Shmuel Bais 2:30

30 And Yoav returned from following Avner; and when he had gathered kol HaAm together, there lacked of Dovid’s avadim nineteen ish and Asahel.

Shmuel Bais 2:30 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 2:30

And Joab returned from following Abner
It being in his commission from David to shed as little blood as he could:

and when he had gathered all the people together;
who had been pursuing the Israelites, some one way and some another:

there lacked of David's servants nineteen men, and Asahel;
who is particularly mentioned, because a very honourable man, valiant and courageous, a relation of David, and brother of Joab the general, and the loss of him was greater than all the rest. This has made some think that the twelve men of the servants of David were not killed in the duel, or otherwise there must be but seven slain in the battle; though that is not more strange than that in the battle with Midian not one should be slain, and, yet a terrible slaughter was made of the Midianites, ( Numbers 31:1-54 ) . So in a sharp battle between the Spartans and Arcadians, ten thousand of the latter were slain, and not one of the former ^F17. Stilicho killed more than an hundred thousand of the army of Rhadagaisus, king of the Goths, without losing one of his own men, no, not so much as one wounded, as Austin affirms ^F18. At the battle of Issus the Persians lost an hundred ten thousand men, and Alexander not two hundred ^F19. Julius Caesar killed in the three camps of Juba, Scipio, and Labienus, ten thousand men, with the loss of fifty men only {t}. After these instances, not only the case here, but that between the Israelites and Midianites, cannot be thought incredible, for the sake of which the above are produced. This account, according to Josephus ^F21, was taken the day following.

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 Diodor. Sic. l. 15. p. 383.
F18 De civilate Dei, l. 5. c. 23.
F19 Curtius, l. 3. c. 11.
F20 Hirtius de Bello African. c. 86.
F21 Antiqu. l. 7. c. 1. sect. 3.

Shmuel Bais 2:30 In-Context

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.

30 And Yoav returned from following Avner; and when he had gathered kol HaAm together, there lacked of Dovid’s avadim nineteen ish and Asahel.

31 But the avadim of Dovid had struck down of Binyamin, and of anshei Avner, so that three hundred and threescore ish died.

32 And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the kever of aviv, which was in Beit-Lechem. And Yoav and his men marched kol halailah, and they came to Chevron at dawn.