In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.
You love your enemies and hate your friends. You have made it clear today that you don't care about your commanders or your soldiers. I can see that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died today, you would have been perfectly happy.
The writer is accusing David of caring more about his rebellious son who tried to kill him than about the loyal people who risked their lives to save him.
📚 Historical Context
This is Joab, David's military commander, confronting King David after David's excessive mourning for his son Absalom, who had led a rebellion against him. David's army had just won a crucial victory that saved David's throne, but David was so grief-stricken over Absalom's death that he ignored his victorious troops. Joab feared that David's public mourning was demoralizing the very people who had saved his kingdom.
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