2 Samuel 8
David the conqueror
David defeats Philistines, Moab
1 Chronicles 18:1-13 1Later, David attacked a group of Philistines and captured their town of Gath and the outlying communities. [1]
2He also defeated the army of the neighboring country of Moab. He executed two out of every three soldiers he captured. David ordered them to lie on the ground. Then he stretched a rope over them. He let the soldiers under one length of rope live. Then he executed the unlucky soldiers under the next two lengths of rope. Syrians fall to David
3David also killed the Syrian king of Zobah. [2] His name was Hadadezer, the son of Rehob. The king was on his way to strengthen his position along a river. [3]
4David captured 1,700 cavalrymen and 20,000 infantrymen. He crippled most of their horses by cutting the hamstring tendons in the thighs. But he spared enough to pull 100 chariots.
5In the battle, Arameans from Damascus came to reinforce Hadadezer’s army. David killed 22,000 of them. 6Then David set up Israelite outposts in the Aramean territory and the people paid taxes to Israel, as tribute to a superior nation. David always won. God saw to it. Gold and silver reserved for sacred use
7David confiscated the ceremonial gold shields [4] of Hadadezer’s officials and brought them to Jerusalem 8David took a lot of bronze from the towns of Betah [5] and Berothai. [6]
9King Toi from the city of Hamath heard David crushed the entire army of Hadadezer. 10He was happy about that because he had fought Hadadezer many times. Toi sent his son Joram to congratulate King David and to bring him gifts of gold, silver, and bronze.
11David reserved these gifts for sacred use, dedicated to the LORD. He did that for all the gold, silver, and bronze he collected from the surrounding nations: 12Moab, Ammon, the Philistines, Amalek, and from King Hadadezer of Zobah. Becoming the famous conqueror
13David was making a name for himself. He killed 18,000 people of Edom in Salt Valley. [7] 14He set up outposts throughout Edom and the people did whatever David ordered them to do. They served Israel. David won battles wherever he fought. God saw to it. David’s top officials
1 Chronicles 18:14-17 15David reigned over Israel as a good king, and fair to the people.
16Joab son of Zeruiah commanded the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud kept official records. 17Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech were priests. Seraiah kept notes as court secretary. 18Benaiah son of Jehoida commanded both units of David’s royal bodyguards, the Cherethites and the Pelethites. [8] David’s sons served as priests. [9] 
Footnotes
18:1The literal Hebrew language says David conquered Metheg-ammah. If it was a place, the location has been lost to history. But this story is also reported in 1 Chronicles 18. And there, the historian reports that David conquered Gath and its nearby villages outside the walled city.
28:3Zobah was a Syrian territory east of Lebanon. It stretched for more than 100 miles (160 km), between Damascus in the south and the city of Hamath north of Lebanon. David took control of that land, which extended to about 100 miles south of what is now the border between Syria and Turkey. That gave David control of much of the livable parts of what is now Syria.
38:3The writer didn’t make it clear what was going on. And he didn’t identify the river. Some theorize the Syrian king was going north to the Euphrates River, so David surprised him by attacking from the south. But the way it’s phrased, it’s also possible that David went to the river to capture land and make a name for himself—and that along the way, David conquered Zobah.
48:7It’s unclear if these were shields or perhaps quivers to hold arrows. But whatever they were, they were for show. Gold was too heavy and soft for battle.
58:8Betah shows up only here in the Bible. Given the surrounding verses, it was likely located in what is now Syria.
68:8Berothai may have been located where the Lebanese city of Bereitan (also known as Brital) is today, near the border with Syria. First Chronicles 18:8 adds that Solomon used this bronze to make the Jerusalem Temple’s huge sacrificial water container called the Sea.
78:13Salt Valley may have been south of the Dead Sea, along the boundary of Edom and Israel.
88:18Possibly mercenaries. Scholars often link the Cherethites to warriors from Crete and the Pelethites with the Philistines. They show up this way in Ezekiel 25:15 and Zephaniah 2:5.
98:18Priests of what? That’s the question. They weren’t from the tribe of Levi, so they wouldn’t have been legit as priests anointed for service to God (Numbers 18:6). Perhaps they were temporary priests or priests in title only, with “priest” as a ceremonial title.
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2He also defeated the army of the neighboring country of Moab. He executed two out of every three soldiers he captured. David ordered them to lie on the ground. Then he stretched a rope over them. He let the soldiers under one length of rope live. Then he executed the unlucky soldiers under the next two lengths of rope.
Syrians fall to David
3David also killed the Syrian king of Zobah. [2] His name was Hadadezer, the son of Rehob. The king was on his way to strengthen his position along a river. [3]4David captured 1,700 cavalrymen and 20,000 infantrymen. He crippled most of their horses by cutting the hamstring tendons in the thighs. But he spared enough to pull 100 chariots.
5In the battle, Arameans from Damascus came to reinforce Hadadezer’s army. David killed 22,000 of them. 6Then David set up Israelite outposts in the Aramean territory and the people paid taxes to Israel, as tribute to a superior nation. David always won. God saw to it.
