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Thursday, July 31st, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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New Living Translation

2 Samuel 4:6

The doorkeeper, who had been sifting wheat, became drowsy and fell asleep. So Recab and Baanah slipped past her.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Assassination;   Baanah;   Homicide;   Ish-Bosheth;   Rechab;   Regicide;   Treachery;   Thompson Chain Reference - Assassination;   Crimes;   Nation, the;   Treachery;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Murder;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Baanah and Rechab;   Bed;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ish-Bosheth;   Mahanaim;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Bannah;   House;   Rimmon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   Ish-Bosheth;   Rechab;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Baanah;   House;   Porter;   Rechab, Rechabites;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Barn;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Baanah ;   Beeroth ;   Ishbosheth ;   Rechab ;   Rimmon ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Dwelling;   Ish-bosheth;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ba'anah;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Mill;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Crime;   Rechab;   Rib;   Samuel, Books of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Baanah;   Medicine;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They entered the interior of the house as if to get wheat and stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped.
Hebrew Names Version
They came there into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they struck him in the body: and Rechav and Ba`anah his brother escaped.
King James Version
And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
Lexham English Bible
They came as far as the middle of the house as if takers of wheat, and they struck him in the stomach. Then Recab and Baanah his brother escaped.
English Standard Version
And they came into the midst of the house as if to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
New Century Version
They went into the middle of the house as if to get some wheat. Ish-Bosheth was lying on his bed in his bedroom. Then Recab and Baanah stabbed him in the stomach, killed him, cut off his head, and took it with them. They escaped and traveled all night through the Jordan Valley.
New English Translation
They entered the house under the pretense of getting wheat and mortally wounded him in the stomach. Then Recab and his brother Baanah escaped.
Amplified Bible
They came into the interior of the house as if to get wheat [for the soldiers], and they struck him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped [unnoticed].
New American Standard Bible
And they came to the interior of the house as if to get wheat, and they struck him in the belly; and Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And beholde, Rechab and Baanah his brother came into the middes of the house as they would haue wheate, and they smote him vnder the fift ryb, and fled.
Legacy Standard Bible
They came to the middle of the house as if to get wheat, and they struck him in the belly; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
Contemporary English Version
in his bedroom. The two brothers went into the house, pretending to get some flour. But once they were inside, they stabbed Ishbosheth in the stomach and killed him. Then they cut off his head and took it with them. Rechab and Baanah walked through the Jordan River valley all night long.
Complete Jewish Bible
They went right into the house, as if they were coming to get wheat, and stabbed him in the groin; then Rekhav and Ba‘anah his brother escaped.
Darby Translation
And they came thither into the midst of the house, [as though] they would fetch wheat; and they smote him in the belly; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
Easy-to-Read Version
Recab and Baanah came into the house as if they were going to get some wheat. Ish Bosheth was lying on his bed in his bedroom, and they stabbed and killed him. Then they cut off his head and took it with them. They traveled all night on the road through the Jordan Valley.
George Lamsa Translation
And behold, they came into the midst of the house; then those sons of wickedness took and smote him in his abdomen; and Rechab and Banna his brother escaped.
Good News Translation
The woman at the door had become drowsy while she was sifting wheat and had fallen asleep, so Rechab and Baanah slipped in.
Literal Translation
And they came to the middle of the house, bringing wheat. And they struck him in the belly. And Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And they came in to the house to fetch wheate, & thrust him in the bely, & gat them awaye.
American Standard Version
And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him in the body: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
Bible in Basic English
And Rechab and his brother Baanah got in without being seen.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And behold, they came into the middes of the house, as though they woulde haue fetched wheate, and Rechab and Baanah his brother smote him vnder the fyft ribbe, and fled.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him in the groin; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
King James Version (1611)
And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would haue fetched wheat, and they smote him vnder the fift rib, and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And, behold, the porter of the house winnowed wheat, and he slumbered and slept: and the brothers Rechab and Baana went privily into the house:
English Revised Version
And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him in the belly: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
Berean Standard Bible
They entered the interior of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah slipped away.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe thei entriden into the hows pryueli, and token eeris of whete; and Rechab, and Baana, his brother, smytiden Isbosech in the schar, and fledden.
Young's Literal Translation
and thither they have come, unto the midst of the house, taking wheat, and they smite him unto the fifth [rib], and Rechab and Baanah his brother have escaped;
Update Bible Version
And, look, they came there into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him in the body: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
Webster's Bible Translation
And they came thither into the midst of the house, [as though] they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth [rib]: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
World English Bible
They came there into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they struck him in the body: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
New King James Version
And they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
New Life Bible
They came to the center of the house as if to get wheat, and they hit Ish-bosheth in the stomach. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah ran away.
New Revised Standard
They came inside the house as though to take wheat, and they struck him in the stomach; then Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and, thither, entered they as fro as the middle of the house, to fetch wheat, and they smote him in the belly, - and, Rechab and Baanah his brother, escaped.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they entered into the house secretly taking ears of corn, and Rechab and Baana his brother stabbed him in the groin, and fled away.
Revised Standard Version
And behold, the doorkeeper of the house had been cleaning wheat, but she grew drowsy and slept; so Rechab and Ba'anah his brother slipped in.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They came to the middle of the house as if to get wheat, and they struck him in the belly; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

