Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Samuel 10:6
And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand men, and of Ish-tob twelve thousand men.
6 14. Defeat of the Ammonites and their Syrian allies
6. that they stank ] Lit. that they had made themselves stink: had brought themselves into evil odour, or, made themselves odious. Ancient history records many wars undertaken to avenge insults offered to ambassadors, whose persons have always been considered sacred by the law of nations: e.g. the war between Rome and Tarentum which led to the invasion of Italy by Pyrrhus. See also Cicero, pro lege Manil. c. 5.
hired ] For a thousand talents of silver according to 1Ch 19:6, a sum variously estimated at from 250,000 to 500,000. For other instances of the employment of mercenary troops see 2Ki 7:6; 2Ch 25:6.
Beth-rehob ] Beth-rehob (= house of Rehob) or Rehob ( 2Sa 10:8), the capital of this Syrian kingdom, can hardly be the Beth-rehob near Dan mentioned in Jdg 18:28, which was in Israelite territory. It is better to place it at Ruhaibeh, 25 miles N.E. of Damascus, or to identify it with Rehoboth by the river (Gen 36:37), the site of which is fixed a few miles below the junction of the Chaboras with the Euphrates. In this case the Mesopotamians mentioned in the parallel passage in 1 Chron. may be the same as the Syrians of Beth-rehob.
the Syrians of Zoba ] See note on ch. 2Sa 8:3.
and of king Maacah ] Rather, and the king of Maacah. This small Syrian kingdom was in the neighbourhood of Geshur, adjoining the province of Argob in the north-east of Bashan (Deu 3:14), somewhere to the east of the wild and rocky region now called El-Lejah. Some however would place it on the south-west slope of Hermon at the sources of the Jordan. See notes on Jos 12:5; Jos 13:13.
and of Ish-tob ] Rather, and the men of Tob, the district in which Jephthah took refuge (Jdg 11:3). It seems to have been somewhere north or east of Gilead, between Syria and the country of the Ammonites.
The text of Chronicles differs from that of Samuel in several points. ( a) It mentions the price paid to the Syrians, a thousand talents of silver, and names Medeba as the rendezvous where their forces assembled. ( b) The names of the countries from which the mercenaries were drawn are given as Mesopotamia, Maacah, and Zobah. Beth-rehob may be included under Mesopotamia ( 2Sa 10:6, note). Tob is not mentioned; perhaps it was a dependency of Zobah, and is included under it. The contingent sent by each is not specified. ( c) The total number of 32,000 besides the men of Maacah, agrees with the numbers here; but the reading chariots in the present text of 1Ch 19:7 can scarcely be right. 32,000 chariots would be a force of unexampled magnitude. See 1Ki 10:26; 2Ch 12:3; 2Ch 14:9. The text of Samuel also seems to be defective, as the force doubtless had some cavalry and chariots and did not consist of infantry only.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Stank … – A strong figure for to be odious or detested. Compare the marginal references
The Syrians of Beth-rehob – If identical with the Mesopotamians of 1Ch 19:6, Beth-rehob is the same as Rehoboth by the river Gen 36:37. Others think Beth-rehob (Rehob, 2Sa 10:8) the same as the Rehob and Beth-rehob of Num 13:21, near Hamath (perhaps the modern ruin of Hunin). If so, Beth-rehob, as well as Tob, must have been a colony of Aram Naharaim (compare the numbers in 1Ch 19:7 and here).
Syrians of Zoba – Compare 1Sa 14:47 note.
King Maacah – Read the King of Maacah 1Ch 19:6-7. For the position of Maacah, see Deu 3:14; Jos 12:5. It appears to have been a very small state, since its king only brought a thousand men into the field.
Ish-tob – See the margin. Tob was the district where Jephthah fled when driven out by the Gileadites.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 6. The children of Ammon saw that they stank] That is, that their conduct rendered them abominable. This is the Hebrew mode of expressing such a feeling. See Ge 34:30.
The Syrians of Bethrehob] This place was situated at the extremity of the valley between Libanus and Anti-libanus. The Syrians of Zoba were subject to Hadadezer. Maacah was in the vicinity of Mount Hermon, beyond Jordan, in the Trachonitis.
Ish-tob] This was probably the same with Tob, to which Jephthah fled from the cruelty of his brethren. It was situated in the land of Gilead.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Beth-rehob, near Hamath, Num 13:21.
Zoba; of which see 1Sa 14:47; 2Sa 8:3.
Of king Maacah, i. e. of that part of Syria which was under king Maacah; for Syria was a large country, and there were divers kings in the several parts of it. This part was near Gilead. See Deu 3:14.
Of Ish-tob; or, of the men of Tob, the country where Jephthah dwelt, Jdg 11:3. Besides these, they hired others out of Aram-naharaim, or Mesopotamia, as appears from 1Ch 19:6; Psa 60:1. And all these were forward enough to combine against David, both to revenge their former losses and reproaches, and to give check to his growing greatness.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6-14. when the children of Ammon sawthat they stank before DavidTo chastise those insolent andinhospitable Ammonites, who had violated the common law of nations,David sent a large army under the command of Joab, while they,informed of the impending attack, made energetic preparations torepel it by engaging the services of an immense number of Syrianmercenaries.
Beth-rehobthe capitalof the low-lying region between Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon.
Zoba(see on 2Sa8:3).
of king MaacahHisterritories lay on the other side of Jordan, near Gilead (De3:14).
