Joab in the Bible
Meaning: paternity; voluntary
Exact Match
And their sisters [were] Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three.
Zeruiah's three sons were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel. Abigail bore Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite.
The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Ataroth-Beth-Joab, and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites.
And Meonothai begot Ophrah: and Seraiah begot Joab, the father of the valley of craftsmen; for they were craftsmen.
Then David said, "Whoever strikes the Jebusites first will be chief and commander." And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first and became chief.
And he built the city all around from the Millo and up to the circuit. And Joab restored the remainder of the city.
Now Abishai the brother of Joab was himself the head of the three. And he roused himself with his spear against three hundred [whom he] killed and [made] a name for himself among the three.
Now the mighty warriors of the troops [were] Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo from Bethlehem,
Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the bearer of the weapons of Joab the son of Zeruiah,
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was court historian;
David heard about this and sent Joab and the entire army of warriors.
When Joab saw that there was a battle line in front of him and another behind him, he chose some men out of all the elite troops
“If the Arameans are too strong for me,” Joab said, “then you’ll be my help. However, if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I’ll help you.
Joab and the people with him approached the Arameans for battle, and they fled before him.
When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they likewise fled before Joab’s brother Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab went to Jerusalem.
In the spring
So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan and bring a report to me so I can know their number.”
Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply the number of His people a hundred times over!
Yet the king’s order prevailed over Joab. So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel and then returned to Jerusalem.
Joab gave the total troop registration to David. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 swordsmen and in Judah itself 470,000 swordsmen.
But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the word of the king was repulsive to Joab.
All that Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah had dedicated, along with everything else that had been dedicated, were in the care of Shelomith
Joab son of Zeruiah began to count them, but he didn’t complete it. There was wrath against Israel because of this census,
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Thematic Bible
Citizens » Loyal » Joab
Homicide » Instances of felonious » Joab
When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside to the middle of the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died in revenge for the death of Asahel, Joab's brother.
Homicide » Instances of the punishment of murderers » Joab
Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and put him to death. He was buried at his house in the wilderness.
Joab » Son of david's sister » Commander of david's army
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was court historian;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was court historian;
Joab » Son of david's sister » Captures rabbah
So David assembled all the troops and went to Rabbah; he fought against it and captured it.
Joab sent someone to report to David all the details of the battle. He commanded the messenger, "When you've finished telling the king all the details of the battle- if the king's anger gets stirred up and he asks you, 'Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn't you realize they would shoot from the top of the wall? At Thebez, who struck Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth?Didn't a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the top of the wall so that he died? Why did you get so close to the wall?'-then say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.' " Then the messenger left. When he arrived, he reported to David all that Joab had sent him [to tell]. The messenger reported to David, "The men gained the advantage over us and came out against us in the field, but we counterattacked right up to the entrance of the gate. However, the archers shot down on your soldiers from the top of the wall, and some of the king's soldiers died. Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead." David told the messenger, "Say this to Joab: 'Don't let this matter upset you because the sword devours all alike. Intensify your fight against the city and demolish it.' Encourage him."
Joab » Son of david's sister » Numbers the people
They went to the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Afterwards, they went to the Negev of Judah at Beer-sheba. When they had gone through the whole land, they returned to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and 20 days. Joab gave the king the total of the registration of the troops. There were 800,000 fighting men from Israel and 500,000 men from Judah.
Joab » Son of david's sister » Defeats and kills abner
Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and [thrust] his sword into his opponent's side so that they all died together. So this place, which is in Gibeon, is named Field of Blades. The battle that day was extremely fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David's soldiers. The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was a fast runner, like one of the wild gazelles. He chased Abner and did not turn to the right or the left in his pursuit of him. Abner glanced back and said, "Is that you, Asahel?" "Yes it is," Asahel replied. Abner said to him, "Turn to your right or left, seize one of the young soldiers, and take whatever you can get from him." But Asahel would not stop chasing him. Once again, Abner warned Asahel, "Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I ever look your brother Joab in the face?" But Asahel refused to turn away, so Abner hit him in the stomach with the end of his spear. The spear went through his body, and he fell and died right there. When all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, they stopped, but Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. By sunset, they had gone as far as the hill of Ammah, which is opposite Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. The Benjaminites rallied to Abner; they formed a single unit and took their stand on top of a hill. Then Abner called out to Joab: "Must the sword devour forever? Don't you realize this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?" "As God lives," Joab replied, "if you had not spoken up, the troops wouldn't have stopped pursuing their brothers until morning." Then Joab blew the ram's horn, and all the troops stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or continued to fight. So Abner and his men marched through the Arabah all that night. They crossed the Jordan, marched all morning, and arrived at Mahanaim. When Joab had turned back from pursuing Abner, he gathered all the troops. In addition to Asahel, 19 of David's soldiers were missing, but they had killed 360 of the Benjaminites and Abner's men. Afterwards, they carried Asahel to his father's tomb in Bethlehem and buried him. Then Joab and his men marched all night and reached Hebron at dawn.
Joab » Son of david's sister » Defeats the ammonites
He placed the rest of the forces under the command of his brother Abishai who lined up in battle formation to engage the Ammonites. "If the Arameans are too strong for me," Joab said, "then you will be my help. However, if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I'll come to help you. Be strong! We must prove ourselves strong for our people and for the cities of our God. May the Lord's will be done." Joab and his troops advanced to fight against the Arameans, and they fled before him. When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too fled before Abishai and entered the city. So Joab withdrew from the attack against the Ammonites and went to Jerusalem.
