שמואל ב, פרק י״ד, פסוק י״ח

King David clearly realizes that the woman standing before him is not acting on her own. As he listens to her wise words, he concludes that she did not initiate this encounter, since she has no personal connection to Absalom to justify her pleas [אברבנאל]. Therefore, he issues a direct command, demanding that she not hide or conceal the truth of what he is about to ask [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. He suspects that Joab orchestrated this event and wants to know if he is the one who put the words in her mouth.

Endowed with great wisdom, the woman reads the king's facial expressions and notices that he is actually pleased with her message. Comforted by his positive reaction, she understands there is no longer any reason to hide her true motive. She agrees to answer honestly, preparing to reveal that Joab did indeed direct her to request a pardon for Absalom, even though she composed the details of the parable on her own [אברבנאל]. Another perspective suggests that Joab fully anticipated the king's suspicion. According to this view, Joab had already coached the woman on exactly how to respond the moment David demanded the truth [אברבנאל בשם האפוד].