4 Regum 18:8

Jerome's Latin Vulgate

Fuit autem ibi prælium dispersum super faciem omnis terræ, et multo plures erant quos saltus consumpserat de populo, quam hi quos voraverat gladius in die illa.

Parallel Translations

Clementine Latin Vulgate (1592)
Iratus est autem Saul nimis, et displicuit in oculis ejus sermo iste : dixitque : Dederunt David decem millia, et mihi mille dederunt : quid ei superest, nisi solum regnum ?

Nova Vulgata (1979)
Fuit autem ibi proelium dispersum super faciem omnis terrae; et multo plures erant, quos saltus consumpserat de populo, quam hi, quos voraverat gladius in die illa.

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

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.