The Ammonites marched out and lined up in battle formation at the entrance of the city while the kings who had come were in the field by themselves. When Joab saw that there was a battle line in front of him and another behind him, he chose some men out of all the elite troops of Israel and lined up in battle formation to engage the Arameans. He placed the rest of the forces under the command of his brother Abishai, and they lined up in battle formation to engage the Ammonites. "If the Arameans are too strong for me," Joab said, "then you'll be my help. However, if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I'll help you. Be strong! We must prove ourselves strong for our people and for the cities of our God. May the Lord's will be done." Joab and the people with him approached the Arameans for battle, and they fled before him. When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they likewise fled before Joab's brother Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab went to Jerusalem.
Joab » captivity return
from Joab’s descendants,
and 218 men with him;
Joab » Son of david's sister » Kills amasa
One of Joab's young men had stood over Amasa saying, "Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab!" Now Amasa was writhing in his blood in the middle of the highway, and the man had seen that all the people stopped. So he moved Amasa from the highway to the field and threw a garment over him because he realized that all those who encountered Amasa were stopping. When he was removed from the highway, all the men passed by and followed Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bichri.
Joab » Son of david's sister » Opposes the numbering of the people
Joab » Son of david's sister » Replaced by amasa as commander of david's army
Joab » Son of david's sister » Supports adonijah as successor to david
Joab » Son of david's sister » Barley field of, burned by absalom
"Look," Absalom explained to Joab, "I sent for you and said, 'Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? I'd be better off if I were still there.' So now, let me see the king. If I am guilty, let him kill me." Joab went to the king and told him. So David summoned Absalom, who came to the king and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed Absalom.
Joab » Son of david's sister » Causes sheba to be put to death
I am a peaceful person, one of the faithful in Israel, but you're trying to destroy a city that is like a mother in Israel. Why would you devour the Lord's inheritance?" Joab protested: "Never! I do not want to destroy! That is not [my] intention. 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, "All right. 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 » Son of david's sister » Procures the return of absalom to jerusalem
When the woman from Tekoa came to the king, she fell with her face to the ground in homage and said, "Help me, my king!" "What's the matter?" the king asked her. "To tell the truth, I am a widow; my husband died," she said. "Your servant had two sons. They were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant and said, 'Hand over the one who killed his brother so we may put him to death for the life of the brother he murdered. We will destroy the heir!' They would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband's name or posterity on earth." The king told the woman, "Go home. I will issue a command on your behalf." Then the woman of Tekoa said to the king, "My lord the king, may any blame be on me and my father's house, and may the king and his throne be innocent." "Whoever speaks to you," the king said, "bring him to me. He will not trouble you again!" She replied, "Please, may the king invoke the Lord your God, so that the avenger of blood will not increase the loss, and they will not eliminate my son!" "As the Lord lives," he vowed, "not a hair of your son will fall to the ground." Then the woman said, "Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?" "Speak," he replied. The woman asked, "Why have you devised something similar against the people of God? When the king spoke as he did about this matter, he has pronounced his own guilt. The king has not brought back his own banished one. For we will certainly die and be like water poured out on the ground, which can't be recovered. But God would not take away a life; He would devise plans so that the one banished from Him does not remain banished. "Now therefore, I've come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought: I must speak to the king. Perhaps the king will grant his servant's request. The king will surely listen in order to rescue his servant from the hand of this man who would eliminate both me and my son from God's inheritance. Your servant thought: May the word of my lord the king bring relief, for my lord the king is able to discern the good and the bad like the Angel of God. May the Lord your God be with you." Then the king answered the woman, "I'm going to ask you something; don't conceal it from me!" "Let my lord the king speak," the woman replied. The king asked, "Did Joab put you up to all this?" The woman answered. "As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or left from all my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave orders to me; he told your servant exactly what to say. Joab your servant has done this to address the issue indirectly, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the Angel of God, knowing everything on earth." Then the king said to Joab, "I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom." Joab fell with his face to the ground in homage and praised the king. "Today," Joab said, "your servant knows I have found favor with you, my lord the king, because the king has granted the request of your servant." So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. However, the king added, "He may return to his house, but he may not see my face." So Absalom returned to his house, but he did not see the king.
Joab » Son of david's sister » Killed by benaiah, under solomon's order
The Lord will bring back his own blood on his own head because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, without my father David's knowledge. With his sword, Joab murdered Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel's army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah's army. Their blood will come back on Joab's head and on the head of his descendants forever, but for David, his descendants, his dynasty, and his throne, there will be peace from the Lord forever." Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and put him to death. He was buried at his house in the wilderness.
Joab » Son of david's sister » Censures david for lamenting the death of absalom
But the king hid his face and cried out at the top of his voice, "My son Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!" Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, "Today you have shamed all your soldiers-those who rescued your life and the lives of your sons and daughters, your wives, and your concubines. You love your enemies and hate those who love you! Today you have made it clear that the commanders and soldiers mean nothing to you. In fact, today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead, it would be fine with you! "Now get up! Go out and encourage your soldiers, for I swear by the Lord that if you don't go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. This will be worse for you than all the trouble that has come to you from your youth until now!" So the king got up and sat in the gate, and all the people were told: "Look, the king is sitting in the gate." Then they all came into the king's presence. Meanwhile, each Israelite had fled to his tent.
Joab » Son of david's sister » Dedicated the plunder of his battles
Joab » Son of david's sister » Destroys all the males in edom
Joab » Son of david's sister » Defeated the jebusites
Joab » Grandson » Kenaz
and Seraiah fathered Joab, the ancestor of those in the Valley of Craftsmen,