Contextual Overview

1 When Ishbosheth, Saul's son, heard about Abner's death at Hebron, he lost all courage, and all Israel became paralyzed with fear. 2 Now there were two brothers, Baanah and Recab, who were captains of Ishbosheth's raiding parties. They were sons of Rimmon, a member of the tribe of Benjamin who lived in Beeroth. The town of Beeroth is now part of Benjamin's territory 3 because the original people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim, where they still live as foreigners. 4 (Saul's son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth, who was crippled as a child. He was five years old when the report came from Jezreel that Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle. When the child's nurse heard the news, she picked him up and fled. But as she hurried away, she dropped him, and he became crippled.) 5 One day Recab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon from Beeroth, went to Ishbosheth's house around noon as he was taking his midday rest. 6 The doorkeeper, who had been sifting wheat, became drowsy and fell asleep. So Recab and Baanah slipped past her. 7 They went into the house and found Ishbosheth sleeping on his bed. They struck and killed him and cut off his head. Then, taking his head with them, they fled across the Jordan Valley through the night. 8 When they arrived at Hebron, they presented Ishbosheth's head to David. "Look!" they exclaimed to the king. "Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of your enemy Saul who tried to kill you. Today the Lord has given my lord the king revenge on Saul and his entire family!"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

as though: It is still the custom of the East, according to Dr. Perry, to allow the soldiers a certain quantity of corn, with other articles of provision, together with some pay, and as it was the custom also to grind the corn, as needed, at the break of day, these two captains very naturally went the day before to the palace, where the king's stores appear to have been kept, to fetch wheat, in order to distribute it to the soldiers under them, to be ground at the accustomed hour in the morning. The princes of the East, in those days, as appears from the history of David, reposed on their couches till the cool of the evening: they therefore came in the heat of the day, when they knew their master would be resting on his bed; and as it was a necessary to have the corn before it was needed, their coming at this time, though it might be earlier than usual, excited no suspicion.

under: 2 Samuel 2:23, 2 Samuel 3:27, 2 Samuel 20:10

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 8:8 - wheat 2 Samuel 2:8 - Ishbosheth Esther 2:21 - and sought

Cross-References

Genesis 4:1
Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, "With the Lord 's help, I have produced a man!"
Genesis 4:3
When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord .
Genesis 4:4
Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift,
Genesis 4:5
but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.
Genesis 4:8
One day Cain suggested to his brother, "Let's go out into the fields." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.
Genesis 4:11
Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother's blood.
Genesis 4:13
Cain replied to the Lord , "My punishment is too great for me to bear!
Job 5:2
Surely resentment destroys the fool, and jealousy kills the simple.
Isaiah 1:18
"Come now, let's settle this," says the Lord . "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.
Jeremiah 2:5
This is what the Lord says: "What did your ancestors find wrong with me that led them to stray so far from me? They worshiped worthless idols, only to become worthless themselves.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they came thither into the midst of the house,.... They not only came unto it, but entered into it, and went into the inmost part of it; the guards being asleep also perhaps, or not on duty, so that there were none to obstruct them; or if there were, they deceived them, since they went in

[as though] they would have fetched wheat; out of the king's granaries, for the payment and support of the soldiers under them, who in those days were paid in corn, as were the Roman soldiers y in later times; and these granaries might not only be in the king's house, but near his bedchamber; for in those ancient ages of simplicity there was not such grandeur in the courts of princes as now; the Targum is,

"as sellers of wheat,''

in the guise and habit of such persons, pretending they came to sell wheat to the king's purveyors, who were at the granaries; or, as others interpret it, they went in along with the wheat merchants as if they belonged to them, and so found their way to the king's bedchamber:

and smote him under the fifth [rib]; :-;

and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped; they got out of the palace after they had committed the murder undiscovered and unsuspected.

y Vid. Valtrinum de re militar. Roman. l. 3. c. 15. p. 236.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

As though they would have fetched wheat - This is a very obscure passage, and the double repetition in 2 Samuel 4:6-7 of the murder of the king and of the escape of the assassin, is hard to account for. Rechab and Baanah came into the house under the pretence of getting grain, probably for the band which they commanded out of the king’s storehouse, and so contrived to get access into the king’s chamber; or, they found the wheat-carriers (the persons whose business it was to carry in grain for the king’s household) just going into the king’s house, and by joining them got into the midst of the house unnoticed. If the latter be the sense, the literal translation of the words would be: “And behold (or, and there) there came into the midst of the house the carriers of wheat, and they (i. e. Rechab and Baanah) smote him, etc.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 4:6. As though they would have fetched wheat — The king's stores were probably near his own dwelling; and these men were accustomed to go thither for provisions for themselves, their cattle, and their men. This supposition which is natural, renders unnecessary all the emendations of Houbigant and others.

As these men were accustomed to bring wheat from these stores, from which it appears there was an easy passage to the king's chamber, (especially if we consider this a summer-house, as it most probably was,) no man would suspect their present errand, as they were in the habit of going frequently to that place.


 
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