שמואל ב, פרק י״א, פסוק י״ט

Delivering news from the battlefield requires careful preparation, especially when the events involve severe tactical errors. Joab briefs his messenger, readying him for the difficult task of reporting the recent combat maneuvers to King David. The messenger receives precise instructions on how to conduct himself once he finishes delivering the full details of the battle [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Joab knows well that the king will likely react with deep anger upon hearing that the soldiers approached the city wall.

This anticipated anger is fully justified, as the troops' movements violated basic military strategy and involved two major mistakes in siege warfare. First, an attacking army is supposed to maintain a safe distance from a fortified city. This keeps them out of the range of enemy archers and protects them from sudden surprise attacks by forces rushing out of the gates. Second, actually reaching the wall itself is a critical failure. Even if the soldiers were forced to enter arrow range, they should never have advanced directly to the base of the fortification. At such close proximity, anyone defending the city, including women, could easily drop heavy stones on them from above. Recognizing these blunders, Joab prepares the messenger for David's inevitable demand to know what necessary reason caused the troops to take such a massive risk and ignore all standard rules of warfare [מלבי״ם].