דברי הימים א, פרק י״ט, פסוק ט״ו

In the heat of battle, the morale of an army often depends entirely on the strength of its allies. The Ammonites had placed their confidence in their hired auxiliary forces. Once they saw the Arameans retreating from the battlefield, their own resistance completely shattered. Stripped of the backup they heavily relied upon, they lost their will to fight. They immediately fled from the advancing forces led by Abishai, the brother of Joab, seeking safety behind the walls of their fortified city.

With the enemy successfully driven off the field and forced into retreat, Joab made his way back to Jerusalem. His return served a practical purpose: he needed to deliver a full report of the battle's outcome to David, as well as to regroup and prepare the military for whatever conflicts lay ahead.