Joab sent messengers to tell David, “I have fought against Rabbah and captured its water supply.
Parallel translations
- WEB Joab sent messengers to David, and said, “I have fought against Rabbah. Yes, I have taken the city of waters.
- KJV And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters.
- BSB Then Joab sent messengers to David to say, “I have fought against Rabbah and have captured the water supply of the city.
- NKJV And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, “I have fought against Rabbah, and I have taken the city’s water supply.
- NASB Then Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah, I have even captured the city of waters.
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 sends word to David that he has taken Rabbah's 'city of waters,' its water supply. He prepares the way for David to receive credit for the conquest.
Overview
By capturing the city's water source, Joab has effectively secured the fall of Rabbah. His message to David shows political shrewdness in arranging for the king to claim the decisive victory. The scene highlights Joab's loyalty to David's honor even as he wields significant power in his own right.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Deut 3:11(For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. Behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron. Isn’t it in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? Nine cubits was its length, and four cubits its width, after the cubit of a man.)
- 2 Sam 11:1At the return of the year, at the time when kings go out, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.
- Ezek 21:20You shall appoint a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and to Judah in Jerusalem the fortified.
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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 12:27 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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