2 Samuel 10
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
2 Samuel 10
NJB (MT versing) Ammon Defeated The Ammonites Defeated David Defeats the Ammonites David Defeats the Ammonites and the Syrians David's Ambassadors Are Insulted 10:1-5 10:1-5 10:1-5 10:1-3 10:1-5 10:4-5 The First Ammonite Campaign 10:6-8 10:6-8 10:6-8 10:6-8 10:6-14 10:9-14 10:9-14 10:9-14 10:9-12 Aram Defeated The Syrians Defeated David Defeats Arameans (Syrians) 10:13-14 Victory Over the Arameans 10:15-19 10:15-19 10:15-19 10:15-19 10:15-19 Etc.
2 Samuel 10:1-5
10:1-19 The Jewish Study Bible, p. 635, has a good summary of this military campaign (out of chronological order). 2 Sam. 10:1-14, the cause of the war with Ammon 2 Sam. 10:15-19, the conflict with Ammon's Syrian mercenries 2 Samuel 8 discusses David's war with the Syrian kingdoms 2 Samuel 11-12 deal with the battle for the capital of Ammon, Rabbah, which encompasses the story of David's sin against Uriah and Bathsheba 10:1 "Ammon" This account is paralleled in 1 Chronicles 19. This nation came from one of Lot's daughters (cf. Gen. 19:30-38). Ben-ammi seems to mean "son of my people" (cf. the Septuagint, Jerome, and Augustine). The sons of Ammon (BDB 769) later caused tremendous problems for the nation of Israel, yet were relatives (cf. Deut. 2:19). The degradation of vv. 30-38 was seen either as a mark of moral failure pride that they kept the pure racial line of the family Both names are sarcastic! ▣ "Hanun" This man's father was Nahash (v. 2), a king who was defeated by Saul earlier (cf 1 Samuel 11). 10:2 David wanted good relations with Ammon. This was a diplomatic gesture of friendship. Apparently David and Nahash were on good terms, but it is never stated why. For "kindness" see SPECIAL TOPIC: LOVINGKINDNESS (hesed). 10:3 "princes" This NOUN (BDB 978) has a wide usage. chief ruler (LXX) official (JPSOA) captain prince (Peshitta) Because of their accusations (3 INFINITIVE CONSTRUCTS) to search the city to spy out the city to plan to overthrow it I think they were military advisers, not children of the former king. ▣ NASB, NKJV, NRSV, NJB, JPSOA, REB, Peshitta "overthrow it" JPSOA footnote "reconnoiter" "survey" The difference between overthrow ‒ הפך (BDB 245) reconnoiter ‒ חפר (BDB 343 I, cf. Deut. 1:22; Josh. 2:2-3) 10:4 This treatment of David's representatives was meant to humiliate (v. 5) them and be a hostile gesture to David. cut off their robes so that their bodies were exposed (1 Chr. 19:4, has "buttocks") cut off half their beard length? one side? total beard (the word "half" is not in the LXX or 1 Chr. 19:4 parallel) It is possible that cutting half the beard and half the garment was a way of expressing that the new king thought David was lying about his reason for sending these ambassadors. ▣ "garment" This NOUN (BDB 551, KB 548) occurs only here and in the parallel in 1 Chr. 19:4. The LXX has "woolen cloaks." I think it must have referred to their outer clothing, which symbolized them as official representatives of Israel. 10:5 "Jericho" It is one of the most ancient cities in all the ANE. It was rebuilt and destroyed many times. It was not a large city during this period and it was on the border of Israel and Ammon, but on the western side of Jordan. It was a good, quiet, insignificant place for these men to regrow their beards. See NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 767-769.
2 Samuel 10:6-8
10:6 "become odious" This VERB (BDB 92, KB 107, Niphal PERFECT) denotes a bad smell from something rotting (i.e., Qal, Exod. 7:18,21; 8:10; 16:20; Isa. 50:2). The Niphal is also used in Israel odious to the Philistines Ammonites to David Absalom to David What they did to David's representatives would elicit a military response. ▣ "hired" Ammon tried to bolster their military with mercenaries (Josephus, Antiq. 7.1.1, says he sent one thousand talents). Syrians from the city of Beth-rehob Syrians from the city of Zobah, from both #1 and #2 about 20,000 foot soldiers from Maacah (Syrian Kingdom south of Mt. Hermon, but in the trans-Jordan, east, 1,000 men Remember, "thousand" has a wide semantic field. It can refer to a military unit. SPECIAL TOPIC: THOUSAND (eleph) 10:7 NASB, NKJV "the mighty men" "the warriors" "the whole army" "the champions" "all the fighting men" "[including] the professional fighters" "the mighty ones" "all the host of the mighty men" The MT has the DEFINITE ARTICLE and the ADJECTIVE "mighty" (BDB 150). This could refer to the whole army an elite professional group See NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 676-678.
