“Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said. ‘Let me run, and carry tidings to the king that Yahweh has delivered him from the power of his enemies.’ Joab said to him. ‘You are not to carry tidings today. You may carry tidings another day, but today you shall not do so, because the king’s son is dead.’ Then Joab said to the Cushite. ‘Go! Tell the king what you have seen.’ The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran. Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said again to Joab. ‘Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite.’ Joab said. ‘Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the tidings?’ ‘Come what may,’ he said, ‘I will run.’ So Joab said to him. ‘Run.’ Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.”
Ahimaaz was the son of the high priest for David, and one of his informants about Absalom. He wanted to tell David the good news about the defeat of his enemies. Joab, David’s nephew said he should not go today. Instead he was going to send the Cushite, someone from Egypt, to tell the king about the victory. However, Ahimaaz insisted that he should go. Finally, Joab said okay. Ahimaaz could run after the Cushite. In fact, Ahimaaz outran the Cushite.
