Zeruiah
David's sister and the mother of Joab, Abishai and Asahel — the three most formidable and most troublesome of his warriors. She is never given a speaking part and her husband is not named, yet her sons are always identified by her name rather than a father's, an unusual mark in the genealogies. David's exasperated refrain, 'What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah?', is the closest scripture comes to a portrait of the family she raised.
What we know — and how we know it
Where in scripture
1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings1 ChroniclesThen David answered and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, “Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp?” Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”
1 Samuel 26:6
Joab the son of Zeruiah and David’s servants went out, and met them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.
2 Samuel 2:13
The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild gazelle.
2 Samuel 2:18
I am weak today, though anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me. May Yahweh reward the evildoer according to his wickedness.”
2 Samuel 3:39
Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder,
2 Samuel 8:16
Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom.
2 Samuel 14:1
Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over and take off his head.”
2 Samuel 16:9
The king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? Because he curses, and because Yahweh has said to him, ‘Curse David;’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’”
2 Samuel 16:10
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.