2 Samuel 18:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, "Let me run and carry news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies."

NIV: Now Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, "Let me run and take the news to the king that the Lord has vindicated him by delivering him from the hand of his enemies."

NASB: Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, 'Please let me run and bring the king news that the Lord has freed him from the hand of his enemies!'

CSB: Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, "Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the Lord has vindicated him by freeing him from his enemies."

NLT: Then Zadok’s son Ahimaaz said, 'Let me run to the king with the good news that the Lord has rescued him from his enemies.'

KJV: Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king tidings, how that the Lord hath avenged him of his enemies.

NKJV: Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run now and take the news to the king, how the Lord has avenged him of his enemies.”

The rebellion is over (2 Samuel 18:16). The battle lasted one day and cost many lives (2 Samuel 18:7). The fighting has ended, and the nation can start recovering from Absalom's vile conspiracy against his father, David (2 Samuel 15; 17).

The hostilities end because Joab killed Absalom against David's direct order (2 Samuel 18:5, 14). Joab did what he strongly believed needed to be done. David is soft on his sons; he has a habit of neither disciplining them nor judging them when they commit even the most horrible crimes (2 Samuel 13:21, 28–29). So, David will not take the news well, and Joab doesn't want young Ahimaaz to be the one to tell him.

Ahimaaz is the son of Zadok, one of the two priests who remained in Jerusalem when David and his servants fled the city. David had ordered the priests to stay behind, in part, so they could send intel about Absalom's plans through their sons, Ahimaaz and Jonathan (2 Samuel 15:27–28). The two young men were almost caught by Absalom's guards but made it to David in time to get his people safely across the Jordan River (2 Samuel 17:15–22).

Ahimaaz either didn't hear David's command to keep Absalom safe or he doesn't understand David's relationship with his son like Joab does. So far, to David, Ahimaaz is a hero. Joab, it seems, doesn't want that to change, so he tells him not to go and sends a Cushite instead (2 Samuel 18:20–21).

Second Samuel 18:19–30 follows along as two men race to tell David that his son is dead. Joab killed Absalom after the battle (2 Samuel 18:14–15). Ahimaaz, son of the priest Zadok, wants to deliver the news. Joab seems wary of how David will respond and so sends a Cushite messenger. Joab eventually lets Ahimaaz go as well, and he and the Cushite race one another to tell David. The king will react with despair (2 Samuel 19:31–33) and earn a scolding from Joab (2 Samuel 19:1–8).

In 2 Samuel 18, the rebellion ends. Absalom has built a following and revolted against David (2 Samuel 15; 17). His army is no match for David's seasoned warriors or the dangerous terrain on which the battle is fought. Absalom is pursued and killed despite David's order that he be spared. When David hears of this, he falls into grief. Joab tells David to stop disrespecting his people's sacrifice (2 Samuel 19:1–8). David leads his people back to Jerusalem and starts to repair the broken kingdom (2 Samuel 19:9–43).

Second Samuel 18 marks the fulfillment of God's curses against David. The violence and betrayal God promised David (2 Samuel 12:10–12) because of his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah (2 Samuel 11) culminate in Absalom's attempt to kill his father and take the throne (2 Samuel 15—17). David's generals make quick work of Absalom's army. Joab kills Absalom against David's direct order. David will attempt to repair the fractured kingdom, starting with forgiving his enemies (2 Samuel 19:9–43). The rift never fully heals, however, and the nation splits permanently after Solomon dies (2 Chronicles 10).

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.