Gold and silver reserved for sacred use
7David confiscated the ceremonial gold shields [4] of Hadadezer’s officials and brought them to Jerusalem 8David took a lot of bronze from the towns of Betah [5] and Berothai. [6]9King Toi from the city of Hamath heard David crushed the entire army of Hadadezer. 10He was happy about that because he had fought Hadadezer many times. Toi sent his son Joram to congratulate King David and to bring him gifts of gold, silver, and bronze.
11David reserved these gifts for sacred use, dedicated to the LORD. He did that for all the gold, silver, and bronze he collected from the surrounding nations: 12Moab, Ammon, the Philistines, Amalek, and from King Hadadezer of Zobah.
Becoming the famous conqueror
13David was making a name for himself. He killed 18,000 people of Edom in Salt Valley. [7] 14He set up outposts throughout Edom and the people did whatever David ordered them to do. They served Israel. David won battles wherever he fought. God saw to it.David’s top officials
1 Chronicles 18:14-17 15David reigned over Israel as a good king, and fair to the people.
16Joab son of Zeruiah commanded the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud kept official records. 17Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech were priests. Seraiah kept notes as court secretary. 18Benaiah son of Jehoida commanded both units of David’s royal bodyguards, the Cherethites and the Pelethites. [8] David’s sons served as priests. [9] Footnotes
18:1The literal Hebrew language says David conquered Metheg-ammah. If it was a place, the location has been lost to history. But this story is also reported in 1 Chronicles 18. And there, the historian reports that David conquered Gath and its nearby villages outside the walled city.
28:3Zobah was a Syrian territory east of Lebanon. It stretched for more than 100 miles (160 km), between Damascus in the south and the city of Hamath north of Lebanon. David took control of that land, which extended to about 100 miles south of what is now the border between Syria and Turkey. That gave David control of much of the livable parts of what is now Syria.
38:3The writer didn’t make it clear what was going on. And he didn’t identify the river. Some theorize the Syrian king was going north to the Euphrates River, so David surprised him by attacking from the south. But the way it’s phrased, it’s also possible that David went to the river to capture land and make a name for himself—and that along the way, David conquered Zobah.
48:7It’s unclear if these were shields or perhaps quivers to hold arrows. But whatever they were, they were for show. Gold was too heavy and soft for battle.
58:8Betah shows up only here in the Bible. Given the surrounding verses, it was likely located in what is now Syria.
68:8Berothai may have been located where the Lebanese city of Bereitan (also known as Brital) is today, near the border with Syria. First Chronicles 18:8 adds that Solomon used this bronze to make the Jerusalem Temple’s huge sacrificial water container called the Sea.
78:13Salt Valley may have been south of the Dead Sea, along the boundary of Edom and Israel.
88:18Possibly mercenaries. Scholars often link the Cherethites to warriors from Crete and the Pelethites with the Philistines. They show up this way in Ezekiel 25:15 and Zephaniah 2:5.
98:18Priests of what? That’s the question. They weren’t from the tribe of Levi, so they wouldn’t have been legit as priests anointed for service to God (Numbers 18:6). Perhaps they were temporary priests or priests in title only, with “priest” as a ceremonial title.
Discussion Questions
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David's kingdomVideos
16Joab son of Zeruiah commanded the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud kept official records. 17Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech were priests. Seraiah kept notes as court secretary. 18Benaiah son of Jehoida commanded both units of David’s royal bodyguards, the Cherethites and the Pelethites. [8] David’s sons served as priests. [9]
Footnotes
The literal Hebrew language says David conquered Metheg-ammah. If it was a place, the location has been lost to history. But this story is also reported in 1 Chronicles 18. And there, the historian reports that David conquered Gath and its nearby villages outside the walled city.
Zobah was a Syrian territory east of Lebanon. It stretched for more than 100 miles (160 km), between Damascus in the south and the city of Hamath north of Lebanon. David took control of that land, which extended to about 100 miles south of what is now the border between Syria and Turkey. That gave David control of much of the livable parts of what is now Syria.
The writer didn’t make it clear what was going on. And he didn’t identify the river. Some theorize the Syrian king was going north to the Euphrates River, so David surprised him by attacking from the south. But the way it’s phrased, it’s also possible that David went to the river to capture land and make a name for himself—and that along the way, David conquered Zobah.
It’s unclear if these were shields or perhaps quivers to hold arrows. But whatever they were, they were for show. Gold was too heavy and soft for battle.
Betah shows up only here in the Bible. Given the surrounding verses, it was likely located in what is now Syria.
Berothai may have been located where the Lebanese city of Bereitan (also known as Brital) is today, near the border with Syria. First Chronicles 18:8 adds that Solomon used this bronze to make the Jerusalem Temple’s huge sacrificial water container called the Sea.
Salt Valley may have been south of the Dead Sea, along the boundary of Edom and Israel.
Possibly mercenaries. Scholars often link the Cherethites to warriors from Crete and the Pelethites with the Philistines. They show up this way in Ezekiel 25:15 and Zephaniah 2:5.
Priests of what? That’s the question. They weren’t from the tribe of Levi, so they wouldn’t have been legit as priests anointed for service to God (Numbers 18:6). Perhaps they were temporary priests or priests in title only, with “priest” as a ceremonial title.
Discussion Questions
- Sorry, there are currently no questions for this chapter.
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Videos
