wild beasts of the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
Good News Translation
The fighting spread over the countryside, and more men died in the forest than were killed in battle.
Literal Translation
And the battle was scattered over the face of all the land, and the forest devoured among the people more than the sword had devoured in that day.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the battaill was scatred abrode there in the londe. And the wod consumed moch more people the same daye, then the swerde consumed.
American Standard Version
For the battle was there spread over the face of all the country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
Bible in Basic English
And the fighting went on over all the face of the country: and the woods were responsible for more deaths than the sword.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For the battell was scattered ouer al the countrey: And the wood deuoured mo people that day, then dyd the sword.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For the battle was there spread over the face of all the country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
King James Version (1611)
For the battell was there scattered ouer the face of all the countrey: and the wood deuoured more people that day, then the sword deuoured.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the battle there was scattered over the face of all the land: and the wood consumed more of the people than the sword consumed among the people in that day.
English Revised Version
For the battle was there spread over the face of all the country: and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
Berean Standard Bible
The battle spread over the whole countryside, and that day the forest devoured more people than the sword.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe the batel was scaterid there on the face of al erthe, and many mo weren of the puple whiche the forest wastide, than thei whiche the swerd deuourid in that dai.
Young's Literal Translation
and the battle is there scattered over the face of all the land, and the forest multiplieth to devour among the people more than those whom the sword hath devoured in that day.
Update Bible Version
For the battle was spread there over the face of all the country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
Webster's Bible Translation
For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the country: and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
World English Bible
For the battle was there spread over the surface of all the country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
New King James Version
For the battle there was scattered over the face of the whole countryside, and the woods devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
New Living Translation
The battle raged all across the countryside, and more men died because of the forest than were killed by the sword.
New Life Bible
The battle was spread over the whole country. Dangers from the trees destroyed more people that day than the sword.
New Revised Standard
The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the battle there was spread out over the face of all the land, - and the forest devoured more of the people than the sword devoured on that day.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the battle there was scattered over the face of all the country, and there were many more of the people whom the forest consumed, than whom the sword devoured that day.
Revised Standard Version
The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For the battle there was spread over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

Contextual Overview

1 Then Dauid nombred the people that were with him, & set ouer them captaines of thousands and captaines of hundreths. 2 And Dauid sent foorth the third part of the people vnder the hand of Ioab, and the thirde part vnder the hand of Abishai Ioabs brother the sonne of Zeruiah: and the other third part vnder the hand of Ittai the Gittite. & the King said vnto the people, I will go with you my selfe also. 3 But the people answered, Thou shalt not goe foorth: for if we flee away, they will not regarde vs, neither will they passe for vs, though halfe of vs were slaine: but thou art now worth ten thousande of vs: therefore nowe it is better that thou succour vs out of the citie. 4 Then the King said vnto them, What seemeth you best, that I will doe. So the King stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreths and by thousands. 5 And the King commanded Ioab and Abishai, and Ittai, saying, Entreate the yong man Absalom gently for my sake. and all the people heard whe the King gaue al the captaines charge concerning Absalom. 6 So the people went out into the fielde to meete Israel, and the battell was in the wood of Ephraim: 7 Where the people of Israel were slaine before the seruants of Dauid: so there was a great slaughter that day, euen of twentie thousande. 8 For the battel was skattered ouer all the countrey: and the wood deuoured much more people that day, then did the sworde.

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
Then he preassed vpon them earnestly, and they turned in to him, and came to his house, and he made them a feast, and did bake vnleauened bread, and they did eate.
Deuteronomy 32:14
Butter of kine, and milke of sheepe with fat of the lambes, and rammes fed in Bashan, and goates, with the fat of the graines of wheat, and the red licour of the grape hast thou drunke.
Judges 5:25
He asked water, and shee gaue him milke: she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.
Judges 13:15
Manoah then said vnto the Angell of the Lorde, I pray thee, let vs reteine thee, vntill we haue made readie a kid for thee.
Nehemiah 12:44
Also at the same time were men appointed ouer the chambers of the store for the offerings (for the first fruites, and for the tithes) to gather into them out of the fieldes of the cities, the portions of the Law for the Priests and the Leuites: for Iudah reioyced for the Priests and for the Leuites, that serued.
Luke 12:37
Blessed are those seruants, whom the Lord when he commeth shall finde waking: verely I say vnto you, he will girde himselfe about, and make them to sit downe at table, and will come forth, and serue them.
Luke 17:8
And woulde not rather say to him, Dresse wherewith I may suppe, and girde thy selfe, and serue mee, till I haue eaten and drunken, and afterward eate thou, and drinke thou?
Luke 24:30
And it came to passe, as hee sate at table with them, he tooke the bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gaue it to them.
Luke 24:43
And hee tooke it, and did eate before them.
John 12:2
There they made him a supper, and Martha serued: but Lazarus was one of them that sate at the table with him.

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.


 
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