2 Samuel 18:11
in 2 Samuel 18“You just saw him!” Joab exclaimed. “Why did you not strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a warrior’s belt!”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest it, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten pieces of silver, and a girdle.
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.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 18
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Ten shekels - (About 25 shillings.) The word “shekel” is understood, as in Gen 20:16; Gen 37:28. See the Exo 38:24 note. A girdle - Girdles were costly articles of Hebrew dress used to put money in Mat 10:9, and given as presents 1Sa 18:4.
This site's exposition
I saw Absalom hanged in an oak
on 2 Samuel 18:10-13
A soldier sees Absalom hanging and reports it to Joab, who asks why he did not strike him down on the spot for a reward of ten shekels of silver and a girdle. The man refuses outright: not for a thousand shekels would he raise his hand against the king's son, because he heard David's charge with his own ears and knows nothing stays hidden from the king. His answer holds the very order Joab is about to break, and the narrator lets an ordinary soldier state a loyalty the commander himself will not keep.
This site's exposition
a warrior’s belt
Joab tells the man he would have given a warrior's belt and ten shekels of silver. Matthew Henry reads the belt as a captain's commission, and Adam Clarke adds that the military belt was a soldier's chief honor, the gift Jonathan gave David at 1 Samuel 18:4. Joab offers a reward for disobedience to the king.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), telling him, if he had given that bold stroke, he would have rewarded him with ten half-crowns and a girdle, that is, a captain's commission, which perhaps was signified by the delivery of a belt or girdle; see Isa. xxii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And Joab said unto the man that told him,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
And a girdle - The military belt was the chief ornament of a soldier, and was highly prized in all ancient nations; it was also a rich present from one chieftain to another. Jonathan gave his to David, as the highest pledge of his esteem and perpetual friendship, 1Sa 18:4. And Ajax gave his to Hector, as a token of the highest respect. - Hom. Il. vii., ver. 305.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Beware that none harm the young man. Everyone who meets up with him should preserve him.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יוֹאָ֗ב | yoav | Joab | H3097 → | 144 times |
| לָאִישׁ֙ | laish | to the man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| הַמַּגִּ֣יד | hamagid | who had told | H5046 → | 370 times |
| ל֔וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| וְהִנֵּ֣ה | vehineh | and there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| רָאִ֔יתָ | raita | you saw | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| וּמַדּ֛וּעַ | umadua' | and why? | H4069 → | 72 times |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| הִכִּית֥וֹ | hikito | did you strike down him | H5221 → | 499 times |
| שָׁ֖ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| אָ֑רְצָה | ʾaretzah | [the] ground towards | H776 → | 2504 times |
| וְעָלַ֗י | vealai | and on me | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| לָ֤תֶת | latet | to give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לְךָ֙ | lekha | to <the> you | ||
| עֲשָׂ֣רָה | ʾasarah | ten | H6235 → | 176 times |
| כֶ֔סֶף | khesef | silver | H3701 → | 403 times |
| וַחֲגֹרָ֖ה | vachagorah | and a belt | H2290 → | |
| אֶחָֽת׃ | ʾechat | one | H259 → | 971 times |
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
יוֹאָ֗בJoab
yoavH3097 →144 times
לָאִישׁ֙to the man
laishH376 →1663 times
הַמַּגִּ֣ידwho had told
hamagidH5046 →370 times
ל֔וֹto <the> him
lo
וְהִנֵּ֣הand there!
vehinehH2009 →843 times
רָאִ֔יתָyou saw
raitaH7200 →1300 times
וּמַדּ֛וּעַand why?
umadua'H4069 →72 times
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
הִכִּית֥וֹdid you strike down him
hikitoH5221 →499 times
שָׁ֖םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
אָ֑רְצָה[the] ground towards
ʾaretzahH776 →2504 times
וְעָלַ֗יand on me
vealaiH5921 →5755 times
לָ֤תֶתto give
latetH5414 →2011 times
לְךָ֙to <the> you
lekha
עֲשָׂ֣רָהten
ʾasarahH6235 →176 times
כֶ֔סֶףsilver
khesefH3701 →403 times
וַחֲגֹרָ֖הand a belt
vachagorahH2290 →
אֶחָֽת׃one
ʾechatH259 →971 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 2 Samuel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.