1 Samuel 25:20

1Sa 25:20 And it was [so, as] she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.

Ver. 20. That she came down by the covert of the hill.] That is, saith Martyr, by a blind and secret way; not the common road, lest she should meet with any interruption. David also and his men, by a providence, came the same way: and so they met haply, but happily.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 20. She came down - and David - came down] David was coming down Mount Paran; Abigail was coming down from Carmel. - Calmet.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(20) The covert of the hill.—Keil explains the words sether hahar—literally, a hidden part of the mountain—as probably signifying a hollow between two peaks of the mountain; thus each of the advancing parties would “come down”—Abigail, who approached on one side, and David, who came on the other—and would meet in the hollow between.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

20. came down by the covert of the hill] Abigail was apparently riding down a defile between two hills, which is called “the covert” (lit. “the secret place of the mountain”), because it was concealed from observation. David’s troop came down the opposite hill to meet her. “Covert” from Fr. couvert means shelter, hiding-place. On “against” see 1Sa_9:14.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And it was so, as she rode on the ass,.... After her servants:

that she came down, by the covert of the hill; by the side of it, which was covered with bushes, and she rode among them, in a way that led through them, and so was not seen by David and his men; or by the shadow of the hill, toward the bottom of it, where by reason of that, and the opposite hill, it was darkish, and they could not see each other:

and, behold, David and his men came down against her; came down a hill opposite to that she came down:

and she met them; in the valley between two hills.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The covert of the hill - Probably a defile or glen, literally a “secret place,” as in 1Sa 19:2. She was riding down into this glen from one side, while David and his men were descending the opposite hill. It is perhaps mentioned that she came by this “secret place,” because she chose this path to escape the observation of her husband or of anyone else.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Foot. Hebrew, "in the obscurity," or road covered with trees. Septuagint, "in the shade." Chaldean, "on the side." David was descending from the mountains of Pharan, at the same time.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

By the covert of the hill; in the lower part and under the shadow of the hill, or of the trees that grew upon it; so that David did not see her till she met him. David and his men came down, to wit, from another opposite hill.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

20. Covert of the hill — A concealed place in the fastnesses of the mountains, away from human habitation.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

David and his men

"David and his army"

by the cover of the mountain

Possible meanings are 1) into a low, narrow stream bed or 2) to where the men were hiding.

translationWords

donkey

David

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Were going down toward her. There was a valley between the two mountains. She was going down one mountain, and they were going down the opposite mountain.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.