Chapter Ten
David Defeats the Ammonites and the Syrians
[Verses 1-19 parallel 1 Chronicles 19:1-19]
10:1 After this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. 2 And David said, “I will deal loyally with Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the Ammonites.
When David heard that Nahash, the king of Ammon had died, he said that he would deal loyally (Hebrew ḥě’·sěḏ, the same word that was translated kindness in the previous chapter, click here to read about this incredible word) with his son Hanun, as Nahash dealt loyally (same Hebrew word) with him. So he sent servants to Hanun in Rabbah to console (Hebrew nǎḥǎm’, to comfort, to be sorry) concerning the loss of his father.
Nahash was the king of Ammon that invaded Jabesh-gilead during Saul’s reign. Saul was able to muster up a large army from Judah and Israel who then rescued the people of Jabesh-gilead from Nahash. The unanswered question is, “How did an enemy of Israel become a friend of David’s?” There are a number of speculations ranging from this not being the same Nahash as reported in 1 Samuel 11:1-11, to that while David was living outside Judah with the Philistines that having Saul as his enemy somehow ingratiated himself with Nahash. While these are speculations, we do know that David’s concern for Hanun was legitimate.
10:3 But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?”
But the princes (Hebrew śā·rê’, officials, rulers, chiefs, etc.) of the Ammonites tell Hunan that these ambassadors from David were not there to comfort him but to spy out the territory for an attack. Whether these advisors actually believed that or were trying to impress the new king is unknown, but he did listen to them.
10:4 So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away. 5 When it was told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.”
Hanun decided to humiliate David’s men by shaving off half of their beards[1] and cutting their garments in such a way as to expose their private areas. When David heard about this “rite of humiliation,” he went to Jericho where the men were and told them that they could stay there until their beards grew back. Possibly intentional, or thought to be more humorously humiliating than damaging, both of these actions were against God’s law. If the tassels were cut off their garments that would violate Numbers 15:38-39; Deuteronomy 22:12, and the shaving of their beards would force them to violate Leviticus 19:27 (see also Isaiah 7:20; 50:6), to an Israelite, this was a serious matter.
In ancient Israel every adult male was expected to have a full beard. Men were forbidden from trimming the edges of their beards (Lev. 19:27). The only exceptions to this were in connection with a religious vow (Num. 6:9), for medical evaluation (Lev. 13:33), or during a time of distress or mourning (Ezra 9:3; Job 1:20). To forcefully shave a man’s beard—or worse, to shave only half of it—was considered a supreme insult. To insult an ambassador in this way was considered an affront to the nation they represented, and thus an act of war.[2]
10:6 When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob, 12,000 men.
Becoming a stench (Hebrew niḇ·ʾǎšû’, denotes creating a foul smell, to be offensive, to be repulsive) is often used as a Biblical idiom that refers to negatively arousing someone, or a group of people to anger, sufficient to move aggressively and attack (see Genesis 34:30; Exodus 5:21; 1 Samuel 13:4; 27:12; 2 Samuel 16:21; 1 Chronicles 19:6). Here, Hanun and the Ammonites realize they made a mistake by humiliating David’s men, instead of seeking forgiveness, they sought help from nearby Syrian/Aramean mercenaries and prepare for battle. With 1,000 talents of silver (see 1 Chronicles 19:6), they hired from Beth-rehob and Zobah 20,000 foot soldiers, the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and from Tob, 12,000 men (1 Chronicles 19:7 adds that they hired 32,000 chariots).
10:7 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men. 8 And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, and the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.
David heard that the Ammonites were preparing for war, so he sent Joab and his army to Rabbah. The Ammonite army came out in positioned themselves in battle formation in front of the entrance of the city, while the Syrians positioned themselves south of Rabbah just north of Medeba to lure and trap the Israelites (see 1 Chronicles 19:7), thus closing in on them from two sides.
10:9 When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians. 10 The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites. 11 And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you.
Joab noticed that they were sandwiched between the Syrian mercenaries and the Ammonites. So he chose some select men to go with him to move against the Syrians, while he assigned the rest of the men to go towards Rabbah and attack the Ammonites with his brother Abishai leading that group. Joab tells Abishai if the Syrians are too strong to subdue he is to come and help, and he will do the same if the Ammonites are too strong for them.
