2 Samuel 2:28

28 Then Joab blew the ram's horn, and all the troops stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or continued to fight.

2 Samuel 2:28 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 2:28

So Joab blew a trumpet
Or caused one to be blown as a signal of a retreat:

and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more;
as soon as they heard the trumpet sound, the meaning of which they understood, they stepped at once, and left off their pursuit:

neither fought they any more;
that day, and perhaps no pitched battle afterwards; for none we read of, though the war continued after this a long time, and there might be often skirmishes, which greatly weakened Abner's party. See ( 2 Samuel 3:1 ) .

2 Samuel 2:28 In-Context

26 Then Abner called out to Joab: "Must the sword devour forever? Don't you realize this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?"

27 "As God lives," Joab replied, "if you had not spoken up, the troops wouldn't have stopped pursuing their brothers until morning."

28 Then Joab blew the ram's horn, and all the troops stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or continued to fight.

29 So Abner and his men marched through the Arabah all that night. They crossed the Jordan, marched all morning, and arrived at Mahanaim.

30 When Joab had turned back from pursuing Abner, he gathered all the troops. In addition to Asahel, 19 of David's soldiers were missing,