2 SAMUEL 2:27 — KING JAMES VERSION 0 0
“And Joab said, As God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother.”
Joab said, 'As God lives, if you had not spoken — Joab's reply is conditional oath. If Abner had not called for peace, the battle would have continued through the night, each side seeking total victory. Joab's words 'As God lives' (חַי־אֱלֹהִים, ḥay-'ĕlōhîm) invoke divine witness to his statement. The implication is that Abner's call for cessation saved both armies from annihilation. Joab accepts the truce, but the sting remains: his brother Asahel lies dead, killed by the man whose army he fought. Joab's acceptance of the truce is pragmatic but not wholehearted; the blood debt is noted.
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