Commentators highlight the quick-wittedness of the woman from Bahurim. Instead of a flat denial, she cleverly misdirected Absalom's men by saying the spies had just "gone over the brook of water." Scholars like Albert Barnes and Charles Ellicott note that the specific Hebrew word for "brook" may refer to a real, named stream in the area, adding a touch of historical realism to her cunning diversion.