Chapter XVIII
1–17 (= 2 Samuel viii. 1–18).
A Summary of David’s Foreign Wars. David’s Officials.
This chapter like the last is taken from 2 Samuel with a few omissions and variations. The Chronicler paraphrases (verses 1, 17), omits (verse 2), has a different reading (verses 4, 8, 10, 12). In some cases the better reading is in Chronicles.
The campaigns (except perhaps that against Moab) seem to be narrated in chronological order. David first makes sure of his most pressing enemy the Philistines (verse 1); then feeling safe towards the south-west he turns towards the north-east secure on the Euphrates (but see note verse 3) a station (valuable for trade) held by the Syrians of Zobah (verse 3); the Syrians of Damascus fearing to be excluded from the River by David’s success come to the help of their kinsmen (verse 5); lastly the Edomites, urged perhaps by the Syrians to make a diversion in their favour and thinking it safe to attack Judah during the absence of David, join in the war, but are signally defeated by a detachment under Joab and Abishai (verse 12).
The war with Moab (verse 2) is surprising, if it took place at an early date in David’s reign, for he seems to have been on specially friendly terms with the king of Moab during his exile; compare 1 Samuel xxii. 3, 4 and Kirkpatrick on 2 Samuel viii. 2.
1–13 (= 2 Samuel viii. 1–14).
A Summary of David’s Foreign Wars.
¹And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them, and took Gath and her towns out of the hand of the Philistines.
1. after this] The phrase is adopted from 2 Samuel viii. 1 and probably came originally from a still earlier book of annals, in which the context may have been different. We cannot therefore say at what period of David’s reign the conquest of Gath took place.
took Gath and her towns] It is impossible to say for certain whether this is the original text or only an interpretation of the obscure reading in 2 Samuel viii. 1, took the bridle of the mother city (Revised Version).
²And he smote Moab; and the Moabites became servants to David, and brought presents.
2. smote Moab] The Chronicler at this point omits, as he often omits, some difficult words of Samuel. 2 Samuel viii. 2 seems to say that David put two-thirds of the Moabites (presumably the warriors) to death, but the meaning of the verse is uncertain.
brought presents] i.e. tribute, in acknowledgment of David’s superiority. The same Hebrew phrase (translated “bring an offering”) is used Psalms xcvi. 8 of sacrificing to Jehovah.
³And David smote Hadarezer king of Zobah unto¹ Hamath, as he went to stablish his dominion by the river Euphrates.
¹ Or, by.
3. Hadarezer] So spelt in 2 Samuel x. 16–19, but in 2 Samuel viii. 3–12, Hadadezer, the right form (as inscriptions show).
Zobah unto Hamath] Render as margin Zobah by Hamath, the position of Zobah being fixed by the note that it was near Hamath.
Hamath] The modern Hama on the Orontes, midway between Antioch and Damascus, but somewhat further to the east than either. See below verse 9; also xiii. 5 and 2 Chronicles viii. 3.
as he went to stablish his dominion] He may refer to Hadarezer or to David; the latter, probably, is the Chronicler’s intention. The reading in 2 Samuel viii. 3 (“to recover his dominion”—Revised Version) should be emended to the text in Chronicles.
by the river Euphrates] The utter improbability that David exercised any authority in regions so far north throws no doubt upon the reading, for the Chronicler and the author of Samuel may easily have believed that he did so.
⁴And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for an hundred chariots.
4. a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen] Samuel a thousand and seven hundred horsemen (so Hebrew but LXX. of Samuel agrees with Chronicles). Houghed = “hamstrung.”
⁵And when the Syrians¹ of Damascus² came to succour Hadarezer king of Zobah, David smote of the Syrians¹ two and twenty thousand men.
¹ Hebrew Aram.
² Hebrew Darmesek.
5. Damascus] The name is variously written in Hebrew, Darmesek (Chronicles), Dammesek (Genesis, 1 Kings), Dummesek (2 Kings xvi. 10). See G. A. Smith, Damascus in Encyclopedia Biblia.
came to succour] By interposing between David and his own land and so threatening his rear.
⁶Then David put garrisons in Syria¹ of Damascus²; and the Syrians¹ became servants to David, and brought presents. And the Lord gave victory³ to David whithersoever he went.
¹ Hebrew Aram.
² Hebrew Darmesek.
³ Or, saved David.
6. put garrisons in Syria of Damascus] margin in Aram of Darmesek, i.e. in the Aramean kingdom of which Damascus was the capital. David’s purpose of course was to secure his rear in any future operations towards Hamath or towards the Euphrates.
⁷And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadarezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.
7. shields of gold] “shields” = Hebrew shĕlātim. The meaning of the Hebrew word is doubtful; most probably it does not mean “shield,” for (1) a shield would not be described as “upon” the person to whom it belonged, (2) the early authorities, i.e. the LXX. translators, the Targum, and the Peshitṭa (on 2 Samuel viii. 7; 2 Kings xi. 10; Jeremiah li. 11; Ezekiel xxvii. 11) never give “shield,” but either leave the word untranslated or give various conjectural renderings. A later authority (Targum on 1 Chronicles xviii. 7; 2 Chronicles xxiii. 9) gives “shield,” while LXX. gives “collars” (κλοιούς) here, and “arms” or “shields” (τὰ ὅπλα) in 2 Chronicles.
The most probable rendering of the word is “suits of armour” (see Barnes, Expository Times, x. 43 ff.).
and brought them to Jerusalem] So Hebrew LXX. Targum, but the Peshitṭa (all important MSS.) omits the words, and they may be a gloss introduced from 2 Samuel viii. 7.
⁸And from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadarezer, David took very much brass, wherewith Solomon made the brasen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass.