Ish-tobthat is, “themen of Tob”the place of Jephthah’s marauding adventures (seealso 1Ch 19:6; Psa 60:1,title). As the Israelite soldiers poured into the Ammonite territory,that people met them at the frontier town of Medeba (1Ch19:7-9), the native troops covering the city, while the Syrianmercenaries lay at some distance encamped in the fields. In makingthe attack, Joab divided his forces into two separate detachmentstheone of which, under the command of his brother, Abishai, was toconcentrate its attack upon the city, while he himself marchedagainst the overwhelming host of mercenary auxiliaries. It was a justand necessary war that had been forced on Israel, and they could hopefor the blessing of God upon their arms. With great judgment thebattle opened against the mercenaries, who could not stand againstthe furious onset of Joab, and not feeling the cause their own,consulted their safety by flight. The Ammonites, who had placed theirchief dependence upon a foreign aid, then retreated to entrenchthemselves within the walls of the town.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David,…. Or had made themselves odious to him, as it is rendered in
1Ch 19:6; were abominable to him, that he was incensed against them, and enraged at them, and was determined to be avenged on them for the affront given, of which they had certain information: but instead of seeking to appease him, and give him satisfaction for the affront,
the children of Ammon sent, and hired the Syrians of Bethrehob; a place near Hamath, Nu 13:21; there was a city of this name in the tribe of Asher, out of which the Canaanites could not be driven, and perhaps now inhabited by Syrians, or by a people so called, Jos 19:28;
and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen: that is, out of both places; this place Hadadezer was king of, with whom David had fought before, and beat, and who owed him a grudge on that account, and was ready to assist the Ammonites against him, 2Sa 8:3,
and of King Maacah a thousand men; that is, of the king of Maacah, which was a place in the tribe off Manasseh, from whence the inhabitants could not be expelled, Jos 13:11; and seems now to have been inhabited by Syrians, and therefore is called Syriamaachah, 1Ch 19:6;
and of Ishtob twelve thousand men; which is thought to be the same with the land of Tob, whither Jephthah fled, and dwelt in it, when ill used by his brethren, Jud 11:3; these mercenary soldiers were in all thirty three thousand men; 1Ch 19:6, it is said, chariots and horsemen, even thirty two thousand; these were hired with a thousand talents of silver.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
When the Ammonites saw that they had made themselves stinking before David, and therefore that David would avenge the insult offered to the people of Israel in the persons of their ambassadors, they looked round for help among the powerful kings of Syria. They hired as auxiliaries (with a thousand talents of silver, i.e., nearly half a million of pounds sterling, according to 1Ch 19:6) twenty thousand foot from Aram-Beth-Rehob and Aram-Zoba, and one thousand men from the king of Maacah, and twelve thousand troops from the men of Tob. Aram-Beth-Rehob was the Aramaean kingdom, the capital of which was Beth-rehob. This Beth-rehob, which is simply called Rehob in v. 8, is in all probability the city of this name mentioned in Num 13:21 and Jdg 18:28, which lay to the south of Hamath, but the exact position of which has not yet been discovered: for the castle of Hunin, in the ruins of which Robinson imagines that he has found Beth-rehob Bibl. Researches, p. 370), is to the south-west of Tell el Kadi, the ancient Laish-Dan, the northern boundary of the Israelitish territory; so that the capital of this Aramaean kingdom would have been within the limits of the land of Israel, – a thing which is inconceivable. Aram-Naharaim is also mentioned in the corresponding text of the Chronicles, and for that reason many have identified Beth-Rehob with Rehoboth, on “the river” (Euphrates), mentioned in Gen 36:37. But this association is precluded by the fact, that in all probability the latter place is to be found in Rachabe, which is upon the Euphrates and not more than half a mile from the river (see Ritter, Erdk. xv. p. 128), so that from its situation it can hardly have been the capital of a separate Aramaean kingdom, as the government of the king of Zoba extended, according to 2Sa 10:16, beyond the Euphrates into Mesopotamia. On Aram-Zoba, see at 2Sa 8:3; and for Maacah at Deu 3:14. is not to be taken as one word and rendered as a proper name, Ish-Tob, as it has been by most of the earlier translators; but is a common noun used in a collective sense (as it frequently is in the expression ), “the men of Tob.” Tob was the district between Syria and Ammonitis, where Jephthah had formerly taken refuge (Jdg 11:5). The corresponding text of the Chronicles (1Ch 19:6-7) is fuller, and differs in several respects from the text before us. According to the Chronicles, Hanun sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Aram-Naharaim, Aram-maacah, and Zobah. With this the Ammonites hired thirty-two thousand receb (i.e., chariots and horsemen: see at 2Sa 8:4), and the king of Maacah and his people. They came and encamped before Medeba, the present ruin of Medaba, two hours to the south-east of Heshbon, in the tribe of Reuben (see at Num 21:30, compared with Jos 13:16), and the Ammonites gathered together out of their cities, and went to the war. The Chronicles therefore mention Aram-Naharaim (i.e., Mesopotamia) as hired by the Ammonites instead of Aram-Beth-Rehob, and leave out the men of Tob. The first of these differences is not to be explained, as Bertheau suggests, on the supposition that the author of the Chronicles took Beth-rehob to be the same city as Rehoboth of the river in Gen 36:37, and therefore substituted the well-known “ Aram of the two rivers” as an interpretation of the rarer name Beth-rehob, though hardly on good ground. For this conjecture does not help to explain the omission of “the men of Tob.” It is a much simpler explanation, that the writer of the Chronicles omitted Beth-rehob and Tob as being names that were less known, this being the only place in the Old Testament in which they occur as separate kingdoms, and simply mentioned the kingdoms of Maacah and Zoba, which frequently occur; and that he included “Aram of the two rivers,” and placed it at the head, because the Syrians obtained succour from Mesopotamia after their first defeat. The account in the Chronicles agrees with the one before us, so far as the number of auxiliary troops is concerned. For twenty thousand men of Zoba and twelve thousand of Tob amount to thirty-two thousand, besides the people of the king of Maacah, who sent a thousand men according to the text of Samuel. But according to that of the Chronicles, the auxiliary troops consisted of chariots and horsemen, whereas only foot-soldiers are mentioned in our text, which appears all the more remarkable, because according to 2Sa 8:4, and 1Ch 18:4, the