Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Samuel 8
Albert Barnes Commentary
2 Samuel 8
Albert Barnes Commentary
2 Samuel 8
"And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took the bridle of the mother city out of the hand of the Philistines." — 2 Samuel 8:1 (ASV)
Metheg-ammah must be the name of some stronghold that commanded Gath, and its capture made David master of Gath and its towns.
"And he smote Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute." — 2 Samuel 8:2 (ASV)
David took great numbers of Moabites as prisoners of war. He made them lie down on the ground, divided them by a measuring line into three parts, put two-thirds to death, and spared one-third.
The cause of this war and of such severe treatment is not known, especially since the Moabites had previously been very friendly with David (1 Samuel 22:3–4).
However, it seems likely from the tone of Psalm 60:1-12 that David had met with a temporary setback in his Syrian wars. The Moabites and Edomites may have treacherously taken advantage of the situation and perhaps tried to cut off his retreat.
"David smote also Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his dominion at the River." — 2 Samuel 8:3 (ASV)
Hadadezer - This is the correct form of the name, not Hadarezer. It is the proper spelling, as seen in other names like Benhadad and Hadad (1 Kings 15:18 and following; 1 Kings 11:14 and following). Hadad was the chief deity, or sun-god, of the Syrians.
To recover his border - This literally means "to cause his hand to return." The phrase is used at times in a literal sense (for example, Exodus 4:7; 1 Kings 13:4; Proverbs 19:24) and at other times figuratively (Isaiah 1:25; Isaiah 14:27; Amos 1:8; Psalms 74:11).
The precise meaning of the metaphor must be determined by the context in each case. If, as is most likely, this verse relates to the events detailed more fully in 2 Samuel 10:15–19, the phrase here means that Hadadezer went to renew his attack against Israel, or to gather his forces against them, at the Euphrates River.
"And David took from him a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David hocked all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for a hundred chariots." — 2 Samuel 8:4 (ASV)
Seven hundred horsemen - This should be seven thousand, as in 1 Chronicles 18:4.
"And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succor Hadadezer king of Zobah, David smote of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men." — 2 Samuel 8:5 (ASV)
Syrians of Damascus - The Syrians (Aram), whose capital was Damascus, were the best known and most powerful. Damascus (written Darmesek in marginal references, according to the late Aramean orthography) is first mentioned in Genesis 15:2. According to Nicolaus of Damascus, cited by Josephus, the Syrian king’s name was Hadad.
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