2 Samuel 17:8

KJV1611 – Modern English

For, said Hushai, you know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and are angry in their minds, as a bear robbed of her cubs in the field: and your father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר חוּשַׁ֗י אַתָּ֣ה יָ֠דַעְתָּ אֶת־אָבִ֨יךָ וְאֶת־אֲנָשָׁ֜יו כִּ֧י גִבֹּרִ֣ים הֵ֗מָּה וּמָרֵ֥י נֶ֙פֶשׁ֙ הֵ֔מָּה כְּדֹ֥ב שַׁכּ֖וּל בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה וְאָבִ֙יךָ֙ אִ֣ישׁ מִלְחָמָ֔ה וְלֹ֥א יָלִ֖ין אֶת־הָעָֽם׃

Transliteration

And wayyōʾmer Ḥûšay, You yāḏaʿtā your ʾāḇîḵā and his ʾănāšāyw that gibbōrîm they [are] and mārê of nep̄eš they [are], like a kəḏōḇ šakkûl in the baśśāḏeh; and your wəʾāḇîḵā [is] an ʾîš of milḥāmāh, and not yālîn with the hāʿām.

Grammar Details

• *wayyōʾmer*: waw consecutive + imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - and he said
• *Ḥûšay*: proper noun, masculine - Hushai
• *yāḏaʿtā*: perfect, 2nd masculine singular, qal - you know
• *ʾāḇîḵā*: noun, masculine singular construct + 2nd masculine singular suffix - your father
• *ʾănāšāyw*: noun, masculine plural construct + 3rd masculine singular suffix - his men
• *gibbōrîm*: adjective, masculine plural - mighty men
• *mārê*: adjective, masculine plural construct - bitter of
• *nep̄eš*: noun, feminine singular - soul
• *kəḏōḇ*: preposition + noun, masculine singular - like a bear
• *šakkûl*: passive participle, masculine singular, qal - bereaved
• *baśśāḏeh*: preposition + definite article + noun, masculine singular - in the field
• *wəʾāḇîḵā*: waw conjunction + noun, masculine singular construct + 2nd masculine singular suffix - and your father
• *ʾîš*: noun, masculine singular construct - man of
• *milḥāmāh*: noun, feminine singular - war
• *yālîn*: imperfect, 3rd masculine singular, qal - he will spend the night

Word Meanings

• *gibbōrîm*: mighty men/warriors/heroes
• *mārê* *nep̄eš*: bitter of soul/fierce in spirit/desperate
• *kəḏōḇ* *šakkûl*: like a bear bereaved of cubs/like a bear robbed of her young
• *ʾîš* *milḥāmāh*: man of war/warrior/experienced fighter
• *yālîn*: will spend the night/lodge/stay

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  Hushai continued, 'You know your father and his men; they are mighty warriors and bitter in spirit, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Your father is an experienced fighter, and he will not spend the night with the troops.'

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  Hushai{H2365} said{H559} moreover, Thou knowest{H3045} thy father{H1} and his men,{H582} that they are mighty men,{H1368} and they are chafed{H4751} in their minds,{H5315} as a bear{H1677} robbed{H7909} of her whelps in the field;{H7704} and thy father{H1} is a man{H376} of war,{H4421} and will not lodge{H3885} with the people.{H5971}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  For, said{H559}{(H8799)} Hushai{H2365}, thou knowest{H3045}{(H8804)} thy father{H1} and his men{H582}, that they be mighty men{H1368}, and they be chafed{H4751} in their minds{H5315}, as a bear{H1677} robbed{H7909} of her whelps in the field{H7704}: and thy father{H1} is a man{H376} of war{H4421}, and will not lodge{H3885}{(H8799)} with the people{H5971}.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  And Chusai sayde morouer: Thou knowest thy father well and his men, that they are stronge and of a wrothfull stomack, euen as a Beer that is robbed of hir yonge ones in the felde, Thy father also is a man of warre, and wyl not be necliget with the people.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father, and his men, that they be strong men, and are chafed in minde as a beare robbed of her whelps in the fielde: also thy father is a valiant warrier, and will not lodge with the people.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  For sayde Husai, thou knowest thy father & his men howe that they be strong men, and they be chased in their mindes, and are euen as a Beare robbed of her whelpes in the fielde: Thy father is a man also practised in warre, and wil not lodge with the people.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they [be] mighty men, and they [be] chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father [is] a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Hushai said moreover, You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are fierce in their minds, as a bear robbed of her cubs in the field; and your father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And Hushai saith, `Thou hast known thy father and his men, that they `are' heroes, and they are bitter in soul as a bereaved bear in a field, and thy father `is' a man of war, and doth not lodge with the people;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Hushai said moreover, Thou knowest thy father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field; and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Hushai said moreover, Thou knowest thy father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field; and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Hushai said further, You have knowledge of your father and his men, that they are men of war, and that their feelings are bitter, like those of a bear in the field whose young ones have been taken from her: and your father is a man of war, and will not take his night's rest with the people;

