2 Samuel 18:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Joab said to the Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran.

NIV: Then Joab said to a Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." The Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran off.

NASB: Then Joab said to the Cushite, 'Go, tell the king what you have seen.' So the Cushite bowed to Joab and ran.

CSB: Joab then said to a Cushite, "Go tell the king what you have seen." The Cushite bowed to Joab and took off running.

NLT: Then Joab said to a man from Ethiopia, 'Go tell the king what you have seen.' The man bowed and ran off.

KJV: Then said Joab to Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab, and ran.

NKJV: Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” So the Cushite bowed himself to Joab and ran.

Joab has killed Absalom. David's throne is secure, but his son is dead. Now, Joab needs to tell David. The traditional way is to send a messenger, and he has two ready and eager to go (2 Samuel 18:14, 19).

The first is Ahimaaz, the son of the priest Zadok (2 Samuel 18:19). He's already a hero for risking his life to bring David news that Absalom was planning to track down the king and kill him. Because of Ahimaaz's bravery, David got his people across the Jordan River to safety (2 Samuel 17:15–22). Ahimaaz knows that Absalom's death is good news and would like to be the one who completes this awful affair for David.

What he doesn't realize is that David would rather hear that Absalom is trying to kill him than that Absalom is dead. Joab wants to spare Ahimaaz from David's reaction to the news (2 Samuel 18:20). Instead, Joab sends an unnamed Cushite, possibly his normal messenger, to tell David.

But Ahimaaz insists. Joab tries to convince him again, with the understatement that there won't be a reward for bringing the news (2 Samuel 18:22). Finally, Joab lets him go. Ahimaaz outruns the Cushite and gets to David first. But once in the presence of the king, he has no words. He claims he heard a commotion, but doesn't know what's happened to David's son (2 Samuel 18:23, 29).

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.