king of Zoba fought against David with a considerable force of chariots and horsemen. It is very evident, therefore, that there are copyists’ errors in both texts; for the troops of the Syrians did not consist of infantry only, nor of chariots and horsemen alone, but of foot-soldiers, cavalry, and war-chariots, as we may see very clearly not only from the passages already quoted in 2Sa 8:4 and 1Ch 18:4, but also from the conclusion to the account before us. According to 2Sa 10:18 of this chapter, when Hadarezer had reinforced his army with auxiliaries from Mesopotamia, after losing the first battle, David smote seven hundred receb and forty thousand parashim of Aram, whilst according to the parallel text (1Ch 19:18) he smote seven thousand receb and forty thousand foot. Now, apart from the difference between seven thousand and seven hundred in the case of the receb , which is to be interpreted in the same way as a similar difference in 2Sa 8:4, the Chronicles do not mention any parashim at all in 2Sa 10:18, but foot-soldiers only, whereas in 2Sa 10:7 they mention only receb and parashim ; and, on the other hand, there are no foot-soldiers given in 2Sa 10:18 of the text before us, but riders only, whereas in 2Sa 10:6 there are none but foot-soldiers mentioned, without any riders at all. It is evident that in both engagements the Syrians fought with all three (infantry, cavalry, and chariots), so that in both of them David smote chariots, horsemen, and foot.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Ammonites and Syrians Defeated. | B. C. 1037. |
6 And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, 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.
Here we have, I. The preparation which the Ammonites made for war, v. 6. They saw they had made themselves very odious to David and obnoxious to his just displeasure. This they might easily have foreseen when they abused his ambassadors, which was no other than a challenge to war, and a bold defiance of him. Yet, it seems, they had not considered how unable they were, with their thousands, to meet his; for now they found themselves an unequal match, and were forced to hire forces of other nations into their service. Thus sinners daringly provoke God, and expose themselves to his wrath, and never consider that he is stronger than they, 1 Cor. x. 22. The Ammonites gave the affront first, and they were the first that raised forces to justify it. Had they humbled themselves, and begged David’s pardon, probably an honorary satisfaction might have atoned for the offence. But, when they were thus desperately resolved to stand by what they had done, they courted their own ruin.
II. The speedy descent which David’s forces made upon them, v. 7. When David heard of their military preparations, he sent Joab with a great army to attack them, v. 7. Those that are at war with the Son of David not only give the provocation, but begin the war; for he waits to be gracious, but they strengthen themselves against him, and therefore, if they turn not, he will whet his sword, Ps. vii. 12. God has forces to send against those that set his wrath at defiance (Isa. v. 19), which will convince them, when it is too late, that none ever hardened his heart against God and prospered. It was David’s prudence to carry the war into their country, and fight them at the entering in of the gate of their capital city, Rabbah, as some think, or Medeba, a city in their borders, before which they pitched to guard their coast, 1 Chron. xix. 7. Such are the terrors and desolations of war that every good prince will, in love to his people, keep it as much as may be at a distance from them.
III. Preparations made on both sides for an engagement. 1. The enemy disposed themselves into two bodies, one of Ammonites, which, being their own, were posted at the gate of the city; the other of Syrians, whom they had taken into their pay, and who were therefore posted at a distance in the field, to charge the forces of Israel in the flank or rear, while the Ammonites charged them in the front, v. 8. 2. Joab, like a wise general, was soon aware of the design, and accordingly divided his forces: the choicest men he took under his own command, to fight the Syrians, whom probably he knew to be the better soldiers, and, being hired men, better versed in the arts of war, v. 9. The rest of the forces he put under the command of Abishai his brother, to engage the Ammonites, v. 10. It should seem, Joab found the enemy so well prepared to receive them that his conduct and courage were never so tried as now.
IV. Joab’s speech before the battle, 2Sa 10:11; 2Sa 10:12. It is not long, but pertinent, and brave. 1. He prudently concerts the matter with Abishai his brother, that the dividing of the forces might not be the weakening of them, but that, which part soever was borne hard upon, the other should come in to its assistance. He supposes the worst, that one of them should be obliged to give back; and in that case, upon a signal given, the other should send a detachment to relieve it. Note, Mutual helpfulness is brotherly duty. If occasion be, thou shalt help me, and I will help thee. Christ’s soldiers should thus strengthen one another’s hands in their spiritual warfare. The strong must succour and help the weak. Those that through grace are conquerors over temptation must counsel, and comfort, and pray for, those that are tempted. When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren, Luke xxii. 32. The members of the natural body help one another, 1 Cor. xii. 21. 2. He bravely encourages himself, and his brother, and the rest of the officers and soldiers, to do their utmost. Great dangers put an edge upon true courage. When Joab saw the front of the battle was against him, both before and behind, instead of giving orders to make an honourable retreat, he animated his men to charge so much more furiously: Be of good courage and let us play the men, not for pay and preferment, for honour and fame, but for our people, and for the cities of our God, for the public safety and welfare, in which the glory of God is so much interested. God and our country was the word. “Let us be valiant, from a principle of love to Israel, that are our people, descended from the same stock, for whom we are employed, and in whose peace we shall have peace; and from a principle of love to God, for they are his cities that we are fighting in the defence of.” The relation which any person or thing stands in to God should endear it to us, and engage us to do our utmost in its service. 3. He piously leaves the issue with God: “When we have done our part, according to the duty of our place, let the Lord do that which seemeth to him good.” Let nothing be wanting in us, whatever the success be; let God’s work be done by us, and then God’s will be done concerning us. When we make conscience of doing our duty we may, with the greatest satisfaction, leave the event with God, not thinking that our valour binds him to prosper us, but that still he may do as he pleases, yet hoping for his salvation in his own way and time.