10:12 Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him.”
Joab continues by saying that they be courageous for the people of Israel and for the cities of God, and may YHWH do what seems good to Him.
10:13 So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. 14 And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.
The battle was quickly over, when Joab approached the Syrians they ran off! When the Ammonites saw that the Syrians had fled, they ran off too. Abishai entered Rabbah apparently with little resistance. With the Ammonites subdued, Joab returned to Jerusalem.
The Aramean allies succeeded in luring the Israelite forces under Joab into a trap, when the Ammonites pinned them down during the siege of the strong fortress of Medeba. But their plan to use Medeba as an anvil on which to pound the Israelite army, with a general enveloping attack by the Arameans from the rear, did not succeed. Fortunately, Joab had taken the precaution of protecting his rear by means of a screening force that was spread out in considerable depth. Alerted by his screen, Joab kept a cool head and quickly arrived at the following decisions: (1) to divide his forces in two, deployed back-to-back; (2) to have the smaller force, under his brother Abishai, contain the Ammonites; and (3) to attack the oncoming Arameans with the best men of his army. Joab’s orders to his brother were laconic: ‘If the Syrians [Arameans] be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee’ (2 Sam. 10:11). The stratagem succeeded, and the enemy was beaten off in both directions. Although no decisive victory was achieved, any soldier with combat experience will agree that repulsing an enemy while being attacked in both front and rear is in itself no mean achievement...Although the Arameans had suffered only a stalemate, they sensed that their reputation was at stake, and that if they could not wipe out this blot on their military renown by a quick, decisive victory, their role as a leading power in southern Syria might be played out. Consequently Hadadezer, king of Zobah, who was foremost of the Aramean rulers, brought in Aramean conscripts from as far away as Mesopotamia. His forces included one thousand chariots and possibly cavalry as well.[3]
10:15 But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16 And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphrates. They came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head.
When the Syrians got to a point where they realized that they had failed to protect the Ammonites who hired them and had been defeated by Israel, they likely feared that a military reprisal from David was inevitable. So they regrouped as one coalition again and prepared a preemptive attack. Hadadezer, the previously conquered king of Zobah (see 2 Samuel 8:5), sent for additional troops from beyond the river (although nameless in the text, the Euphrates is the best candidate for this verse). The newly formed army gathered in Helam (unknown exact location, possibly modern-day Alma approximately thirty-five miles east of the Sea of Galilee, others believe it was actually a location referred to as the Edrei Gap near Da’ara, only found in the Bible here and the next verse), with Shobach as the commander of the army and Hadadezer at the head (Hebrew p̄ᵉnê, in front).
10:17 And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians arrayed themselves against David and fought with him.
David gathered the men of Israel and led them to Helam and the Syrians arrayed themselves (Hebrew yǎ·ʿ ǎr·ḵû’, arrange themselves to prepare) to battle David and his men.
10:18 And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there.
The Syrians once again fled before Israel! David and his men were able to kill the men that drove 700 chariots, 40,000 horsemen, and fatally wounded Shobach the commander.
10:19 And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore.
When all the various kings (from potentially several Syrian/Aramean city-state kingdoms), servants and mercenaries that had allied with Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they surrendered to David and became his subjects. The author tells us that the Syrians were afraid to help the Ammonites from that time on.
Considerations
Troublesome Ammonites
In verse fourteen we read that Abishai was able to enter the city, but the first verse of chapter eleven states that David sent Joab to ravage the Ammonites and besiege Rabbah. We are not given any information regarding why the return to Rabbah, some believe that the Ammonites were able to retreat into the city and close its gates and Abishai only came up to the city and never entered it (while the word that is translated in verse fourteen, yā·ḇō’·ʾû, means to go in, to enter, it can also mean to come). Regardless, there was some unresolved problem resulting in David sending Joab back to Rabbah.
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[1] The Septuagint and 1 Chronicles 19:4 state that they shaved their beards, not just half of their beards.
[2] Andrews, S. J., & Bergen, R. D. (2009). 1, 2 Samuel (Vol. 6, p. 264). Holman Reference.
[3] Herzog, Chaim ; Gichon, Mordechai. Battles of the Bible: A military history of ancient Israel (pp. 95-96). (Function). Kindle Edition.