“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.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Kings 2:5 Mean?
David, on his deathbed, tells Solomon about Joab: you know what he did. He killed two commanders — Abner and Amasa — in peacetime. He shed the blood of war during peace and put that blood on his own belt and shoes. David couldn't deal with Joab in life. He's passing the responsibility to Solomon.
The phrase "shed the blood of war in peace" is the specific charge: Joab assassinated military rivals by pretending friendship and then striking. He murdered Abner (3:27) and Amasa (20:10) — both during peacetime, both through deception. The blood wasn't from battle. It was from betrayal.
David's language — "upon his girdle... and in his shoes" — is physical: Joab literally wore the blood. The belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet were stained with innocent blood. The warrior who should have been clean was wearing his murders.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'Joab' in your life are you too afraid to confront — and who will inherit the problem?
- 2.Does the imagery of wearing blood (belt, shoes) make Joab's peacetime murders feel more visceral?
- 3.How does David's failure to deal with Joab in life warn you about delayed justice?
- 4.What problems are you passing to the next generation because of your inability or unwillingness to act?
Devotional
David's last instruction about Joab: you know what he did. Don't let him die in peace.
David couldn't handle Joab in life. The general was too powerful, too useful, too dangerous to confront. He killed Abner while David was trying to make peace with Saul's house. He killed Amasa while David was trying to reunify the kingdom after Absalom's rebellion. Both murders served Joab's interests. Both undermined David's strategy. And David let both slide.
Now, dying, David passes the judgment to Solomon: deal with what I couldn't. The blood of war shed in peace — Joab's specific sin — is murder disguised as military action. He didn't kill enemies in battle. He killed allies in handshakes. The blood isn't on a battlefield. It's on his belt and his shoes. He's wearing it.
The belt and shoes are the most personal details. Joab walked in the blood of his murders. He cinched his waist with it. Every step he took was in sandals stained with Abner and Amasa. The violence wasn't abstract. It was wearable.
David's deathbed instruction reveals the cost of delayed justice: what you don't deal with in your generation, your children inherit. David's inability to confront Joab became Solomon's problem to solve. The blood on the belt didn't wash out with time. It just transferred to the next administration.
What are you passing to the next generation because you couldn't deal with it yourself? The Joab in your life — the person too powerful to confront, too useful to dismiss, too dangerous to challenge — doesn't disappear when you die. They become someone else's problem.
Deal with your Joab. Before your Solomon has to.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did unto me,.... In slaying Absalom, contrary to his orders, and…
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Thou knowest - what Joab - did to me - He did every thing bad and dishonorable in itself, in the murder of Abner and…
what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me This one of the sons of Zeruiah had been all through his reign too strong for his…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture