Bible Strands
2 Samuel 13:30
While they were on the way, a report reached David: “Absalom has struck down all the sons of the king; not one of them is left!”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — An unnamed messenger delivers news to King David while the royal sons are fleeing on mules following Amnon’s murder. The report arrives mid-flight, interrupting the brothers’ escape with a sweeping claim of total annihilation.
The words — The Hebrew בַּדֶּרֶךְ (ba-derekh) literally means “on the way,” anchoring the scene to the brothers’ flight, while הַשְּׁמוּעָה (ha-shemu'ah) translates to “the report,” denoting the unverified intelligence that reaches the throne.
The thread — This pattern of urgent, partial news reaching a king recurs in 2 Samuel 18:19-30, where messengers bring conflicting battle updates, and in 1 Kings 1:5, where Adonijah’s self-coronation triggers a similar succession panic.
Why it lands — The text presents a leader confronted with catastrophic claims before full facts are established, demanding recognition that political violence often arrives as fragmented intelligence. It asks the reader to observe how crisis management begins when information outpaces verification.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that tidings came to David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the king’s sons, and there is not one of them left.