Asahel

Asahel is a David's compatriot living at the time of the united monarchy, from the tribe of Judah. He is named in 14 verses of the Bible, first in 2 Samuel 2:18.

Family

Verses

2 Samuel

• 2 Samuel 2:18
  And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was fleet of foot like a wild gazelle,
• 2 Samuel 2:19
  And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.and he chased Abner, not turning to the right or to the left in his pursuit.
• 2 Samuel 2:20
  Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am.And Abner glanced back and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” “It is,” Asahel replied.
• 2 Samuel 2:21
  And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.So Abner told him, “Turn to your right or to your left, seize one of the young men, and take his equipment for yourself.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.
• 2 Samuel 2:22
  And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother?Once again, Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I show my face to your brother Joab?”
• 2 Samuel 2:23
  Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the fifth rib, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.But Asahel refused to turn away; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into his stomach, and it came out his back, and he fell dead on the spot. And every man paused when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.
• 2 Samuel 2:30
  And Joab returned from following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel.When Joab returned from pursuing Abner, he gathered all the troops. In addition to Asahel, nineteen of David’s servants were missing,
• 2 Samuel 2:32
  And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Beth–lehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.Later, they took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and reached Hebron at daybreak.
• 2 Samuel 3:27
  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.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 3:30
  So Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner, because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.(Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)
• 2 Samuel 23:24
  Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Beth–lehem,Now these were members of the Thirty: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

1 Chronicles

• 1 Chronicles 2:16
  Whose sisters were Zeruiah, and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah; Abishai, and Joab, and Asahel, three.Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the three sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.
• 1 Chronicles 11:26
  Also the valiant men of the armies were, Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Beth–lehem,Now these were the mighty men: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
• 1 Chronicles 27:7
  The fourth captain for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.The fourth, for the fourth month, was Joab’s brother Asahel, and his son Zebadiah was commander after him. There were 24,000 men in his division.

Notes

1. Names, family links and verses from STEPBible's Translators Individualised Proper Names (TIPNR), STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0.
2. Where several people share a name, which verses belong to which person, and the family links, follow STEPBible's identifications; some are uncertain and are marked so.