Useful Bible Studies > 2 Samuel Commentary > chapter 18
Ahimaaz had just fought in the battle; and then he ran a long distance at a fast speed to tell David about it. When he reached David, he had almost used all of his energy. So, as soon as he saw David, Ahimaaz shouted his good news in a single word: ‘Peace!’
That word is SHALOM in the Hebrew language. People often use it as a simple greeting, but in these circumstances, the word meant much more. Ahimaaz wanted David to know that the war had ended: there was now peace in Israel. He also wanted David to know that his side had won: the word SHALOM also means ‘success’.
When Ahimaaz reached David, he was able to explain more. First Ahimaaz lowered his body to the ground in front of David, to give him honour as the king. Then he urged David to praise God with him. God had again shown his greatness in how he had acted during the battle. He had supported David, the king whom he had chosen, and his army. Without God’s great goodness and his power, they could not have won the battle. Just a few days earlier, Absalom seemed certain to defeat them (15:14). Even on the day of the battle, Absalom’s army was much larger than David’s army. However, God defeated Absalom’s revolution. Now, God had handed over the leaders of that revolution to David’s men. Therefore, the time had come to praise God, Ahimaaz told David.
Next part: Ahimaaz refuses to answer David's question about Absalom (2 Samuel 18:29-30)
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