But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? are not his servants come unto thee for to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land?
But the Ammonite leaders said to Hanun, 'Do you really think David is honoring your father by sending these men to comfort you? Haven't his servants actually come here to explore our land, find our weaknesses, and spy on us so they can conquer it?'
The Ammonite leaders are convincing their king that David's kind gesture of sending comfort after his father's death is actually a military spy mission in disguise.
📚 Historical Context
This takes place after the death of Nahash, king of the Ammonites, when David sent ambassadors to express sympathy to the new king Hanun. The Ammonites were a neighboring nation east of Israel who had been both allies and enemies at different times. Political paranoia and mistrust between nations was common in the ancient Near East, where diplomatic missions could sometimes be covers for intelligence gathering.
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