Person

Zeruiah

Sister of David and mother of Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, whose sons are repeatedly named as a unit throughout the David narratives.

sister of David, mother of Joab4 Bible books18 chapters25 verse appearances

Who is this?

Zeruiah is identified as a sister of and the mother of three of his most prominent military figures: , , and . She is mentioned by name throughout the books of and Chronicles primarily through references to her sons, who are routinely called "the sons of Zeruiah" — a phrase that becomes a near-idiom in the David narratives for a brand of fierce, sometimes uncontrollable loyalty. David himself uses the expression when he feels unable to restrain Joab and Abishai, lamenting that the sons of Zeruiah are "too hard" for him. Though she herself never speaks in the narrative, her name as a matronymic identifies her family line as distinct within David's own household.

People, places, and events in this story

These connections are explicitly linked in this entity's source description.

Where this appears in Scripture

Start with the key scenes, then open the complete evidence by book or reference type.

Key passages

All appearances25