1 Kings 2:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet.

NIV: "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.

NASB: Now you yourself also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt that was on his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet.

CSB: "You also know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me and what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s army, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He murdered them in a time of peace to avenge blood shed in war. He spilled that blood on his own waistband and on the sandals of his feet.

NLT: And there is something else. You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me when he murdered my two army commanders, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He pretended that it was an act of war, but it was done in a time of peace, staining his belt and sandals with innocent blood.

KJV: Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.

NKJV: “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet.

David's first instruction to Solomon about how to lead Israel as king was general: Obey the Law of God. Keep His commandments, and both the king and Israel will thrive (1 Kings 2:2–4). Now, David wants Solomon to clear away political rivals. Solomon needs to bring justice to those people David elected to spare.

These begin with Joab, the son of his sister Zeruiah. Joab fought and served alongside David well before David became king (1 Samuel 22:1). Joab showed great courage and fierce loyalty over many decades, earning him the position of commander of Israel's army. And yet, Joab had also been a loose cannon who murdered men in cold blood as acts of revenge. For Solomon to reign, he needs to remove Joab's influence.

David describes these killings as personal insults: murdering men under David's authority as king without any seeming fear of being punished. We don't know why David didn't deal with Joab himself. It may have been out of honor for Joab's loyalty. Perhaps it was the fear of Joab's guard. It may have simply been that David was never good at holding young men accountable. This weakness is seen in his parenting of Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah.

Joab murdered two men of war in peacetime. Abner, the commander of King Saul's army, killed Joab's brother during the civil war between Israel and Judah (2 Samuel 2:18–23). Abner killed Asahel in a fair fight, even warning the young man to stand down. Joab murdered Abner at Hebron just as he had started working with David to unite the kingdom (2 Samuel 3:27). Abner's murder both saddened David and threatened his attempt to reunify the nation (2 Samuel 3:31–39).

The other man is Amasa. Absalom, Joab, and Amasa were cousins. When Absalom rebelled against David, he chose Amasa to be his military commander (2 Samuel 17:25). During the battle, Joab killed Absalom against David's orders (2 Samuel 18:5, 14–15). In response, David fired Joab. Trying to welcome the rebels back, David replaced Joab with Amasa (2 Samuel 19:13–14). Whether out of anger that Amasa had betrayed David or that he had replaced him, Joab murdered his cousin and regained his position (2 Samuel 20:8–10).

David says Joab still carries guilt for the blood of these two innocent men. Commentators suggest that the Hebrew words used for these items refer to civilian clothing, not military garments. They represent how a person lives their life. Joab killed many men in battle during wartime, but he killed these two out of vengeance after the battles had stopped.

First Kings 2:5–9 contains David's guidance to Solomon about politically establishing his kingdom. David has already explained that, to rule spiritually, Solomon needs to obey God (1 Kings 2:1–5). To rule without political barriers, Solomon needs to remove Joab for murder and Shimei for treason. But he also needs to honor the sons of Barzillai in payment for their father's loyalty and hospitality. Solomon will follow David's advice, but when a hint of a new rebellion arises, he must start demonstrating his strength towards his brother Adonijah and Abiathar the priest (1 Kings 2:13–27).

David's reign ends as his health begins to fail. Watchful rivals try to take advantage of this, attempting to install their preferred heir to the throne (1 Kings 1). This fails, and Solomon is crowned. In 1 Kings 2, Solomon begins the work of inheriting God's covenant with David. Before David dies, he advises Solomon on how to follow God, respond to conspirators, and build the temple (1 Chronicles 22:6–19; 28:9–21). David also throws a more formal coronation ceremony (1 Chronicles 29:22–25). After dealing with the men who would take his crown, Solomon asks God for wisdom; God promises to add honor and wealth (1 Kings 3:6–14).