2 Samuel 10

2 Samuel 10

Clarke - The beard is held in high respect in the East: the possessor considers it his greatest ornament; often swears by it; and, in matters of great importance, pledges it. Nothing can be more secure than a pledge of this kind; its owner will redeem it at the hazard of his life. Cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips is a bit too soft of a translation. The NET is more accurate = "He cut the lower part of their robes off so that their buttocks were exposed." As Adam Clarke says the pagans did this so that "That the shame of their nakedness might appear, and especially that of their circumcision, so derided by the heathen.” TSK - The beard is held in high respect and greatly valued in the East: the possessor considers it as his greatest ornament; often swears by it; and, in matters of great importance, pledges it; and nothing can be more secure than such a pledge; for its owner will redeem it at the hazard of his life. The beard was never cut off but in mourning, or as a sign of slavery. It is customary to shave the Ottoman princes, as a mark of their subjection to the reigning emperor. The beard is a mark of authority and liberty among the Mohammedans. The Persians who clip the beard, and shave above the jaw, are reputed heretics. They who serve in the {seraglios} have their beards shaven, as a sign of servitude; nor do they suffer them to grow till the sultan has set them at liberty. Among the Arabians, it is more infamous for anyone to appear with his beard cut off, than among us to be publicly whipped or branded; and many would prefer death to such a punishment. Walton - Hanun’s treatment of David’s men. David’s messengers have half their beards shaved (symbolically emasculating them and by extension David) and “their garments [were cut] in the middle at their hips,” leaving them naked like slaves or captives (see Is 20:4). These men were ambassadors and as such were entitled to both respect and diplomatic immunity. What may seem like a “prank” was in fact a direct challenge to David’s power and authority, and precipitated a war between the two nations. David could not allow such an obvious “rape” or symbolic castration of his representatives to go unavenged. A review of Assyrian royal annals (Sargon II, Sennacherib and Ashurbanipal) contains justifications for a declaration of war based on a violation of a sworn agreement or the physical challenging of Assyrian authority. Although the annals are not as graphic as this example, they also serve as a “dropping of the gauntlet” in political terms. (See page 335 in IVP Bible Background Commentary Old Testament) 2 Samuel 10:5 When they told it to David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. And the king said, "Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return." Jericho: Jos 6:24-26 1Ki 16:34 1Ch 19:5 DAVID'S MEN GIVEN LEAVE OF ABSENCE IN JERICHO When they told it to David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. And the king said, "Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return - David did not bring them back to the palace in their humiliated condition but showed compassion and concern for their personal dignity and honor by allowing them to wait in an out of the way city before returning to Jerusalem. This is another mark of a man after God's own heart! Utley on why 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. 2 Samuel 10:6 Now when the sons of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, the sons of Ammon sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob with 12,000 men. BGT 2 Samuel 10:6 καὶ εἶδαν οἱ υἱοὶ Αμμων ὅτι κατῃσχύνθησαν ὁ λαὸς Δαυιδ καὶ ἀπέστειλαν οἱ υἱοὶ Αμμων καὶ ἐμισθώσαντο τὴν Συρίαν Βαιθροωβ εἴκοσι χιλιάδας πεζῶν καὶ τὸν βασιλέα Μααχα χιλίους ἄνδρας καὶ Ιστωβ δώδεκα χιλιάδας ἀνδρῶν LXE 2 Samuel 10:6 And the children of Ammon saw that the people of David were ashamed; and the children of Ammon sent, and hired the Syrians of Baethraam, and the Syrians of Suba, and Roob, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Amalec with a thousand men, and Istob with twelve thousand men. KJV 2 Samuel 10:6 And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Bethrehob, and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand men, and of Ishtob twelve thousand men. NET 2 Samuel 10:6 When the Ammonites realized that David was disgusted with them, they sent and hired 20,000 foot soldiers from Aram Beth Rehob and Aram Zobah, in addition to 1,000 men from the king of Maacah and 12,000 men from Ish-tob. CSB 2 Samuel 10:6 When the Ammonites realized they had become repulsive to David, they hired 20,000 foot soldiers from the Arameans of Beth-rehob and Zobah, 1,000 men from the king of Maacah, and 12,000 men from Tob. ESV 2 Samuel 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. NIV 2 Samuel 10:6 When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench in David's nostrils, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah, as well as the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and also twelve thousand men from Tob. NLT 2 Samuel 10:6 When the people of Ammon realized how seriously they had angered David, they sent and hired 20,000 Aramean foot soldiers from the lands of Beth-rehob and Zobah, 1,000 from the king of Maacah, and 12,000 from the land of Tob. they had become odious: Ge 34:30 Ex 5:21 1Sa 13:4 27:12 1Ch 19:6-7 hired the Arameans: 2Sa 8:3,5,12, Zobah, Pr 25:8 Isa 8:9,10 Maacah: Jos 13:11-13 the men of Tob Jdg 11:3,5 Related Passages: 2 Samuel 8:3; 5; 12 (DAVID HAD PREVIOUSLY DEFEATED THE ARAMEANS AND ZOBAH) Then David defeated Hadadezer, the son of Rehob king of Zobah, as he went to restore his rule at the River....5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah, David killed 22,000 Arameans. 1 Chronicles 19:6 When the sons of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent 1,000 talents of silver (ED: SOME ESTIMATE THIS IS > $1 BILLION) to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, from Aram-maacah and from Zobah. 7 So they hired for themselves 32,000 chariots (rekeb), and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and camped before Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered together from their cities and came to battle. Map of David's Kingdom-ESV Global AMMONITES HIRE MERCENARIES Now when the sons of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, the sons of Ammon sent and hired the Arameans (Syrians) of Beth-rehob and the Arameans (Syrians) of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob with 12,000 men - Note on the Map above the location of Ammon, which is the center of the conflict and is located just east of the City of David (Jerusalem). Then note to the north of Ammon are the states of Syria (aka Arameans) and north to them Zobah, nations from which Ammon hired mercenaries paying "1,000 talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen." (1Ch 19:6). One is reminded of David's words in Ps 20:7+ "Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God." Bob Utley on become odious - This VERB (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 (1) Israel odious to the Philistines (2) Ammonites to David (3) Absalom to David What they did to David's representatives would elicit a military response. Walton - coalition. Very often small states or kingdoms would ally together against a common enemy. In this case, Ammon, feeling the need to strengthen its position against David, enlisted the help of the Arameans. Twenty divisions of troops came from Beth Rehob on the border between Syria and Israel (in the vicinity of the Huleh Valley near Tel Dan—see Jdg 18:28), and from Zobah in the northern Beqa Valley. The former city is also mentioned in Egyptian records from the time of Thutmose III. See the comment on 2 Samuel 8:3 for other conflicts between Israel and the Aramean king Hadadezer. Maacah also lies southeast of Beth Rehob, south of Mount Hermon and east of the Jordan. The last group of soldiers (twelve divisions) come from Tob (et-Tayibeh, twelve miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee in Gilead). The list of allies thus names the regions from north to south, covering the territory from the Orontes to the territory of Ammon. (See page 336 in IVP Bible Background Commentary Old Testament) Bob