And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.
The king said to him, 'Do what he asked, and kill him, then bury him. This will remove the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed from me and from my father's family.'
The writer is showing King Solomon ordering Joab's execution to remove the bloodguilt from his family for the innocent people Joab had murdered.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during Solomon's early reign as he consolidated power and dealt with threats to his kingdom. Joab, David's longtime military commander, had killed innocent men like Abner and Amasa for political reasons, creating bloodguilt that needed to be addressed. Solomon was fulfilling his father David's deathbed instructions to deal with Joab's crimes.
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