General and Executioner Trivia Quiz

Answer: God is the Father

The name "Yoav" is made up of "Yo" which signifies God, and "Av" which means "Father". Yoav was the second of three sons. His older brother had an element of "father" in his name whereas his younger brother had an element of "God" in his name; it makes sense that Yoav's name would be a blending of the two.

Answer: Nephew

Joab was the son of Zeruiah, who was David's sister. According to I Chronicles 2, Jesse had seven sons, of which David was the youngest. They also had two sisters, Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruyah had three sons; the middle child was Joab, making him the king's nephew.

Now, let's not diminish Joab's accomplishments in any way; however, being the king's nephew comes with certain privileges, one of which is probably superior training and the other being quick promotions on the verge of being nepotism. So, Joab became King David's chief of staff, a successful one, but, as the nephew of the king.

Answer: Uriah

Uriah the Hittite was the husband of King David's lover. David and Joab colluded and sent Uriah to where the battle was most difficult; he was summarily killed by the Ammonites. What made this a calculated murder was that David told Joab to have Uriah lead his men to the front, then have the men abandon Uriah alone to face the Ammonite army. (II Samuel 11:17)

Amasa, Absalom, and Abner were all killed by Joab directly for different reasons. Joab was able to kill people in cold blood and nowhere was it recorded that he had any remorse over what he did.

Answer: Abner killed Joab's brother.

While Abner was certainly a military genius and might have been appointed general in Joab's place, that had not yet happened according to II Samuel 3. Abner had indeed been King David's enemy and Joab did not trust him one iota, but, the kicker was that Abner had killed Joab's younger brother, Asahel.

At the battle of Gibeon, Asahel had pursued Abner. While the latter tried to reason with Asahel, the young upstart attacked the experienced warrior and was skewered by him. Joab never forgave him. In II Samuel 3:30 it is written "So Joab [...] slew Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle."

While this might not have been the best move for King David, Joab acted impulsively and David was not pleased. In fact, the king absolved himself and his kingdom from this act and spoke out against the sons of Zeruiah.

Answer: False

Absalom was David's son who rebelled against him. Before the Battle of Ephraim's Wood occurred, King David explicitly told his generals, Joab, Abishai, and Ittai the Gittite, not to harm a hair on Absalom's head. In fact, David did this in full view of the nation so that every soldier knew of these orders. (II Samuel 18:5)

Joab, however, was not so happy. He had been a friend to Absalom and probably felt betrayed by the decision to incite a rebellion and civil war. When a soldier came upon Absalom stuck in a tree, Joab was surprised that this soldier had not stricken down Absalom himself. The soldier was offered a bribe of silver to kill Absalom. The soldier, having had heard King David's order, would not do it. (II Samuel 18:12)

Joab, realizing that if he wanted something done, he'd have to do it himself, took three darts and pierced Absalom's heart. This may or may not have killed Absalom, but Joab then ordered his soldiers to strike down Absalom. Against King David's explicit wishes, Absalom was murdered by Joab. (II Samuel 18: 14-15)

Answer: Amasa

Amasa was Absalom's general and a key part of the civil war perpetuated by the rebellion incited by Absalom. When the war was over, King David appointed Amasa as general, possibly to heal the rift between the two sides of the civil war. This move was probably also enacted due to King David's anger at Joab for violating his order not to harm Absalom. Joab, understandably, was not thrilled. (II Samuel 19:14)

Amasa was, in fact, Joab's cousin, so they were used to being close. In a second civil war against Sheba the son of Bichri, Amasa was approached by Joab and was asked how he was doing. Amasa, not suspecting anything, came forward to kiss his cousin. At that point, Joab, having concealed his sword, ran Amasa through. (II Samuel 20:10)

Answer: Shimei ben Gera

In the time of the Absalom rebellion, David flees Jerusalem. On his way to the Jordan River, he meets a man of the Tribe of Benjamin, Shimei ben Gera. Shimei insults David, hurls rocks at him, and treats him quite badly. Joab (and his brother Abishai) want to dispatch Shimei, but David stays their hand. (II Samuel 16:10)

After David wins and is on his way back to Jerusalem, they encounter Shimei once again. Abishai (and Joab as we learn from David's response), remembering old insults, again wants to use Shimei as a pincushion, but Shimei is in a remorseful mood and David in a reconciliatory one. David, in one of his first acts as the reinstalled king, absolves Shimei and decrees that not a hair will be harmed upon Shimei's head by David or his people. The sons of Zeruiah are admonished publicly for their antagonistic nature. (II Samuel 19:23)

Ironically, when King David was upon his deathbed, he ordered his successor, Solomon, to kill Shimei. Apparently, David did not forget the insult, but his vow that he would not harm Shimei held him back. (I Kings 2:9)

Answer: Jebus

Jebus was an independent city-state right in the heart of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. When King David manages to unify the Tribe of Judah with the House of Saul, he decides to place the capital of the kingdom somewhere that was previously outside of the Tribes - in the walled city of Jebus.

While the accounts in II Samuel and in I Chronicles are not the same, they don't contradict. What is interesting about I Chronicles 11:6 is that King David says "Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain." Joab, a mighty military leader sees this opportunity for more power. He leads his men and is successful in capturing Jebus and turning it into the City of David, or, as we know it later, Jerusalem. Joab becomes the commander of the army, a post he will desperately try to hold on to, as we have seen.

Answer: Adonijah

As King David grew old, the struggle for power seemed to lie in the hands of those who had the most influence. As King David's oldest surviving son (though Chileab's ambitions and life remain a mystery), Adonijah seemed poised to be the next king. However, Bathsheba, King David's favourite wife, or perhaps his most influential, wanted her youngest son, Solomon, to be the next king. She set in motion events that led to a power struggle between the two.

Joab cast his lot with Adonijah. Adonijah failed in his bid and sought the sanctuary of the Tent of the Tabernacle. Staying in there, Adonijah received pardon. However, when a request to marry Abishag resulted in Adonijah's death, Joab fell out of favour. Waaaaay out of favour.

Answer: Tent of the Tabernacle

When King David is on his deathbed, he calls upon his heir apparent, Solomon, and outlines all of the misdeeds of Joab. David entreats his son to do the right thing. Specifically, David points out the murders of Abner ben Ner and Amasa ben Jether.

When Solomon ascends to the throne, one of his first orders of business is to sentence Joab to death. Hearing the news, Joab flees to the sanctuary of the Tent of the Tabernacle. Benaiah confronts Joab there knowing that others had successfully found a haven in the tent. However, Benaiah is ordered to return and to finish the task. Joab is killed in the Tent of the Tabernacle.