2 Samuel 18:25

25 He shouted the news down to David, and the king replied, “If he is alone, he has news.” As the messenger came 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 “Yes, but let me go anyway,” he begged. Joab finally said, “All right, go ahead.” So Ahimaaz took the less demanding route by way of the plain and ran to Mahanaim ahead of the Ethiopian.

24 While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates of the town, the watchman climbed to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked, he saw a lone man running toward them.

25 He shouted the news down to David, and the king replied, “If he is alone, he has news.” As the messenger came closer,

26 the watchman saw another man running toward them. He shouted down, “Here comes another one!” The king replied, “He also will have news.”

27 “The first man runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok,” the watchman said. “He is a good man and comes with good news,” the king replied.