2 Samuel 17 · Verse 12

2 Samuel 17:12

So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of him and of all the men that are with him there shall not be left so much as one.
2 Samuel 17:12, King James Version

2 Samuel 17:12 in other translations

BSBThen we will attack David wherever we find him, and we will descend on him like dew on the ground. And of all the men with him, not even one will remain.
WEBSo we will come on him in some place where he will be found, and we will light on him as the dew falls on the ground, then we will not leave so much as one of him and of all the men who are with him.
ASVSo shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground; and of him and of all the men that are with him we will not leave so much as one.
YLTand we have come in unto him in one of the places where he is found, and we are upon him as the dew falleth on the ground, and there hath not been left of him and of all the men who are with him even one.
DARBYAnd we shall come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men that are with him there shall not be left so much as one.
BBEThen we will come on him in some place, wherever he may be, falling on him as the dew comes on the earth: and of him and all the men who are with him not one will get away with his life.
WebsterSo shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of him and of all the men that are with him there shall not be left so much as one.

What does 2 Samuel 17:12 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
12. we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground--No image could have symbolized the sudden onset of an enemy so graphically to an Oriental mind as the silent, irresistible, and rapid descent of this natural moisture on every field and blade of grass.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 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…

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 17:1-21 →

2 Samuel 17:12 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וּבָ֣אנוּu.Va.nuand we will comeH935
אֵלָ֗יו'e.Lavagainst himH413
בְּאַחַ֤דbe.'a.chatin one ofH259
הַמְּקוֹמֹת֙ha.me.ko.Motthe placesH4725
אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.SherwhereH834
נִמְצָ֣אnim.Tza'he is foundH4672
שָׁ֔םShamthereH8033
וְנַ֣חְנוּve.Nach.nuand we will setH5117
עָלָ֔יו'a.Lavon himH5921
כַּאֲשֶׁ֛רka.'a.Sher<just> whenH834
יִפֹּ֥לyi.Polit will fallH5307
הַטַּ֖לha.Talthe dewH2919
עַל\־'al-onH5921
הָאֲדָמָ֑הha.'a.da.Mahthe groundH127
וְלֹֽא\־ve.lo'-and notH3808
נ֥וֹתַרNo.tarwe will leaveH3498
בּ֛וֹboamong him
וּבְכָל\־u.ve.Khol-and among allH3605
הָאֲנָשִׁ֥יםha.'a.na.Shimthe menH582
אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whoH834
אִתּ֖וֹ'i.To[are] with himH854
גַּם\־gam-alsoH1571
אֶחָֽד\׃'e.ChadoneH259

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Samuel 17:12

  • Isaiah 10:13-14

    For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man: And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

  • 2 Kings 18:23

    Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

  • 1 Kings 20:10

    And Ben–hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

  • 2 Kings 19:24

    I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places.

  • 1 Samuel 23:23

    See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.

  • Obadiah 1:3

    The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
in some place.
1Sa 23:23
we will light.This is a very beautiful and expressive figure. The dew in Palestine, and other warm climates, falls fast, sudden, and heavy; and it falls upon every spot of earth, so that not a blade of grass escapes it. It is therefore no inapt emblem of a numerous and active army; and it was, perhaps, for this reason that the Romans called their light armed forces {rorarii.}
1Ki 20:10; 2Ki 18:23; 19:24; Isa 10:13,14; Ob 1:3

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Samuel 17:11

    Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beer–sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person.

  • 2 Samuel 17:12

    So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of him and of all the men that are with him there shall not be left so much as one.

  • 2 Samuel 17:13

    Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there.

Read all of 2 Samuel 17

2 Samuel 17:12 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Entonces le acometeremos en cualquier lugar que pudiere hallarse, y daremos sobre él como cuando el rocío cae sobre la tierra, y ni uno dejaremos de él, y de todos los que con él están.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et nous arriverons à lui dans l’un des lieux où il se trouvera, et nous nous abattrons sur lui comme la rosée tombe sur le sol; et, de lui et de tous les hommes qui sont avec lui, il n’en restera pas un seul.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und wir werden über ihn kommen an einem der Orte, wo er sich befindet, und uns auf ihn niederlassen, wie der Tau auf den Erdboden fällt; und es wird von ihm und von all den Männern, die bei ihm sind, auch nicht einer übrigbleiben.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et irruemus super eum in quocumque loco inventus fuerit, et operiemus eum, sicut cadere solet ros super terram: et non relinquemus de viris qui cum eo sunt, ne unum quidem.