2 Samuel 8:1-15
Lexham English Bible
David’s Military Victories Continue
8 It happened afterwards that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the hands of the Philistines. 2 When he defeated Moab, he measured them with the cord, making them lie on the ground. He measured two cords to kill and the third cord[a] to let live.[b] So Moab became servants of David, bringing tribute. 3 Then David struck down Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his monument[c] at the Euphrates River. 4 David captured from him one thousand and seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers.[d] David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but from them[e] he spared a hundred chariot horses. 5 When Aram of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, the king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand men of Aram. 6 David placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, so Aram became servants of David, bringing tribute. Yahweh protected David everywhere he went.
7 David took the small round gold shields which had belonged[f] to the servants of Hadadezer, and he brought them to Jerusalem. 8 From Betah and from Berothai, the towns of Hadadezer, King David took very many bronze items.
9 When Toi, the king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, 10 Toi sent Joram his son to King David to greet him[g] and to congratulate him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him; for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi.[h] He brought with him[i] objects of silver and objects of gold and objects of bronze. 11 King David dedicated them also to Yahweh along with the silver and the gold that he had dedicated from all of the nations which he had subdued; 12 from Aram and from Moab and from the Ammonites[j] and from the Philistines and from Amalek and from the plunder of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, the king of Zobah. 13 So David made a name for himself when he returned from defeating Aram in the Valley of Salt, eighteen thousand. 14 He put garrisons in Edom; all over Edom he put garrisons, and all of Edom became servants of David. Yahweh protected David wherever he went.
15 David reigned over all of Israel, and he[k] was administering justice and righteousness for all his people.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Samuel 8:2 Literally “the filling of a cord”
- 2 Samuel 8:2 This method of selection must have been well known to the reader, but the exact procedure has been obscured over the millennia. It may be that one out of three lived through the process, only to become subservient
- 2 Samuel 8:3 Hebrew “hand”
- 2 Samuel 8:4 Literally “men of infantry”
- 2 Samuel 8:4 Literally “from him”
- 2 Samuel 8:7 Literally “been”
- 2 Samuel 8:10 Literally “to ask peace for himself”
- 2 Samuel 8:10 Literally “for Hadadezer was a man of wars with Toi”
- 2 Samuel 8:10 Literally “In his hand were”
- 2 Samuel 8:12 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- 2 Samuel 8:15 Hebrew “David”
2 Samuel 8:1-15
Christian Standard Bible
David’s Victories
8 After this, David defeated the Philistines,(A) subdued them, and took Metheg-ammah[a] from Philistine control.[b](B) 2 He also defeated the Moabites, and after making them lie down on the ground, he measured them off with a cord. He measured every two cord lengths of those to be put to death and one full length of those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s subjects and brought tribute.(C)
3 David also defeated Hadadezer(D) son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his control at the Euphrates River. 4 David captured seventeen hundred horsemen[c] and twenty thousand foot soldiers from him, and he hamstrung all the horses(E) and kept a hundred chariots.[d]
5 When the Arameans of Damascus(F) came to assist King Hadadezer of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand Aramean men. 6 Then he placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became David’s subjects and brought tribute. The Lord made David victorious wherever he went.(G)
7 David took the gold shields of Hadadezer’s officers and brought them to Jerusalem.(H) 8 King David also took huge quantities of bronze from Betah[e] and Berothai, Hadadezer’s cities.
9 When King Toi of Hamath(I) heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, 10 he sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and to congratulate him because David had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Toi and Hadadezer had fought many wars. Joram had items of silver, gold, and bronze with him. 11 King David also dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had dedicated from all the nations he had subdued(J)— 12 from Edom,[f] Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Amalekites, and the spoil of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13 David made a reputation(K) for himself when he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites[g] in Salt Valley.[h](L) 14 He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David.(M) The Lord made David victorious wherever he went.(N)
15 So David reigned over all Israel, administering justice and righteousness for all his people.(O)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 8:1 Or took control of the mother city; Hb obscure
- 8:1 LXX reads them, and David took tribute out of the hand of the Philistines
- 8:4 LXX, DSS read 1,000 chariots and 7,000 horsemen
- 8:4 Or chariot horses
- 8:8 Some LXX mss, Syr read Tebah
- 8:12 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read Aram; 1Ch 18:11
- 8:13 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read Arameans; 1Ch 18:12
- 8:13 = the Dead Sea region
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