“Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
The full verse · 2 Samuel 17:20 · KJV
And when to the to the , they , Where is and ? And the unto them, They be gone the of . And when they had and could not them, they to .
Asked by
Asked to
The woman at the house in Bahurim where Ahimaaz and Jonathan had taken refuge, likely the wife of the homeowner who concealed them.
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThe servants ask rather than search silently to extract information quickly from a potential witness. A direct question puts pressure on the woman to respond immediately, revealing whether she knows the fugitives’ location or will betray hesitation that suggests complicity.
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe woman told them that Ahimaaz and Jonathan had crossed over the brook of water. The servants searched but could not find them and returned to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 17:20).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThe question ‘Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?’ exposes the life-and-death stakes of information control during civil war. Absalom’s servants employ direct interrogation, assuming a civilian woman will yield to official authority. The Hebrew construction uses the interrogative אַיֵּה (ayyeh, ‘where?’), demanding spatial location rather than general information. By asking rather than merely searching, the servants reveal they lack certainty about the messengers’ presence, yet suspect the house enough to question its occupant. The woman’s response contains brilliant ambiguity: the Hebrew phrase עָבְרוּ מִיכַל הַמָּיִם (avru mikhal hamayim, ‘they crossed over the brook of water’) technically refers to a small stream, but could describe any number of water crossings in the region. Her question-and-answer exchange becomes a masterclass in protective deception under authoritarian interrogation. The theological weight here is profound: God’s providence operates through human courage and quick thinking, using a nameless woman’s wit to preserve the Davidic line and ultimately the messianic promise.
Sometimes silence protects the vulnerable better than truth aids the powerful. When Absalom’s servants demanded information, this woman weighed her words carefully, knowing that honest disclosure would mean death for two innocent men. We face similar moments when telling the whole truth to the wrong people would endanger others. A controlling spouse demands to know where a friend is staying. An immigration officer questions a family about their neighbors. A corporate investigation presses for information that would destroy a colleague’s career. Biblical wisdom doesn’t demand reckless honesty that fuels injustice. Rahab lied to protect Israelite spies and entered Christ’s lineage (Matthew 1:5). Hebrew midwives deceived Pharaoh and received God’s blessing (Exodus 1:19-21). The woman in Bahurim reminds us that covenant loyalty sometimes requires creative answers when predators come hunting. Protect the innocent, even when it costs you credibility with the powerful. God honors those who shelter His messengers, even through misdirection.
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