2 Samuel 11:22
ESV
So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell.
NIV
The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say.
NASB
So the messenger departed and came and reported to David everything that Joab had sent him to tell.
CSB
Then the messenger left. When he arrived, he reported to David all that Joab had sent him to tell.
NLT
So the messenger went to Jerusalem and gave a complete report to David.
KJV
So the messenger went, and came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for.
NKJV
So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had sent by him.
What does 2 Samuel 11:22 mean?
The year before, David sent messengers to console the new Ammonite king upon the death of his father. The king foolishly misinterpreted David's gesture and humiliated the messengers. David sent Joab and the army, and the Ammonites locked themselves in a walled city (2 Samuel 10:1–14).It's now the next spring, and David wants the Ammonites destroyed. But while Joab and the army lay siege to the city, David has slept with the wife of Uriah, one of his generals, and she's become pregnant (2 Samuel 11:1–5). To hide his sin, David tells Joab to arrange for the Ammonites to kill Uriah in battle. Joab follows orders, and Uriah is killed, along with several other soldiers (2 Samuel 11:14–17).
Joab doesn't know why David sent such orders. He must send a messenger to tell David that several soldiers got too close to the city wall, and Ammonite archers killed them. Joab considers what David might say. The situation mirrors when a woman of the city of Thebez killed Gideon's son Abimelech (Judges 9:50–55). Joab tells the messenger that if David brings up Abimelech, mention that Uriah is dead, too (2 Samuel 11:18–21).
The messenger doesn't take the chance. He rushes through his report, including the fact that Uriah is dead. David's response isn't what he expects. David tells the messenger to tell Joab to keep up his spirits and continue his campaign against the Ammonites (2 Samuel 11:23–25).