• World English Bible (2000)

  Hushai said moreover, "You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are fierce in their minds, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Your father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Hushai went on to say,“You know your father and his men– they are soldiers and are as dangerous as a bear out in the wild that has been robbed of her cubs. Your father is an experienced soldier; he will not stay overnight with the army.

Referenced Verses

• Hos 13:8 : 8 I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her cubs, and will tear the covering of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.
• 1 Sam 16:18 : 18 Then one of the servants answered and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty valiant man, a man of war, prudent in speech, a handsome person, and the LORD is with him.
• Heb 11:32-34 : 32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
• Prov 17:12 : 12 Let a bear robbed of her cubs meet a man rather than a fool in his folly.
• Dan 7:5 : 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, was like a bear. It raised itself up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said to it, Arise, devour much flesh.
• Judg 18:25 : 25 And the children of Dan said to him, Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry men fall upon you and you lose your life, with the lives of your household.
• Prov 28:15 : 15 As a roaring lion and a raging bear, so is a wicked ruler over poor people.
• 1 Sam 17:34-36 : 34 David said to Saul, Your servant kept his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. When it rose against me, I caught it by its beard, struck it, and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
• 1 Sam 17:50 : 50 Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone and struck the Philistine, and killed him. There was no sword in David's hand.
• 1 Sam 23:23 : 23 See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides himself, and come again to me with certainty, and I will go with you; and it shall come to pass, if he is in the land, that I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.
• 2 Sam 15:18 : 18 And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.
• 2 Sam 21:18-22 : 18 After this, there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was of the descendants of the giant. 19 And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan, the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear's staff was like a weaver's beam. 20 And there was another battle in Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had on each hand six fingers, and on each foot six toes, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to the giant. 21 And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him. 22 These four were born to the giant in Gath and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
• 2 Sam 23:8-9 : 8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite who sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lifted up his spear against eight hundred, whom he killed at one time. 9 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines gathered there to battle, and the men of Israel had gone away:
• 2 Sam 23:16 : 16 And the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD.
• 2 Sam 23:18 : 18 And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among the three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had a name among the three.
• 2 Sam 23:20-22 : 20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he killed two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and killed a lion in the midst of a pit during the time of snow: 21 And he killed an Egyptian, a handsome man; and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear. 22 These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name among the three mighty men.
• 2 Kgs 2:24 : 24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tore forty-two children of them.
• 1 Chr 11:25-47 : 25 Indeed, he was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David set him over his guard. 26 Also, the valiant men of the armies were: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27 Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, 28 Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, 29 Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30 Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, 31 Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, belonging to the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 32 Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33 Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34 The sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shage the Hararite, 35 Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, 36 Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37 Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, 38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Haggeri, 39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41 Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, 42 Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a captain of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, 43 Hanan the son of Maachah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite, 44 Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jehiel the sons of Hothan the Aroerite, 45 Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, 46 Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, 47 Eliel, and Obed, and Jasiel the Mesobaite.