Shmuel Bais 2:27

27 And Yoav said, As HaElohim liveth, if thou hadst not spoken, HaAm would have continued every one following his brother, not stopping until haboker.

Shmuel Bais 2:27 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 2:27

And Joab said, as God liveth
Which was the form of an oath, swearing by the living God:

unless thou hadst spoken;
that is, these words in ( 2 Samuel 2:14 ) ; "let the young men arise and play", that he had not given the challenge to fight:

surely then in the morning the people had gone up everyone from
following his brother;
they would have gone away and never fought at all; they were not desirous of shedding their blood, and following after them to slay them: thus he lays the blame upon Abner, and makes him to be the cause and beginner of the war. Some render the particle by "if", and give the sense, that if he had spoken what he last did sooner, the people would long before this time have desisted from pursuing them; for it was not from a thirst after their blood, and a desire to luke vengeance on them, that they pursued them, but to bring them to submission, and lay down their arms; for they could not in honour retreat until they desired it; but the former sense seems best, and is the general sense of the Jewish commentators.

Shmuel Bais 2:27 In-Context

25 And the Bnei Binyamin gathered themselves together after Avner, and became aguddah echat (one unit), and stood on the top of one hill.

26 Then Avner called to Yoav, and said, Shall the cherev devour lanetzach (forever)? Knowest thou not that it will be marah in the latter end? Ad mosai shall it be then, until thou bid the people return from pursuing their brethren?

27 And Yoav said, As HaElohim liveth, if thou hadst not spoken, HaAm would have continued every one following his brother, not stopping until haboker.

28 So Yoav blew a shofar, and kol haAm stood still, and pursued after Yisroel no more, neither fought they any more.

29 And Avner and his anashim marched kol halailah through the Aravah, and passed over Yarden, and went through all Bitron, and they came to Machanayim.