V. The victory Joab obtained over the confederate forces of Syria and Ammon, 2Sa 10:13; 2Sa 10:14. He provided for the worst, and put the case that the Syrians and Ammonites might prove too strong for him (v. 11), but he proved too strong for them both. We do not hinder our success by preparing for disappointment. The Syrians were first routed by Joab, and then the Ammonites by Abishai; the Ammonites seem not to have fought at all, but, upon the retreat of the Syrians, to have fled into the city. It is a temptation to soldiers to fly when they have a city at their backs to fly to. It is one thing when men may either fight or fly and another thing when they must either fight or die.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Joab Defeats the Ammonite-Syrian Confederacy, 2Sa 10:6-14 AND 1Ch 19:6-15
The Ammonites soon realized they had made a disastrous mistake in their treatment of David’s ambassadors of comfort. Their provocation was cause for war, and in fear they sought aid to meet the expected assault of David’s army. They raised a thousand talents of silver (about $2,000,000 in 1960 values) to hire mercenary forces from the Aramaen (or Syrian) lands of the area of Mesopotamia. They also got help from Beth-rehob (or Rehob) in the Lebanese mountains near the the northern city of Dan; Zoba, which was north of Damascus; Maacah, a small kingdom near mount Hermon; Ish-fob (or the “men of Tob”) between Syria and Ammon.
These people supplied a huge force, including thirty-two thousand chariots, and came against Israel, pitching their army before (east) of Medeba, in the territory of Moab. So the Moabites must have been involved in the war on the side of their brother nation, Ammon. They arrayed their army before the gate of the city, and David sent Joab with his host and the mighty men to fight against them.
Joab soon found himself in a delicate situation, between the Ammonite forces before the gate of Medeba and the Syrian hordes who came up behind him. It seemed an impossible position, but he did not despair. This in one of several times Joab manifests great courage, valor, and trust in the Lord. He promptly chose the best of his men and put them in a special force to face the stronger Syrians, leaving the remainder under command of his brother, Abishai, to face the weaker Ammonites. Each was to come to the aid of the other if it seemed either was being put to the worse.
Joab challenged his brother with words which still point up a great lesson for God’s children: 1) Be of good courage; 2) let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people; 3) for the cities of God; 4) let the Lord do what is good in His sight. It is somewhat reminiscent of God’s challenge to Joshua at the beginning of his leadership over Israel (Jos 1:6-9). In their battle God’s people should have courage, for the encouragement of their brethren, for their churches, and leave all in the hand of the Lord who will do what is right in His sight.
Their resolution won the day. Not only did the massive Syrian forces flee from the courageous assault of Joab; the Ammonites seeing the repulse of their allies, fled from Abishai into the gates of the city of safety. Thus Joab returned triumphant,to Jerusalem to begin the war in earnest.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
Davids Army Divided Into Two Companies. 2Sa. 10:6-19
6 And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, 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.
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.
5.
What caused the war with the Ammonites? 2Sa. 10:6
When a nation treats ambassadors shamefully, it is all the same as though they had treated the country in the same way. David was furious, and then these steps were taken:
a.
Ammonites hired the Syriansverse six
b.
The enemys army dividedverse eight
c.
Israels army divided to meet the enemyverses nine and ten
d.
Joab routed the Syrians (verse thirteen); Ammonites fled before Abishai as a resultverse fourteen
Although the Ammonites hired Syrians to fight for them, they were unable to overcome the Israelites. The Ammonites and Syrians put an army into the field under separate commands and in segregated positions. To meet this strategy, Joab delivered a part of the army of the Israelites to the command of Abishai. Joab thought of the God of Israel as a God of battle and so trusted His deliverance. When Joab pressed the battle against the Syrians which were before him, the Syrians fled. The heart of the Ammonites failed within them when they saw that the Syrians were being defeated. They, too, retreated before the onrushing forces of Abishai.
Had the Israelites been prepared for a siege, they might have come to final grips with the Ammonites and Syrians soon after this first encounter. The Israelites were not ready to besiege the city, however, and the Ammonites were able to find refuge in Rabbath-Ammon. It was not until later that the siege was laid.
6.
Who was King Maacah? 2Sa. 10:6 b
The Ammonites not only were able to hire men from the Syrians of Beth-rehob and Zobah, but they were able to get men from Maacah. Maacah was a city and small Syrian kingdom at the foot of Mount Hermon near Geshur (Jos. 13:13; 1Ch. 19:7). This territory was the land around the southern and eastern slopes of Hermon; it also took in a portion of the rocky plateau called Iturea. The land really belonged to Israel, but it was not possessed by them in Joshuas day. Its king contributed 1,000 men to the Ammonites as they fought against David, but they were all defeated (2Sa. 10:19).
7.
Who were the men of ?Tob. 10:6 b
Ish-Tob is not to be considered as one word and translated as a proper noun, but rather it should be thought of as a reference to the men of Tob. Tob was a district between Assyria and Ammon. Jephthah had taken refuge here when he fled from his brethren (Jdg. 11:3). Hanun was able to band all the Syrians together to stave off the attack David was about to make.
