A common misinterpretation views Joab's slaying of Abner as justified blood revenge or even tacitly approved by David, overlooking the treachery of luring him aside under peaceful pretense amid sworn truce, David's public mourning and curse upon Joab's lineage for the act, and the broader narrative condemning such cycles of violence that thwart God's plan for national unity under David.
II Samuel 3:27
King James Version (1769)
27 And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the fifth rib, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
This passage captures the peril of personal vengeance infiltrating divine purposes during Israel's civil strife, as Joab deceitfully murders Abner—who had defected to David to unify the kingdom—solely to avenge his brother Asahel, thereby illustrating how unchecked retaliation undermines peace initiatives, prolongs division, and invites divine judgment on those who prioritize grudges over reconciliation under God's anointed leadership.