{"id":58967,"date":"2019-07-08T10:02:49","date_gmt":"2019-07-08T07:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=58967"},"modified":"2023-01-30T17:54:59","modified_gmt":"2023-01-30T15:54:59","slug":"introducing-joab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/introducing-joab\/","title":{"rendered":"Introducing Joab"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[697,570,900],"acf":{"old_id":"58967","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34891,"related_cahpter":"258","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Joab\u2019s presence in this story that is not really about him foreshadows Joab\u2019s ubiquity in the drama to come","content":"

The towering, rich, and complex character of David rightfully dominates most studies of the book of Samuel.\u00a0 But David does not operate alone, and the book contains many secondary characters of equal depth and complexity.\u00a0 In a series of posts beginning with this one, I hope to analyze one such character: Joab\/Yoav son of Zeruiah.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When the Bible first mentions Joab, in I Samuel 26:6, he slips in almost unnoticed.\u00a0 \u201cDavid spoke up and asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab\u2019s brother, \u2018Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?\u2019 And Abishai answered, \u2018I will go down with you.\u2019\u201d The first time Joab is mentioned, the verse is introducing his brother, not him. Joab himself is, from a literary perspective, already there.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This brief mention, however, does foreshadow some important things about Joab.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For one thing, Joab\u2019s fate is closely intertwined with his family, particularly his brothers Abishai and Asahel. Their close fraternal ties will influence the course of major episodes on the road to David\u2019s kingship, and highlight the difficulty in separating the personal from the political in the book of Samuel. If we note that I Chron. 2:16, Joab\u2019s mother Zeruiah is identified as David\u2019s sister (making Joab and his brothers David\u2019s nephews), the personal, familial layer of the palace intrigues that develop over the book is even more pronounced.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joab\u2019s presence in this story that is not really about him foreshadows Joab\u2019s ubiquity in the drama to come. Although Joab frequently goes unmentioned for several chapters in a row, he seems to be always lurking, reappearing to intervene when he feels the moment demands it. Joab is always already there, observing, influencing, and taking action.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who is Joab?\u00a0 What are his values?\u00a0 How does he come to play such a central role?\u00a0 Does he deserve his fate? In a series of posts on the chapters in which Joab appears, I hope to dig deeper into these questions and more. Next stop: II Sam. Chapter 2.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":58969,"id":58969,"title":"isam26-joab","filename":"isam26-joab.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/isam26-joab.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/introducing-joab\/isam26-joab\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"isam26-joab","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":58967,"date":"2019-07-08 07:02:36","modified":"2023-02-21 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