8. Tibhath] compare Tebah, the name of an Aramean family, Genesis xxii. 24. Nothing is known certainly of the position of the city. In 2 Samuel viii. 8 Betah (= Tebah).
Cun] 2 Samuel viii. 8, “Berothai.” Nothing is certainly known of a city of either name; but “Berothai” may be the same as “Berothah” (Ezekiel xlvii. 16).
very much brass] Compare xxi. 14, xxix. 2.
brass] Not the metal generally so called. Revised Version (margin note to Genesis iv. 22) gives copper as an alternative rendering. The “brass” of the ancients (χαλκός, LXX.) corresponds rather to bronze.
the brasen sea, etc.] Compare 2 Chronicles iv. 11–18.
⁹And when Tou king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadarezer king of Zobah,
9. Tou] In 2 Samuel viii. 9 “Toi” (so Hebrew, but LXX. “Tou”).
Hamath] see above verse 3. Hamath is sometimes referred to as the northern boundary of Israel, compare 1 Kings viii. 65; 2 Kings xiv. 25, 28.
¹⁰he sent Hadoram his son to king David, to salute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadarezer and smitten him; for Hadarezer had wars with Tou; and he had with him all manner of vessels of gold and silver and brass.
10. Hadoram] In 2 Samuel viii. 10, “Joram.” Both these forms are probably Hebrew adaptations of the real name.
he had with him all manner of vessels] Such informal tribute was an acknowledgment of David’s suzerainty made in order to claim David’s protection in war. Compare the action of Asa (1 Kings xv. 18, 19) and of Ahaz (2 Kings xvi. 7, 8). In all three cases the policy was the same, i.e. to acknowledge a distant suzerain and so gain the benefit of a valuable alliance while losing the minimum of independence.
¹¹These also did king David dedicate unto the Lord, with the silver and the gold that he carried away from all the nations; from Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek.
11. from Amalek] So 2 Samuel viii. 12, but we have no record of any war of David with Amalek except the account in 1 Samuel xxx.
¹²Moreover Abishai¹ the son of Zeruiah smote of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt eighteen thousand. ¹³And he put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became servants to David. And the Lord gave victory² to David whithersoever he went.
¹ Hebrew Abshai.
² Or, saved David.
12. Abishai the son of Zeruiah] In 2 Samuel viii. 13 David, and in Psalms lx. (title) Joab, receives the credit of this victory. Abishai might have commanded in the battle, while Joab (compare 1 Kings xi. 16) completed the conquest of the country; but it is highly probable that the reading Abishai the son of Zeruiah has arisen here through a copyist’s mistake and that the true reading is And when he (David) returned he smote Edom, etc.
of the Edomites] Literally “of Edom,” so Psalms lx. (title), but in 2 Samuel “of the Syrians,” literally “Aram.” The two words “Edom” and “Aram” when written in Hebrew are very much alike and are easily confused. The reading “Edom” is right here.
the Valley of Salt] Probably the marshy flat (Bädeker, Palestine⁵, p. 174) at the south end of the Dead Sea. This valley is dominated by the Jebel Usdum, a hill consisting “almost entirely of pure crystallised salt” (Bädeker, Palestine⁵, p. 174).
eighteen thousand] Psalms lx. (title), “twelve thousand,” not an important variation.
14–17 (= 2 Samuel viii. 15–18; compare 2 Samuel xx. 23–26).
David’s Officials.
¹⁴And David reigned over all Israel; and he executed judgement and justice unto all his people.
14. unto all his people] David was his own chief justice, but probably the work was too much for one man; compare 2 Samuel xv. 2–4.
¹⁵And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder¹.
¹ Or, chronicler.
15. recorder] margin, chronicler; LXX., ὑπομνηματογράφος. His business was probably to remind the king of his various duties of state.
¹⁶And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Shavsha was scribe¹;
¹ Or, secretary.
16. Abimelech the son of Abiathar] In 2 Samuel viii. 17, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, but read Abiathar son of Ahimelech in both passages. Compare xv. 11, xxiv. 3, notes; and Kirkpatrick on 2 Samuel viii. 17.
Shavsha] 2 Samuel viii. 17, Seraiah; 2 Samuel xx. 25, Sheva; and 1 Kings iv. 3 (perhaps), Shisha. Shisha and Shavsha probably represent two different attempts to pronounce a foreign name, perhaps Shamsha; Seraiah and Sheva are mere errors of transcription. Foreigners were admitted to posts of authority in the empire of David and Solomon; Ittai the Gittite and Uriah the Hittite are instances.
scribe] margin, secretary. See 2 Kings xii. 10, xviii. 18, xxii. 3; compare 2 Kings xxv. 19, a passage which suggests that there was a second scribe with military duties. The first, the king’s scribe, would formulate the king’s orders and conduct his correspondence with foreign powers. Shavsha’s sons held the office in the reign of Solomon, 1 Kings iv. 3.
¹⁷and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief about the king.
17. Benaiah] Compare xi. 22–25.
the Cherethites and the Pelethites] David’s bodyguard. The Cherethites were almost certainly Philistines (1 Samuel xxx. 14; Ezekiel xxv. 16; Zephaniah ii. 5), the Pelethites were probably also Philistines (2 Samuel xv. 18). Foreign bodyguards are well-known in history.
chief about the king] Literally, the chief at the kings hand, i.e. formed the executive to carry out his commands; compare Nehemiah xi. 24. In 2 Samuel viii. 18 (Revised Version) David’s sons are described as priests, a statement which is in all probability correct, but which the Chronicler, following the later theory of the priesthood, could not accept (see Introduction, pp. xli. f.).