Lexicon :: Strong's H3097 - yô'āḇ

The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake.” All the people heard the king’s orders to all the commanders about Absalom.

One of the men saw him and informed Joab. He said, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree! ”

“You just saw him! ” Joab exclaimed.[fn] “Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you ten silver pieces[fn] and a belt! ”

The man replied to Joab, “Even if I had the weight of a thousand pieces of silver[fn] in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son. For we heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for me.’[fn]

Joab said, “I’m not going to waste time with you! ” He then took three spears[fn] in his hand and thrust them into Absalom’s chest. While Absalom was still alive in the oak tree,

ten young men who were Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him.

Joab blew the ram’s horn, and the troops broke off their pursuit of Israel because Joab restrained them.

Joab replied to him, “You are not the man to take good news today. You may do it another day, but today you aren’t taking good news, because the king’s son is dead.”

Joab then said to a Cushite, “Go tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed to Joab and took off running.

However, Ahimaaz son of Zadok persisted and said to Joab, “No matter what, please let me also run behind the Cushite! ”

Joab replied, “My son, why do you want to run since you won’t get a reward? ”[fn]

The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom all right? ”

Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab sent the king’s servant and your servant, I saw a big disturbance, but I don’t know what it was.”

Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have shamed all your soldiers ​— ​those who saved your life as well as your sons, your wives, and your concubines ​— ​

“And tell Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my flesh and blood?[fn] May God punish me and do so severely if you don’t become commander of my army from now on instead of Joab! ’ ”

They were at the great stone in Gibeon when Amasa joined them. Joab was wearing his uniform and over it was a belt around his waist with a sword in its sheath. As he approached, the sword fell out.

Joab asked Amasa, “Are you well, my brother? ” Then with his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa by the beard to kiss him.

Amasa was not on guard against the sword in Joab’s hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach with it and spilled his intestines out on the ground. Joab did not stab him again, and Amasa died.

Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bichri.

One of Joab’s young men had stood over Amasa saying, “Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab! ”

When he was removed from the highway, all the men passed by and followed Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bichri.

Joab’s troops came and besieged Sheba in Abel of Beth-maacah. They built a siege ramp against the outer wall of the city. While all the troops with Joab were battering the wall to make it collapse,

a wise woman called out from the city, “Listen! Listen! Please tell Joab to come here and let me speak with him.”

When he had come near her, the woman asked, “Are you Joab? ”

“I am,” he replied.

“Listen to the words of your servant,” she said to him.

He answered, “I’m listening.”

Joab protested: “Never! I would never devour or demolish!

“That is not the case. There is a man named Sheba son of Bichri, from the hill country of Ephraim, who has rebelled against King David. Deliver this one man, and I will withdraw from the city.”

The woman replied to Joab, “Watch! His head will be thrown over the wall to you.”

The woman went to all the people with her wise counsel, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri and threw it to Joab. So he blew the ram’s horn, and they dispersed from the city, each to his own tent. Joab returned to the king in Jerusalem.

Joab commanded the whole army of Israel;

Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites;

Among the Thirty were

Joab’s brother Asahel,

Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

Zelek the Ammonite,

Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer for Joab son of Zeruiah,

Joab replied to the king, “May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times more than they are ​— ​while my lord the king looks on! But why does my lord the king want to do this? ”

Yet the king’s order prevailed over Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army left the king’s presence to register the troops of Israel.

Joab gave the king the total of the registration of the troops. There were eight hundred thousand valiant armed men[fn] from Israel and five hundred thousand men from Judah.

“He has lavishly sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep. He invited all the king’s sons, the priest Abiathar, and Joab the commander of the army, but he did not invite your servant Solomon.

Adonijah and all the invited guests who were with him heard the noise as they finished eating. Joab heard the sound of the ram’s horn and said, “Why is the town in such an uproar? ”

King Solomon answered his mother, “Why are you requesting Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my elder brother, you might as well ask the kingship for him, for the priest Abiathar, and for Joab son of Zeruiah.”[fn]

The news reached Joab. Since he had supported Adonijah but not Absalom, Joab fled to the LORD’s tabernacle and took hold of the horns of the altar.

It was reported to King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the LORD’s tabernacle and is now beside the altar.”

Then Solomon sent[fn] Benaiah son of Jehoiada and told him, “Go and strike him down! ”

So Benaiah went to the tabernacle and said to Joab, “This is what the king says: ‘Come out! ’ ”

But Joab said, “No, for I will die here.”

So Benaiah took a message back to the king, “This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me.”

The king said to him, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him in order to remove from me and from my father’s family the blood that Joab shed without just cause.

“The responsibility for their deaths will come back to Joab and to his descendants[fn] forever, but for David, his descendants, his dynasty, and his throne, there will be peace from the LORD forever.”

For Joab and all Israel had remained there six months, until he had killed every male in Edom.

When Hadad heard in Egypt that David rested with his ancestors and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me leave, so I may go to my own country.”