שמואל ב, פרק א׳, פסוק ד׳

Desperate for news from the battlefield, David presses the arriving messenger for a full and complete account of the war's outcome [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. In response, the messenger delivers the tragic news in a carefully calculated, step-by-step manner. He begins by reporting that the army fled, then mentions the heavy casualties, and finally reveals the deaths of Saul and Jonathan.

There are two primary reasons for this specific sequence of information. First, the order reflects the actual chronological and causal chain of events on the ground. The initial retreat of the troops was the primary cause of the defeat. This mass flight led directly to the deaths of many soldiers, which ultimately culminated in the fall of the leaders themselves [מלבי״ם].

Additionally, there is a psychological motive behind the messenger's delivery. He unfolds the disaster gradually to soften the emotional blow and spare David from a sudden, overwhelming shock. Just as news of a loved one's passing is slightly easier to absorb if one first learns they were ill, the messenger slowly builds the tragedy. He starts with the relatively lighter misfortune of the army's retreat, escalates to the harsher reality of widespread casualties, and only then delivers the most devastating blow of all. He concludes with the tragic deaths of the nation's leaders, Saul and his son Jonathan [רלב״ג].