2 Samuel 18 · Verse 17

2 Samuel 18:17

And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled every one to his tent.

2 Samuel 18:17, King James Version

2 Samuel 18:17 in other translations

BSB	They took Absalom, cast him into a large pit in the forest, and piled a huge mound of stones over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled, each to his home.
WEB	They took Absalom and cast him into a great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones. Then all Israel fled, each to his own tent.
ASV	And they took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones: and all Israel fled every one to his tent.
YLT	and they take Absalom and cast him in the forest unto the great pit, and set up over him a very great heap of stones, and all Israel have fled--each to his tent.
DARBY	And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and raised a very great heap of stones upon him. And all Israel fled every one to his tent.
BBE	And they took Absalom's body and put it into a great hole in the wood, and put a great mass of stones over it: and every man of Israel went in flight to his tent.
Webster	And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled every one to his tent.

What does 2 Samuel 18:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

17. they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit ... and laid a very great heap of stones upon him--The people of the East indicate their detestation of the memory of an infamous person by throwing stones at the place where he is buried. The heap is increased by the gradual accumulation of stones which passers-by add to it.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 17 And laid a very great heap of stones - This was the method of burying heroes, and even traitors, the heap of stones being designed to perpetuate the memory of the event, whether good or bad. The ancient cairns or heaps of stones, in different parts of the world, are of this kind. The various tumuli or barrows in England are the same as the cairns in different parts of Ireland and Scotland. In the former, stones were not plenty; hence they heaped up great mounds of earth.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 18:9-18

Let young people look upon Absalom, hanging on a tree, accursed, forsaken of heaven and earth; there let them read the Lord's abhorrence of rebellion against parents. Nothing can preserve men from misery and contempt, but heavenly wisdom and the grace of God.

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 18:9-18 →

2 Samuel 18:17 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.

וַיִּקְח֣וּvai.yik.Chuand they tookH3947

אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853

אַבְשָׁל֗וֹם'av.sha.LomAbsalomH53

וַיַּשְׁלִ֨יכוּvai.yash.Li.khuand they threwH7993

אֹת֤וֹ'o.To<obj.> himH853

בַיַּ֙עַר֙vai.Ya.'arin the forestH3293

אֶל\־'el-intoH413

הַפַּ֣חַתha.Pa.chatthe pitH6354

הַגָּד֔וֹלha.ga.Dol<the> greatH1419

וַיַּצִּ֧בוּvai.ya.Tzi.vuand they set upH5324

עָלָ֛יו'a.Lavover himH5921

גַּל\־gal-a heap ofH1530

אֲבָנִ֖ים'a.va.NimstonesH68

גָּד֣וֹלga.DolgreatH1419

מְאֹ֑דme.'OdveryH3966

וְכָל\־ve.kholand allH3605

יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478

נָ֖סוּNa.suthey fledH5127

אִ֥ישׁ'isheachH376

לְאֹהָלָֽיו\׃\ \סle.'o.he.loto tents hisH168

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

Cross references for 2 Samuel 18:17

Joshua 7:26
And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.
Joshua 8:29
And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.
2 Samuel 20:22
Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.
Joshua 10:27
And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave’s mouth, which remain until this very day.
2 Samuel 20:1
And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.
Jeremiah 22:18-19
Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory! He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 19:8
Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man to his tent.
Proverbs 10:7
The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

laid.This was the ancient method of burying, whether heroes or traitors; the heap of stones being designed to perpetuate the memory of the event, whether good or bad. The Arabs in general make use of no other monument than a heap of stones over a grave. Thus, in an Arabic poem, it is related, that Hatim the father, and Adi the grandfather of Kais, having been murdered, at a time before Kais was capable of reflection, his mother kept it a profound secret; and in order to guard him against having any suspicion, she collected a parcel of stone on two hillocks in the neighbourhood, and told her son that the one was the grave of his father, and the other of his grandfather. The ancient cairns in Ireland and Scotland, and the tumuli in England, are of this kind.
Jos 7:26; 8:29; 10:27; Pr 10:7; Jer 22:18,19

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

Context

2 Samuel 18:16
And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel: for Joab held back the people.
2 Samuel 18:17
And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled every one to his tent.
2 Samuel 18:18
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the king’s dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called unto this day, Absalom’s place.

Read all of 2 Samuel 18

2 Samuel 18:17 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Tomando después á Absalom, echáronle en un gran hoyo en el bosque, y levantaron sobre él un muy grande montón de piedras; y todo Israel huyó, cada uno á sus estancias.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et ils prirent Absalom et le jetèrent dans la forêt, dans une grande fosse, et élevèrent sur lui un très grand monceau de pierres. Et tout Israël s’enfuit, chacun à sa tente.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und sie nahmen Absalom und warfen ihn in eine große Grube im Walde, und errichteten über ihm einen sehr großen Haufen Steine. Und ganz Israel floh, ein jeder nach seinem Zelte.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et tulerunt Absalom, et projecerunt eum in saltu, in foveam grandem, et comportaverunt super eum acervum lapidum magnum nimis: omnis autem Israël fugit in tabernacula sua.