Lives of Scripture

Abishai, son of David's sister Zeruiah and brother of Joab and Asahel, first appears sneaking with David into Saul's camp at night; he urged David to let him pin the sleeping king to the ground with one thrust of the spear, but David refused to harm "the LORD's anointed" and took only the spear and water jug as proof (1 Samuel 26:6-9). Abishai became a top commander in David's army, fighting alongside Joab against Abner's forces after Asahel's death (2 Samuel 2:18-24), commanding troops against the Ammonites and Arameans (10:10), and leading a third of David's army against Absalom's rebellion (18:2). He repeatedly urged David toward lethal justice that David refused -- offering twice to kill Shimei for cursing the king, once during Absalom's revolt and again after it, both times overruled by David (16:9-11; 19:21). His fiercest personal moment came late in life: when an exhausted David faced the Philistine giant Ishbi-benob, who threatened to kill him, Abishai came to David's rescue and struck the giant down, after which David's men made him swear never to go to battle again, "so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel" (21:15-17). Scripture credits Abishai as chief of the Three, killing 300 men with his spear in one encounter, honored above the Thirty though not equal to Joab (23:18-19; 1 Chronicles 11:20-21).