John Gill Commentary 2 Samuel 10

And it came to pass after this
After the wars with the Moabites, Syrians, and Edomites, being friendly with the children of Ammon, David sent an embassy to their king, after related; by which it appears what is said concerning the spoils of the children of Ammon, (2 Samuel 8:12) , is by anticipation; for these spoils were not taken until the following war with them, the occasion of which is here told:

that the king of the children of Ammon died ;
whose name was Nahash, as is clear from (2 Samuel 10:2) , and probably might be the same that came against Jabeshgilead, from whom Saul delivered the inhabitants of that place, (1 Samuel 11:1) ;

and Hanun his son reigned in his stead ;
who, being his son, was heir to his crown, and succeeded him in his kingdom.

Then said David, I will show kindness to Hanun the son of
Nahash
Send him a friendly compliment of condolence on the death of his father:

as his father showed kindness unto me ;
when David was persecuted by Saul, he sent him aid, and invited him into his country for protection it may be, and some way or other showed respect unto him; though not out of real love and friendship to David, but in enmity to Saul, who had defeated him at Jabeshgilead, and had often wars with him: the Jews say ^F15 the particular kindness was, that when David left his father, mother, and brethren, with the king of Moab, he slew all but one, who fled to the king of the children of Ammon, and was by him saved alive:

and David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his
father ;
for the death of his father; to condole the loss of him, which was the custom of kings in friendship and alliance in former times, and still continues:

and David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon ;
even to Rabbah, the metropolis of the nation, and the royal city, where the king kept his court.

FOOTNOTES:

• F15: Tanchuma apud Jarchium in loc.

And the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their
lord
His nobles and prime ministers, the courtiers that were about him:

do you think that David does honour your father, that he has sent
comforters to you ?
Could he imagine that David was sincere, and that he really meant to do honour to the memory of his father, and comfort him under the loss of him, by sending his ambassadors to him on such an errand? There was no reason, they thought, to believe this, since an Israelite was forbidden to seek their peace and prosperity, or ask of it, nor might Ammonite enter into their congregation to the tenth generation (Deuteronomy 23:3, Deuteronomy 23:6);

Indeed, some have thought that David did not do a right thing in sending this embassy, and was justly requited. But it is certain he acted according to the laws of friendship, and was cordial and sincere in what he did, though these courtiers of Hanun put an ill construction on his conduct, their minds being filled with enmity against the Israelites.

has not David [rather] sent his servants to you to search the city ,
and to spy it out, and to overthrow it ?
to reconnoitre the place, to observe, as they walked about in it, which were the weakest and most defenceless parts of it, and what avenues there were to it, and which were most accessible, that they might the better know how to attack it and destroy it. These surmises and suspicions they endeavoured to fill the king's head with, to set him against them and treat them ill.

Wherefore Hanun took David's servants
His ambassadors:

and shaved off one half of their beards ;
that is, he ordered them to be shaved off; than which a greater indignity could not have been done to them and to David, whom they represented, since the Israelites did not shave their beards, and were very careful of preserving them; for had it been the custom to shave, they might have shaved off the other half, and then they would not have appeared so ridiculous; and with other people it has been reckoned a very great punishment as could be inflicted, and as great an affront as could be offered, to mar a man's beard, or shave it off in whole or in part ^F16 . The Lacedemonians, as Plutarch ^F17 relates, when any fled from battle, used, by way of reproach, to shave off part of their beards, and let the other part grow long; and with the Indians, as Bishop Patrick observes from an ancient writer, the king used to order the greatest offenders to be shaven, as the heaviest punishment he could inflict upon them;

but what comes nearest to the case here is what the same learned commentator quotes from Tavernier, who in his Indian Travels tells us, that the sophi of Persia caused an ambassador of Aurengzeb to have his beard shaved off, telling him he was not worthy to wear a beard, and thereupon commanded it should be shaved off; which affront offered him in the person of his ambassador was most highly resented by Aurengzeb, as this was by David:

and cut off their garments in the middle, [even] to their buttocks ;
and as they wore long garments in those countries, without any breeches or drawers under them, those parts by these means were exposed to view which modesty requires should be concealed ^F18 ; so that they must be put to the utmost shame and confusion:

and sent them away ;
in this ridiculous manner, scoffing and leering at them no doubt; that since they came with compliments of condolence, it was proper they should appear in the habit of mourners, with their beards shaved, and their garments rent; cutting of garments, and standing in them from morning to night, was a punishment of soldiers with the Romans, when they offended ^F19 .

FOOTNOTES:

• F16: Apollon. Vit. Philostrat. l. 7. c. 14.
• F17: In Agesitao.
• F18: "Dimidiasque nates Gallica palla tegit". Martial.
• F19: Valer. Maxim. l. 2. c. 2.

When they told [it] unto David
Not the ambassadors, for they were not yet arrived, but some of their servants, perhaps, they sent before them to acquaint David of the usage they had met with:

he sent to meet them :
he sent men to meet them with proper garments to put on, and to assure them how much he resented the indignity done to them and him, and would avenge it in due and proper time, and to direct them where to go for the present, as follows:

because the men were greatly ashamed :
to proceed on their journey, and come to court in the condition they were:

and the king said ;
gave orders by the messengers he sent to them:

tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown ,
or "bud" ^F20 ,

and [then] return ;
that is, to Jerusalem; Jericho, though not yet built, might have some cottages at or near the spot on which it had stood, for the convenience of shepherds, and gatherers of fruit, in the plains of it; here the ambassadors were directed to go, it being the first place they came to when they had passed over Jordan, from the country of Ammon; and being a place where there were scarcely any inhabitants, or very few, was very proper for them in their present circumstances; and this confirms what is before observed, that it was now the custom of the Israelites not to shave their whole beards; or otherwise it was but shaving off the other half, and being now provided with other clothes, they would have had no need to have stayed at Jericho, but might have proceeded on in their journey.

FOOTNOTES:

• F20: (xmuy) "germinet", Pagninus, Montanus.