2 Samuel 18 29

2 Samuel 18:29 kjv

And the king said, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, and me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was.

2 Samuel 18:29 nkjv

The king said, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" Ahimaaz answered, "When Joab sent the king's servant and me your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I did not know what it was about."

2 Samuel 18:29 niv

The king asked, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" Ahimaaz answered, "I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king's servant and me, your servant, but I don't know what it was."

2 Samuel 18:29 esv

And the king said, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" Ahimaaz answered, "When Joab sent the king's servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was."

2 Samuel 18:29 nlt

"What about young Absalom?" the king demanded. "Is he all right?" Ahimaaz replied, "When Joab told me to come, there was a lot of commotion. But I didn't know what was happening."

2 Samuel 18 verses

2 Samuel 18 29 Meaning

This verse captures King David's intense paternal anxiety during the aftermath of the battle against Absalom's forces. He prioritizes news of his son's safety, asking a direct question, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" Ahimaaz, one of the swift messengers, provides a vague and evasive answer, reporting only that he observed "a great tumult" but feigning ignorance about its nature. This reply heightens the dramatic tension, as it implies grave events without directly confirming Absalom's death, delaying the devastating news for David.

2 Samuel 18 29 Context

This verse is positioned at a highly suspenseful point after the decisive battle between David's loyalists and Absalom's rebel army in the forest of Ephraim (2 Sam 18:6). Though David had specifically commanded his commanders, including Joab, to deal gently with Absalom for his sake (2 Sam 18:5), Joab ignored this and personally executed Absalom (2 Sam 18:14-15), ensuring the end of the rebellion. With the battle concluded, two messengers, Ahimaaz (the son of Zadok the priest) and a Cushite, are racing to bring news to King David. David is positioned at the gate of Mahanaim, eagerly awaiting updates. His concern for Absalom's well-being overshadows all other anxieties about the battle's outcome or the kingdom's security. This verse highlights David's immediate, singular preoccupation: his love for his rebellious son, leading to his direct and anxious query to the arriving Ahimaaz. Ahimaaz, being privy to some information, offers a deliberately vague response, delaying the inevitable revelation of Absalom's death.

2 Samuel 18 29 Word analysis

• And the king said: Refers to King David. This shows his immediate and overriding concern, a direct query from the monarch, yet not about the battle's outcome or the victory, but about his son. His kingship is momentarily overshadowed by his fatherhood.
• Is the young man Absalom safe?:
  • "young man" (Hebrew: na'ar - נער): Implies youthfulness, perhaps even tenderness, emphasizing Absalom's age and David's paternal attachment despite his rebellious actions. It underscores David's focus on Absalom as his son rather than as a traitor.
  • "Absalom" (Hebrew: Abshalom - אבשלום): Literally means "father of peace" or "my father is peace." This name stands in tragic irony against the civil strife and rebellion he caused, and the violent death he met.
  • "safe?" (Hebrew: hashalom - השלום): This is the interrogative form of shalom (peace, wholeness, completeness, well-being). David is not just asking if Absalom is physically alive, but if he is well, at peace, or has been unharmed. This question reveals the depths of David's longing for reconciliation or at least the preservation of his son. The word shalom contrasts starkly with the mehumah (tumult) Ahimaaz saw.
• And Ahimaaz said: Ahimaaz is a loyal and swift runner (2 Sam 18:27). As the son of a priest, he holds a respected position. His response here indicates either a strategic evasion to avoid being the bearer of such terrible news to David, a genuine but limited understanding of the situation, or a humane desire to soften the blow.
• "When Joab sent the king’s servant and me":
  • "Joab sent": Joab is the one who took command in battle and personally defied David's orders to kill Absalom. His actions underpin the 'tumult' Ahimaaz describes.
  • "the king’s servant and me": Ahimaaz indirectly refers to the Cushite messenger as "the king's servant," indicating a joint departure but also subtly hinting that perhaps the other messenger has a specific message. This might be Ahimaaz attempting to defer the bad news or prepare David for what another messenger might reveal.
• "I saw a great tumult, but I do not know what it was.":
  • "a great tumult" (Hebrew: mehumah rabbah - מְהוּמָה רַבָּה): This literally means "great confusion," "great disorder," "great panic," or "great noise." This phrase is often used in the Old Testament to describe chaos, especially battle-induced panic or even divine-ordained confusion among enemies. It vividly portrays a scene of disarray but stops short of a definitive explanation. The description is technically true: he did see a great confusion, but his claim of ignorance regarding its cause is highly dubious, given his access to information and his position. This creates dramatic irony and suspense.
  • "but I do not know what it was": This assertion by Ahimaaz is central to the verse's tension. It is either a polite fabrication, a genuine limitation of his perspective (though unlikely for a keen observer), or a compassionate act to shield David from the direct impact of the horrific truth until the other messenger arrived. It emphasizes David's isolation in his impending grief, as even his messenger cannot (or will not) offer him immediate solace or direct answers.

2 Samuel 18 29 Bonus section

The juxtaposition of David's use of "shalom" (peace, well-being) in his inquiry and Ahimaaz's description of "mehumah" (tumult, chaos) is profoundly significant. David's longing for shalom for his son is the direct counterpoint to the mehumah that Absalom's rebellion unleashed upon Israel and ultimately upon himself. This contrast highlights the spiritual truth that departure from God's ordained order, which Absalom embodied in his usurpation, invariably leads to chaos and destruction, never true peace. Furthermore, some scholars suggest Ahimaaz's deliberate evasiveness highlights a cultural aspect: the significant burden and danger of being the messenger of bad news, especially to a king (cf. the Amalekite who reported Saul's death in 2 Sam 1:1-16). He avoids directly implicating Joab or directly causing the king immense pain, transferring the 'blame' of the message to the more "expendable" Cushite. This makes Ahimaaz's actions not just about empathy but potentially self-preservation in a fraught situation.

2 Samuel 18 29 Commentary

2 Samuel 18:29 serves as a poignant pivot point in the tragic narrative of David and Absalom. It encapsulates the raw human emotion of a father's hope battling the grim reality of a war's conclusion. David's repeated question, deeply rooted in paternal love ("Is the young man Absalom safe?"), cuts through the military victory to reveal his sole, anxious concern for his rebellious son. His question is pregnant with foreboding, a desperate grasp for the preservation of life where peace (shalom) has been irrevocably broken.

Ahimaaz's response—that he saw a "great tumult" (mehumah rabbah) but feigned ignorance of its cause—is a masterpiece of dramatic irony. While technically true, his ambiguity serves several purposes: it builds excruciating suspense, delaying the inevitable and devastating news; it hints at the violence that consumed Absalom; and it arguably reflects Ahimaaz's own reluctance to be the bearer of such an immense grief to his beloved king. This withholding of information prolongs David's hope, making the subsequent reveal of Absalom's death all the more agonizing. The scene underscores the cost of rebellion, not only for Absalom but for David, who must endure the profound sorrow of losing his son.