2 Samuel 18:11
ESV
Joab said to the man who told him, "What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt."
NIV
Joab said to the man who had told him this, "What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels of silver and a warrior’s belt."
NASB
Then Joab said to the man who had informed him, 'So behold, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? And it would have been my duty to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.'
CSB
"You just saw him!" Joab exclaimed. "Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you ten silver pieces and a belt!"
NLT
What?' Joab demanded. 'You saw him there and didn’t kill him? I would have rewarded you with ten pieces of silver and a hero’s belt!'
KJV
And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle.
NKJV
So Joab said to the man who told him, “You just saw him! And why did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt.”
What does 2 Samuel 18:11 mean?
That morning, Absalom, David's traitorous son, had planned to lead a great army, kill his father, and bring David's servants back to Jerusalem to serve him. Instead, Absalom's head was tangled in the branches of a tree and he is caught dangling. One of David's soldiers finds him there and leaves him. Instead of killing the king's son, he tells Joab (2 Samuel 18:9–10). This submits to David's clear command that Absalom was to be spared (2 Samuel 18:5).Joab is furious. He feels responsible for the greater good, not the king's feelings. This is the traitor who wants David the king dead. If Absalom dies, the battle ends, lives are saved, and David returns to Jerusalem. Joab says the soldier should have killed Absalom on the spot and ended this civil war, and that the man would have been well rewarded. Yet Joab's in a unique position. He's not only David's military commander, but also David's nephew. The king won't touch him. The general seems to have forgotten his place. He has previously ignored David's wishes and lived (2 Samuel 3:24–29).
The soldier understands his own situation. His loyalties to the king include strict obedience to the king's commands. David said to treat Absalom gently, and the soldier will do so (2 Samuel 18:12). If he'd killed Absalom, David would find out and execute him (2 Samuel 18:13). One hundred years' pay in silver and a warrior's belt won't do him much good if he's dead. And he can't count on Joab to have his back.
Joab will soon cut off the conversation in frustration and see to it that Absalom is slaughtered (2 Samuel 18:14).
