Are there Black People Mentioned in the Bible? Yes, there are black people mentioned in the Bible. Nevertheless, the color of one’s skin is meaningless to the basic message of the Bible. And as such, black-skinned individuals are neither superior nor inferior to others. Likewise, white-skinned individuals are neither superior nor inferior to others. The vast majority of the Bible narrative takes place in the Middle East, in and around Israel. Neither “black” nor “white” are common in these regions. The majority of people in the Bible are Semitic and would have been light to dark brown in complexion. Ultimately, it does not matter what skin color the people in the Bible had because Scripture says that in every nation anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to Him (Acts 10:34-35). In addition, the Bible teaches that we are one in Christ (Galatians 3:23-29).
Behold, the color of the skin is not as important to the Lord God as the condition of the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 reads, But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” The Gospel is Universal Good News for Humanity. White people, black people, and every shade in between are invited to come to Christ for Salvation. John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.“
Are there Black People Mentioned in the Bible?
What Scripture says
Most Bible teachers believe and teach that black people are descendants of Noah’s son Ham (Genesis 10:6–20). Genesis 10:6-9 says, The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan. The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteka. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” Today, some scholars suggest that Moses’ wife, Zipporah, was black since she was a Cushite (Numbers 12:1). Cush is an ancient name for an area of Africa. The Shulammite was likely black (Song of Solomon 1:5). Some Biblical scholars equally suggest that Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:3) was black.
Notice that Bathsheba is mentioned in Jesus’s genealogy. Bathsheba who was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David was the mother of Solomon who succeeded Kind David. She was the daughter of Eliam and granddaughter of Ahitophel the Gilonite (2 Samuel 23:34). The Gilonites and the Hittites were among several Canaanite tribes that lived among Judah. Scripture tells us that Ham was the father of Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.
Some biblical scholars equally believe and teach that the Queen of Sheba who visited Solomon (1 Kings 10:1) was black. Simon of Cyrene (Matthew 27:32) may have been black, and also “Simeon called Niger” in Acts 13:1. The Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:37 was almost certainly black. The prophet Jeremiah asked “Can the Ethiopian change his skin?” (Jeremiah 13:23) – the natural assumption here is that Jeremiah refers to black skin.
What Does the Bible Say About Blacks?
Africa is the world’s second-largest and second-most-populous continent, after Asia in both cases. Behold, the Bible says a lot about Africa. In fact, Africa plays a vitally important role in God’s Plan of Salvation for Mankind. God’s beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the Promised Messiah, the Savior of the World, found refuge in Africa during his early years. That’s, baby Jesus and his parents sojourn in Egypt, a North African country. Notice that the African continent was the first to welcome the Messiah when His life was threatened in His place of birth. Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem and later moved to Nazareth. The Bible recounts how Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled to Egypt in order to avoid Herod the Great’s slaughter of the baby boys at Bethlehem.
Africa and Africans were mentioned about 1417 times in the entire Bible. Of this, Egypt (Mitsrayim) was mentioned about 740 times in the Old Testament. In the Pentateuch, references to the words Egypt and Egyptians occur around 288 times. Egypt and Egyptians appear about 152 times in the book of the Twelve. It also appears in the book of prophet Isaiah about 40 times, prophet Jeremiah about 61 times, prophet Ezekiel about 47 times, and prophet Daniel about 7 times. Cush was mentioned several times in terms of geographical location and as the name of persons in the book of Jeremiah. Although debates still exist among scholars as to whether Cush, as a geographical location, refers to Africa or Mesopotamia, we are of the stance that it’s referring to Africa and persons of African ancestry. As such, Egypt and Egyptians as well as Cush and Cushites belong to the African continent. ‘Cush’ is an important way of identifying those of African ancestry by describing them according to the color of their skin. The word Cush in Modern Hebrew still means black.
More Facts
Behold, Africa and Africans hold a central position and importance in the life and history of ancient Israel and the Bible, particularly in the book of Prophet Jeremiah. Africa and Africans contributed to the religious, political, and cultural life of ancient Israel. As such, Africa and Africans significantly contributed to God’s Redemption Plan through Jesus Christ. Unlike the slavery picture being portrayed by some Euro-American scholars in their Biblical exegesis, Ancient Africans are people of high esteem who acted heroically on several occasions in contributing to the realization of God’s redemption plan for humanity. For example, Ebed-Melech who is notable for rescuing the prophet Jeremiah from the cistern into which he had been cast to his death, and Jehudi who was an officer of King Jehoiakim were respected people of African ancestry (Jeremiah 38:7-10; Jeremiah 36:14).
