And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.
Parallel translations
- WEB When Joab kept watch on the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew that valiant men were.
- BSB So as Joab besieged the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he saw the strongest enemy soldiers.
- NKJV So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men.
- NASB So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he stationed Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men.
- NLT So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the city wall where he knew the enemy’s strongest men were fighting.
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 assigns Uriah to the most dangerous spot in the siege. He carries out David's deadly order.
Overview
Joab obeys, positioning Uriah where valiant defenders make death likely. His complicity entangles others in David's sin, and the bond of shared guilt will later give Joab leverage over David. The verse shows how one leader's sin can corrupt and implicate those under him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- 1 Sam 22:17–19And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD: because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.
- 2 Kgs 10:6Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master’s sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time. Now the king’s sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, which brought them up.
- 2 Sam 11:21Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
- 1 Kgs 2:5Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.
- 2 Sam 3:27And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the fifth rib, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
- 1 Kgs 21:12–14They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
- 1 Kgs 2:31–34And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.
- 2 Sam 20:9–10And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.
- Acts 5:29Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
- Prov 29:12If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked.
- Hos 5:11Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 11:16 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.