2 Samuel 11:21
“Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Didn’t a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.’””
What does 2 Samuel 11:21 mean?
Joab is speaking here, relaying instructions for King David about how to respond to David's angry reaction to a military loss. Joab is essentially saying: "When the king gets upset about our soldiers dying at the wall, remind him of Abimelech, who was actually killed by a woman dropping a millstone on him, not even by a proper soldier, and tell him that Uriah died too." It's a somewhat sarcastic way of pointing out that sometimes soldiers die in unexpected, even humbling ways during warfare, and that losses happen. The underlying message is Joab trying to help David see past his initial anger and accept the casualty. However, this verse sits within a dark story: David had arranged for Uriah (a loyal soldier) to be positioned where he'd likely die in battle, because David wanted to cover up his affair with Uriah's wife Bathsheba. So while Joab's words sound like practical military wisdom on the surface, they're actually part of a scheme to hide a grave sin. It's a reminder that even practical-sounding advice can serve deeply wrong purposes.