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1 Chronicles 19

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David's Kindness Rejected by Ammon 1–5

1
And it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead. ​
2
And David said, I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me. So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him.
3
But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, Thinkest thou that David doth honor thy father, in that he hath sent comforters unto thee? are not his servants come unto thee to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land? ​
4
So Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. ​
5
Then there went certain persons, and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them; for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return. ​

The Ammonites Prepare for War 6–15

6
And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Aram-maacah, and out of Zobah. ​
7
So they hired them thirty and two thousand chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and encamped before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle.
8
And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men.
9
And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the gate of the city: and the kings that were come were by themselves in the field.
10
Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians. ​
11
And the rest of the people he committed into the hand of Abishai his brother; and they put themselves in array against the children of Ammon.
12
And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me; but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee. ​
13
Be of good courage, and let us play the man for our people, and for the cities of our God: and Jehovah do that which seemeth him good. ​
14
So Joab and the people that were with him drew nigh before the Syrians unto the battle; and they fled before him.
15
And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

David Defeats the Renewed Syrian Threat 16–19

16
And when the Syrians saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they sent messengers, and drew forth the Syrians that were beyond the River, with Shophach the captain of the host of Hadarezer at their head. ​
17
And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him. ​
18
And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host. ​
19
And when the servants of Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with David, and served him: neither would the Syrians help the children of Ammon any more. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 Chronicles 19

Verse 1

Nahash the king of the children of Ammon — The Ammonite who besieged Jabesh-gilead and would make a covenant only at the price of every right eye (1 Sam 11:1–2). David's reason for sending condolences is given in v.2, 'his father shewed kindness to me' (chesed); the text does not say what that kindness was.

Verse 3

to spy out the land — Three verbs: chaqar, to search out; haphak, to overturn; ragal, to spy, the word of Joseph's charge, 'Ye are spies' (Gen 42:9). 'Comforters' is the verb nacham of v.2, so the princes read the same word as a pretext.

Verse 4

shaved them — The men were 'David's servants', sent in his name, so the insult fell on the king who sent them. The parallel states the cuts exactly: half the beard shaved, and the garments cut 'to their buttocks' (2 Sam 10:4).

Verse 5

Tarry at Jericho — Yashab, to stay. The men were 'greatly ashamed' (kalam, put to confusion), and David met them with an order to wait until the beards grew (tsamach, to sprout). Jericho stood at the crossing of the Jordan: 'the people passed over right against Jericho' (Josh 3:16).

Verse 6

odious to David — Baash is to stink, as 2 Sam 10:6 has it, 'they stank before David'. Ammon hired by weight, 'a thousand talents of silver' (kikkar, a round weight), from Mesopotamia (Aram-naharaim), Syriamaachah and Zobah, the kingdom of Hadarezer (1 Chr 18:3).

Verse 10

he chose out of all the choice of Israel — The verb is bachar, to select, used twice. Joab, with the battle set 'before and behind', took the picked men against the Syrians and left 'the rest of the people' to his brother Abishai against Ammon (v.11).

Verse 12

too strong — Chazaq, to be strong, is the verb of both clauses and returns in v.13 as 'be of good courage'. 'Help' in the first clause is teshuah, deliverance; in the second it is yasha, to save, the verb that closes the chapter in v.19.

Verse 13

let the LORD do that which is good in his sight — Joab charges the army to 'be of good courage' in Joshua's words to his captains (Josh 10:25), fighting for 'the cities of our God'. The outcome is left to the LORD, as in Eli's words, 'It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good' (1 Sam 3:18).

Verse 16

beyond the river — The river is the Euphrates, where Hadarezer went 'to stablish his dominion' (1 Chr 18:3). 'Put to the worse' is nagaph, to be struck down, the verb again in v.19. Shophach is 'Shobach' in 2 Sam 10:16.

Verse 17

passed over Jordan — Joab had led the first engagement (vv.8–15). Now David gathers 'all Israel' and goes himself. 'Array' (arak) is the word used for both sides across the chapter (vv.9, 10, 11, 17).

Verse 18

killed Shophach — The captain of the host who had brought the force from beyond the river (v.16) is the one named as killed. Those 'which fought in chariots' (rekeb) are counted with the 'footmen' (ragli, those on foot). 2 Sam 10:18 tells the same battle.

Verse 19

neither would the Syrians help — The verb is yasha, to save, the one in Joab's pledge to Abishai (v.12). Those hired to help Ammon now 'made peace' (shalam) and 'became his servants', as the Syrians of Damascus had in 1 Chr 18:6.