And charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king,
And he gave instructions to the messenger, saying, 'When you have finished telling the king all the news about the war,'
The writer is showing how Joab carefully instructed his messenger about what to say when reporting the battle results to King David.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative of 2 Samuel, this verse takes place during King David's illicit affair with Bathsheba and his attempts to cover it up, including arranging for her husband Uriah to be killed in battle. Joab, David's military commander, had just led an attack against the Ammonites and was sending a messenger back to Jerusalem with updates on the war. David instructed the messenger on how to deliver the report, possibly to manipulate the information and avoid raising suspicion about his role in the events.
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