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Sunday, August 10th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Read the Bible

New American Standard Bible (1995)

2 Samuel 17:19

And the woman took a covering and spread it over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, so that nothing was known.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Abiathar;   Ahimaaz;   Ahithophel;   Corn;   Falsehood;   Friendship;   Jonathan;   Zadok;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ahimaaz;   Ahithophel;   Hushai;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Mouth;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ahithophel;   Prayer;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Well;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ahimaaz;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Bahurim;   Jonathan;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ahimaaz ;   Ahithophel ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Absalom;   Ahimaaz;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ahim'a-Az;   Ahith'ophel;   Jon'athan,;   Well;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Adonijah;   Ground;   Samuel, Books of;   Zadok;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ahimaaz;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then his wife took the cover, placed it over the mouth of the well, and scattered grain on it so nobody would know anything.
Hebrew Names Version
The woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and strewed bruised grain thereon; and nothing was known.
King James Version
And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.
Lexham English Bible
Then the woman took and spread a covering over the opening of the well; then she spread out dried grain on it, so nothing was discovered.
English Standard Version
And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, and nothing was known of it.
New Century Version
The man's wife spread a sheet over the opening of the well and covered it with grain. No one could tell that anyone was hiding there.
New English Translation
His wife then took the covering and spread it over the top of the well and scattered some grain over it. No one was aware of what she had done.
Amplified Bible
And the woman [of the house] took a covering and spread it over the mouth of the well and scattered grain on it; so nothing was discovered.
New American Standard Bible
And the woman took a cover and spread it over the well's mouth and scattered barley meal on it, so that nothing was known.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the wife tooke and spred a couering ouer the welles mouth, and spred ground corne thereon, that the thing should not be knowen.
Legacy Standard Bible
And the woman took a covering and spread it over the well's mouth and scattered crushed grain on it, so that nothing was known.
Contemporary English Version
The man's wife put the cover on the well and poured grain on top of it, so the well could not be seen.
Complete Jewish Bible
His wife spread a covering over the cistern's opening and scattered drying grain on it, so that nothing showed.
Darby Translation
And the woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground corn on it; and the thing was not known.
Easy-to-Read Version
The man's wife spread a sheet over the mouth of the well and covered it with grain. The well looked like a pile of grain, so no one would know to look there.
George Lamsa Translation
And the woman took and spread a covering over the wells mouth, and put barley upon it; and the thing was not known.
Good News Translation
The man's wife took a covering, spread it over the opening of the well and scattered grain over it, so that no one would notice anything.
Literal Translation
And the woman took and spread the covering over the well, and spread ground grain on it. And the thing was not known.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the woman toke and spred a couerynge ouer the welles mouth, & strowed firmentye corne theron, that it was not perceaued.
American Standard Version
And the woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and strewed bruised grain thereon; and nothing was known.
Bible in Basic English
And a woman put a cover over the hole, and put crushed grain on top of it, and no one had any knowledge of it.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the wyfe toke and spread a couerlet ouer the welles mouth, & spread ground corne theron: and the thing was not spied.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and strewed groats thereon; and nothing was known.
King James Version (1611)
And the woman tooke and spread a couering ouer the welles mouth, and spread ground corne thereon; and the thing was not knowen.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And a woman took a covering, and spread it over the mouth of the well, and spread out ground corn upon it to dry, and the thing was not known.
English Revised Version
And the woman took and spread the covering over the well’s mouth, and strewed bruised corn thereon; and nothing was known.
Berean Standard Bible
Then the man's wife took a covering and spread it over the mouth of the well and scattered grain over it, so nobody would know a thing.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe a womman took, and spred abrood an hilyng of the mouth of the pit as driynge `barli with the pile takun a wey, and so the thing was hid.
Young's Literal Translation
and the woman taketh and spreadeth the covering over the face of the well, and spreadeth on it the ground corn, and the thing hath not been known.
Update Bible Version
And the woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and strewed bruised grain thereon; and nothing was known.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground corn upon it; and the thing was not known.
World English Bible
The woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and strewed bruised grain thereon; and nothing was known.
New King James Version
Then the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground grain on it; and the thing was not known.
New Living Translation
The man's wife put a cloth over the top of the well and scattered grain on it to dry in the sun; so no one suspected they were there.
New Life Bible
Then the woman took the covering and spread it over the well's mouth, and spread grain on it, so nothing was known of it.
New Revised Standard
The man's wife took a covering, stretched it over the well's mouth, and spread out grain on it; and nothing was known of it.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and the woman took and spread the cover over the face of the well, and spread thereon her pounded corn, - so nothing was known.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And a woman took, and spread a covering over the mouth of the well, as it were to dry sodden barley and so the thing was not known.
Revised Standard Version
And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and scattered grain upon it; and nothing was known of it.

Contextual Overview

15 Then Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, "This is what Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what I have counseled. 16 "Now therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, 'Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means cross over, or else the king and all the people who are with him will be destroyed.'" 17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, and a maidservant would go and tell them, and they would go and tell King David, for they could not be seen entering the city. 18 But a lad did see them and told Absalom; so the two of them departed quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down into it. 19 And the woman took a covering and spread it over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, so that nothing was known.20 Then Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house and said, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" And the woman said to them, "They have crossed the brook of water." And when they searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. 21 It came about after they had departed that they came up out of the well and went and told King David; and they said to David, "Arise and cross over the water quickly for thus Ahithophel has counseled against you."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

spread a covering: Joshua 2:4-6, 5-24

the thing: Exodus 1:19

Reciprocal: Joshua 2:6 - hid them

Cross-References

Genesis 17:2
"I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly."
Genesis 17:3
Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
Genesis 17:6
"I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you.
Genesis 17:9
God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
Genesis 17:10
"This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.
Genesis 17:13
"A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
Genesis 17:14
"But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."
Genesis 17:16
"I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her."
Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"
Genesis 17:20
"As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth,.... This woman, very probably, was the man's wife of the house, as Abarbinel notes; who took a cloth, and spread it over the well's mouth, that it could not be seen or known that there was a well there:

and spread ground corn thereon: just taken out of the mill, before it was sifted, while in the bran; or corn unhusked, or just threshed out, in order to be dried in the sun, and then parched; or wheat bruised for that purpose: Josephus says q they were locks of wool she spread:

and the thing was not known; that the young men were in the well.

q Antiqu. l. 7. c. 9. sect. 7.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A covering - Hebrew “the covering,” perhaps “the hanging” or “awning” at the door of the house, as the word seems to mean when spoken of the tabernacle.

Ground corn - Or “peeled barley,” which she spread out as if for the purpose of drying it in the sun.


 
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