2 Samuel 8:1-2
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 8
Summary of David’s Wars. 1 (A)After this, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them; and David took…[a] from the Philistines. 2 He also defeated Moab and measured them with a line. Making them lie down on the ground, he measured two lengths of line for death, and a full length for life.[b] Thus the Moabites became subject to David, paying tribute.
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- 8:1 David took…: the original Hebrew seems irretrievable. The transmitted text gives “the bridle of the cubit”; 1 Chr 18:1 understood “Gath and its towns”; others implausibly read “dominion of the capital city.”
- 8:2 Two lengths…a full length for life: usually taken to mean that two-thirds of them were executed; but it could mean that two-thirds were spared, if the line was used full length in their case but doubled on itself to make “two lines” for those to be put to death. Note the contrasting good relations in 1 Sm 22:3–4.
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