2 Samuel 17:24-26; 2 Samuel 18:1-7, 9-11
Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa was a man’s son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother. So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.
And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also. But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city. And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands. And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.
So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim; Where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men…And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away. And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak. And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle.
ADAM CLARKE (1760-1832): By this time David’s small company was greatly recruited; but what its number was we cannot tell. Josephus says it amounted to four thousand men.
JOHN GILL (1697-1771): But one would think there should be more: David “set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them;” he divided his army into companies which consisted some of a thousand and others of a hundred.
THE EDITOR: Certainly David’s forces increased substantially during the time Hushai’s counsel had bought for him. They joined David’s cause for various motives. Some came from personal loyalty, or because they viewed Absalom’s rebellion as contrary to God’s law, Exodus 20:12; others abhorred Absalom’s public defilement of David’s wives as a disgusting perverse crime—that also was a bitter fruit of Ahithophel’s foolish counsel. David also received supplies from Machir, the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, 2 Samuel 17:27, in whose house Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth was living, when Ish-bosheth was murdered. When Saul and Jonathan perished in battle, Mephibosheth was five years old, and as his nurse fled with him, he was dropped, and was lame ever afterwards, 2 Samuel 4:4; see there the providential hand of God’s mercy—Mephibosheth’s injury had made him unfit to lead the house of Saul, though heir to Saul’s throne; thus he was no threat to the unification of Israel under David, and escaped being murdered by Ish-bosheth’s captains. And David’s later kindness to Mephibosheth for his friend Jonathan’s sake, demonstrated that he nursed no ill will towards the house of Saul, and was innocent of their blood, 2 Samuel 9:1-13.
JOHN TRAPP (1601-1699): David was confident of the victory, and gave charge that Absalom’s life should be spared. “I will surely go forth with you myself also.” If he had done so when Joab went against Rabbah of the Ammonites, he had done well. Nero and other cowardly voluptuous princes are blamed for idling and rioting at home, when their armies were against the enemy. But it may well be thought, that this motion of David’s to go in person, was in favour of Absalom, and to see that he were not cut off by any of the army.
ROBERT HAWKER (1753-1827): Everyone knew the personal courage of David; but beside the reasons given here for David staying at home, there was in David’s breast, a secret cause to keep him back. How unnatural soever Absalom’s conduct was towards his father, yet David’s heart loved this child too well to fight against him. Reader! pause over this, and notice the astonishing love of David to this most worthless child. Of all the base, ungrateful sons we read of in history, perhaps none, taken altogether, exceeds the character of Absalom. We find, very frequently, in the feelings of nature, parents unaccountably passing by the worth, tenderness, and affection of many dear children, to bestow their partiality and favours on the most undeserving one. Certain it is, that Abraham preferred Ishmael to Isaac, in that he begged the LORD that Ishmael might have the blessing, Genesis 17:18. And Isaac evidently preferred Esau to Jacob, in that, contrary to the divine command, he would have conferred the blessing of the covenant upon him, Genesis 27:4. There is no explaining this upon any other principle than that, in these matters, nature and grace are everlastingly opposite to each other. Thus in the case of David—what an infatuation David was under concerning Absalom!
THOMAS WATSON (1620-1686): If we love a child more than God, we make a god of it. How many are guilty of this? They think more of their children and delight more in them than in God.
THE EDITOR: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” Exodus 20:3. God will not tolerate idolatry in His children, nor will His purposes be thwarted. So it was with Abraham and Isaac: God told Abraham that Ishmael must be cast out; and by means of Rebekah and Jacob’s instrumental deceit, God providentially prevented Isaac’s intent.
G. CAMPBELL MORGAN (1863-1945): It is here that Joab appears in the terrible sternness of his character. He had no pity for Absalom. He knew that Absalom was the center of all the trouble—and he had seen David’s action toward his sons characterized by a lack of discipline. In the highest interests of the kingdom, his hand was raised to slay Absalom.
THE EDITOR: While Joab certainly acted as God’s unwitting instrument for the good of David’s kingdom, his motives were entirely personal. Joab knew that his position was more secure with David than Absalom. And Joab’s implacable nature never forgot nor forgave a slight. For years, Joab had nursed his resentment against Absalom; and despite David’s orders, when the opportune time came, Joab actually rushed to execute his revenge, 2 Samuel 18:14.
ALEXANDER WHYTE (1836-1921): Joab was a stern, haughty, imperious, revengeful man—pride, jealousy, malignity, revenge, assassination, with now and then a gleam of satanic loyalty lighting up his terrible heart. He ran Absalom three times through the heart right in the teeth of David’s command to spare and save Absalom alive.
JOHN GILL: Joab disobeyed the king’s order, but provided for the good of the nation, and the safety of the king. The Jews observe that measure for measure was given to Absalom; he was proud of his hair, 2 Samuel 14:25, and therefore was hanged by it; he lay with ten concubines of his father, 2 Samuel 16:21, and therefore was smitten with ten spears by ten young men, 2 Samuel 18:15; and he stole three hearts, the heart of his father, the heart of the sanhedrim, and the heart of the men of Israel—therefore three darts were fixed in him, 2 Samuel 18:14.
MATTHEW HENRY (1662-1714): Joab throws three darts into his body, which put him, no doubt, to exquisite torment.
THE EDITOR: Joab had killed Abner with a single sword thrust. Such a judicial execution of Absalom would have been a far more merciful and gentle retribution. But Joab wanted Absalom to suffer an agony for every slight he had ever received from him; Joab executed a very personal revenge—there was one dart for Abasalom’s base ingratitude to him after Joab had engineered his return from exile; a second dart for Absalom’s disrespect of Joab’s position when he summoned Joab as if the captain of the host was merely a household servant; and the third dart was for burning Joab’s wheat field, 2 Samuel 14:28-33. After those three mortal wounds, Absalom hung there in helpless pain, yet alive—then Joab’s men slew him, 2 Samuel 18:14,15.
H. A. IRONSIDE (1876-1951): Joab was a man of cruelty.
THOMAS COKE (1747-1814): Joab’s killing Absalom was a direct, deliberate, cowardly murder—and a treasonable murder against the express orders of the king, in open defiance and contempt of him.
MATTHEW HENRY: I know not whether Joab can be justified in this direct disobedience to the command of his sovereign; was this to “deal gently with the young man”? Yet, this may be said for Joab, that while he broke the order of a too indulgent father, he did real service to his king and country, and it would have endangered welfare of both if he had not done it.
ADAM CLARKE: Joab was a cool-blooded, finished murderer. “Treason and murder ever keep together.”
