| King David's Commander Joab |
Creation date: 28-Oct-2025 |
| A Treacherous and Murderous Military Commander | Last date: 28-Oct-2025 |
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Joab was King David's nephew. Joab was born from David's sister Zeruiah.
| 1 Chronicles 2:13-17 | 13 Jesse was the father of Eliab his firstborn; the second son was Abinadab, the third Shimea, 14 the fourth Nethanel, the fifth Raddai, 15 the sixth Ozem and the seventh David. 16 Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah’s three sons were Abishai, Joab and Asahel. 17 Abigail was the mother of Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite. |
Joab was the commander of David's armies that conquered Jebusites in the battle that made city of Jerusalem part of Israel as read in 1 Chronicles 11:4-9.
In a battle of King David's army against Saul's army of Israelites from the Tribe of Benjamin under the command of Abner that occurred after King Saul's death and burial, one of Joab's brother was killed by Abner. The killing of Joab's brother Asahel was in self-defense after warning Asahel who attempt to kill Abner without any weapons other than his own hands. Abner spoke to Asahel to pick up weapons from one of the dead solidiers, but Asahel would not.
After many battles, Abner surrenders to King David and pledges allegiance to bring all of Israel under King David of Judah.
| An interesting point during the surrender and allegiance, there was a condition that King David receive his wife Michal, daughter of Saul. King Saul had promised Michal as a wife for David if David would bring one hundred Philistine foreskins, which was done. The problem was Michal was already married, which her husband relinquished his wife under command of Abner. |
When Joab learns of the surrender and allegiance, this make Joab very angry where he protests to King David and then secretly plots to murder Abner. This was absolutely murder and not a war killing.
| 2 Samuel 3:24-29 | 24 So Joab went to the king and said, “What
have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he
is gone! 25 You know Abner son of Ner; he
came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything
you are doing.” 26 Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah. But David did not know it. 27 Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died. 28 Later, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. 29 May his blood fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family! May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosyor who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food.” |
| 2 Samuel 20:8-10 | 9 Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” Then Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10 Amasa was not on his guard against the dagger in Joab’s hand, and Joab plunged it into his belly, and his intestines spilled out on the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bikri. |
| 2 Samuel 24:3 | But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?” |
Because of the disobeying, Gad the prophet gave King David three choices as read in 2 Samuel 24:13:
King David did not chose and let God chose where there was three days of a plagues where seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Bersheeba died.
| 2 Samuel 24:15-17 | 15 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. 16 When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.” |
| 1 Kings 2:1 | When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son |
| 1 Kings 2:5-6 | 5 “Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. 6 Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace. |
| 1 Kings 2:33-35 | 33 May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the Lord’s peace forever.” 34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried at his home out in the country. 35 The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest. |
What to read next?
If you have lost a child or young person then read about the Age of Accountability. What is Salvation? Is it is possible to lose Salvation? We have eternal life. Evolution is not real. Rewards in heaven. Do we Tithe? What does the 3rd Commandment tell us? What is Grace and Mercy? Is there a place of unending punishment and exile form God?