2Samuel 10 comments

 

2Samuel 10:1 ¶  And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. 2  Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon. 3  And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it? 4  Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. 5  When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.

 

Ammon had been made a tributary of David’s, allowing them to retain their sovereignty.

 

2Samuel 8:10  Then Toi sent Joram his son unto king David, to salute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer, and smitten him: for Hadadezer had wars with Toi. And Joram brought with him vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass:

11  Which also king David did dedicate unto the LORD, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated of all nations which he subdued; 12  Of Syria, and of Moab, and of the children of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

 

Commentators are not definite on what this kindness King Nahash showed to David was but seeing that Nahash and King Saul were mortal enemies (see 1Samuel 11) there may have been something not mentioned but important nonetheless. But the son of Nahash, like Solomon’s son, Rehoboam in 1Kings 12, takes the advice of stupid counselors and mightily humiliates David’s emissaries and insults David. Nothing good can come of this.

 

Proverbs 16:14  The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.

 

2Samuel 10:6 ¶  And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Bethrehob, and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand men, and of Ishtob twelve thousand men. 7  And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men. 8  And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entering in of the gate: and the Syrians of Zoba, and of Rehob, and Ishtob, and Maacah, were by themselves in the field. 9  When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians: 10  And the rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abishai his brother, that he might put them in array against the children of Ammon. 11  And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee. 12  Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good. 13  And Joab drew nigh, and the people that were with him, unto the battle against the Syrians: and they fled before him. 14  And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, then fled they also before Abishai, and entered into the city. So Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.

 

The Ammonites now hire mercenaries to engage David’s army as they know they are in deep trouble. What follows is a description of the battle that ensues and the tactics used by David’s general, Joab. What follows is an undisciplined and not too uncommon rout.

 

The account of this battle in 1Chronicles 19 is slightly different and we will discuss it when we get there. There is a mention of a large number of chariots which I will address. Neither account contradicts the other but are recorded from different points of view by different people.

 

Joab returns to Jerusalem to report to King David.

 

2Samuel 10:15 ¶  And when the Syrians saw that they were smitten before Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16  And Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the river: and they came to Helam; and Shobach the captain of the host of Hadarezer went before them. 17  And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together, and passed over Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought with him. 18  And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand

horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there. 19  And when all the kings that were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more.

 

David’s success in ancient warfare is remarkable as another rout of an enemy helps to assure his dominion over Israel’s neighbors. This lopsided victory over the Syrians was necessary as strategically it kept them from allying themselves with Ammon again. Hadarezer, the king of Zobah (2Samuel 8:3), was head of this confederacy against David. Ammon is now isolated without allies, facing a formidable foe with a grudge and the merciless and very personal aspect of warfare and conquest and subjugation is about to be visited on them. Josephus, the Jewish general turncoat to the Romans, pointed out that although 1Chronicles 19:18 says footmen instead of horsemen it doesn’t matter as soldiers can arrive at a battle on horseback and fight on foot as we saw in many battle of the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. It then becomes an irrelevant objection on the part of a modernist that the passages are slightly different.