Christianity in Africa
Behold brethren, the Bible is not a foreign book to Africa and Africans as some political agitators or anti-colonialists in Africa have claimed, and therefore Christianity is not a foreign religion in Africa. In fact, Africa has always been part of Biblical History. The terms Hebrews and Israel refer to some multi-ethnic group of people and those multi-ethnic people have an African strand. Take note of the identity of the mixed multitude that went out with the Hebrews in Exodus 12:38 – “And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. ” This multitude was one that was containing mostly Africans, if not Africans exclusively. This is an indication that without the participation of Africa and Africans in the life and history of ancient Israel, the Bible would have not been in the shape it is according to the biblical authors, editors, and redactors. If Africa and Africans appear about 1417 times, more than any other group of people, continent, or nation except Israel, some importance must have been attached to them.
The continuous identification of people of African descent as ‘Cush’ is a vital way of identifying those of African ancestry by describing them according to the color of their skin. It possibly reveals the ancient Israelites’ appreciation of Africans. If the word Cush in modern Hebrew still means black, one would be correct to translate Cushites as black Africans in Jeremiah 13:23. An objective and clear examination of the Biblical texts that mention Africa and Africans (Cushites and Egypt) shows that the ancient biblical world was not prejudiced towards black people in their midst. And as such, prejudice towards people with black skin color is certainly post-biblical and unfamiliar to ancient Israel. Africans or Cushites were never racialized by the authors of the Bible whom the Lord God used in writing. In other words, they did not despise the people called ‘Cushites’ in a manner consistent with a racialist paradigm of modern society. Instead, they were regarded as people who were faithful like Ebed-Melech (Jeremiah 38:7-10), strong and reliable, and people worthy of great esteem who provided refuge to those who were unjustly oppressed (Matthew 2:13–23).
History of Christianity in Africa
Although Africa has been part of the Christian movement from the beginning, the earliest account of Christianity in Africa is found in one of the books of the Bible. The story revolves around a prominent Ethiopian eunuch on a journey who encounters one of the disciples of Jesus Christ. The disciple, Philip, preaches to and converts the eunuch and baptizes him in the River Jordan. Although there are no confirmed reports that this eunuch became an evangelist, many people believe that he took the religion to Africa thereby sowing the first seed of Christianity. However, the spread of Christianity in Africa is mostly attributed to Mark the Evangelist who is reported to have brought the religion to Alexandria, Egypt around the 1st or early 2nd century AD. Surprisingly, this northern region of Africa which is now predominantly Muslim was the first port of call for the introduction of Christianity to the continent. It was in Alexandria, a city in Egypt, that the first seeds were sown. Alexandria became a major point in the development of Christianity in Africa, with Mark leading the movement as a Bishop.
Legend has it that Christianity was brought from Jerusalem to Alexandria on the Egyptian coast by Mark, around 60 AD. This was around the same time or possibly before Christianity spread to Northern Europe. Once in North Africa, Christianity spread slowly West from Alexandria and East to Ethiopia. In the 4th century AD, the Ethiopian King Ezana made Christianity the kingdom’s official religion. In 312 Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. The conquest of North Africa by Muslim Arabs in the 7th century CE led to the advance of Islam and a retreat of Christianity. The Muslim conquest of North Africa continued the century of rapid Arab Muslim military expansion following the death of Muhammad in 632 AD. However, Christianity remained the chosen religion of the Ethiopian Empire and persisted in pockets in North Africa. In the 15th century, Christianity came to sub-Saharan Africa with the arrival of the Portuguese. In the interior of the continent, most people continued to practice their own religions undisturbed until the 19th century. At that time, Christian missions to Africa significantly increased, driven by an antislavery crusade and the interest of Europeans in colonizing Africa. However, in places where the people had already converted to Islam, Christianity experienced little success.
Are there Black People Mentioned in the Bible?
Song of Solomon 1:5 – “I am very dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.”
Psalm 68:31 – “Nobles shall come from Egypt; Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God.”
Genesis 10:6 – “The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.”
Hebrews 5:9 – “And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,”
Jeremiah 13:23 – “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil.”
Numbers 12:1 – “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.”
Acts 10:34-35 – So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
Amos 9:7-8 – “Are you not like the Cushites to me, O people of Israel?” declares the Lord. “Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Syrians from Kir? Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” declares the Lord.
Psalm 68:31 – “Nobles shall come from Egypt; Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God.”
Acts 8:27-31 – “And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.”
