Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Now therefore gather the rest of the people together,.... The rest of the soldiers in the land of Israel, and come to Rabbah:

and encamp against the city; invest it in form:

and take it; upon a surrender or by storm; for it could not hold out long:

lest I take the city, and it be called after my name; so great a regard had Joab, though an ambitious man, to the fame and credit of David his king: so Craterus^F1Curt. Hist. l. 6. c. 6. at the siege of Artacacna, being prepared to take it, waited the coming of Alexander, that he might have the honour of it.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

encamp against the city, and take it — It has always been characteristic of Oriental despots to monopolize military honors; and as the ancient world knew nothing of the modern refinement of kings gaining victories by their generals, so Joab sent for David to command the final assault in person. A large force was levied for the purpose. David without much difficulty captured the royal city and obtained possession of its immense wealth.

lest I take the city, and it be called after my name — The circumstance of a city receiving a new name after some great person, as Alexandria, Constantinople, Hyderabad, is of frequent occurrence in the ancient and modern history of the East.

Wesley's Explanatory Notes

Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it: lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.

Take it — For having taken one part of the city, he concluded the remaining part of it could not long stand out.

Lest — Lest I have the honour of taking it.

John Trapp Complete Commentary

2 Samuel 12:28 Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it: lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.

Ver. 28. Lest I take the city, and it be called by my name.] Mirare hic modestiam et fidelitatem dueis Ioab, saith one; the modesty and fidelity of General Joab herein is worthy of admiration; and that above all other his noble acts whatsoever; for in those, he overcame others; but in this, himself. And surely his sending for David in this sort, was more for his honour than if he had triumphed a hundred times over Rabbah and the Ammonites. Inter omnia eius praeclara facta hoc heroicum virtutis eius specimen praecipuum semper censui, quod victoriae suo Marte partae gloriam et coronam in Davidis caput transferre voluerit et valuerit, (a) Do we the like by Jesus Christ, when we get any victory over our spiritual enemies, let him have the whole glory; say we as those two disciples in Acts 3:12-16.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Take it; for having taken one part of the city, he concluded the remaining part of it could not long stand out.

Lest it be called after my name; lest I have the honour of taking it. Thus he seeks to ingratiate himself with the king, by pretending great care for his honour and interest.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

28.Encamp against the city and take it — The city here meant was the acropolis or upper city, which, like the stronghold of Zion, still held out against the besiegers, after the lower city had fallen into their hands. See note on 2 Samuel 5:6.

It be called after my name — So that I bear away all the glory of the victory. This was a sort of challenge, half jest, half earnest, and shows Joab’s characteristic boldness with the king. Compare his rebuke in 2 Samuel 19:5-7.

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments

2 Samuel 12:28. Encamp against the city, and take it — For, having taken one part of the city, he concluded the remaining part of it could not long stand out. Lest I take the city — Lest I have the honour of taking it; and it be called by my name — As from the conquest of Africa, the Roman general Scipio, many years after, was called Africanus. By this it appears that though Joab had many faults, yet he loved his prince, and endeavoured to raise his glory. “There is a magnificence in this proposal capable of creating admiration in the meanest minds. The man that could transfer the glory of his own conquests upon his prince, needs no higher eulogy. And it is but justice to the character of Joab to declare that he is supreme, if not unrivalled, in this singular instance of heroism. Rabbah, it must be observed, was a royal, a large, and a populous city, the metropolis of Arabia Felix, watered, and in some measure encompassed by the river Jabbok. It had its name from its grandeur, being derived from a Hebrew word which signifies to increase and grow great, and was now in the height of its glory.” — Delaney.

George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

Take it. The higher, and more impregnable part; which honour Joab reserved for David.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged

Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it: lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.

Encamp against the city, and take it. It has always been characteristic of Oriental despots to monopolize military honours; and, since the ancient world knew nothing of the modern refinement of kings gaining victories by their generals, so Joab sent for David to command the final assault in person. A large force was levied for the purpose. David, without much difficulty, captured the royal city, and obtained possession of its immense wealth. Lest I take the city, and it be called after my name. The circumstance of a city receiving a new name after some great person, as Alexandria, Constantinople, Hyderabad, is of frequent occurrence in the ancient and modern history of the East.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(28) The rest of the people.—Joab proposes a general muster of the remaining forces of Israel, either because additional force was actually needed for the capture of the citadel, or simply to carry out the formal capturing of the city by David in person.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

it be called after my name

Heb. my name be called upon it.

John 7:18