Text -- 2 Samuel 10:2-19 (NET)

10:2 David said, “I will express my loyalty to Hanun son of Nahash just as his father was loyal to me.” So David sent his servants with a message expressing sympathy over his father’s death. When David’s servants entered the land of the Ammonites, 10:3 the Ammonite officials said to their lord Hanun, “Do you really think David is trying to honor your father by sending these messengers to express his sympathy? No, David has sent his servants to you to get information about the city and spy on it so they can overthrow it!” 10:4 So Hanun seized David’s servants and shaved off half of each one’s beard. He cut the lower part of their robes off so that their buttocks were exposed, and then sent them away. 10:5 Messengers told David what had happened, so he summoned them, for the men were thoroughly humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown again; then you may come back.” 10:6 When the Ammonites realized that David was disgusted with them, they sent and hired 20,000 foot soldiers from Aram Beth Rehob and Aram Zobah, in addition to 1,000 men from the king of Maacah and 12,000 men from Ish-tob. 10:7 When David heard the news, he sent Joab and the entire army to meet them. 10:8 The Ammonites marched out and were deployed for battle at the entrance of the city gate, while the men from Aram Zobah, Rehob, Ish-tob, and Maacah were by themselves in the field. 10:9 When Joab saw that the battle would be fought on two fronts, he chose some of Israel’s best men and deployed them against the Arameans. 10:10 He put his brother Abishai in charge of the rest of the army and they were deployed against the Ammonites. 10:11 Joab said, “If the Arameans start to overpower me, you come to my rescue. If the Ammonites start to overpower you, I will come to your rescue. 10:12 Be strong! Let’s fight bravely for the sake of our people and the cities of our God! The Lord will do what he decides is best!” 10:13 So Joab and his men marched out to do battle with the Arameans, and they fled before him. 10:14 When the Ammonites saw the Arameans flee, they fled before his brother Abishai and went into the city. Joab withdrew from fighting the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem. 10:15 When the Arameans realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they consolidated their forces. 10:16 Then Hadadezer sent for Arameans from beyond the Euphrates River, and they came to Helam. Shobach, the general in command of Hadadezer’s army, led them. 10:17 When David was informed, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan River, and came to Helam. The Arameans deployed their forces against David and fought with him. 10:18 The Arameans fled before Israel. David killed 700 Aramean charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach, the general in command of the army, who died there. 10:19 When all the kings who were subject to Hadadezer saw they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subjects of Israel. The Arameans were no longer willing to help the Ammonites.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:2

¹ tn Heb “do loyalty.”

² tn Heb “did loyalty.”

³ tn Heb “and David sent to console him by the hand of his servants concerning his father.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:3

¹ tn Heb “Is David honoring your father in your eyes when he sends to you ones consoling?”

² tn Heb “Is it not to explore the city and to spy on it and to overthrow it [that] David has sent his servants to you?”

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:4

¹ tn Heb “and he cut their robes in the middle unto their buttocks.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:5

¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the messengers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn The words “what had happened” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:6

¹ tn Heb “that they were a stench [i.e., disgusting] with David.”

² tn Heb “the Ammonites.”

³ tn Or “Arameans of Beth Rehob and Arameans of Zobah.”

⁴ tn Or perhaps “the men of Tob.” The ancient versions (the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate) understand the name to be “Ish-tob.” It is possible that “Ish” is dittographic and that we should read simply “Tob,” a reading adopted by a number of recent English versions.

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:7

¹ tn The words “the news” and “to meet them” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:9

¹ tn Heb “and Joab saw that the face of the battle was to him before and behind and he chose from all the best in Israel and arranged to meet Aram.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:10

¹ tn Heb “people.”

² tn Heb “he arranged.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:11

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “if Aram is stronger than me.”

³ tn Heb “if the sons of Ammon are stronger than you.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:12

¹ tn Heb “and the Lord will do what is good in his eyes.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:13

¹ tn Heb “and the army which was with him.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:14

¹ tn Heb “and Joab returned from against the sons of Ammon and entered.”

² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:15

¹ tn Heb “were gathered together.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:16

¹ tn Heb “and Hadadezer sent and brought out Aram which is.”

² tn Heb “from beyond the River.” The name “Euphrates” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Heb “was before them.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:17

¹ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:18

¹ tn Heb “horsemen” (so KJV, NASB, NCV, NRSV, NLT) but the Lucianic recension of the LXX reads “foot soldiers,” as does the parallel text in 1 Chr 19:18. Cf. NAB, NIV.

NET Notes: 2Sa 10:19

¹ tn Heb “the servants of Hadadezer.”

² tn Heb “and they served them.”