2 Samuel 17:19
 2 Samuel 17:19 
New International Version (©2011)
His wife took a covering and spread it out over the opening of the well and scattered grain over it. No one knew anything about it.

New Living Translation (©2007)
The man's wife put a cloth over the top of the well and scattered grain on it to dry in the sun; so no one suspected they were there.

English Standard Version (©2001)
And the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth and scattered grain on it, and nothing was known of it.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
And the woman took a covering and spread it over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, so that nothing was known.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
Then his wife took the cover, placed it over the mouth of the well, and scattered grain on it so nobody would know anything.

International Standard Version (©2012)
The man's wife grabbed a sheet, covered the mouth of the well with it, and spread some dried grain over it. As a result, nobody could tell it was a hiding place.

NET Bible (©2006)
His wife then took the covering and spread it over the top of the well and scattered some grain over it. No one was aware of what she had done.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
The man's wife took a cover, spread it over the top of the cistern, and scattered some grain over it so that no one could tell it was there.

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground grain thereon; and the thing was not known.

American King James Version
And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.

American Standard Version
And the woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and strewed bruised grain thereon; and nothing was known.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And a woman took, and spread a covering over the mouth of the well, as it were to dry sodden barley: and so the thing was not known.

Darby Bible Translation
And the woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground corn on it; and the thing was not known.

English Revised Version
And the woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and strewed bruised corn thereon; and nothing was known.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground corn upon it; and the thing was not known.

World English Bible
The woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and spread out bruised grain on it; and nothing was known.

Young's Literal Translation
and the woman taketh and spreadeth the covering over the face of the well, and spreadeth on it the ground corn, and the thing hath not been known.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

17:1-21 Here was a wonderful effect of Divine Providence blinding Absalom's mind and influencing his heart, that he could not rest in Ahithophel's counsel, and that he should desire Hushai's advice. But there is no contending with that God who can arm a man against himself, and destroy him by his own mistakes and passions. Ahithophel's former counsel was followed, for God intended to correct David; but his latter counsel was not followed, for God meant not to destroy him. He can overrule all counsels. Whatever wisdom or help any man employs or affords, the success is from God alone, who will not let his people perish.


Pulpit Commentary

Verse 19. - A covering; Hebrew, the cover; that is, the usual cover of the cistern, which had been taken off to let the young men descend into it. Over it she spread, not ground corn, but brayed or peeled corn (see Proverbs 27:22), probably barley groats. She was probably busy in removing the husks of the barley with a pestle in a mortar when Jonathan and Ahimaaz sought refuge with her; and thus her whole proceeding was so natural as to excite no suspicions.


Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth,.... This woman, very probably, was the man's wife of the house, as Abarbinel notes; who took a cloth, and spread it over the well's mouth, that it could not be seen or known that there was a well there:

and spread ground corn thereon: just taken out of the mill, before it was sifted, while in the bran; or corn unhusked, or just threshed out, in order to be dried in the sun, and then parched; or wheat bruised for that purpose: Josephus says (q) they were locks of wool she spread:

and the thing was not known; that the young men were in the well.

(q) Antiqu. l. 7. c. 9. sect. 7.


2 Samuel 17:19 Parallel Commentaries

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Hushai's Warning Saves David
18Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of them away quickly, and came to a man's house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court; where they went down. 19And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known. 20And when Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said to them, They be gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. …

Exodus 9:33 Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the LORD; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land.
Joshua 2:4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from.