2 Samuel 18:6
New International Version
David’s army marched out of the city to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.

New Living Translation
So the battle began in the forest of Ephraim,

English Standard Version
So the army went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim.

Berean Standard Bible
So David’s army marched into the field to engage Israel in the battle, which took place in the forest of Ephraim.

King James Bible
So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim;

New King James Version
So the people went out into the field of battle against Israel. And the battle was in the woods of Ephraim.

New American Standard Bible
Then the people went out to the field against Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.

NASB 1995
Then the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.

NASB 1977
Then the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the people went out into the field to meet Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.

Amplified Bible
So the men went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim.

Christian Standard Bible
Then David’s forces marched into the field to engage Israel in battle, which took place in the forest of Ephraim.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then David’s forces marched into the field to engage Israel in battle, which took place in the forest of Ephraim.

American Standard Version
So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the people went out to the field to meet Israel

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And all the people went out into the wood against Israel; and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim.

Douay-Rheims Bible
So the people went out into the field against Israel and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim.

English Revised Version
So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So the troops went out to the country to fight Israel in the forest of Ephraim.

Good News Translation
David's army went out into the countryside and fought the Israelites in Ephraim Forest.

International Standard Version
David's army left for the battlefield to fight Absalom and his Israeli followers, and they also fought in the Ephraim forest,

JPS Tanakh 1917
So the people went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim.

Literal Standard Version
And the people go out into the field to meet Israel, and the battle is in a forest of Ephraim;

Majority Standard Bible
So David’s army marched into the field to engage Israel in the battle, which took place in the forest of Ephraim.

New American Bible
David’s army then took the field against Israel, and a battle was fought in the forest near Mahanaim.

NET Bible
Then the army marched out to the field to fight against Israel. The battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.

New Revised Standard Version
So the army went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim.

New Heart English Bible
So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim.

Webster's Bible Translation
So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim;

World English Bible
So the people went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim.

Young's Literal Translation
And the people goeth out into the field to meet Israel, and the battle is in a forest of Ephraim;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Absalom Killed
5Now the king had commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake.” And all the people heard the king’s orders to each of the commanders regarding Absalom. 6So David’s army marched into the field to engage Israel in the battle, which took place in the forest of Ephraim. 7There the people of Israel were defeated by David’s servants, and the slaughter was great that day—twenty thousand men.…

Cross References
Joshua 17:15
Joshua answered them, "If you have so many people that the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go to the forest and clear for yourself an area in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim."

Joshua 17:18
because the hill country will be yours as well. It is a forest; clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours. Although the Canaanites have iron chariots and although they are strong, you can drive them out."

2 Samuel 17:26
So the Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

2 Samuel 18:7
There the people of Israel were defeated by David's servants, and the slaughter was great that day--twenty thousand men.


Treasury of Scripture

So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim;

Joshua 17:15,18
And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee…

Judges 12:4-6
Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites…

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Army Battle Ephraim E'phraim Field Fight Forest Fought Israel Marched Meet Wood Woods
2 Samuel 18
1. David viewing the armies in their march gives them charge of Absalom
6. The Israelites are sorely smitten in the wood of ephraim
9. Absalom, hanging in an oak is slain by Joab, and cast into a pit
18. Absalom's place
19. Ahimaaz and Cushi bring tidings to David
33. David mourns for Absalom














(6) The wood of Ephraim.--No wood of Ephraim on the eastern side of the Jordan happens to be elsewhere mentioned in Scripture. Yet it is plain that the battle must have been on that side of the river for the following reasons: (1) both armies were on that side beforehand, and there is no mention of their crossing; (2) David remained in Mahanaim (2Samuel 18:3-4) with the reserves, for the purpose of succouring the army in case of need; (3) he there received the news of Absalom's death (2Samuel 18:24-33); (4) the army returned thither after the battle (2Samuel 19:3); and (5) David was obliged to cross the Jordan on his final return to Jerusalem, and was met at the crossing by the tribes (2Samuel 18:15, &c.). There is really no difficulty but such as arises from our ignorance of local names. The narrative clearly implies that there was a "wood of Ephraim," otherwise unknown, on the east of the Jordan.

Verse 6. - The wood of Ephraim. There is a diversity of opinion as to the locality thus described. It might mean the large forest tract in the highlands of Ephraim; but if so, the battle must have been fought on the west of the Jordan, whereas the general tenor of the narrative makes it plain that it took place on the eastern side, near Mahanaim. It is true that no wood of Ephraim is ever mentioned elsewhere in the Bible as situated in Gilead, and those who cannot believe in such a wood except within the borders of the tribe, argue that, after the three divisions had marched out to battle, there was long skirmishing, in which Absalom drew David's men across the Jordan, and there gave battle. But Absalom's army was evidently surprised, and as we are told that "he pitched in the land of Gilead" (2 Samuel 17:26), for him to have retired would have been a confession of weakness; and Joab, after seeing him cross the Jordan, would not have followed him, but let this retrograde movement have its effect upon his followers. Such a movement is absolutely incredible on the part of an army at least three times as numerous as those whom they attacked, and confident of victory. Moreover, armies in those days were not composed of men receiving pay, and bound to remain with their colours, but of yeomen unwilling to be kept long absent from their farms, and liable, therefore, rapidly to melt away. A quick decision was plainly necessary for Absalom, while David could afford to wait. But besides this, when his forces moved out of Mahanaim, David took his post at the gate with the reserves, and he was still there, sitting "between the two gates," when news was brought him of the victory (ver. 24). The only real argument in support of the view that the battle was fought on the west of the Jordan is that "Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain" (ver. 23), Hebrew, the kikkar - a name specially given to the valley of the Jordan near Jericho. But then Cushi must also have run through the same valley, and it is evident that his route was in this very respect different from that taken by Ahimaaz. Really, kikkar, which in Hebrew means "circuit," may be used of the country round any city, and is applied in Nehemiah 12:28 to the environs of Jerusalem. Here the meaning probably is that, while the Cushite took the route back over the battlefield through the wood, Ahimaaz went to the left of it, over the more level ground, nearer the Jordan. And though the name is chiefly used of that part near Jericho, it was probably applied popularly to every stretch of level ground near the river. This argument, therefore, is inconclusive; while, on the other side, it is plain that David's army returned that same day to Mahanaim, that they knew at once of his distress, and that they were beginning to steal away home when Joab made David come forth to thank them, and encourage them to remain with him. The most probable explanation of the difficulty is that "the wood of Ephraim" was so called because it was the spot where Jephthah defeated the Ephraimites when they invaded Gilead to punish him for daring to go to war without their consent, they being then the dominant tribe, to whose arbitrament belonged all imperial matters (Judges 12:4-6).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So David’s army
הָעָ֛ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

marched
וַיֵּצֵ֥א (way·yê·ṣê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

into the field
הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה (haś·śā·ḏeh)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7704: Field, land

to engage
לִקְרַ֣את (liq·raṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7125: Against he come, help, meet, seek, to, in the way

Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

in the battle,
הַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה (ham·mil·ḥā·māh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4421: A battle, war

which took place
וַתְּהִ֥י (wat·tə·hî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

in the forest
בְּיַ֥עַר (bə·ya·‘ar)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3293: A copse of bushes, a forest, honey in the comb

of Ephraim.
אֶפְרָֽיִם׃ (’ep̄·rā·yim)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 669: Ephraim -- a son of Joseph, also his descendants and their territory


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OT History: 2 Samuel 18:6 So the people went out into (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 18:5
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