And Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning.”
Here, I. Abner, being conquered, meanly begs for a cessation of arms. He rallied the remains of his forces on the top of a hill (Sa2 2:25), as if he would have made head again, but becomes a humble supplicant to Joab for a little breathing-time, Sa2 2:26. He that was most forward to fight was the first that had enough of it.
Commenting on 2 Samuel 2:25-32
And Joab said, as God liveth,.... Which was the form of an oath, swearing by the living God: unless thou hadst spoken; that is, these words in Sa2 2:14; "let the young men arise and play", that he had not given the challenge to fight: surely then in the morning the people had gone up everyone from following his brother; they would have gone away...
And Joab said, [As] God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother. (o) If you had not provoked them to battle, .