2 Samuel 18:25

25 He called out to the king and reported it. The king said, "If the runner is alone, he must be bringing good news." The man came closer and closer.

2 Samuel 18:25 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 18:25

And the watchman cried and told the king
Called with a loud voice from the roof of the watchtower to the king, sitting between the gates, and informed him what he saw:

and the king said, if he [be] alone [there is] tidings in his mouth;
for if the army was routed and fled, and were pursued, there would be more in company, or several running one after another; but being but one, it was highly improbable that he was sent express:

and he came apace, and drew near;
which was another sign of his being a messenger, the haste he made towards the city.

2 Samuel 18:25 In-Context

23 He said, "I don't care what happens. I want to run." So Joab said, "Run!" Then Ahimaaz ran across the flatlands of the Jordan River. As he ran, he passed the man from Cush.

24 David was sitting in the area between the inner and outer gates of the city. The man on guard duty went up to the roof over the entrance of the gate by the wall. As he looked out, he saw someone running alone.

25 He called out to the king and reported it. The king said, "If the runner is alone, he must be bringing good news." The man came closer and closer.

26 Then the man on guard duty saw another man running. He called out to the man who was guarding the gate. He said, "Look! There's another man running alone!" The king said, "He must be bringing good news too."

27 The man on guard duty said, "I can see that the first one runs like Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok." "He's a good man," the king said. "He's bringing good news."