Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 11:24
And he gathered men unto him, and became captain over a band, when David slew them [of Zobah]: and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus.
24. and he gathered men unto him ] The LXX. ( Alex.) says ‘men were gathered unto him.’ This only indicates different vowel points to the same consonants. But the difference in the sense would point to Rezon as one whom his countrymen regarded as a leader.
and became captain over a band ] (R.V. troop). The word is mostly used of martial gatherings, and organized forces, and this is the sense here. Rezon gathered, and trained his followers till they were able to dislodge the troops of Israel and establish themselves in Damascus.
when David slew them of Zobah] The two last words are necessary to complete the sense. It is clear that others beside Rezon fled away. It may have been that Hadadezer was an unpopular king. Out of the fugitives Rezon formed for himself a troop, and awaiting his time, came back and assumed the sovereignty.
and they went to Damascus ] i.e. When an opportunity came about of entering into a city, they left what must before have been a wandering life of guerilla-warfare, and settled within walls.
and dwelt therein ] Making a permanent settlement, and may have continued some time before Rezon was made king.
and reigned in Damascus ] If this verb be correct, the sense is that this band of warriors seized the city, and made themselves in a body lords of the place and its people. But a very slight variation of the text would give the sense ‘they made them a king in D.’ which, of course, the narrative shews to have been Rezon. The Syriac has ‘and Rezon reigned in D.,’ while the Vulgate gives ‘and they made him king in D.’
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And (they) reigned – A very slight emendation gives the sense, they made him king at Damascus.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 24. And reigned in Damascus.] Rezon was one of the captains of Hadadezer, whom David defeated. It seems that at this time Rezon escaped with his men; and; having lived, as is supposed, some time by plunder, he seized on Damascus, and reigned there till David took Damascus, when he subdued Syria, and drove out Rezon. But after Solomon’s defection from God, Rezon, finding that God had departed from Israel, recovered Damascus; and joining with Hadad, harassed Solomon during the remaining part of his reign. But some think that Hadad and Rezon were the same person.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Over a band, to wit, of soldiers, who fled and dispersed themselves upon that defeat, 2Sa 10, and others who readily joined themselves with them, and lived by robbery, as many Arabians did.
They went to Damascus, when they were increased in number and strength, and took it, whilst Solomon was wallowing in luxury, and grown effeminate.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And he gathered men unto him,…. Perhaps some of the scattered forces of his master:
and became captain over a band, when David slew them of Zobah; some that escaped enlisted under this man, and lived by plunder the remainder of David’s reign, and so in the reign of Solomon unto his old age, when his heart was turned away from God to idols, by his wives:
and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus; Rezon and his men went thither, not in David’s time, for he put a garrison there, 2Sa 8:6 but towards the close of Solomon’s days, and when Hadad set up in Edom, which gave him the hint to do the same at Damascus, of which he became king, and was the founder of that kingdom; after him there was a long race of kings there.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(24) When David slew them of Zobah.The account of this war is found in 2Sa. 8:1-13. The kingdom of Zobah was evidently a powerful state at that time, at war with the Syrian kingdom of Hamath, but holding supremacy over the Syrians of Damascus, and the Syrians beyond the river Euphrates; and (as the record shows) accumulating vast treasures of gold, silver, and brass. The establishment of Rezon (and Hadad?) at Damascus must have taken place later; for at the time we find that David put governors in Damascus, and reduced its inhabitants to a tributary condition. Possibly there may have been some rising early in the reign of Solomon; for in 2Ch. 8:3, we find that Solomon had to go up against Hamath-zobah, with which expedition the foundation of Tadmor seems to be connected. But it is probable that the establishment of an independent power in Damaseus dated only from the later days of Solomon.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
24. He gathered men Partly, perhaps, from among the fugitives that escaped the slaughter of David, and partly from disaffected portions of the kingdom.
Went to Damascus This was probably towards the close of David’s life, when the garrisons which were put in that section had become thinned or called away, and there was nothing at Damascus to raise any considerable opposition to Rezon and his band, and so he dwelt and reigned there.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Ki 11:24 And he gathered men unto him, and became captain over a band, when David slew them [of Zobah]: and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus.
Ver. 24. He gathered men unto him. ] He rallied his master’s scattered forces, and therewith, after a while, he thrust out David’s garrison, and reigned in Damascus.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
to Damascus: 1Ki 19:15, 1Ki 20:34, Gen 14:15, Act 9:2
in Damascus: Damascus, called also Damesk, but generally El Sham, by the Arabs, is situated in a delightful plain, well watered by the Barrada, at the eastern foot of Antilibanus, being surrounded by the hills in the form of a triumphal arch, 136 miles n of Jerusalem, 195 s of Antioch, and 276 ssw of Diarbekir. It is a city of the highest antiquity, being at least as ancient as the time of Abraham: it has been often captured, and several times demolished, but has always risen to splendour and dignity. The modern town is described by Maundrell as of a long, straight figure, it ends pointing nearly ne and sw It is very slender in the middle, but swells bigger at each end, especially at that to the ne According to Niebuhr, the walls are something less than a league and half in circumference; and the population is estimated at from 100,000 to 150,000.
Reciprocal: 2Sa 8:3 – Zobah 1Ki 15:18 – Damascus 2Ki 8:7 – Damascus 2Ki 14:28 – Damascus 1Ch 18:5 – the Syrians 1Ch 19:6 – Zobah Isa 17:1 – Damascus Jer 49:23 – Damascus Eze 27:18 – Damascus
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
11:24 And he gathered men unto him, and became captain over a band, when David slew them [of Zobah]: and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, {n} and reigned in Damascus.
(n) That is, the men whom he had gathered to him.