Shmuel Bais 2:14

14 And Avner said to Yoav, Let the young men now arise for a contest before us. And Yoav said, Let them arise.

Shmuel Bais 2:14 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 2:14

And Abner said to Joab
Perceiving he made no motion towards an engagement with him, his orders from David being only to act on the defensive, and avoid as much as possible the effusion of blood:

let the young men now arise, and play before us;
with their swords after the manner of gladiators or duellers; that it might appear who were best skilled in the use of the sword, and who were the bravest, stoutest, and most courageous; and this he proposed in a way of bravado, and in order to bring on a battle, or to decide the quarrel between them; and this bloody barbarous exercise Abner calls play, as if it was a diversion and pastime to see men wounding and killing one another:

and Joab said, let them arise;
he accepted the challenge, not caring to be hectored and bullied by Abner.

Shmuel Bais 2:14 In-Context

12 And Avner ben Ner, and the avadim of Ishboshet Ben Sha’ul, went out from Machanayim to Giveon.

13 And Yoav Ben Tzeruyah, and the avadim of Dovid, went out, and met together by the pool of Giveon; and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.

14 And Avner said to Yoav, Let the young men now arise for a contest before us. And Yoav said, Let them arise.

15 Then there arose and went over by mispar twelve of Binyamin, which pertained to Ishboshet ben Sha’ul, and twelve of the avadim of Dovid.

16 And they caught every one his re’a by the rosh, and thrust his cherev in his re’a’s side; so they fell down together; therefore that makom was called Chelkat-Hatzurim, which is in Giveon.