שמואל ב, פרק י״ח, פסוק ט״ז

The rebellion reaches its sudden end with the fall of Absalom. With the uprising's leader dead, the military campaign is effectively over, and Joab takes immediate action to prevent further bloodshed. He sounds the shofar to give his troops a prearranged signal that the battle is finished, ordering them to abandon their pursuit and return to their base [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Having achieved his primary objective, Joab is satisfied. He sees no reason to cause further destruction among the Israelites and views any additional killing as completely pointless [רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. To ensure the fighting stops, he must actively hold his men back and restrain them [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators is that David's soldiers would not have abandoned the chase on their own initiative. It is only through Joab's forceful intervention that they are prevented from continuing their pursuit of the Israelites and are compelled to turn back.