2 Samuel 2:12-32

Joab the son of Zeruiah

Who was Joab?

1 Chr 2:13-

1 Chronicles 2:13–16 KJV 1900

And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third, Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, Ozem the sixth, David the seventh: Whose sisters were Zeruiah, and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah; Abishai, and Joab, and Asahel, three.

Joab was David’s nephew.

In fact, Joab’s other brothers have already been mentioned throughout the narrative of Scripture:

Abishai

We first meet Abishai in as the bravest of two to whom David asks to go down to the camp of king Saul when all had fallen in a deep sleep:

1 Samuel 26:6–9 KJV 1900

Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him. Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time. And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?

We even read later in the book of that Abishai had obtained being the chiefest of David’s men:

2 Samuel 23:18 KJV 1900

And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, and slew them, and had the name among three.

2. Joab

We now encounter the other 2 brothers Joab and Asahel in our passage here in . Strangely, out of the 3 brothers, Joab is the one which ends up leading and commanding David’s army.

He doesn’t even make the list in or . Instead his brothers are referenced to him, eg. “Abishai the brother of Joab”, “Asahel the brother of Joab”.

So how does Joab end up being the commander?

3. Asahel

Our first and last encounter of Asahel occurs in this chapter. We learn he is very fast and pursues Abner.

Interestingly, Asahel had also obtained to David’s list in :

2 Samuel 23:24 KJV 1900

Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Beth-lehem,

So Asahel was one of the 30, whereas Abishai was more honourable than the thirty, but not in the top 3.

Abner

Note within our passage that Abner is the one that initiates the charge.

2 Samuel 2:14 KJV 1900

And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise, and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.

Now that Abner had regained 11 of the tribes allegiance to Ishbosheth he likely thought that he was doing well and sought Joab to a challenge. Initially it started with 12, but after these 12 perished it ended up erupting into a battle - of which Abner had lost more men.

After killing Joab’s brother Asahel, Abner then finds reinforcements with the “children of Benjamin” and takes position up on the top of a hill, to take the high ground. This would make it difficult for Joab and his men to attack.

Abner then asks,

2 Samuel 2:26 KJV 1900

Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?

Remember, Abner had initiated the fight to begin, but now he proposes they end by appealing to them being their own brethren and how killing doesn’t solve anything - bitterness remains.

Joab responds that if Abner hadn’t started the fight there wouldn’t have been the need to pursue you and your men and everyone would have been going about their normal duties in the morning.

Here then in this passage we have the contrast of two brothers:

Asahel and Joab

Asahel thinking more highly of himself in the pursuit of Abner perishes, whereas Joab conducts himself more wisely and withdraws.