📖WEB · 2 Samuel 11:20
What does 2 Samuel 11:20 mean?
"it shall be that, if the king’s wrath arise, and he asks you, ‘Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Didn’t you know that they would shoot from the wall?"
— 2 Samuel 11:20 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
The men of the city went out, and fought with Joab. Some of the people fell, even of David’s servants; and Uriah the Hittite died also.
Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war;
and he commanded the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the things concerning the war to the king,
it shall be that, if the king’s wrath arise, and he asks you, ‘Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Didn’t you know that they would shoot from the wall?
Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Didn’t a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.’”
So the messenger went, and came and showed David all that Joab had sent him for.
The messenger said to David, “The men prevailed against us, and came out to us into the field, and we were on them even to the entrance of the gate.
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