8.
Who were hosts of mighty men? 2Sa. 10:7
David mustered all his mighty men. These mighty men were more than those listed as Davids heroes (2Sa. 23:8-39). Here is a reference to the fact that David called all his army into this battle. This naturally meant that the militia was considered a different body from the veteran force. Later on, David was able to count 1,300,000 men of military age (2Sa. 24:9).
9.
What was Joabs strategy? 2Sa. 10:9
Joab saw that two fronts were being formed by the enemy. One group was closing in before him; another was chasing him from the rear. He therefore took the best fighters from the men of Israel, and set them in a battle line against the better equipped and more experienced Syrians. He put the rest of the men under the leadership of Abishai and ordered them to go out against the Ammonites. Joab felt that the Syrians were the real threat and that it was important to beat them. Probably the bulk of the army went against the Ammonites.
10.
What was the meaning of Joabs remark to Abishai? 2Sa. 10:12
Joab was a good soldier; he urged his men to be courageous. He exhorted them to fight like men. This was the battle cry of the Philistines when they learned that the ark had been brought out into the field of battle against them (1Sa. 4:9). They exhorted one another saying: Be strong and quit yourselves like men. Joabs reference to fighting for the cities of our God is very unusual, leading some to conjecture as to whether the original text made reference to the Ark of God. There is no real evidence for making any change in the word, however, and it appears that Joab was encouraging his people to fight for their towns. He did say that they ought to play the men, for our people. He left the outcome of the battle in the hands of God saying, The Lord do that which seemeth Him good.
11.
What was the outcome of the battle? 2Sa. 10:13
Joab was victorious over the Assyrians, and they fled from him. The children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were beaten and then gave way before Abishai. The Ammonites withdrew to their city; probably the city of Rabbah. Joab called of the battle and he and his men returned to Jerusalem. The Israelites were not prepared for a siege; they had come out for a battle in the open field.
12.
Who was Hadadezer? 2Sa. 10:16
Hadadezer was the king of Zobah. Having been defeated once by the Israelites, he was not satisfied until he had gathered another Syrian army which included the Syrians beyond the River Euphrates. The extent of the Syrian principality cannot be exactly ascertained, but it is generally concluded to have extended from the border of the Ammonites to the Euphrates River and beyond.
13.
Where was Helam? 2Sa. 10:17
Helam is a spot that is not known for sure today. The Hebrew was rendered their army, by Thenius. Cornill, an Old Testament scholar, restores the name to the text in Eze. 47:16, which would place it on the boundary of Hamath and Damascus. Hoffmann, another Old Testament geographer, identifies it with Aleppo. Another spot known as Alema (1Ma. 5:26), now the modern Alma in Hauran, is a third suggested location. Undoubtedly it was on the northeast border of Davids territory and centrally located to those who had come together to avenge the initial defeat handed them by the Israelites under Joab and Abishai.
14.
What caused David to go out to battle? 2Sa. 10:17
Hadadezer sought help from other Syrians. David considered the second engagement important enough to demand his own time and leadership. Naturally, the Israelites would be more valiant in the presence of their king. It was said that the courage of the men of England was so much greater when the Duke of Wellington was on the field that his presence was equal to an additional troop of one thousand men.
15.
Who won the second battle? 2Sa. 10:18
Once again the Israelites were victorious over the Syrians. There is no word in the text for men, the original reading would say David slew seven hundred chariots. The object of this throughout the Bible is always something that has life. The King James translators have rightfully supplied the word men here, and indicated that David slew seven hundred charioteers. In addition, he slew 40,000 horsemen and also killed Shobach, their captain. It was a decisive victory.
16.
What was the outcome of the war? 2Sa. 10:19
Syria was made a vassal of Israel. The Syrians were afraid to enter into a league with the Ammonites after this campaign. David still had a matter to settle with Ammon, and this was the reason for the campaign mentioned in the following text. The fact that David was able to subdue these Syrians makes it clear that he was indeed a very strong ruler. Israel was coming to her most prosperous time. The indication is that all the Syrian kings were servants to Haderezer. This implies that he was the chief ruler and had subject monarchs under him. Once David had subdued him and his coalition, he had nothing to fear from the Syrians.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(6) Saw that they stank.The Hebrew, translated literally, shows that they were conscious that this was by their own faultthat they had made themselves stink, and is so rendered in 1Ch. 19:6.
Hired.Chronicles gives the amount of the subsidy, 1,000 talents of silver, a sum variously estimated at from 125,000 to twice that amount. It shows at once the wealth of Ammon, the importance of the auxiliaries, and the grave character of the war.
Syrians of Beth-rehob.Called simply Rehob in 2Sa. 10:8. This has been understood of several different places. It can hardly have been the Rehob (or Beth-rehob) of Num. 13:21; Jdg. 18:28, since that was near Laish, and within the territory of the Israelites. Some identify it with Ruhaibeh, twenty-five miles N.E. of Damascus; but it is more likely to have been Rehoboth by the river (i.e., near the Euphrates) of Gen. 36:37, as this corresponds with out of Mesopotamia in the parallel passage 1Ch. 19:6, the situation of which is not more definitely known.
Zoba.See Note on 2Sa. 8:3.
King Maacah.Read, King of Maacah, as in Chronicles. For the situation of the country see Deu. 3:14; Jos. 12:5. It furnished only one thousand auxiliaries.
