Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Samuel 2:13

And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met together by the pool of Gibeon: and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.

13. Joab the son of Zeruiah ] The eldest of David’s three nephews, the son of his sister Zeruiah (1Ch 2:16). Next to the king himself he occupies the most conspicuous position in the history of David’s reign. Already he appears to have acted as commander-in-chief of the army, though his formal appointment to that post was the reward of his valour at the capture of Jebus (1Ch 11:6; 2Sa 8:16). In this capacity he ( a) conducted the war against the Syrians and Ammonites (2Sa 10:7); ( b) completed the conquest of Edom (1Ki 11:15-16); ( c) defeated the Ammonites in a second war, and took their capital (2Sa 11:1; 2Sa 12:26).

With a too ready subservience he carried out David’s plan for getting rid of Uriah (2Sa 11:14 ff.), a service which increased his influence over David, by giving him the possession of his guilty secret. (See Blunt’s Undesigned Coincidences, Part II. ch. II.) We find Him scheming to secure the restoration of Absalom to David’s favour (2 Samuel 14), yet remaining loyal to David in Absalom’s rebellion (2Sa 18:2).

The vindictive unscrupulousness of his character is illustrated by his murder of Abner in revenge for the death of Asahel (2Sa 3:27); of Absalom, in spite of David’s express command (2Sa 18:14); of Amasa, who was appointed to supersede him (2Sa 20:10).

Too valuable to be dispensed with, too fierce to be controlled, he was a continual source of vexation to David (2Sa 3:39), who gave Solomon a dying charge not to leave his crimes unpunished (1Ki 2:5-6). His complicity in Adonijah’s rebellion filled up the measure of his iniquity, and he met a traitor’s death in spite of his taking sanctuary at the altar in Gibeon (1Ki 2:28-34).

by the pool of Gibeon ] “A few rods from the village [of El-Jib ], just below the top of the ridge towards the north, is a fine fountain of water. It is in a cave excavated in and under the high rock, so as to form a large subterranean reservoir. Not far below it, among the olive trees, are the remains of another open reservoir, perhaps 120 feet in length by 100 in breadth.” Robinson, Bibl. Res. I. 455. The “pool of Gibeon” may well be the waters of this fountain and reservoir. It is again referred to in Jer 41:12 as “the great waters that are in Gibeon.”

they sat down ] i.e. halted and encamped.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

On the east of the hill (El-jib, the ancient Gibeon) is a copious spring, which issues in a cave excavated in the limestone rock, so as to form a large reservoir. In the trees further down are the remains of a pool or tank of considerable size (120 feet by 110 feet). This is doubtless the pool of Gibeon.

Sat down – i. e. halted and encamped.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Went out, to battle.

Quest. How could or durst this one tribe oppose all the rest?

Answ. First, This tribe was very numerous and valiant of themselves, and they had a king of extraordinary courage, and conduct, and success. Secondly, There were great numbers of the other tribes which favoured them, as appears from 1Ch 12. Thirdly, They had the encouragement of special promises of God, made both to their tribe and to David.

Met together, i. e. met the opposite army, and put themselves into a posture for battle.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

8-17. Abner the son of Ner, captainof Saul’s host took Ish-boshethHere was the establishment of arival kingdom, which, however, would probably have had no existencebut for Abner.

Ish-boshethor”Esh-baal” (1Ch 8:33;1Ch 9:39). The Hebrews usuallychanged names ending with Baal into Bosheth (“shame”)(compare Jdg 9:53; 2Sa 11:21).This prince was so called from his imbecility.

Abnerwas first cousinof Saul, commander of the forces, and held in high respect throughoutthe country. Loyalty to the house of his late master was mixed upwith opposition to David and views of personal ambition in hisoriginating this factious movement. He, too, was alive to theimportance of securing the eastern tribes; so, taking Ish-boshethacross the Jordan, he proclaimed him king at Mahanaim, a town on thenorth bank of the Jabbok, hallowed in patriarchal times by the divinepresence (Ge 32:2). There herallied the tribes around the standard of the unfortunate son ofSaul.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And Joab the son of Zeruiah,…. A sister of David, and this her son was general of David’s army:

and the servants of David, went out; that is, his army went out from Hebron to Gibeon, which was twenty four miles d to meet that under Abner; for though he had but one tribe with him, and Ishbosheth had all the rest, yet Judah was a numerous, powerful, and warlike tribe; and besides many out of the other tribes had joined them, and, above all, God was on their side, and they had his promise to rely upon with respect to the establishment of the kingdom in the house of David, and his power and providence to trust in, and therefore went out boldly and cheerfully to meet the armies of Israel under Abner:

and met together by the pool of Gibeon; the same perhaps with the great waters in Gibeon, Jer 41:12;

and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool; facing one another, and watching each other’s motions.

d Bunting’s Travels, p. 146.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(13) Joab the son of Zeruiah.Zeruiah was Davids sister (1Ch. 2:16), and Joab the most prominent of her three distinguished sons. Subsequently, by his successful leading of the forlorn hope in the siege of Jerusalem (1Ch. 11:6; comp. 2Sa. 5:8), he became permanently established as commanaer-in-chief of Davids army. He was undoubtedly among the brethren of David who came down to him at the cave of Adullam (1Sa. 22:1), though he is not mentioned by name, like his brother Abishai (1Sa. 26:6-9), in the narrative of Davids outlawry.

The pool of Gibeon is a large reservoir or tank, arranged to store the overflow from a subterranean reservoir fed by a spring in the rocky hill-side. Its ruins still remain, about 120 feet long by 100 broad. The hostile forces halted in full sight of each other on the opposite sides of the pool.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

13. Joab Who here appears as leader of David’s men, but was not made captain of his hosts till after the capture of the Jebusites. Chap. 2Sa 5:8, and 1Ch 11:6.

The pool of Gibeon The same as the great waters of Gibeon mentioned Jer 41:12. It is probably identical with the great reservoir still seen just northeast of the city, and supplied with water from a fine fountain in the rocks just above it. The fountain “is in a cave excavated in and under the high rock, so as to form a large subterranean reservoir. Not far below it, among the olive trees, are the remains of another open reservoir, about the size of that at Hebron, perhaps one hundred and twenty feet in length by one hundred feet in breadth. It was doubtless anciently intended to receive the superfluous waters of the cavern.” Robinson.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments