Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

JOAB

1. Son of Zeruiah, the half sister of David (1 Chr 2:16), who, along with his brothers Abishai and Asahel, was well known for his military valor in Judah (2 Sm 2:18; cf. 1 Sm 26:6). According to 2 Samuel, Joab rose to prominence and distinguished himself at the battle of Gibeon when Saul’s troops under Abner were vanquished (2 Sm 2:8-32). Because Abner had slain Joab’s brother Asahel (v 23), Joab later killed Abner in revenge (3:26-30), despite Abner’s new loyalty to David (vv 12-19). Possibly Joab sensed that Abner would be his rival. Nevertheless, David praised the slain commander as a prince and a great man (vv 31-39) and set a curse on the house of Joab for his insubordination (vv 26-29, 39). This incident illumines Joab’s sometimes unscrupulous and ruthless behavior.

Joab spearheaded David’s siege of the Jebusite city of Jerusalem, and when David consolidated his reign there, Joab became the commander of the king’s army (2 Sm 8:16; 11:1; cf. 1 Chr 11:6-8; 18:15). He suppressed a rebellion among the Syrians and Ammonites (2 Sm 10:7-14; 1 Chr 19:8-15). At Rabbah he not only conquered the city (2 Sm 11–12) but arranged for the death of Uriah the Hittite so that David could take Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba.

Joab’s loyalties to David and shrewd control of the army are seen during Absalom’s rebellion (2 Sm 15). Joab suppressed the conspiracy (ch 18), but ignoring a direct order from David not to kill his son (18:5), brutally killed him anyway (vv 10-17). When David mourned, Joab rebuked the king, urging that a crisis with the army was imminent (19:5-7). This insubordination led David to replace Joab with Amasa as commander (v 13), but later, at Gibeon, Joab also killed him dishonorably (20:8-10). Joab’s influence in the army must have been great, since he regained his former role as military commander (2 Sm 20:23, 24:2; 1 Kgs 1:19).

At the end of David’s reign, Joab supported the conspiracy of Adonijah and Abiathar against the throne (1 Kgs 1:7). David’s distrust of him led the king to warn Solomon specifically about Joab’s repeated treacheries (2:5-9). Solomon had to resolve the problem of an untrustworthy army. Therefore, upon his father’s death, Solomon pursued the conspirators Adonijah (v 23), Abiathar (v 26), and Joab (v 28). Solomon’s officer Benaiah found Joab at the altar seeking refuge and killed him there (vv 28-35), thus cleansing Solomon’s reign from the wrongdoing of Joab.

2. KJV translation (“Ataroth, the house of Joab”) of Atroth-beth-joab in 1 Chronicles 2:54. See Atroth-beth-joab.

3. Judahite, Seraiah’s son from the house of Kenaz and forefather of the residents of the valley of craftsmen (1 Chr 4:14).

4. Forefather of a clan of Jews who returned to Palestine with Zerubbabel following the exile (Ezr 2:6; Neh 7:11).

5. Forefather of a family of which 219 members returned with Ezra to Palestine following the exile (Ezr 8:9). He is perhaps identifiable with #4 above.