2 Samuel 10 Study Notes

10:1 Ironically, the name Hanun means “gracious.”

10:2 Nahash was the Ammonite ruler whom Saul defeated (1Sm 11:1-11). Nahash apparently honored Israel’s terms of peace with the Ammonites on into David’s reign.

10:3 The Ammonite leaders (lit “princes”) suspected David had sent his emissaries on a spying mission. Their words suggest they feared a greater level of Israelite domination; probably their current arrangement gave them a certain amount of freedom.

10:4 Hanun shaved off half their beards, giving the men a ridiculous appearance but also making them appear to be in violation of the law of Moses (Lv 19:27) or in mourning (Is 15:2; Jr 41:5). He also cut their clothes in half at the hips, exposing their private parts.

10:5 David sent a delegation to the deeply humiliated men, advising them to stay in Jericho in the Jordan Valley about fifteen miles below Jerusalem until their beards looked normal again. This would enable them to avoid further humiliation.

10:6 The Ammonites must have known their actions would make them repulsive to David, so Ammon had probably determined to try to free themselves of Israelite dominance. They also purchased (1Ch 19:6) the assistance of thirty-three thousand additional soldiers from the Arameans. The Ammonites and Arameans thus banded together against David.

10:7 David realized his control to the north and east was in jeopardy, so he dispatched Joab and all the elite troops to counter his enemies.

10:8 The Ammonite-Aramean strategy was to force Israel to fight a war on two fronts—something Joab and his forces did not realize they would have to do until they crossed the Jordan River.

10:9 Joab divided his troops into two groups. He determined the Arameans would prove the more challenging opponent, so he chose some of the finest young men to fight them.

10:10 Joab’s brother Abishai, another seasoned warrior (2:24; 1Sm 26:6-11), led the second group against the Ammonites. Nonetheless, such a strategy was risky.

10:11-12 Joab knew that if Israel lost this battle, Ammon and Aram might overrun Israel’s territory and cities. He challenged Abishai to be strong and asked for the Lord’s will to be done (lit “May the Lord do what is good in his eyes”).

10:13 The Arameans fled before the Israelite army in defeat (1Sm 4:17; 31:1).

10:14 The Ammonites knew any hope of victory over Israel was gone when the Arameans fled. They entered the city of Rabbah (their capital) to defend it from siege. Joab withdrew, content for now to return to Jerusalem.

10:15 The Arameans probably feared an Israelite reprisal, so they regrouped.

10:16 Hadadezer, whom David had earlier subdued (8:3-4), gathered the Arameans even from the distant city-states across the Euphrates River. They gathered at Helam about thirty miles east of the Sea of Galilee.

10:17 David could not ignore this second threat, so he crossed the Jordan River to face them. He wanted to keep the battle outside Israelite territory as much as possible.

10:18 Again the Arameans fled before Israel (see v. 13). The extent of the victory is indicated by the comment that David struck down Shobach commander of their army.

10:19 Israel’s enemies realized the battle was lost, and they negotiated terms of peace with Israel—terms that probably included paying greater tribute to David than they had before.