And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant.
Today thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight. Joab betrays not a little selfishness amid his professions of joy at this act of grace to Absalom, and flattered himself that he now brought both father and son under lasting obligations. In considering this act of David, many extenuating circumstances may be urged in favour of it: the provocation given to Absalom, his being now in a country where justice could not overtake him, the risk of his imbibing a love for pagan principles and worship, the safety and interests of the Hebrew kingdom, together with the strong predilection of the Hebrew people for Absalom, as represented by the stratagem of Joab. These considerations form a plausible apology for David's grant of pardon to his bloodstained son. But in granting this pardon he was acting in the character of an Oriental despot rather than a constitutional king of Israel. The feelings of the father triumphed over the duty of the king, who, as the supreme magistrate, was bound to execute impartial justice on every murderer, by the express law of God (Genesis 9:6; Numbers 35:30-31), which he had no power to dispense with (Deuteronomy 18:18; Joshua 1:8; 1 Samuel 10:25).