In the Haftorah of the Torah portion of Vayechi, we read how, King David instructed his son Solomon before passing away how to deal with various of his enemies, as it says,
“Further, you know what Yoav, son of Tzeruyah, did to me, what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s forces, Avner, son of Ner, and Amasa, son of Yeter: he killed them, shedding blood of war in peacetime, staining the girdle of his loins and the sandals on his feet with blood of war.”
This article will focus on Yoav who, although he fell out of David HaMelech’s graces, had been one of his staunchest supporters and his main general.
Family Background
Yoav’s mother, Tzeruyah was the sister of King David, making him King David’s nephew.
Brothers
Yoav had two brothers: Avishai and Asael. Avishai was also a general in King David’s army while Asael was a mighty and swift warrior who was killed by Avner, the general of King Saul. This led to Yoav killing Avner to avenge his brother’s death. (see below).
Children
According to the Talmud, Yoav’s children were not “on his level” which is why the term “and he died” is used concerning Yoav rather than “and he lay down with his fathers.”
Descendants
Yoav’s descendants were among those who returned with Ezra in the beginning of the Second Temple era. The Talmud says that these descendants would supply wood for the Beit HaMikdash on an annual basis on the 20th of Menachem Av. (Others say it would take place on the 20th of Ellul.)
Positive Qualities
Here are some of Yoav’s positive qualities, according to our sages:
- Kind
The Talmud says that Yoav was so generous to the poor that he treated his own house (and possessions) as if they were ownerless and anyone was welcome to take them. - Righteous
His household was clean of the sins of theft or sexual immorality. - Pampered the Poor
The verse says that Yoav “gave life to the rest of the city.” The Talmud interprets this to mean that he shared treats and delicacies with the poor. - Head of the Sanhedrin
Yoav was a great Torah scholar and the head of the Sanhedrin.
Military Accomplishments
As David’s main general and decorated warrior, Yoav had many military accomplishments. Here are some of them:
- Conquered Jerusalem
Yoav led the way to conquering the Jebusite city of Jerusalem, a feat for which he was rewarded to become a leader in King David’s government. - Conquered Amon and Aram
Yoav led the successful battles against the nations of Amon and Aram (who came to Amon’s aid). He arranged that David should lead the final battle to conquer Rabat, the capital of Amon, so that the credit would go to David. - Conquered Edom
Yoav fought successfully against the Edomites and killed out the male Amalekites. Mistakenly, he failed to kill the females, thus allowing their wicked progeny to survive. - Enabled David’s Torah Study
The Talmud says that, by leading the army in war, Yoav enabled King David to remain in Jerusalem to study Torah and judge the people.
Loyalty to King David
In most cases, Yoav showed extreme loyalty to King David even if he didn’t follow the strict halacha or went against the express wishes of David. Here are some examples:
- Arranged for the Death of Uriah
Yoav followed King David’s instructions and arranged for Uriah, the Hittite, to die in battle. However, he revealed David’s instructions to the soldiers, which was a breach of confidence. - Brought Avshalom Back
When Yoav saw that King David was upset at his estrangement from his son Avshalom (who had run away after killing his brother Amnon), Yoav arranged for a reconciliation between them. - Took David’s Side
Yoav remained loyal to David at the time of Avshalom’s rebellion and remained his general. Our sages say, however, that he only did so because he feared David who was still in his prime. - Killed Avshalom
Yoav personally killed Avshalom whose rebellion threatened King David’s life. Although King David was upset about this and demoted him from his position as general, David didn’t mention this to Solomon as a reason to punish Yoav (see above) as David realized Yoav had done it for the preservation of David and his throne. - Put Down the Rebellion of Sheva ben Bichri
Yoav successfully ended the rebellion of Sheva ben Bichri by first besieging his city and then putting him to death.
Sins
Some of Yoav’s actions were questionable, although in each case he had an explanation for his behavior. Here are some of those cases:
- Killed Avner
After Avner, the general of King Saul and of his son Ish Boshet, defected to King David’s kingdom, Yoav killed him in cold blood. In addition to the fact that Avner was a Tzadik and a great leader, King David was angry at Yoav because he had accepted Avner into his court and his murder would deepen the divide between his kingdom and that of Ish Boshet. In his defense, Yoav felt that he was avenging the death of his brother Asael whom Avener had killed when the armies of David and Ish Boshet were having war games (see above). - Killed Amasa
When Sheva ben Bichri was leading a rebellion against King David, Amasa (another nephew of David’s who had been Avshalom’s general) was tasked by David to put down the rebellion. When Amasa did not do so in a timely manner, Yoav killed Amasa and led the battle against Sheva himself. Since King David had granted Amasa amnesty despite his siding with Avshalom, Yoav’s killing him was a slight to the king’s honor. In addition, since Amasa had been appointed to replace Yoav as the main general, this could very well have been a self-serving act. Yoav’s defense was that Amasa deserved to die as he had rebelled against the king, both by siding with Avshalom and by delaying the battle against Sheva ben Bichri. - Took Adoniyahu’s Side
Before King David passed away, Yoav joined David's son Adoniyahu who was proclaiming himself as the new king. This was against the wishes of King David who had already sworn that Solomon would be the next king. (Yoav took Adoniyahu’s side as he suspected that Solomon might purge him, as later did indeed happen.) - Other Sins
As mentioned above, Yoav is also faulted for disclosing King David’s letter about Uriah and for not wiping out Amalek. In addition, Yoav took a census of the Jewish people when King David ordered him to do so, despite the prohibition in the Torah.
Execution
King Solomon did not kill Yoav immediately after David’s death. But when he sensed that Adoniyahu was starting to foment a rebellion and that Yoav was on his side, Solomon instructed his general Benayahu ben Yehoyadah to kill Yoav. Benayahu executed him even though Yoav was holding onto the Altar in the Beit HaMikdash at that time (hoping he would not be killed in that holy place). He was buried in his family’s plot in the desert thus ending the life of a fiercely loyal and heroic man who also overstepped his boundaries on several occasions.
May we emulate Yoav’s positive traits and learn from his mistakes!
Wishing you a Shabbat Chazak Shalom UMevorach.
Copyright 2023 by Rabbi Aryeh Citron
