Mentioned in the Bible by name

Joab

And Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men, I beg you, stand up and compete (duel) before us." And Joab said, "Let them stand up."

And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Avishai, and Asahel. And Asahel was as light (agile, swift) on his feet as a gazelle in the field.

And once again Avner said to Asahel, "Turn away from following me, why should I strike you to the ground? How then shall I show my face to your brother Joab?"

But Joab and Avishai pursued Avner, and the sun was setting when they came to the hill of Amma, which is before Gihon, on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.

And Avner called out to Joab and said, "Will the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it ends in bitterness? How long will it be before you ask the people to return from following their brothers?"

Joab replied, "As surely as God (Elohim) lives, if you had not spoken [and proposed a one-on-one duel, see verse 14], the people would have returned in the morning, each one away from his brother." [Joab blames the battle on Avner.]

So Joab blew the shofar, and the people stopped. They did not pursue Israel any further and ceased fighting.

They took up Asahel and buried him in his father's tomb in Bethlehem. Joab and his men walked all night, and dawn met them in Hebron.

And behold, David's servants and Joab came from a raid, and they had brought with them a great spoil. But Avner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.

When Joab and all his army that was with him had come, they told Joab and said, "Avner, the son of Ner, came to the king, and he sent him away, and he went in peace."

And Joab came to the king and said, "What have you done? Behold, Avner came to you, why did you send him away in peace? And he has already gone?

And when Joab came out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah [a cistern with water, according to tradition 3 km north of Hebron], but David did not know about it.

And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside to the middle of the gate to speak with him in secret, and there he struck him in the groin so that he died, for the blood of Asahel, his brother.

And Joab and Avishai, his brother, struck Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

And David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, "Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn for Abner." And King David followed the bier.

And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was over the army (general), and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was recorder (chancellor, finance minister),

And when David heard it, he sent Joab and all the army of mighty men.

Now when Joab saw that the enemy was arrayed against him both in front and behind [when he realized that it would be a two-front war], he chose some of Israel's best men [select warriors] and arrayed them against the Arameans,

So Joab and the people [the army] who were with him drew near to fight against the Arameans, and they fled before him.

And when the sons of Ammon saw that the Arameans had fled, they likewise fled before Avishai and entered the city [the Ammonite capital of Rabbah, present-day Amman]. Then Joab returned from the sons of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.

[A year has now passed.] And it came to pass at the turn of the year (when the year returned, repeated itself) [the turn of the month of Adar/Nisan] at the time when kings go out [to battle, which usually happens in early spring, after the winter rains in March and before the harvest is gathered in May and all the labor is needed in the fields] that David sent Joab [as his general] and his servants (his army) with him. They destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah [present-day Amman, the capital of Jordan]. But David remained in Jerusalem.

[Since it would be obvious that Uriah could not be the father of the child, David devised a plan.] David then sent word to [his general] Joab: "Send me the Hittite Uriah." And Joab sent Uriah to David.

And when Uriah came to him [an 8-mile walk from Rabbah to Jerusalem], David asked him how Joab was doing, how the people were doing, and how the war was going.

And Orija said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my lord Joab and my lord's servants are camping in the open field. Should I go into my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As you live and as your soul lives, I will not do such a thing."

And it came to pass, when Joab was keeping watch over the city [the besieged Rabbah], that he placed Uriah in the place where he knew there were fierce men [in the enemy army].
[Israel's tactic was to starve out the city's inhabitants. The battles that could arise were when the Ammonites went out from the city gate and tried to break the siege. Joab probably placed Orija near the city gate, see verse 23.]

And the men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people fell, from among David's servants, and also the Hittite Oriah died.

And Joab sent messengers to David and told him everything that had happened in the battle,

And the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him (to tell).

And David said to the messenger, "This is what you shall say to Joab: 'Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours in one way or another; be strong (be steadfast, secure, courageous) in the battle against the city and overthrow it,' and encourage him."

[Based on the events in 2 Sam. 11:27–12:25 preceding this, Rabbah had been besieged for at least 9 months, perhaps as long as 2 years.]
Joab fought against Rabbah [meaning "great"; present-day Amman in Jordan] and captured the royal [part of] the city.

And Joab sent messengers to David, saying, "I have fought against Rabbah and taken the water supply ["water city"] of the city. [Once the city's water reservoir had been captured, it was only a matter of time before the city's inhabitants would surrender.]

And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, understood that the king's [David's] heart was over (his thoughts were focused on) Absalom. [Joab is David's nephew and general, see 1 Chron. 2:15–16.]

And Joab sent to Tekoa [south of Jerusalem, between Bethlehem and Hebron] and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, "I beg you, disguise yourself as someone who is mourning and put on mourning clothes, I beg you, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but be like a woman who has mourned for a long time over a dead person,

and go in to the king and speak to him in this manner." And Joab put the words in her mouth.

