Bible Strands
2 Samuel 11:7
When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the troops were doing and how the war was going.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — David summons Uriah to the palace and inquires about the military status of Joab and the troops upon Uriah's arrival.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/יִּשְׁאַל (va/i.yish.'Al) means "and he asked," paired with לִ/שְׁל֤וֹם (li/sh.Lom), literally "to the welfare of," framing the inquiry around Joab and the army's condition.
The thread — This formulaic inquiry about welfare appears in Genesis 29:6, Genesis 37:14, and 1 Samuel 17:22, where characters similarly request status reports on others.
Why it lands — The text records a routine military check-in that David uses to isolate Uriah before issuing his next command.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered.
Cross-references
- Genesis 37:14 Then Israel told him, “Go now and see how your brothers and the flocks are faring, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. And when Joseph arrived in Shechem,
- 1 Samuel 17:22 Then David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing.
- Genesis 29:6 “Is he well?” Jacob inquired. “Yes,” they answered, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with his sheep.”