Group 1 – Are there Black People Mentioned in the Bible
Jeremiah 46:9 – “Advance, O horses, and rage, O chariots! Let the warriors go out: men of Cush and Put who handle the shield, men of Lud, skilled in handling the bow.”
Genesis 10:6-20 – “The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. …“
Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.“
Acts 8:27 – “And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship“
Proverbs 17:2 – “A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.”
Daniel 11:43 – “He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train.”
Nahum 3:6-10 – “I will throw filth at you and treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle. And all who look at you will shrink from you and say, “Wasted is Nineveh; who will grieve for her?” Where shall I seek comforters for you? Are you better than Thebes that sat by the Nile, with water around her, her rampart a sea, and water her wall? Cush was her strength; Egypt too, and that without limit; Put and the Libyans were her helpers. Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity; her infants were dashed in pieces at the head of every street; for her honored men lots were cast, and all her great men were bound in chains.”
Group 2 – Are there Black People Mentioned in the Bible
Amos 9:7 – “Are you not like the Cushites to me, O people of Israel?” declares the Lord. “Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Syrians from Kir?
Ezekiel 29:10 – “Therefore, behold, I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush.”
Genesis 2:11-13 – “The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush.“
1 Kings 10:1-13 – “Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her. …“
Group 3 – Are there Black People Mentioned in the Bible
Acts 17:30 – “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,“
Isaiah 45:14 – Thus says the Lord: “The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you and be yours; they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. They will plead with you, saying: ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides him.’”
Isaiah 11:11 – “In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.”
Isaiah 37:9 – Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, “He has set out to fight against you.” And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
Jeremiah 39:15-18 – The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the guard: “Go, and say to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. But I will deliver you on that day, declares the Lord, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have put your trust in me, declares the Lord.’”
Group 4 – Are there Black People Mentioned in the Bible
2 Chronicles 14:12 – “So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.“
Exodus 15:26 – Saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”
1 Chronicles 4:39-41 – “They journeyed to the entrance of Gedor, to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks, where they found rich, good pasture, and the land was very broad, quiet, and peaceful, for the former inhabitants there belonged to Ham. These, registered by name, came in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, and destroyed their tents and the Meunites who were found there, and marked them for destruction to this day, and settled in their place, because there was pasture there for their flocks.“
Jeremiah 38:7-13 – “When Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern—the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate— Ebed-melech went from the king’s house and said to the king, “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city.” Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe in the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern by ropes. …“
Group 5 – Are there Black People Mentioned in the Bible
2 Chronicles 12:2-3 – “In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. And the people were without number who came with him from Egypt—Libyans, Sukkiim, and Ethiopians.“
1 Chronicles 1:8-33 – “The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. Cush fathered Nimrod. He was the first on earth to be a mighty man. Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim. …“
Acts 13:1 – “Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.”
Leviticus 26:1-46 – “You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God. You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord. “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. …
Group 6 – Are there Black People Mentioned in the Bible
Zephaniah 1:1 – “The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.”
Ezekiel 38:1-23 – “The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; …“
Psalm 72:10 – “May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!“
Zephaniah 3:9-13 – “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering. “On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord, those who are left in Israel; they shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall graze and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.”
Group 7 – Are there Black People Mentioned in the Bible
Esther 1:1 – “Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces,“
2 Chronicles 21:16-17 – “And the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabians who are near the Ethiopians. And they came up against Judah and invaded it and carried away all the possessions they found that belonged to the king’s house, and also his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest son.“
2 Chronicles 35:20 – “After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to meet him.”
Psalm 72:10 – “May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!“
Ezekiel 38:1-23 – The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; …
Group 8 – Are there Black People Mentioned in the Bible
2 Chronicles 16:8 – “Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, he gave them into your hand.”
2 Chronicles 14:1-16:14 – “Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. …“
1 Chronicles 29:4 – “3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house,”
2 Chronicles 9:1-31 – “Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her. And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, …“
Group 9 – Are there Black People Mentioned in the Bible
2 Kings 23:29 – “In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo, as soon as he saw him.“
2 Kings 17:1-20:21 – “In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel, and he reigned nine years. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him. Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria. And Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute. But the king of Assyria found treachery in Hoshea, for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison. Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria, and for three years he besieged it. …“
1 Kings 9:16 – “(Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and had killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and had given it as dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife;“
1 Kings 14:25-28 – “In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house. He took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold that Solomon had made, and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze, and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. And as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard carried them and brought them back to the guardroom.”
Group 10 – Are there Black People Mentioned in the Bible
2 Samuel 18:19-32 – Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and carry news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.” And Joab said to him, “You are not to carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king’s son