2 Samuel 2:27

Contemporary English Version

Joab shouted back, "I swear by the living God, if you hadn't spoken, my men would have chased their relatives all night!"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“As God lives,” Joab replied, “if you had not spoken up, the troops wouldn’t have stopped pursuing their brothers until morning.”

Hebrew Names Version
Yo'av said, As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone away, nor followed everyone his brother.

King James Version
And 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.

Lexham English Bible
Joab said, "As God lives, for if you had not spoken, the people would surely have gone up in the morning, each one of them from following after his brother."

English Standard Version
And Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning."

New Century Version
Then Joab said, "As surely as God lives, if you had not said anything, the people would have chased their brothers until morning."

New English Translation
Joab replied, "As surely as God lives, if you had not said this, it would have been morning before the people would have abandoned pursuit of their brothers!"

Amplified Bible
Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, then the people certainly would have stopped pursuing their brothers in the morning."

New American Standard Bible
Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, then the people of Judah certainly would have withdrawn in the morning, each from pursuing his brother."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And Ioab sayde, As God liueth, if thou haddest not spoken, surely euen in the morning the people had departed euery one backe from his brother.

Legacy Standard Bible
And Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then the people would have only gone away in the morning, each from following his brother."

Complete Jewish Bible
Yo'av said, "As God lives, if you hadn't said something, there is no doubt that the people would have kept following their brothers all night long."

Darby Translation
And 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.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then Joab said, "As surely as God is alive, if you had not said something, people would still be chasing their brothers in the morning."

George Lamsa Translation
And Joab said, As the LORD lives, unless you had spoken, surely in the morning I would have let the people give up every one from pursuing his brother.

Good News Translation
"I swear by the living God," Joab answered, "that if you had not spoken, my men would have kept on chasing you until tomorrow morning."

Literal Translation
And Joab said, As God lives, for if you had not spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone up, each one from following his brother.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Ioab sayde: As truly as God lyueth yf thou haddest sayde thus daye in the morninge, the people had ceassed euery one from his brother.

American Standard Version
And Joab said, As God liveth, if thou hadst not spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone away, nor followed every one his brother.

Bible in Basic English
And Joab said, By the living God, if you had not given the word, the people would have gone on attacking their countrymen till the morning.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Ioab sayde: As God lyueth, if thou haddest not spoken, suerly euen in the morning the people had departed, euery one from persecuting his brother.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Joab said: 'As God liveth, if thou hadst not spoken, surely then only after the morning the people had gone away, every one from following his brother.'

King James Version (1611)
And Ioab said, As God liueth, vnlesse thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone vp euery one from following his brother.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Joab said, As the Lord lives, if thou hadst not spoken, even from the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother.

English Revised Version
And Joab said, As God liveth, if thou hadst not spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone away, nor followed every one his brother.

Berean Standard Bible
"As surely as God lives," Joab replied, "if you had not spoken up, the troops would have continued pursuing their brothers until morning."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Joab seyde, The Lord lyueth, for if thou haddist spoke eerli, the puple pursuynge his brother hadde go awey.

Young's Literal Translation
And Joab saith, `God liveth! for unless thou hadst spoken, surely then from the morning had the people gone up each from after his brother.'

Update Bible Version
And Joab said, As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone away, nor followed every one his brother.

Webster's Bible Translation
And 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.

World English Bible
Joab said, As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone away, nor followed everyone his brother.

New King James Version
And Joab said, "As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then by morning all the people would have given up pursuing their brethren."

New Living Translation
Then Joab said, "God only knows what would have happened if you hadn't spoken, for we would have chased you all night if necessary."

New Life Bible
Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, for sure the people would have stopped going after their brothers in the morning."

New Revised Standard
Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, the people would have continued to pursue their kinsmen, not stopping until morning."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said Joab - As God liveth, surely, if thou hadst not spoken, then in the morning, the people would of themselves have gone up, every man from pursuing his brother.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Joab said: As the Lord liveth, if thou hadst spoke sooner, even in the morning the people should have retired from pursuing after their brethren.

Revised Standard Version
And Jo'ab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would have given up the pursuit of their brethren in the morning."

THE MESSAGE
"As God lives," said Joab, "if you hadn't spoken up, we'd have kept up the chase until morning!" Then he blew the ram's horn trumpet and the whole army of Judah stopped in its tracks. They quit chasing Israel and called off the fighting.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then the people would have gone away in the morning, each from following his brother."

Contextual Overview

²⁵ Abner brought the men of Benjamin together in one group on top of a hill, and they got ready to fight. ²⁶ Abner shouted to Joab, "Aren't we ever going to stop killing each other? Don't you know that the longer we keep on doing this, the worse it's going to be when it's all over? When are you going to order your men to stop chasing their own relatives?" ²⁷ Joab shouted back, "I swear by the living God, if you hadn't spoken, my men would have chased their relatives all night!" ²⁸ Joab took his trumpet and blew the signal for his soldiers to stop chasing the soldiers of Israel. Right away, the fighting stopped. ²⁹ Abner and his troops marched through the Jordan River valley all that night. Then they crossed the river and marched all morning until they arrived back at Mahanaim. ³⁰ As soon as Joab stopped chasing Abner, he got David's troops together and counted them. There were nineteen missing besides Asahel. ³¹ But David's soldiers had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin. ³² Joab and his troops carried Asahel's body to Bethlehem and buried him in the family burial place. Then they marched all night and reached Hebron before sunrise.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

As God: This was spoken in allusion to the proposal of Abner - 2 Samuel 2:14, which led to the slaughter of twelve young men of each party, and thus provoked the battle. It is probable, that Joab had orders simply to act on the defensive, and would not have attacked the Israelites that day unless compelled; therefore the blame lay upon Abner and Israel. 1 Samuel 25:26, Job 27:2

unless: 2 Samuel 2:14, Proverbs 15:1, Proverbs 17:14, Proverbs 20:18, Proverbs 25:8, Isaiah 47:7, Luke 14:31, Luke 14:32

in the morning: Heb. from the morning

gone up: or, gone away

Reciprocal: Judges 9:38 - General Psalms 133:1 - how good Galatians 5:15 - General

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Joab’s speech means either “unless thou hadst spoken (challenged us to fight, 2 Samuel 2:14), the people would have returned from the pursuit of their brethren (many hours ago, even) this morning;” or, “If thou hadst not spoken (asked for peace, 2 Samuel 2:26), surely the people would have returned, etc., in the morning, i. e. would not have ceased the pursuit until the morning.” The latter interpretation is the more accordant with Joab’s boastful character.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 27. And Joab said — The meaning of this verse appears to be this: If Abner had not provoked the battle, (see 2 Samuel 2:14), Joab would not have attacked the Israelites that day; as his orders were probably to act on the defensive. Therefore the blame fell upon Israel.