2 Samuel 10 (Listen)
David Defeats Ammon and Syria
10:1 After this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. 2 And David said, “I will deal loyally1 with Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the Ammonites. 3 But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away. 5 When it was told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.”
6 When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob, 12,000 men. 7 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men. 8 And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, and the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.
9 When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians. 10 The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites. 11 And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. 12 Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him.” 13 So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. 14 And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.
15 But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16 And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphrates.2 They came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head. 17 And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians arrayed themselves against David and fought with him. 18 And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there. 19 And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore.
(ESV)
2 Samuel 10 Commentary
In 2 Samuel 10, after the death of the king of the Ammonites, David sent emissaries to show kindness to his son, Hanun. However, the Ammonite leaders accused David of sending spies (2 Samuel 10:1-3). In response, Hanun humiliated David’s men by shaving half their beards and cutting their clothes (2 Samuel 10:4). David instructed them to stay in Jericho until their beards grew back (2 Samuel 10:5).
Realizing they had offended David, the Ammonites hired thousands of Aramean mercenaries (2 Samuel 10:6). Joab led Israel’s army against them and used a strategy with his brother Abishai to face both the Arameans and the Ammonites (2 Samuel 10:7-10). Joab encouraged the troops to be strong and trust in the Lord’s will (2 Samuel 10:11-12). Israel defeated the Arameans, causing the Ammonites to flee as well (2 Samuel 10:13-14).
The Arameans regrouped, and David himself led Israel to Helam, where he defeated them again, killing 700 charioteers, 40,000 foot soldiers, and the commander Shobach (2 Samuel 10:15-18). Afterward, the Aramean kings made peace with Israel and refused to aid the Ammonites again (2 Samuel 10:19).
David’s Kindness
This is a contrasting story to 2 Samuel 9, where David shows kindness to Mephibosheth. In that story, Mephibosheth responds graciously. Here, Hanun responds with disdain. This is an interesting twist that picks up on the relationship between David and Hunan’s father, Nahash. Remember, Nahash was the man who wanted to gouge out the right eye of every Israelite (1 Sam 11:1–11). Back then, it was Saul who stopped him.
So, where does Nahash “show David kindness?” There is no direct biblical reference to this, however, many scholars speculate that Nahash helped David when he was on the run from Saul.
- Other enemies of Saul, like the Moabites and Philistines (1 Sam 21–22), had already offered David shelter, not because they loved David, but because they hated Saul.
- You can imagine the conversation between David and Nahash. David: “Will you help me? I’m on the run from Saul?” Nahash: SAUL! I can’t stand that guy! He routed me back at Jabesh-gilead. Any enemy of Saul’s is a friend of mine!”
Some indirect evidence comes later in 2 Sam 17:27-30:
- When David fled from Absalom, a man named Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah (Ammon’s capital) brought supplies to help David.
- Shobi’s loyalty suggests an earlier, long-standing relationship between David and Nahash’s family, possibly dating back to David’s fugitive years.
All of this background draws serious attention to the significance of David’s men being humiliated by Hanun. David respected this relationship, which is why he tried to honor Hanun after Nahash’s death (2 Samuel 10:2). But apparently, Hanun was not like his father. Some scholars speculate he was looking for any opportunity to instigate a war and get out of whatever peaceful agreement was made with David.
In Israelite culture, shaving a man’s beard without his choice was extremely shameful and against God’s law (Lev 19:27). Damaging their clothes in this way also broke God’s commands about clothing (Deut 22:12, Num 15:38) and publicly humiliated them by exposing their private parts.
This Means War
After David’s men were humiliated by the Ammonites (and especially the way they were humiliated) it was only a matter of time before war would break out. First, David asked the humiliated men to stay in Jericho until their beards grew back. This helped them to avoid the embarrassment of having to appear before their family (and in Jerusalem) in a disgraceful way.
The Ammonites heard that David was boiling and they hired the Syrians to join the battle. Upon hearing this, David sent Joab and the entire army of elite forces to take care of the job.
Here in 2 Samuel 10, we read the phrase ‘mighty men’. The most skilled of this Israelite army were David’s mighty men.
“One of these mighty men was Adino the Eznite – famous for killing 800 men at one time (2 Samuel 23:8). Another was Jashobeam who killed 300 men at one time (1 Chronicles 11:11). Another was Benaiah who killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day and took on a huge Egyptian warrior and killed the Egyptian with his own spear (1 Chronicles 11:22-23).
David Guzik
How was David able to assemble such a powerful force? Scripture tells us that this group began to form when David was on the run back in 1 Samuel 22.
“So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When David’s brothers and his father’s whole family heard, they went down and joined him there. [2] In addition, every man who was desperate, in debt, or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.”
1 Samuel 22:1-2 CSB
These men had come to David oppressed, in debt, and dissatisfied. They looked to David for leadership. This unique assembly was not a coincidence. These men needed David, and David needed these men. This storyline is intriguing because it was through David’s leadership that these oppressed and dissatisfied “ordinary men” would become mighty men of the Lord. Sound familiar (Acts 4:13)?
The Battle
“According to 1 Chr 19:6, Hanun paid one thousand talents (approx. 75,000 pounds) of silver to gain the services of these Arameans. The practice of employing a mercenary force against enemies who were perceived to be superior was common in the ancient Near East; Israelites did this on numerous occasions throughout the royal period (cf. 1 Kgs 15:18–20; 2 Kgs 16:8–9; 2 Chr 25:5–6).”
The New American Commentary
The Israelites were lured into a trap. When Joab pressed northeast to battle, he found himself sandwiched between the Ammonites and the Aramaeans. After Joab put the battle plan into action and motivated the troops, his army attacked the Arameans, who quickly retreated.
Seeing their allies defeated, the Ammonites lost confidence and retreated into the safety of their capital city, Rabbah. Since the Israelites hadn’t originally intended to fight the Ammonites, they chose not to pursue them or launch a siege at that time. Joab instead called off the campaign and returned to Jerusalem, leaving the conflict with Ammon unresolved for the moment.
But King Hadadezer of Zobah (Aramaeans) feared retaliation from Israel, so he gathered reinforcements from beyond the Euphrates to strike Israel first. David, alerted by his intelligence network, led his troops across the Jordan to confront them. The battle ended in a decisive Israelite victory, and David’s forces wiped out thousands of troops (including the Aramean commander). As a result, several Aramean states submitted to Israel, giving David greater influence and control over important trade routes.
This victory sets the stage for a major turning point in David’s story. Up until now, David had been faithful to God, resulting in blessings and covenant promises. However, there is a storm brewing on the horizon.
“David took an insignificant nation and in a few years built it into a mighty kingdom. In the southwest, the Egyptian world empire had declined. In the east, in Mesopotamia, the Assyrian and Babylonian world empires had not yet arisen. And here, on the highway between Egypt and Mesopotamia, the kingdom of Israel under David became almost overnight, not a world empire, but perhaps the single most powerful kingdom on earth at the time.”
Halley’s Bible Handbook
