1 Chronicles 21:3Joab said, "May Yahweh make his people a hundred times as many as they are. But, my lord the king, aren't they all my lord's servants? Why does my lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of guilt to Israel?"
The setting
Jerusalem, ~1000 BC. King David's palace. General Joab confronts the king about his dangerous plan to count Israel's fighting men, knowing it shows lack of trust in God...
The emotion here: loyal but deeply troubled
The original word
asham (אָשָׁם) — guilt offering, the consequence David will bear
Why it matters
Joab was David's nephew and military commander for over 30 years
Read with care
What most readers miss in 1 Chronicles 21:3
Joab, a hardened warrior, is actually the spiritual voice of reason here
Common misconceptionPeople think Joab was just being difficult, but he understood that counting troops showed David was trusting military might instead of God's protection.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 1 Chronicles 21:3
Bible Genome reading
1 Chronicles 21:3 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
1 Chronicles 21:3 comes from the book of 1 Chronicles, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Joab. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is conversational. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include wisdom, counsel. Notable phrases: May Yahweh make; hundred times as many.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same seeking
“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
— Amos 5:24
“Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that …”
— Genesis 18:25
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evi…”
— Luke 11:4
Your reflection
What does 1 Chronicles 21:3 mean to you, today?
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