Discovery Box2 Samuel 12:27 
Context12:27 Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, “I have fought against Rabbah and have captured the water supply of the city. 1
2 Samuel 13:7
Context13:7 So David sent Tamar to the house saying, “Please go to the house of Amnon your brother and prepare some food for him.”
2 Samuel 18:10
Context18:10 When one 2 of the men saw this, he reported it to Joab saying, “I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.
2 Samuel 24:1
Context24:1 The Lord’s anger again raged against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go count Israel and Judah.” 3
1 sn The expression translated the water supply of the city (Heb “the city of the waters”) apparently refers to that part of the fortified city that guarded the water supply of the entire city. Joab had already captured this part of the city, but he now defers to King David for the capture of the rest of the city. In this way the king will receive the credit for this achievement.
2 tc 4QSama lacks the word “one.”
3 sn The parallel text in 1 Chr 21:1 says, “An adversary opposed Israel, inciting David to count how many warriors Israel had.” The Samuel version gives an underlying theological perspective, while the Chronicler simply describes what happened from a human perspective. The adversary in 1 Chr 21:1 is likely a human enemy, probably a nearby nation whose hostility against Israel pressured David into numbering the people so he could assess his military strength. See the note at 1 Chr 21:1.
