The battle was scattered - Probably Absalom’s forces were far more numerous than David’s; but, most likely by Joab’s skillful generalship, the field of battle was such that numbers did not tell, and David’s veteran troops were able to destroy Absalom’s rabble in detail. The wood entangled them, and was perhaps full of pits, precipices, and morasses 2 Samuel 18:17. read more
2 Samuel 18:8. The battle was scattered over all the country In that neighbourhood; both in the field and in the wood. The wood devoured more people than the sword Some think the wood is said to devour them because they fell into pits, or stumbled upon stumps of trees, or pressed one another to death, as they came into strait places, or were killed by wild beasts. But the most natural meaning of the words is, that there were more slain in the wood, into which Absalom’s men fled, than in... read more
War between Absalom and David (17:1-19:8)Ahithophel advised Absalom that he needed to do only one thing to make his throne secure, and that was kill David. If he did this swiftly, without war or unnecessary bloodshed, the people would soon be fully behind him (17:1-4). Hushai, wishing to gain time for David to escape and organize his troops, advised against such a risky operation, for David was a very experienced soldier. He recommended that the whole Israelite army be assembled and Absalom... read more
wood of Ephraim . Compare Joshua 17:15-18 read more
the face . Figure of speech Pleonasm, with Prosopopceia. App-6 . devoured. Hebrew "multiplied to devour", to emphasise the great number. Figure of speech Prosopopaia. App-6 . read more
THE SLAUGHTER OF ABSALOM'S ARMY IN THE FOREST OF EPHRAIM"So the army went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter was great on that day, twenty thousand men. The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword.""The forest of Ephraim" (2 Samuel 18:6). "This place is not otherwise known to us."[7] Keil was... read more
2 Samuel 18:6. And the battle was in the wood of Ephraim— It is supposed that this wood, which was in Gilead, not far from Maanaim, took its name either from the victory which Gideon gained over Oreb and Zeeb, kings of the Midianites, by the assistance of the Ephraimites, Jdg 7:25 or from the great daughter of the Ephraimites here by Jephthah, Judges 12:5-6. The expression in the eighth verse, the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured, signifies that more perished in the... read more
6. wood of Ephraim—This wood, of course, was on the east of Jordan. Its name was derived, according to some, from the slaughter of the Ephraimites by Jephthah—according to others, from the connection of blood with the trans-jordanic Manasseh. read more
7. the people of Israel were slain—This designation, together with the immense slaughter mentioned later, shows the large extent to which the people were enlisted in this unhappy civil contest. read more
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Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 2 Samuel 18:6
Against Israel - Implying that the revolt was in a great measure that of the ten tribes, Saul’s party, against the kingdom.The wood of Ephraim - This would naturally be sought in the west of Jordan (marginal reference). But on the other hand it seems certain that the scene of this battle was on the east of Jordan. It seems therefore inevitable to conclude that some portion of the thick wood of oaks and terebinths which still runs down to the Jordan on the east side was for some reason called... read more