שמואל ב, פרק י״ז, פסוק י״ט

A tense moment of evasion relies on the quick thinking of an ordinary homeowner. To protect men fleeing for their lives, a woman orchestrates a brilliant act of camouflage using the mundane routines of daily life. The woman, who is the wife of the courtyard's owner [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ], acts with great sophistication and compassion. Her method mirrors the tactic used by Rahab when she hid the spies, utilizing everyday household chores to create a perfect disguise [מלבי״ם].

To conceal the men hiding inside the well, she takes a large cloth or curtain and lays it directly over the well's opening [רד״ק, מנחת שי]. Over this covering, she spreads out crushed wheat [מצודת ציון]. These are kernels that have been pounded and stripped of their husks, but not yet ground into fine flour [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

By scattering the grain across the cloth, she creates a completely natural scene. To any observer, it simply looks as though she is airing out the crushed wheat to dry or sorting it, a common household task [רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Because of this clever deception, the well's opening is perfectly masked, leaving no trace of the men hidden below [מצודת דוד].