Bible Strands
2 Samuel 18:25
So he called out and told the king. “If he is alone,” the king replied, “he bears good news.” As the first runner drew near,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The watchman shouts to King David from the gateway roof after sighting a single runner. David answers the messenger directly, setting a standard for how future signals will be read.
The words — The Hebrew אִם־ (im-) acts as a conditional particle meaning "if," combined with לְ/בַדּ֖/וֹ (le/va.D/o), literally "to only him" or "if he is alone." This conditional phrasing frames the king's expectation of the runner's report.
The thread — This verse establishes the tactical pattern of a lone runner that David equates with favorable news, a pattern the text repeats when the watchman spots a second solitary runner in 2 Samuel 18:26. The narrative uses this repeated signal to structure the reader's anticipation of the battle's outcome.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to track how repeated textual signals shape interpretation under pressure. It asks the reader to note how the text itself conditions expectations before revealing the final result.
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 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.