2 Samuel 14:29
New International Version
Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So he sent a second time, but he refused to come.

New Living Translation
Then Absalom sent for Joab to ask him to intercede for him, but Joab refused to come. Absalom sent for him a second time, but again Joab refused to come.

English Standard Version
Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Joab would not come.

Berean Standard Bible
Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So Absalom sent a second time, but Joab still would not come.

Berean Literal Bible
And Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king. And he would not come to him. And he sent again the second time, and he would not come.

King James Bible
Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.

New King James Version
Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. And when he sent again the second time, he would not come.

New American Standard Bible
Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. So he sent word again a second time, but he would not come.

NASB 1995
Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. So he sent again a second time, but he would not come.

NASB 1977
Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. So he sent again a second time, but he would not come.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he was not willing to come to him. So he sent again a second time, but he was not willing to come.

Amplified Bible
So Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him; even when he sent again a second time, he [still] would not come.

Berean Annotated Bible
Then he (my father is peace) sent for Joab (YHWH is father) to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So Absalom sent a second time, but Joab still would not come.

Christian Standard Bible
Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab was unwilling to come to him. So he sent again, a second time, but he still would not come.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab was unwilling to come. So he sent again, a second time, but he still wouldn’t come.

American Standard Version
Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king; but he would not come to him: and he sent again a second time, but he would not come.

Contemporary English Version
He wanted Joab to talk to David for him. So one day he sent a message asking Joab to come over, but Joab refused. Absalom sent another message, but Joab still refused.

English Revised Version
Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king; but he would not come to him: and he sent again a second time, but he would not come.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come. Absalom sent for him a second time, but he still refused to come.

Good News Translation
Then he sent for Joab, to ask him to go to the king for him; but Joab would not come. Again Absalom sent for him, and again Joab refused to come.

International Standard Version
After this, Absalom sent for Joab, intending to send him to the king, but Joab would not come. Absalom sent for him a second time, but he still would not come.

NET Bible
Then Absalom sent a message to Joab asking him to send him to the king, but Joab was not willing to come to him. So he sent a second message to him, but he still was not willing to come.

New Heart English Bible
Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king; but he would not come to him: and he sent again a second time, but he would not come.

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, that he might send him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.
Majority Text Translations
Majority Standard Bible
Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So Absalom sent a second time, but Joab still would not come.

World English Bible
Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. Then he sent again a second time, but he would not come.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and Absalom sends to Joab, to send him to the king, and he has not been willing to come to him; and he sends again a second time, and he has not been willing to come.

Berean Literal Bible
And Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king. And he would not come to him. And he sent again the second time, and he would not come.

Young's Literal Translation
and Absalom sendeth unto Joab, to send him unto the king, and he hath not been willing to come unto him; and he sendeth again a second time, and he hath not been willing to come.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Absalom will send to Joab to send him to the king, and he would not come to him: and he will send yet the second time, and he would not come.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He sent therefore to Joab, to send him to the king: but he would not come to him. And when he had sent the second time, and he would not come to him,

Catholic Public Domain Version
And so, he sent to Joab, so that he might send him to the king. But he refused to come to him. And when he had sent a second time, and he had refused to come to him,

New American Bible
Then he sent a message asking Joab to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. Although he asked him a second time, Joab would not come.

New Revised Standard Version
Then Absalom sent for Joab to send him to the king; but Joab would not come to him. He sent a second time, but Joab would not come.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Therefore Absalom summoned Joab to send him to the king; but he would not come to him; and he sent a second time, but he would not come.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Abishlum sent for Yuab to send him to the King, and he was not willing to come, and he sent again a second time, and he was unwilling to come
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king; but he would not come to him; and he sent again a second time, but he would not come.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Abessalom sent to Joab to bring him in to the king, and he would not come to him: and he sent to him the second time, and he would not come.

Additional Translations ...



