King James Version
2 Samuel 18:6 in the King James Version says “So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim;” — study this verse from 2 Samuel chapter 18 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.
“So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim;”
2 Samuel 18:6 · KJV
And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands.
And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.
So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim;
Where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men.
For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the country: and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. devoured: Heb. multiplied to devour
KJV Study — Public Domain
“went out”
H3318to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim
“So the people”
H5971a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
“against”
H7125an encountering, accidental, friendly or hostile (also adverbially, opposite)
“Israel”
H3478he will rule as god; jisral, a symbolical name of jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
“and the battle”
H4421a battle (i.e., the engagement); generally, war (i.e., war-fare)
“was in the wood”
H3293a copse of bushes; hence, a forest; hence, honey in the comb (as hived in trees)
“of Ephraim”
H669ephrajim, a son of joseph; also the tribe descended from him, and its territory
This verse is found in the book of 2 Samuel. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
2 Samuel 18:6 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.
Verses related to 2 Samuel 18:6 from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge