שמואל ב, פרק י״ח, פסוק י״א

In the heat of battle, discovering a vulnerable enemy commander presents a critical opportunity that demands immediate action. When the soldier reports finding Absalom trapped, Joab reacts with sheer astonishment. He cannot understand why the man settled for merely observing the situation without taking any practical steps. To Joab, simply seeing the enemy in such a state is entirely useless; he expected the soldier to strike Absalom down to the ground right then and there.

Joab makes it clear that taking decisive action would not have gone unnoticed. Had the soldier killed Absalom, he would have earned a significant reward for such a crucial deed. The compensation for this act would have been ten silver coins—which commentators agree refers to ten silver sela coins—along with a belt. Joab stresses that the soldier should have realized on his own that taking the initiative to eliminate the threat would have guaranteed this generous prize [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].