שמואל ב, פרק י׳, פסוק ה׳

After suffering a severe public humiliation, King David's ambassadors found themselves in a state of profound shame. Overwhelmed by their disgrace, the men avoided returning directly to the king. Recognizing their distress, David took the initiative and sent messengers out to meet them, delivering specific instructions to ease their burden [מצודת דוד, שטיינזלץ]. He assured the ambassadors that they were under no obligation to present themselves before him immediately [שטיינזלץ].

Instead, the king directed the men to remain in the city of Jericho and wait for their beards to fully grow back [מצודת ציון, רד"ק]. This instruction raises a natural question: why did David not simply tell them to shave off the remaining half of their beards to restore an even appearance? The answer lies in the cultural norms of the era. At that time, completely shaving a beard was entirely unacceptable. Such an act was viewed as a severe disgrace, reserved only for times of intense mourning and deep sorrow. Consequently, removing the rest of their facial hair was not a viable option. The only dignified solution was to wait patiently for the hair to regrow naturally [רד"ק, אברבנאל]. Only once their beards had fully returned were the men instructed to journey back to their homes [מצודת דוד].