The Second Book of Samuel, otherwise called the Second Book of the Kings
2 Samuel 8
Chapter VIII · Vol. II, pp. 686–687
1 David subdueth the Philistines, and maketh the Moabites tributary. 3 He smiteth Hadadezer and the Syrians. 9 Toi sendeth his son with presents to bless him. 11 The presents and the spoil David dedicateth to God. 14 He putteth garrisons in Edom. 16 A list of his principal officers.
1 And aftera this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took bMetheg-ammah1 out of the hand of the Philistines.
B.C. 1040.
a 1 Ch.18.1-17. ch.7.9.
A.M. 2964. B.C. 1040.
b Or, the bridle of Ammah, a hill, ch.2.24.
1 Supposed by some to be another name for Gath. Its name is very significant—'the bridle of bondage.' This victory of David forms a beautiful emblem of the deliverance of believers from the 'bondage of the law.'—C.
2 And he csmote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; evend with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive: and so the Moabites became David's servants, and brought gifts.
3 Davide smote2 also Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he4 went to recover his border at the river Euphrates.
e Ps.60. title. 1 Ch.18.3,12. ver.5,8,12; ch.10.6,8,16,19. 1 Ki.11.23. Ge.15.18. Ex.23.31.
2 1038.
4 David.
4 And fDavid took from him a thousand chariots, and seven hundred5 horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David ghoughed all the chariot-horses, but reserved of them for an hundred chariots.
f 1 Ch.18.4. ch.10.18. Jos.11.6. Ps.20.7; 33.16,17. Pr.21.31.
5 In 1 Ch. 18. 4 David is said to have taken seven thousand horsemen, here only seven hundred; and as the Hebrew letters that stand for these numbers are very similar, the difference is generally ascribed to some error of a transcriber. There is, however, no necessity for a reconciliation where there is really no contradiction; both accounts may be correct, but referring to two different decisions. C.——The Hebrew is: 'And David took from him a thousand and seven hundred horsemen.' There is no word for 'chariots,' though it is found in the Septuagint and in the parallel passage in 1 Ch.18.4.—P.
5 And when the hSyrians6 of Damascus icame to succour kHadadezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men.
6 Then lDavid put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought gifts. And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.
l 1 Ch.18.6. ver.2,10-14. Ps.18.44-50; 20.8. Pr.21.31. ch.22.45,51.
7 And David took mthe shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.
m 1 Ch.18.7. 1 Ki.10.16; 11.23.
8 And nfrom Betah, and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much brass.
n 1 Ch.18.8, i.e. Tibhath and Chun.
10 Then Toi sent pJoram his son unto king David to qsalute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer, and smitten him: (for Hadadezer had wars7 with Toi:) and Joram brought with him8 vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass;
p Or, Hadoram, 1 Ch.18.10.
q Heb. ask him of peace, Ge.43.27. Is.39.1.
7 Heb. was a man of war.
8 Heb. in his hand were.
11 Whichr also king David did dedicate unto the LORD, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated of all nations which he subdued;
r 1 Ch.18.11; 29.2. 1 Ki.10.21. Mi.4.13. Thus heathen gold was given to God, as an earnest of their persons being converted to him under the gospel.
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.
13 And David sgat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the tvalley of Salt, being eighteen thousand men.
14 And uhe put garrisons in 9Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons: and all they of Edom became David's servants. And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.
u Ge.25.23; 27.37,40. Nu.24.18. ver.2,6. Ps.18.31-48.
9 B.C. 1037.
15 And David xreigned over all Israel; and David executed judgment and justice1 unto all his people.
16 And yJoab the son of Zeruiah was over the host;2 and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was 3recorder;4
y ch.2.13; 20.23,24; 5.8. 1 Ch.18.15; 11.6. 1 Ki.4.3.
2 In modern phrase, he was 'commander-in-chief,' sometimes also 'generalissimo.'—C.
3 Or, remembrancer, or, writer of chronicles.
4 The modern title would be 'historiographer.'—C.
17 And zZadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar,5 were the priests; and Seraiah was the scribe;6
z 1 Ch.18.16; 24.3,6. 1 Sa.22.20. ch.15.24,29,35; 20.25.
5 Why Abiathar, who was still living, ch. 15. 24; 20. 25, and who continued to enjoy the office of high-priest till the days of Solomon, 1 Ki.2.20, is not more particularly mentioned, does not appear. If there were authority from MSS. for reading it 'Abiathar the son of Ahimelech,' it would be more in accordance with the passages quoted. But such solutions, when merely conjectural, are not to be countenanced.—C.
