דברי הימים ב, פרק י״ח, פסוק ל״ב

In the heat of a chaotic battlefield pursuit, a sudden realization brings an intense attack to a grinding halt. As the enemy chariot commanders close in on their target, they notice a crucial detail: the soldiers rushing to defend the embattled king are exclusively men of Judah. This observation makes it clear that the man they are hunting is not the king of Israel, as they had initially assumed [מצודת דוד].

Upon recognizing their mistake, the commanders immediately break off the chase and let him go. This sudden retreat is a direct result of their strict military orders, which explicitly instruct them to target no one else but the king of Israel. Although the king of Judah is actively participating in the battle and fighting against them, he falls outside the scope of their specific mission. In the eyes of the enemy forces, he holds no more strategic value than any other regular officer on the field, leaving them with no reason to continue their pursuit [ביאור שטיינזלץ].