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, _Palestine_⁵, 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, _Palestine_⁵, 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.).