And charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king,
Parallel translations
- WEB and he commanded the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the things concerning the war to the king,
- BSB and instructed the messenger, “When you have finished giving the king all the details of the battle,
- NKJV and charged the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling the matters of the war to the king,
- NASB He ordered the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the events of the war to the king,
- NLT He told his messenger, “Report all the news of the battle to the king.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Joab instructs his messenger on how to deliver the news. He anticipates David's reaction and manages it carefully.
Overview
Joab coaches the messenger to expect royal displeasure at the costly tactic of approaching the wall. He plans to defuse anger by saving the key news for last. The careful staging shows the calculated discretion now binding king and commander together in guilt.
Cross-references & the web
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Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 11:19 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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