2 Samuel 15:28

See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.”

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — David addresses Zadok and Abiathar after commanding them to return to Jerusalem with their sons as intelligence gatherers during Absalom’s revolt. He declares his physical position at the fords of the wilderness while establishing his dependence on their incoming report.

The words — The verb מִתְמַהְמֵ֔הַּ (mit.mah.me.hah) conveys deliberate delay or waiting, combined with עַד בּוֹא דָבָר (ad bo' davar) meaning “until a word comes.” David explicitly states that his continued presence at the crossing is conditional upon receiving their message.

The thread — This location is later cited in 2 Samuel 17:16, where a warning instructs David to leave the fords immediately rather than remain there. The communication protocol established in 2 Samuel 15:27 provides the structural basis for the conditional waiting described here.

Why it lands — The text records a leader’s tactical pause and reliance on a coordinated spy network during flight. It requires the reader to note that strategic patience operates through disciplined information flow rather than spontaneous movement.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

רְאוּ֙re.'Usee אָנֹכִ֣י'a.no.KhiI מִתְמַהְמֵ֔הַּmit.mah.Me.ah[will] delay בְּעַֽרְב֖וֹתbe./'av.rotin/ [the] desert plains of הַמִּדְבָּ֑רha./mid.Barthe/ wilderness עַ֣ד'aduntil בּ֥וֹאBo'comes דָבָ֛רda.Varword מֵעִמָּכֶ֖םme./'i.ma./Khemfrom/ with <the>/ you לְהַגִּ֥ידle./ha.Gidto/ tellלִֽי׃L/ito <the>/ me

King James Version

See, I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness, until there come word from you to certify me.

Cross-references

2 Samuel 17:16 Now send quickly and tell David, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but be sure to cross over. Otherwise the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.’”
2 Samuel 15:23 Everyone in the countryside was weeping loudly as all the people passed by. And as the king crossed the Kidron Valley, all the people also passed toward the way of the wilderness.
2 Samuel 16:2 “Why do you have these?” asked the king. Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the wilderness.”
2 Samuel 17:1 Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David.