Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Samuel 10

The king. —His name is given in the next verse and in 1 Chronicles 19:1, as Nahash. He was probably a son or grandson of the Nahash whom Saul conquered (1 Samuel 11), as more than fifty years must have passed away since that event. The kindness he had shown to David is not recorded, but may have been some friendly help during his wanderings, or merely a congratulatory embassy on his accession.

To search the city. —The capital, and almost the only city of the Ammonites was Rabbah; it was strongly fortified, and a knowledge of its interior would be important to an enemy. The suspicions of the Ammonites may have been roused by David’s growing power, and especially by his conquest of the neighboring Moabites.

Shaved off the one half of their beards. — According to Middle Eastern customs, this was the greatest insult that could have been inflicted. “Cutting off a person’s beard is regarded by the Arabs as an indignity quite equal to flogging and branding among ourselves. Many would rather die than have their beard shaved off” (Arvieux, quoted by Keil). It is remarkable that in none of David’s wars does he appear as the aggressor.

Tarry at Jericho. —In consideration for his humiliated ambassadors, David directs them to remain at Jericho, which lay directly on their road. Jericho had been destroyed on the first entrance of the Israelites into Canaan, and a solemn curse pronounced upon whoever riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho. This curse fell upon Hiel, more than a century after the time of David (1 Kings 16:34). But “buildeth” is here, as often, to be understood as “fortifying”; and Jericho, under the name of the city of palm trees (Judges 1:16; Judges 3:13), appears to have been all along an inhabited place.

Saw that they stank. —The Hebrew, translated literally, shows that they were conscious that this was by their own fault—“that they had made themselves stink,” and is so rendered in 1 Chronicles 19:6.

Hired. —Chronicles gives the amount of the subsidy, 1,000 talents of silver, a sum variously estimated at from £125,000 to twice that amount. It shows at once the wealth of Ammon, the importance of the auxiliaries, and the grave character of the war.

Syrians of Beth-rehob. —This place is called simply Rehob in 2 Samuel 10:8 and has been understood to refer to several different locations. It can hardly have been the Rehob (or Beth-rehob) of Numbers 13:21; Judges 18:28, since that was near Laish and within the territory of the Israelites. Some identify it with “Ruhaibeh,” twenty-five miles N.E. of Damascus; however, it is more likely to have been “Rehoboth by the river” (i.e., near the Euphrates) of Genesis 36:37, as this corresponds with out of Mesopotamia in the parallel passage 1 Chronicles 19:6, the situation of which is not more definitely known.

Zoba. —See Note on 2 Samuel 8:3.

King Maacah. —Read, King of Maacah, as in Chronicles. For the situation of the country, see Deuteronomy 3:14; Joshua 12:5. It furnished only one thousand auxiliaries.

Ish-tob. —This is translated, men of Tob, the first syllable not being a part of the proper name. Jephthah found refuge here when exiled by his countrymen (Judges 11:3; Judges 11:5). It was probably just east of Gilead, between Syria and the land of Ammon; it is not mentioned in Chronicles.

The total number of auxiliaries mentioned in 1 Chronicles 19:7, thirty-two thousand, is the same as given here, Maacah being omitted from the number; but the composition of the force is different. Here only infantry are mentioned; there, only chariots and cavalry. It is plain from the result of the battle (2 Samuel 10:18 in both places) that all three arms of the service were employed; either, therefore, some words have dropped out from both texts, or else the writer in each case did not care to go into details.

Chronicles mentions that the allies mustered in Medeba, a place on a hill in the Belka plain, about four miles south-east of Heshbon, and well fitted strategically to repel an attack upon Rabbah. It had been originally assigned to the tribe of Reuben (Joshua 13:9).