And the king said, "Is Joab's hand with you in all this?" And the woman answered and said, "As my soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn (deviate) to the right or to the left from all that my lord the king speaks, for your servant Joab, he commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your servant,

to change the circumstances (literally, to turn the tables) in this matter, your servant Joab has done this, and my lord is wise, like the wisdom of the angels of God (Elohim), to know (be aware of) everything that is on earth."

And the king said to Joab, "Behold, I have granted this matter; go and bring back the young man Absalom."

And Joab fell on his face to the ground and humbled himself and blessed the king, saying, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor (undeserved love) in your eyes, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant."

And Joab arose and went to Geshora and brought Avshalom to Jerusalem.

And Avshalom sent for Joab to send him to the king, but he did not come to him, and he sent for him a second time, but he did not come.

Therefore, he said to his servants, "Behold, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire." And Absalom's servants set the field on fire.

And Joab arose and came to Absalom to his house and said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?"

And Absalom said to Joab, "Come here, that I may send you to the king to say, 'Why have I come here from Geshur? It would be better for me to remain there. Let me see the king's face, and if there is any guilt in me, let him kill me.

And Joab came to the king and told him. And when he had called for Absalom, he bowed himself with his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.

But the king commanded Joab and Avishai and Ittai, saying, "For my sake, treat the young man Avshalom gently." And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the leaders concerning Avshalom.

And a man saw this and told Joab, saying, "Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree."

And Joab said to the man who told him, "And behold, you saw it, and why did you not strike him to the ground? I would have given you 10 pieces of silver and a belt."

And the man said to Joab, "Even if I had 1,000 pieces of silver in my hand, I would not stretch out my hand against the king's son, for we heard the king command you and Avishai and Ittai, saying, 'Be careful not to touch the young man Absalom.

And Joab said, "I cannot stay here with you." And he took three arrows in his hand and threw them through Absalom's heart while he was still alive, hanging in the terebinth tree.

And Joab blew the shofar, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab held back the people.

But Joab said to him, "You shall not carry any news today, but you shall carry news another day; but today you shall carry no news, because the king's son is dead."

And Joab said to the Cushite, "Go and tell the king what you have seen." And the Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran away.

And once again Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said to Joab, "Why won't you let me, I beg you, let me also run after the Cushite." And Joab said, "Why do you want to run, my son, you will not receive any reward for this news?"

And the king said, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" And Ahimaaz answered, "When Joab sent the king's servants and me, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was."

And they told Joab, "Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Absalom."

And Joab came into the house to the king and said, "Today you have brought shame on the faces of all your servants, who today have saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and the lives of your concubines,

When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came out to meet them. And Joab was girded with his armor which he had put on, and there was a belt with a sword fastened to his hip in its sheath, and as he went forward it fell out.

And Joab said to Amasa, "Shalom (are you well), my brother." And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.

But Amasa did not think about the sword in Joab's hand, and he struck him in the groin with it, and his entrails came out, and he did not strike him again, and he died. And Joab and his brother Avishai pursued Sheba, the son of Bichri.

And a man stood by him from among Joab's young men and said, "Whoever is for Joab and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!"

When he was removed from the highway, all the people followed Joab to pursue Sheba, the son of Bichri.

And a wise woman cried out from the city, "Listen, listen, I beg you, I say to you, to Joab, come here so that I may speak with you."

And he came near her, and the woman said, "Are you Joab?"
He replied, "I am."
She said to him, "Hear the words of your servant."
He said, "I am listening."

And Joab answered and said, "Far be it from me that I should devour and that I should destroy.

The matter is not so. But a man from the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba, the son of Bichri, has lifted his hand against the king, against David. Give him to us, and we will leave the city." The woman said to Joab, "Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall."

And the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba, the son of Bichri, and threw it to Joab. And he blew the trumpet, and they left the city, each to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

[This is the second enumeration of David's closest leaders in the Book of Samuel, see 2 Sam. 8:15–18.]
And Joab commanded (was over) the whole army of Israel [2 Sam. 8:15]
and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, commanded the Cherethites
and commanded the Pelethites,

And Avishai, Joab's brother, the son of Zeruiah, was the leader of the other three [verse 13]. And he lifted up his spear against 300 and struck them down, and had a name (was highly regarded) among the three.

Tseleq, the Ammonite,
Nacharaj, the Berothite, armour-bearer to Joab, the son of Zeruiah,

And the king said to Joab, the commander of the army [commander in the singular], who was with him, "Go now and walk through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan [in the north] to Beersheba [in the south], and count the people, so that I may know the number of the people."

And Joab said to the king, "And the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim) will increase the people (the army) a hundredfold before the eyes of my lord the king. But why does my lord the king desire to do this?"