Ish-tob.Translated, men of Tob, the first syllable not being a part of the proper name. Jephthah here found refuge when exiled by his countrymen (Jdg. 11:3; Jdg. 11:5). It was probably just east of Gilead, between Syria and the land of Ammon; it is not mentioned in Chronicles.
The total number of auxiliaries mentioned in 1Ch. 19:7, thirty-two thousand, is the same as given here, Maacah being omitted from the number; but the composition of the force is different. Here only infantry are mentioned, there only chariots and cavalry. It is plain from the result of the battle (2Sa. 10:18 in both places) that all three arms of the service were employed; either, therefore, some words have dropped out from both texts, or else the writer in each case did not care to go into details. Chronicles mentions that the allies mustered in Medeba, a place on a hill in the Belka plain, about four miles south-east of Heshbon, and well fitted strategically to repel an attack upon Rabbah. It had been originally assigned to the tribe of Reuben (Jos. 13:9).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. Stank Were held in abomination. See note on 1Sa 13:4.
Sent and hired the Syrians In the note on 2Sa 8:3, we have argued that probably this act of the Syrians in helping the Ammonites in their war against Israel was the occasion of David’s Aramean wars. The mere fact that this account occurs in a subsequent chapter does not prove that the events themselves were in the like chronological sequence. The conquest of Ammon is also mentioned in that chapter, (2Sa 10:12😉 but it could have been no conquest previous to this one, for if David had subdued them before the death of Nahash, how could he have presumed to send this embassy of condolence to Hanun? And, further, if the complete subjugation into which David reduced Hadarezer and his people were previous to this, is it not strange that in this more detailed narrative there is no mention of their revolting from their allegiance?
Beth-rehob Called also in 2Sa 10:8, Rehob; a district lying probably southwest of Damascus, and north of Lake Merom. See on Jdg 18:28.
Of king Maacah Rather, of the king of Maacah, Maacah being the name of the place, not of the king. The region of Maacah seems to have bordered on Beth-rehob, and extended southward from Mount Hermon. See on Jos 12:5.
Ish-tob Rather, men of Tob. Tob was the district northeast of Gilead into which Jephthah fled when driven from his father’s house. See margin, and Jdg 11:3. In 1Ch 19:6, we are told that the Ammonites derived help from Mesopotamia also, and, according to our interpretation of chap. viii, at a later stage of this same war with Syria, when the Syrians of Damascus interfered to succour Hadarezer, they were also smitten before the army of Israel, and thus all these confederate principalities of Syria became subject to David. Thus the fragmentary narratives of chaps. viii and x of this book of Samuel, and the parallel passages in 1 Chronicles, make up at best only a broken and disconnected account of David’s Syrian wars; and therefore, for want of sufficient data, we may not expect to clear up all discrepancies in numbers that appear between the separate accounts.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
David’s Response To Ammon And The Consequent War With Ammon and Aram ( 2Sa 10:6-19 ).
The Ammonites did not wait for David to attack but immediately sent messages to the Aramaeans along with a thousand talents of silver (a considerable sum) calling on them to come to their aid. This tends to confirm that there had already been contact with the Aramaeans, otherwise why would there have been such an immediate response to their request? It suggests that the Ammonites had in fact succumbed to Aramaean troublemaking suggestions, and were now looking for their assistance in facing up to the repercussions. In view of the fact that they knew that they could not face David alone they would hardly have deliberately insulted David in the way that they had unless they had had some plan already in mind which they had reason to think would be successful. They must have been absolutely confident that the Aramaeans would respond.
The Aramaeans did immediately respond. It gave them their opportunity to test David in battle without actually invading Israel, or Israel invading them. But what they had certainly not anticipated was the skill of David’s highly trained forces, and such a resounding defeat of their own forces. To put it in the way that the writer puts it, they had failed to recognise that YHWH was with Israel ( 2Sa 8:6 ; 2Sa 8:14; 2Sa 10:12).
Analysis.
a
b And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men (2Sa 10:7).
c And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entrance of the gate, and the Aramaeans of Zobah and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselves in the countryside (2Sa 10:8).
d Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Aramaeans, and the rest of the people he committed into the hand of Abishai his brother, and he put them in array against the children of Ammon (2Sa 10:9-10).
e And he said, “If the Aramaeans prove too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the children of Ammon prove too strong for you, then I will come and help you. Be of good courage, and let us play the man for our people, and for the cities of our God, and YHWH do what seems good to him” (2Sa 10:11-12).
d So Joab and the people who were with him drew nigh to the battle against the Aramaeans, and they fled before him, and when the children of Ammon saw that the Aramaeans were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered into the city. Then Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem (2Sa 10:13-14).
c And when the Aramaeans saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they gathered themselves together, and Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the River, and they came to Helam, with Shobach the captain of the host of Hadarezer at their head (2Sa 10:15-16).
b And it was told to David, and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Aramaeans set themselves in array against David, and fought with him (2Sa 10:17).
a And the Aramaeans fled before Israel, and David slew of the Aramaeans the men of seven units (hundred) of chariots, and forty units (thousands) of horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, so that he died there. And when all the kings who were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the Aramaeans feared to help the children of Ammon any more (2Sa 10:18-19).
Note that in ‘a’ the Ammonites called on the help of the Aramaeans and their numbers are given, and in the parallel the Aramaeans feared to help the Ammonites any more and the numbers of their dead are given. In ‘b’ David sends out all his troops and his mighty men with Joab, and in the parallel he himself takes out the host and fights with the Aramaeans. In ‘c’ the children of Ammon set themselves in array against Israel and the Aramaeans are gathered together for that purpose, and in the parallel the Aramaeans are gathered together for the purpose of facing Israel. In ‘d’ Joab divides his forces between himself and Abishai, and in the parallel Joab and Abishai defeat their respective enemies. In ‘e’ and centrally the call is to have good courage and defend ‘the cities of our God’ and the assurance is that YHWH will do what seems right to Him.
