2 Samuel 18:27

And the watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
watchman	הַצֹּפֶ֔ה ha.tzo.Peh	H6822	properly · definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
said	וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
thinketh	רֹאֶה֙ ro.'Eh	H7200	to see · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
running	מְרוּצַ֣ת me.ru.Tzat	H4794	a race (the act) · noun, common feminine singular construct
foremost	הָרִאשׁ֔וֹן ha.ri.Shon	H7223	first · definite article + ordinal number, masculine singular absolute
running	כִּמְרֻצַ֖ת kim.ru.Tzat	H4794	a race (the act) · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct
Ahimaaz	אֲחִימַ֣עַץ 'a.chi.Ma.'atz	H290	Achimaats · proper noun, a man's name
son	בֶּן ben-	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct
Zadok	צָד֑וֹק tza.Dok	H6659	Tsadok · proper noun, a man's name
king	הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ ha.Me.lekh	H4428	a king · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
said	וַיֹּ֤אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
good	ט֣וֹב Tov	H2896	good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · adjective, masculine singular absolute
man	אִֽישׁ 'ish-	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · noun, common masculine singular absolute
cometh	יָבֽוֹא ya.Vo'	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
good	טוֹבָ֖ה to.Vah	H2896	good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · adjective, feminine singular absolute
tidings	בְּשׂוֹרָ֥ה be.so.Rah	H1309	glad tidings · noun, common feminine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Kings 9:20 And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi;…
1 Kings 1:42 And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art a valiant ma…
Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and br…
Proverbs 25:13 As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.
Proverbs 25:25 As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.
Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good,…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 18:19–end

Absalom's business is done; and we are now told, I. How David was informed of it. He staid behind at the city of Mahanaim, some miles from the wood where the battle was, and in the utmost border of the land. Absalom's scattered forces all made homeward toward Jordan, which was the contrary way from Mahanaim, so that his watchmen could not perceive how the battle went, till an express came on purpose to bring advice of the issue, which the king sat in the gate expecting to hear, Sa2 18:24. 1. Cushi was the man Joab ordered to carry the tidings (Sa2 18:21), an Ethiopian, so his name signifies, and some think that he was so by birth, a black that waited on Joab, probably one of the ten that had…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Samuel 18:24

David sat between the two gates--that is, in the tower-house on the wall that overhung the gate of Mahanaim. Near it was a watchtower, on which a sentinel was posted, as in times of war, to notify every occurrence. The delicacy of Ahimaaz' communication was made up by the unmistakable plainness of Cushi's. The death of Absalom was a heavy trial, and it is impossible not to sympathize with the outburst of feeling by which David showed that all thoughts of the victory he had won as a king were completely sunk in the painful loss he had sustained as a father. The extraordinary ardor and strength of his affection for this worthless son break out in the redundancy and vehemence of his mournful ej…

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Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 18:25

If he be alone, there is tidings - That is, good tidings. For if the battle had been lost men would have been running in different directions through the country.

John Gill on 2 Samuel 18:27

And the watchman said, me thinketh,.... Or, "I see" (b); I perceive, so it appears to me: that the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok; who it seems was well known, and famous for his manner of running and swiftness in it, having been employed in carrying expresses before from Jerusalem to David, and his army, wheresoever they were; and some of these persons thus employed were very swift; we read (c) of one that was a king's messenger, that went from Jerusalem to Tyre, on the first of Elul, or August, in a night and a day; which, according to Bunting (d) was an hundred miles: this watchman must be one of David's sentinels, who was well acquainted with the…

Dictionary and topics

Ahimaaz — Brother of anger = irascible. (1.) The father Ahinoam, the wife of Saul (1 Sam. 14:50). (2.) The son and successor of Zadok in the office of high priest (1 Chr. 6:8, 53). On the occasion of the…
Watches — The periods into which the time between sunset and sunrise was divided. They are so called because watchmen relieved each other at each of these periods. There are frequent references in Scripture to…
Cushi · 1. A messenger, who brought news to David — 1. A messenger, who brought news to David
Readings, Select · DAVID’ S LAMENT OVER ABSALOM — DAVID’ S LAMENT OVER ABSALOM
Watchmen · In time of danger: Reported the approach of all strangers — In time of danger: Reported the approach of all strangers

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

2 Samuel 18:27

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 18:19–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Samuel 18:24

Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 18:25

John Gill on 2 Samuel 18:27

Dictionary and topics

2 Samuel 18:27

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 18:19–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Samuel 18:24

Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 18:25

John Gill on 2 Samuel 18:27

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Samuel 18:27

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Samuel 18:25

Rashi on 2 Samuel 18:23