But the king's word stood firm (strong, sure) against Joab [David's general] and against the army commanders. And Joab and the army commanders went out from the king's presence (face) and counted the people of Israel.

And Joab gave the number of the people counted to the king, and there were in Israel 800,000 valiant men who could draw the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.

So he consulted with [David's army commander] Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and with the priest Abiathar, and they supported Adonijah [took his side].

And he has slaughtered oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons and the priest Abiathar and Joab, the commander of the army, but Solomon, your servant, he has not invited.

And Adonijah and all his guests who were with him heard it when they had finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, "Why does it sound like the city is in an uproar?"

And you [Solomon] also know what Joab, the son of Zeruiah, did to me—how he struck down (killed) two of Israel's commanders, Abner, the son of Ner [2 Sam. 3:22–39], and Amasa, the son of Jether [2 Sam. 20:8–10]. In times of peace, he struck them down as if in battle; when he shed their blood as in battle, he stained his belt around his hips and his sandals on his feet. [The words used for belt and sandals in this verse are never used in war (2 Sam. 18:11), which reinforces that the killing did not take place in a battle context.]

And King Solomon answered his mother and said, "Why do you ask for Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for the kingdom for him also, for he is my older brother, and for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab the son of Zeruiah."

And the report came to Joab, for Joab had followed Adonijah, but had not followed Absalom. And Joab fled to the tent of the Lord (Yahweh) and took hold of the horns of the altar.

And it was told Solomon, "Joab has fled to the tent of the Lord (Yahweh), and behold, he is by the altar." And Solomon sent Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, saying, "Fall upon him (kill him)."

And Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord (Yahweh) and said to him, "Thus says the king: Come out." But he replied, "No, I will die here." And Benaiah reported this to the king, saying, "Thus spoke Joab, and thus he answered me."

And the king said to him, "Do as he has spoken, and fall upon him and kill him, and bury him, that you may take away the blood that Joab shed without cause from me and from my father's house.

For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, that Joab, the commander of the army, went up to bury the slain, and he struck down all the men of Edom.

for Joab and all Israel stayed there six months until he had destroyed (cut down) every man (all males) in Edom,

And when Hadad in Egypt heard that David was asleep with his fathers and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, "Let me leave so that I may go to my own country."

Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. [David also has a wife by the same name, see 1 Sam. 25:39–42] Zeruiah's sons were Avishai, Joab, and Asahel—three in all.

David said, "Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be commander-in-chief and chief." Joab, the son of Zeruiah, came up first, and he became commander-in-chief.

He built the city around it, from Millo and onward, and Joab restored the rest of the city.

Selek the Ammonite,
Nahrah the Barothite, armor-bearer to Joab, the son of Zeruiah,

Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was commander of the army, and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was recorder.

When David heard this, he sent Joab with the entire army, the bravest warriors.

Joab saw that he had enemies both in front of him and behind him. He then selected some of Israel's best men and lined them up against the Arameans.

Then Joab and his men advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him.

When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were fleeing, they also fled before his brother Avishai and entered the city. And Joab came to Jerusalem.

And it happened at the turn of the year (when the year returned, repeated itself) [the turn of the month of Adar/Nisan] at the time when kings go out [to battle, which usually happens in early spring, after the winter rains in March and before the harvest is gathered in May and all the labor is needed in the fields] that Joab went out with the army and ravaged the land of the Ammonites and came to Rabbah [present-day Amman, the capital of Jordan] and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. [This is where the incident with Bathsheba takes place, see 2 Sam. 11:1–12:25] Joab captured Rabbah and destroyed it [2 Sam. 12:26–31].

Then David said to Joab and the commanders of the people, "Go and count Israel from Beer-Sheva [in the south] to Dan [in the north], and let me know how many there are."

Joab replied, "May the Lord increase his people a hundredfold! My lord and king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why does my lord ask this? Why bring guilt on Israel by doing this?"

But the king's word prevailed against Joab, and Joab went and traveled throughout Israel and then returned to Jerusalem.

Joab reported the results of the census to David: In Israel there were 1,100,000 men able to bear arms, and in Judah there were 470,000 men able to bear arms.

But he did not count Levi and Benjamin with the others, because Joab found the king's command detestable.

And likewise all that the seer Samuel and Saul, son of Kish, and Abner, son of Ner, and Joab, son of Zeruiah, had consecrated. Everyone who consecrated anything left it in the care of Shelomith and his brothers.

Joab, the son of Zeruiah, began the census but did not complete it, because wrath came upon Israel because of it. The number was not included in any list in the chronicles of King David.

After Ahithophel came Jehoiada, the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar. Joab was the king's commander-in-chief.

You have made the ground shake and split it open [so that ravines are formed];
heal its broken bones [poetic description where the ravines in the ground are described as broken bones]
for it (the ground) suffers from tremors.