2Sa 10:6
‘ And when the children of Ammon saw that they were become odious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Aramaeans (Syrians) of Beth-rehob, and the Aramaeans of Zobah, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and the men of Tob twelve thousand men.’
It would not have taken much intelligence for the Ammonites to realise that having deeply insulted David they must expect repercussions. Indeed that must surely have been their intention. It therefore suggests that what follows was already pre-planned. For the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver (1Ch 19:6) to the Aramaeans (Syrians) and their allies seeking for their assistance. It was a kind of tribute. The result was that twenty units of footmen were provided by the Aramaeans of Beth-rehub and Zobah, a further unit by the Aramaean king of Maacah, and twelve units by ‘the men of Tob’.
For Beth-rehob see Num 13:21; Jdg 18:28, in which case it was at Lebo-Hamath (or ‘the entering in of Hamath’), and north of Laish/Dan. The kings of Zobah are mentioned in 1Sa 14:47 alongside Ammon, Moab and Edom as neighbouring tribes, and as this chapter now indicates (2Sa 10:3; 2Sa 10:5; 2Sa 10:9), it was to be found in the vicinity of Damascus and Hamath, and was thus to the north of Israel, and probably north-east of Damascus. For ‘the land of Tob’ as just north of Gilead see Jdg 11:3.
1Ch 19:6 tells us that ‘they hired chariots and horsemen’ amounting to thirty two military units, which came from Aram Naharaim (Paddan-aram), and out of Aram Maacah, and out of Aram Zobah. The mention of Aram Naharaim may suggest that this number had in mind all the chariot units that were used during what would turn out to be a protracted conflict (2Sa 10:16) and not only the initial ones sent, for initially Aram Naharaim does not appear to have been initially involved. Thus the figure in Chronicles (thirty two units of chariots), appearing in an abbreviated account, may have in mind the total range of resources available to the Aramaeans over the whole conflict, not only those of the original invasion. It may thus have included chariot forces and horsemen that had to be faced later (compare 2Sa 10:18). Chronicles in fact is not in the least interested in the footmen. It would appear therefore that the Chronicler was rather impressed with the chariot power that they finally had to face, and felt that it said all that needed to be said. To him this revealed what a formidable foe they were facing, and that such an army necessarily had a large number of footmen would go without saying. Both accounts, therefore, would appear to have taken their information from a more detailed source, selecting what they saw as giving the impression that they wanted to convey. Samuel perhaps gives a better picture of the initial forces faced by Joab, with its massed army of footmen gathered near Rabbah. Perhaps the hope was that their very numbers would make Israel withdraw. The chariots may have been held in reserve in a place more suitable for chariots. They are said by the Chronicler to have amassed at Medeba in the territory of Reuben, which was on the King’s Highway. Possibly the intention was in order to secure and protect the trade route. (2Sa 10:18 makes clear that the writer of Samuel was aware that chariots and horsemen were involved at some stage, but not seemingly at the beginning).
2Sa 10:7
‘ And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men.’
As soon as David heard of the hiring of the Aramaean contingents he mustered his army and sent ‘Joab and all the host of the mighty men’ to the land of the children of Ammon, in order to avenge the insult to his messengers, and to him.
2Sa 10:8
‘ And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entrance of the gate, and the Aramaeans of Zobah and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselves in the countryside.’
Once the Israelite army approached, the warriors of the children of Ammon ‘came out’ from their various cities and stood ready to do battle at the gate of the city at which battle was to be joined. That would enable them if necessary to retreat into the city. We are not given the name of the city in either account, but 11:1 may suggest that it was Rabbah, their capital city Meanwhile the Aramaean footmen had congregated out in the countryside. Israel were thus faced with the prospect of having to fight on two fronts at once.
2Sa 10:9-10
‘ Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Aramaeans, and the rest of the people he committed into the hand of Abishai his brother, and he put them in array against the children of Ammon.’
Immediately summing up the situation Joab divided his forces into two. He himself took the best trained and most effective units in order to deal with the sophisticated Aramaeans, while he gave to Abishai the remainder of his forces in order that they might meanwhile keep the Ammonites at bay. He did not want to meet the Aramaeans and at the same time be attacked from behind.
2Sa 10:11
‘ And he said, “If the Aramaeans prove too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the children of Ammon prove too strong for you, then I will come and help you.”’
Then he instructed his brother to face up to the Ammonites, probably without attacking them unless necessary, while also keeping an eye out so that if Joab and his forces seemed to be failing he could send troops to assist him. Meanwhile he would do the same for Abishai if the Ammonites did attack.
2Sa 10:12
“ Be of good courage, and let us play the man for our people, and for the cities of our God, and YHWH do what seems good to him.”
After this he gave the instruction that to the writer was all important. It was to the effect that they should be of good courage and play the man, for the sake of their people and for the cities of their God, and then he committed the result to YHWH. Here would be the secret of their success. His very words suggest his awareness of the seeming superiority of the forces that were arraigned against them.
2Sa 10:13
‘ So Joab and the people who were with him drew nigh to the battle against the Aramaeans, and they fled before him.’
Then Joab and his elite forces advanced on the Aramaeans and dealt with them so effectively that the Aramaeans fled before them. David’s highly trained forces, led by his mighty men, were too much for the Aramaeans.
2Sa 10:14
‘ And when the children of Ammon saw that the Aramaeans were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered into the city. Then Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.’