Context
Absalom Reconciled to David
28Now Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years without seeing the face of the king. 29Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So Absalom sent a second time, but Joab still would not come. 30Then Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire!” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.…

Cross References
Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king,

1 Kings 2:17
Adonijah replied, “Please speak to King Solomon, since he will not turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”

Esther 4:8-11
Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for the destruction of the Jews, to show and explain to Esther, urging her to approach the king, implore his favor, and plead before him for her people. / So Hathach went back and relayed Mordecai’s response to Esther. / Then Esther spoke to Hathach and instructed him to tell Mordecai, …

2 Kings 4:13
and Elisha said to Gehazi, “Now tell her, ‘Look, you have gone to all this trouble for us. What can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?’” “I have a home among my own people,” she replied.
but Joab refused to come to him.

John 5:40
yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.

Matthew 22:3-5
He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come. / Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ / But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business.

Luke 14:18-20
But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first one said, ‘I have bought a field, and I need to go see it. Please excuse me.’ / Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please excuse me.’ / Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, so I cannot come.’
So Absalom sent a second time,

1 Samuel 19:20-21
he sent messengers to seize him. But when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came upon them, and Saul’s messengers also began to prophesy. / When this was reported to Saul, he sent more messengers, but they began to prophesy as well. So Saul tried again and sent messengers a third time, and even they began to prophesy.

Matthew 21:36
Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group. But the tenants did the same to them.

2 Chronicles 36:15-16
Again and again the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place. / But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy.
but Joab still would not come.

Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Luke 13:34
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Proverbs 1:24-28
Because you refused my call, and no one took my outstretched hand, / because you neglected all my counsel, and wanted none of my correction, / in turn I will mock your calamity; I will sneer when terror strikes you, …
2 Samuel 13:39
And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he had been consoled over Amnon’s death.

2 Samuel 15:1-6
Some time later, Absalom provided for himself a chariot with horses and fifty men to run ahead of him. / He would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone had a grievance to bring before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out and ask, “What city are you from?” And if he replied, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel,” / Absalom would say, “Look, your claims are good and right, but the king has no deputy to hear you.” …

2 Samuel 3:27
When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died on account of the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.

2 Samuel 18:33
The king was shaken and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he walked, he cried out, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”


Treasury of Scripture

Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.

but he would

2 Samuel 14:30,31
Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire…

Esther 1:12
But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.

Matthew 22:3
And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

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2 Samuel 14
1. Joab, suborning a widow of Tekoah to incline the king's heart to fetch Absalom,
21. brings him home to Jerusalem
25. Absalom's beauty, hair, and children
28. After two years, Absalom is brought into the king's presence by Joab












Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king,

Absalom had returned from exile but remained separated from David. He needed Joab, who had helped secure his return to Jerusalem, to arrange an audience with the king and restore his place within the royal family.

1Ki 2:17 Please speak to King Solomon, since he will not turn you…
Est 4:8-11 Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of the written decree…
2Ki 4:13 and Elisha said to Gehazi, “Now tell her, ‘Look,…

but Joab refused to come to him.

Joab’s refusal left Absalom isolated. Though he had once acted on Absalom’s behalf, he would not continue as his mediator, perhaps recognizing the danger of Absalom’s unresolved resentment and ambition.

Jhn 5:40 yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.
Mat 22:3-5 He sent his servants to call those he had invited…
Luk 14:18-20 But one after another they all began to make excuses.…

So Absalom sent a second time,

Absalom persisted because access to David was essential to his public standing and future influence in Jerusalem. His determination also reveals his unwillingness to accept the limits placed upon him.

1Sa 19:20-21 he sent messengers to seize him. But when they saw the group…
Mat 21:36 Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group.…
2Ch 36:15-16 Again and again the LORD, the God of their fathers,…

but Joab still would not come.

Joab’s continued refusal heightened the tension between Absalom and David’s court. Unable to gain an audience through ordinary means, Absalom soon resorted to a forceful act to compel Joab’s attention.

Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets…
Luk 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets…
Pro 1:24-28 Because you refused my call, and no one took…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Absalom
The third son of King David, known for his handsome appearance and rebellious nature. At this point in the account, Absalom is seeking reconciliation with his father, King David, after being in exile for killing his brother Amnon.

2. Joab
The commander of King David's army and a key political figure. Joab is known for his loyalty to David, but also for his own ambitions and sometimes ruthless actions. He plays a crucial role in the reconciliation process between David and Absalom.

