2 Samuel 18:25
ESV
The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, "If he is alone, there is news in his mouth." And he drew nearer and nearer.
NIV
The watchman called out to the king and reported it. The king said, "If he is alone, he must have good news." And the runner came closer and closer.
NASB
So the watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, 'If he is by himself there is good news in his mouth.' And he came nearer and nearer.
CSB
He called out and told the king. The king said, "If he’s alone, he bears good news." As the first runner came closer,
NLT
He shouted the news down to David, and the king replied, 'If he is alone, he has news.' As the messenger came closer,
KJV
And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near.
NKJV
Then the watchman cried out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he came rapidly and drew near.
What does 2 Samuel 18:25 mean?
David is waiting by the gates of Mahanaim, desperate for the messenger who will tell him if his son is alive or dead.David has been here before. After his oldest son, Amnon, raped his daughter Tamar, Absalom, Tamar's full brother, schemed. Absalom convinced David to send all his brothers to his sheep-shearing feast. David was suspicious but agreed (2 Samuel 13:23–27). Before long, a messenger arrived, saying, "Absalom has struck down all the king's sons, and not one of them is left" (2 Samuel 13:30).
While David and his courtiers reeled from the news, his nephew Jonadab reassured him: only Amnon is dead (2 Samuel 13:32–33). Jonadab proved to be right (2 Samuel 13:35–36). Even so, waiting while knowing the upcoming news is bad but not its extent, is exhausting.
Nine years after Absalom killed his brother, he accumulated a following and went to war against his father. While Absalom's army battles against David's much smaller guard, David waits for word. As before, David's thoughts are with a violent son, not the innocent victims. He needs to know if Absalom is still alive (2 Samuel 18:5, 24).
A watchman has seen a lone runner. This is a good sign, because defeat would bring either straggles from battle or an invading enemy army. The watchman will soon see another and then identify the first as Ahimaaz, the son of the priest Zadok. David decides that because Ahimaaz is a good man, he must bring good news (2 Samuel 18:26–27). He seems to have forgotten it was Ahimaaz and his friend Jonathan who first told David that Absalom wanted him dead (2 Samuel 17:15–21).
