So Joab and the people who were with him advanced to the battle against the Arameans, and they fled from him.
Parallel translations
- WEB So Joab and the people who were with him came near to the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him.
- KJV And Joab drew nigh, and the people that were with him, unto the battle against the Syrians: and they fled before him.
- BSB So Joab and his troops advanced to fight the Arameans, who fled before him.
- NKJV So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him.
- NLT When Joab and his troops attacked, the Arameans began to run away.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Joab advances on the Syrians, and they flee before him. The stronger enemy line collapses first.
Overview
When Joab's elite force engages, the Aramean mercenaries break and run. The hired army that Ammon trusted proves unreliable in the crisis. The rout vindicates Joab's strategy and, more deeply, the LORD's favor toward His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 1 Kgs 20:13–21Behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, “Yahweh says, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today; and you will know that I am Yahweh.’”
- 2 Chr 13:5–16Ought you not to know that Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?
- 1 Kgs 20:28–30A man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Yahweh says, ‘Because the Syrians have said, “Yahweh is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys”; therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am Yahweh.’”
- 1 Chr 19:14–15So Joab and the people who were with him came near to the front of the Syrians to the battle; and they fled before him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 10:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.