And Joab said, as God liveth, &c.— "Unless thou hadst spoken, probably means, unless thou had said, let the young men, &c. 2 Samuel 2:14 i.e. unless thou hadst provoked me to battle; surely all the people had ceased from following their brethren even from the morning: unless thou hadst drawn on the combat, there had been neither slaughter nor pursuit." Cicero well observes of civil wars, that all things are miserable in them, but victory most miserable of all. Joab seems to have been very sensible of this, as he so readily withdrew his forces from the pursuit.
REFLECTIONS.—1st, Abner's forces being routed, he himself is compelled to fly for his life, but is closely pursued by Joab's brother Asahel, whose swiftness was as the mountain roe: having singled him out, he sticks close to him, ambitious to make him his prisoner, and hoping thus to end the war, of which Abner was the chief support. It was nobly aimed, but he was an unequal match, and therefore pursued only his own ruin. Note; They who aim too high, stand on a precipice which makes their fall the deeper. Abner saw the young man's ambition, and kindly admonished him of his danger, desiring him to seize some other prey, to which he might be equal; but, fired with ambition, he continues the pursuit, and perhaps imputes to timidity the friendly caution. Once more Abner begs him not to put him on the unwilling necessity of hurting him; for how should he then look his brother in the face, whom, though an enemy, he respected. The remonstrance was vain, Asahel persists, and rues his folly. Abner, as he advanced, gave him a mortal stroke, and he fell dead to the earth. Note; (1.) The qualifications that we are proud of commonly prove our ruin. (2.) When we are most eager in the pursuit of our worldly schemes, and seem ready to grasp the prize of happiness, death, like Abner's spear, stops our career, and lays our big-swoln hopes and honour in the dust.
2nd, The routed troops of Abner making a stand on the hill, being joined by some fresh forces from Benjamin,
1. Abner begs of Joab to stay the pursuit. He who made a sport of the sword in the morning, now dreads its devouring edge, and fain would have it return to the scabbard again; he pleads with Joab the near relation between the people; they were brethren; and if brother imbrued his hands in brother's blood, whichever of them gained the day, the remembrance would be bitter: sound reasoning, but just a day too late; had he thus argued with himself before, the sword had not been drawn. But we can see that right when the case is our own, which pride and prejudice prevented us from discerning when our neighbour's interest only was at stake.
2. Joab nobly agrees to the request: no doubt, his orders were to be sparing of blood, and therefore he lays the blame of what had been shed on Abner's obstinacy, but for whose challenge they might have retired in the morning in peace. A retreat is now sounded, and Abner suffered to depart to Mahanaim, while Joab returns to his king at Hebron. Asahel receives all military honours, and is buried in the sepulchre of his fathers, but the rest on the field of battle. Thus terminates the first rencounter in favour of David, as a prelude to his greater future successes. Note; (1.) It is vain to struggle against the divine appointment. (2.) Though the clods of the valley are made more honourable to some than others, and they are distinguished in the grave, yet when they come again from thence, nobility will meet no distinction, and only the good be great on a resurrection-day.