3. King David
The second king of Israel, a man after God's own heart, yet flawed and facing family turmoil. His relationship with Absalom is strained due to past events, including the murder of Amnon.

4. Jerusalem
The capital city of Israel and the political and spiritual center during King David's reign. It is the backdrop for much of the account in 2 Samuel.

5. Reconciliation Attempt
The event where Absalom seeks to be restored to his father's favor, using Joab as an intermediary. This reflects the ongoing tension and unresolved issues within David's family.
Teaching Points
The Complexity of Human Relationships
The account of Absalom and Joab illustrates the complexity and challenges of human relationships, especially within families. It reminds us of the importance of communication and the dangers of unresolved conflict.

The Role of Intermediaries
Joab's role as an intermediary highlights the importance of wise counsel and mediation in resolving disputes. In our lives, seeking godly counsel can be crucial in navigating difficult relationships.

The Consequences of Pride and Ambition
Absalom's actions are driven by pride and ambition, which ultimately lead to further conflict. This serves as a warning about the destructive nature of pride and the need for humility.

The Need for Genuine Reconciliation
The superficial reconciliation between David and Absalom underscores the need for genuine repentance and forgiveness in restoring relationships. True reconciliation requires honesty and a willingness to address underlying issues.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1. What is the meaning of 2 Samuel 14:29?

2. Why did Absalom summon Joab in 2 Samuel 14:29, and what resulted?

3. How does Absalom's persistence in 2 Samuel 14:29 reflect on his character?

4. What can we learn about patience from Absalom's actions in 2 Samuel 14:29?

5. How does Absalom's approach to Joab compare to biblical teachings on conflict resolution?

6. What scriptural principles can guide us when seeking help, as Absalom did?

7. Why did Absalom insist on Joab's presence in 2 Samuel 14:29?

8. What does Absalom's persistence reveal about his character in 2 Samuel 14:29?

9. How does 2 Samuel 14:29 reflect the political dynamics of David's court?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from 2 Samuel 14?


(29) He would not come.--Joab felt that he had already gone far enough in procuring Absalom's return, and, as he still continued under the displeasure of the king, he was not disposed to do anything more. Possibly also he thought Absalom should have shown some sign of penitence for his great crime.

Verse 29. - Absalom sent for Joab. As Joab had been the means of bringing him back, Absalom naturally regarded him as a friend. But Joab had performed the former service for other reasons, and it does not seem as if he really had any affection for Absalom.

Absalom’s repeated but fruitless summons of Joab reveals an impatient heart looking for human leverage rather than humble repentance. Joab’s refusal exposes the frailty of earthly intermediaries and sets the stage for Absalom’s manipulative escalation. The verse challenges readers to seek reconciliation God’s way—through sincere confession and the appointed Mediator—rather than relying on scheming, force, or human favor.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then [he]
אַבְשָׁל֜וֹם (’aḇ·šā·lō·wm)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 53: Absalom -- 'my father is peace', two Israelites

sent
וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח (way·yiš·laḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

for
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Joab
יוֹאָ֗ב (yō·w·’āḇ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3097: Joab -- 'the LORD is father', three Israelites

to send
לִשְׁלֹ֤חַ (liš·lō·aḥ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

him to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the king,
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

but Joab refused
וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

to come.
לָב֣וֹא (lā·ḇō·w)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

So [Absalom] sent
וַיִּשְׁלַ֥ח (way·yiš·laḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

the second [time],
שֵׁנִ֔ית (šê·nîṯ)
Number - ordinal feminine singular
Strong's 8145: Second (an ordinal number)

but [Joab] still would not
וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

come.
לָבֽוֹא׃ (lā·ḇō·w)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go


Additonal Resources
2 Samuel 14:29 Blue Letter Bible
2 Samuel 14:29 Bible Gateway
2 Samuel 14:29 Bible.com

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2 Samuel 14:29 Study Bible
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2 Samuel 14:29 Chinese Bible
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2 Samuel 14:29 Catholic Bible

OT History: 2 Samuel 14:29 Then Absalom sent for Joab to send (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)

2 Samuel 14:28
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