Ataroth the house of Joab

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(God his father). (1) General-in-chief of David’s army (2 Sam. 2:18-32; 3; 18; 20; 2418And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe. 19And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 20Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am. 21And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armor. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him. 22And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother? 23Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the fifth rib, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still. 24Joab also and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. 25And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of an hill. 26Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren? 27And Joab said, As God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother. 28So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more. 29And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim. 30And Joab returned from following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel. 31But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner's men, so that three hundred and threescore men died. 32And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day. (2 Samuel 2:18‑32); 1 Kings 2). (2) Son of Seraiah (1 Chron. 4:1414And Meonothai begat Ophrah: and Seraiah begat Joab, the father of the valley of Charashim; for they were craftsmen. (1 Chronicles 4:14)). (3) One who returned (Ezra 2:66The children of Pahath-moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve. (Ezra 2:6)).

Concise Bible Dictionary:

1. Son of Zeruiah the sister of David. He was a bold and successful warrior, and was made David’s commander-in-chief; but he is not mentioned as associated with David until he was established at Hebron, and he is not classed among David’s valiant men. He treacherously slew Abner in cold blood, avowedly because Abner had killed Asahel, Joab’s brother; but the latter had been slain in battle (2 Sam. 3:23-2723When Joab and all the host that was with him were come, they told Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, and he is gone in peace. 24Then Joab came to the king, and said, What hast thou done? behold, Abner came unto thee; why is it that thou hast sent him away, and he is quite gone? 25Thou knowest Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou doest. 26And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, which brought him again from the well of Sirah: but David knew it not. 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. (2 Samuel 3:23‑27)). He was the unscrupulous instrument of David’s sin in causing the death of Uriah (2 Sam. 11:14-1714And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die. 16And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were. 17And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also. (2 Samuel 11:14‑17)). The return of Absalom was brought about by his means, but when Absalom revolted, Joab remained faithful to David, and with his own hand slew Absalom (2 Sam. 18:11-1511And 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. 12And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king's son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom. 13Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me. 14Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. 15And ten young men that bare Joab's armor compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him. (2 Samuel 18:11‑15)). Though David on this occasion needed to be reminded that his life and throne had been saved, yet Joab’s arrogant and threatening language to the king was unjustifiable; and Amasa was made captain of the host in the room of Joab. This roused the jealousy of Joab, and he craftily slew Amasa and resumed his place at the head of the army (2 Sam. 20:4-104Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present. 5So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him. 6And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lord's servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us. 7And there went out after him Joab's men, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men: and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri. 8When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa went before them. And Joab's garment that he had put on was girded unto him, and upon it a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out. 9And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him. 10But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand: so he smote him therewith in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri. (2 Samuel 20:4‑10)). David had said before this, “These men, the sons of Zeruiah, be too hard for me”; but his own sin in the matter of Uriah made him feeble in the presence of Joab’s murder of Amasa.
When David wished the people to be numbered, Joab endeavored to dissuade him from it. The worldly wisdom in which he always acted, and not in faith, perceived the impolicy of the act (2 Sam. 24:1-41And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. 2For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people. 3And Joab said unto the king, Now the Lord thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing? 4Notwithstanding the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel. (2 Samuel 24:1‑4)). His aiding Adonijah led to his ruin. When Solomon was declared king, David reminded him of what Joab had done to him, and how he had slain two captains in time of peace, and asked that his hoar head should not go down to the grave in peace (1 Kings 2:5-65Moreover 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. 6Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace. (1 Kings 2:5‑6)). When Joab heard of the failure of Adonijah’s cause, he saw his danger, fled to the tabernacle, and caught hold of the horns of the altar. Refusing to leave when summoned, he was put to death at the altar. Thus punishment for the murders he had committed, though long delayed, fell now in righteous judgment upon him (1 Kings 2:33-3433Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the Lord. 34So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. (1 Kings 2:33‑34)).

Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew Words:

Number:
5854 (find all occurrences in KJV Bible)
Transliteration:
`Atrowth
Phonic:
beyth
Meaning:
from the same as 5852 and 1004 and 3097; crowns of the house of Joab; Atroth-beth-Joab, a place in Palestine
KJV Usage:
Ataroth the house of Joab