2 Samuel 10:6-13
11:6-13 What a shameful account of Uriah's honor and faithfulness vs. David's scheming to deflect the blame and responsibility. call him home so he would have sex with his wife get him drunk so he would go home have him killed in battle as he fought bravely for David's kingdom involved the Israeli army in betrayal, both the leadership elite soldiers 11:8 "wash your feet" There are two ways to view this phrase. clean yourself and go home to your wife (i.e., a socially/culturally expected thing to do) "feet" as a euphemism for male genitalia (cf. Exod. 4:25; Jdgs. 3:24; Ruth 3:4,7,8,14; 1 Sam. 24:3; Isa. 6:2; 7:20) ▣ "a present from the king" This would have been food and drink from David's table. 11:11 "the ark" This strongly implies the ark went into battle against the Ammonites. SPECIAL TOPIC: THE ARK OF THE COVENANT ▣ "lord. . .lord" The word adon (BDB 10) means "owner," "master," "lord," "husband." Here it denotes Joab and David. ▣ "By your life and the life of your soul" NKJV, NRSV, Peshitta "As you live and as your soul lives" "As YHWH lives and you yourself lives" "By your life" "As you live, by your very life" "How can I? Your soul lives" The JPSOA footnote suggests an emendation, "As the Lord lives and as you live" from 1 Sam. 20:3; 25:26. The UBS Text Project, p. 229, gives the MT (NASB close) a "B" rating (some doubt). However, the oath formula in 1 Samuel fits the context best. Apparently Uriah viewed this battle as "holy war" and knew the requirements of Deut. 23:9-11; 1 Sam. 21:5. He was a faithful convert to the Mosaic covenant of YHWH.
2 Samuel 10:9-14
10:12 This shows the sense of national duty felt by the Israeli soldiers, but also the deep conviction that YHWH was with them (and He needed to be, since the Israelite army was vastly outnumbered). He was the key to victory in battle. However, this theological worldview (cf. 1 Sam. 3:18; 2 Chr. 19:11; 32:7-8) did not keep them from strategizing (vv. 9-11). Somehow in the mystery of life both parts are important. SPECIAL TOPIC: PREDESTINATION VS. HUMAN FREE WILL
2 Samuel 10:15-19
10:15-19 This Syrian kingdom was mentioned earlier in 2 Sam. 8:3-12. 10:16 "the River" This refers to the Euphrates River. 10:17 "to Helam" This is an unknown location. The 1 Chronicles 19 parallel has a verbal form. See my notes from 1 Chr. 19:17: "1 Chr. 19:17 In the parallel of 2 Sam. 10:17 there is an unknown city named "Helam," which is in the trans-Jordan area. This city is not mentioned in 1 Chronicles 19 but there is a series of Hebrew letters that are close. Helen (חילם) in 2 Sam. 10:17 is חלאמה "and came upon them" in 1 Chr. 19:17 is אלהם No ancient version or modern English translation uses this supposed emendation. We just do not know why the Chronicler changed his Samuel sources. It is possible he had different Hebrew source documents. The MT is not the oldest ancient Hebrew textual tradition." 10:18 The numbers of men defeated by David is different in the 1 Chronicles 19 parallel. See note below from my commentary on 1 Chronicles 19 online. "1 Chr. 19:18-19 The Jewish Study Bible (p. 1750) makes the comment that the Chronicler expands the numbers in 2 Samuel 10 to glorify David's victory. The NASB Study Bible (p. 577) says it was a copyist's mistake in Samuel. This shows the two ways of viewing these number differences (i.e., literary or scribal error). See Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 51-54, 239-240, which supports the numbers in Chronicles. The best book on the number differences involved in the OT historical books is Edwin R. Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings." ▣ NASB, NKJV, NRSV, REB, JPSOA, LXX "horsemen" "cavalry" "men" "foot soldiers" The MT has "horsemen" (BDB 832). However, the Lucianic LXX and the 1 Chr. 19:18 parallel have "footsoldiers." The UBS Text Project, p. 228, gives the MT a "C" rating (considerable doubt). 10:19 "they made peace with Israel and served them" This peace with Syria was the working out of YHWH's promise of establishing, protecting, and growing His people (cf. Deut. 28:1-14). The VERB "served" (BDB 712, KB 773, Qal IMPERFECT with waw) denotes servitude and taxation.