Bible Strands
2 Samuel 17:9
Surely by now he is hiding in a cave or some other location. If some of your troops fall first, whoever hears of it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.’
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Ahithophel addresses Absalom during the rebellion, advising him on the immediate pursuit of David and his fleeing forces. He warns that David will avoid open engagement and seek concealed positions to regroup.
The words — The Hebrew נֶחְבָּא (nech.Ba') means “hidden himself,” and הַפְּחָתִים (ha.pe.cha.Tim) translates to “ravines” or “caves,” describing the specific terrain where David likely conceals his camp.
The thread — The tactical motif of concealed terrain and forced movement appears in Joshua 7:5, which notes quarries as a killing zone; Joshua 8:6, which describes drawing enemies away from a city; and Judges 20:32, which records a tactical retreat to open roads.
Why it lands — The text requires recognition that hidden enemies exploit morale, turning minor setbacks into psychological collapse. It demands a reader to see how delay in pursuit allows fear to replace discipline among pursuing troops.
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
King James Version
Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.
Cross-references
- Joshua 7:5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them, chasing them from the gate as far as the quarries and striking them down on the slopes. So the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
- Joshua 8:6 They will pursue us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘The Israelites are running away from us as they did before.’ So as we flee from them,
- Judges 20:32 “We are defeating them as before,” said the Benjamites. But the Israelites said, “Let us retreat and draw them away from the city onto the roads.”
- 1 Samuel 14:14 In that first assault, Jonathan and his armor-bearer struck down about twenty men in about half an acre of land.
- 1 Samuel 22:1 So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.
- 1 Samuel 24:3 Soon Saul came to the sheepfolds along the road, where there was a cave, and he went in to relieve himself. And David and his men were hiding in the recesses of the cave.