6 Or, secretary.
18 Anda Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief rulers.7
a 1 Ch.18.17. ch.15.18; 20.7,23; 23.20-23; 4.2. 1 Ki.1.38,44.
7 Or, princes.
Notes
[Ver. 1. It appears from a consideration of the passage that the word Metheg-ammah is not a proper name, but a descriptive epithet. It is not found in any part of the Bible, nor in any ancient writer. The parallel passage in 1 Ch. 17. 1 is, in Hebrew, word for word as here, except that instead of Metheg-ammah, it has 'Gath and her daughters.' The word metheg signifies 'bridle,' and ammah 'mother,' which in eastern idiom is often applied to a metropolis. Hence the word Metheg-ammah may mean 'the bridle (i.e. the command or government) of the metropolis.' Thus interpreted the parallel passages are identical in meaning. Gath was the metropolis of Philistia. When David took 'Gath and her daughters,' he took the government of the metropolis of the Philistines. P.]
Ver. 2. [With one full line to keep alive. Some interpreters think, that according to an asserted oriental custom, David caused his prisoners to be cast on the ground; and, as a summary form of judgment, divided them by lines for life or death. Others conceive the passage to mean that he divided the territory of Moab by three geographical lines or marches—from two of which the inhabitants were to be extirpated, while within the other, called a full line, they were to be preserved. This sentence of David has been censured as severe; but that can be determined only by those who can prove the innocence of the convicts. A community of robbers, manstealers, murderers, or pirates—any community such as the Thugs of India, may as righteously be exterminated as one single individual, Ge. 9. 6. C.]
Ver. 3. [Zobah was one of the provinces of Aram; it embraced the country lying between the kingdom of Hamath on the north, Damascus on the south, and the Euphrates on the east. It seems to me probable that the city of Zobah stood upon the site of the classic Emesa, now Hums; and that during the reign of the Seleucidae the ancient name was forgotten. P.]
Ver. 13. [There appears to be a slight error in the Hebrew text here. The valley of Salt was in the Arabah, near the southern shore of the Dead Sea, where there is a remarkable range of salt hills. Syria or Aram was far distant, at the extreme north of Palestine. The parallel passage in 1 Ch. 18. 12 enables us to detect and correct the error: 'Moreover, Abishai slew of the Edomites in the valley of Salt eighteen thousand.' The words Aram and Edom closely resemble each other in Hebrew; and the context, as well as the parallel passage, shows that this verse should be:—'when he returned from smiting Edom in the valley of Salt, eighteen thousand.' P.]
Ver. 17. [A natural and easy solution of these names is, that Abiathar the high-priest, the son of Ahimelech, had also a son named Ahimelech, as it is by no means rare for grandfather and grandson to have the same name; and farther, that this Ahimelech performed the duties of high-priest in conjunction with his father, who was still living at the commencement of Solomon's reign. P.]
Ver. 18. [Cherethites and the Pelethites. The king's body-guard: but who were they? The title of Cherethites is applied to certain Philistines, 1 Sa. 30. 14; Eze. 25. 16; Zep. 2. 5; hence some conclude they were, by birth, Philistines, enlisted into David's army. Others consider them to be those Israelites who, having adhered to David when he sojourned in Philistia, took this distinctive title to mark their early and well-tried loyalty. The Pelethites some derive from Peleth, mentioned ch. 12. 2 as one of David's principal officers. The Jewish Targum calls them 'archers and slingers;' Gesenius 'headsmen' and 'couriers;' and these several explanations may all be true, as the duties assigned are not incompatible. C.]
Reflections.—Faithful is he who hath promised. Now, after many ages, he put Israel into the full enjoyment of all their promised territory, from the river of Egypt on the south-west to the Euphrates on the north-east. No mighty nations or powerful corruptions can withstand when God's time of humbling them arrives. The awful threatenings denounced against them take fast hold on them; and the more they have oppressed the people of God the worse fate may they expect. While the associated enemies of the church are broken in pieces, those armies are safe with whom the Lord goes out to the battle. In all wars the glory of God ought to be our principal end; and to him our whole success ought to be ascribed. Wars abroad ought never to hinder mildness, good order, and equity at home. And such as have been faithful friends in adversity deserve preferment in prosperity. But, lo! when God has a temple to build, how he brings under such as would incline to oppose it, and provides for its expense!