As soon as the Ammonites saw that the Aramaeans had been put to flight they panicked, and fled before Abishai, seeking refuge in their city. At this point Joab, recognising that they had not seen the last of the Aramaeans, decided to leave the Ammonites cooped up in their city (possibly with containing troops surrounding it) and returned to Jerusalem, no doubt to warn David of what the situation was and in order to prepare for a major war with the Aramaeans. The Ammonites could wait.
2Sa 10:15-16
‘ And when the Aramaeans saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they gathered themselves together. And Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Aramaeans who were beyond the River, and they came to Helam, with Shobach the captain of the host of Hadarezer at their head.’
Recognising that his forces had been put to the worse by Israel Hadarezer gathered together, along with the remainder of his own forces, reinforcements from Beyond the River (from the Aramaeans in Mesopotamia proper). It was probably now that the majority of the Chronicler’s thirty two units of chariots come into play, along with a multitude of horsemen (1Ch 19:6-7). This was going to be the real test for David and his men. This powerful army then made for Helam, and were personally commanded by Shobach, Hadarezer’s commander-in-chief (who is mainly mentioned because he will shortly be slain). Helam was in northern Transjordan and may have been modern ‘Alma.
2Sa 10:17
‘ And it was told to David, and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Aramaeans set themselves in array against David, and fought with him.’
Once David learned of this major force approaching northern Transjordan he gathered all his forces and, crossing over the Jordan, went out to meet them. And there at Helam battle was joined.
2Sa 10:18
‘ And the Aramaeans fled before Israel, and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven units (hundreds) of chariots, and forty units (thousands) of horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, so that he died there.’
The result of the battle was that the Aramaeans were totally defeated and fled before Israel, with David killing Shobach the Aramaean commander-in-chief and destroying seven units of chariots, and forty units of horsemen. These figures agree with the figures in 1Ch 19:18, although in Chronicles the word used for military units of chariots is eleph (‘thousands’) rather than meoth (‘hundreds’). The two terms appear to have been interchangeable when used of military units.
2Sa 10:19
‘ And when all the kings who were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the Aramaeans feared to help the children of Ammon any more.’
The result of David’s string of victories was that all the kings who had been vassals of Hadarezer noted how David had totally defeated him, and quietly switched their allegiance to David, accepting him as their overlord, becoming his vassals and paying him tribute. And the final result was that the Ammonites no longer had allies to look to and were left to rue having insulted David so grievously.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The First Defeat of the Enemies
v. 6. And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, v. 7. And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men, v. 8. And the children of Ammon came out, v. 9. When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind, v. 10. and the rest of the people he delivered in to the hand of Abishai, his brother, that he might put them in array against the children of Ammon. v. 11. And he said, if the Syrians be too strong for me, v. 12. Be of good courage, v. 13. And Joab drew nigh, and the people that were with him, unto the battle against the Syrians, v. 14. And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, then fled they also before Abishai, and entered in to the city,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
2Sa 10:6. Saw that they stank See Gen 34:30 and 1Ch 19:6. The children of Ammon, instead of apologizing, or making any reparation for the insult to David’s ambassadors, joined their own forces to a Syrian army of 33,000 men, which aggravated their former outrage, and rendered them worthy of the most signal chastisement. Beth-rehob was a city belonging to the Canaanites rather than the Syrians, which stood in the tribe of Asher, though the Canaanites kept possession of it. Maacah was a city of Palestine beyond Jordan, situated in the tribe of Manasseh, and Ish-tob, which might be rendered the men of Tob, was the place whither Jephthah fled from the cruelty of his brethren, Jdg 11:3.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
(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.
Spiritualizing still the subject, we may in this verse behold the folly, as well as sin, of men, in setting up resistance against the Lord. Who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? Job 9:4 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2Sa 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.
Ver. 6. Saw that they stank before David. ] Who could not but be very sensible, they knew, of their odious indignity done to his ambassadors, and would surely revenge it; as there was never any prince so poor and despicable that would put up such an affront: and shall Jesus Christ? I think not. Julian, for instance, paid for his petulancy.
And of Ishtob.
a Cleri debonestamentum, Godf. Goodman. Praesulum decus ille Jacobus Armachanus. – Gatak. Cinnus, cap. 5.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
men. Hebrew. ish, App-14.
Ish-tob = men of Tob.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
stank: Gen 34:30, Exo 5:21, 1Sa 13:4, 1Sa 27:12, 1Ch 19:6, 1Ch 19:7
Syrians of Bethrehob: 2Sa 8:3, 2Sa 8:5, 2Sa 8:12, Zobah, Pro 25:8, Isa 8:9, Isa 8:10
Maacah: Jos 13:11-13
Ishtob: or, the men of Tob, Jdg 11:3, Jdg 11:5
Reciprocal: Deu 3:14 – Geshuri Jdg 18:28 – Bethrehob 1Sa 14:47 – Zobah 2Sa 10:8 – Rehob 1Ch 18:3 – Zobah Psa 9:5 – rebuked Psa 48:4 – General Psa 83:5 – they are Psa 144:11 – and deliver me Ecc 3:8 – a time of war Jer 40:8 – Maachathite Jer 46:21 – her hired Eze 27:16 – Syria
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Sa 10:6. When the children of Ammon saw that they stank, &c, They wanted not intelligence how heinously David resented the barbarous usage of his ambassadors; which is expressed by a phrase signifying that they were become very odious to him.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
10:6 And when the children of Ammon saw that they {c} 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.
(c) That they deserved David’s displeasure, for the harm done to his ambassadors.