--- title: "Clarke" description: "great slaughter, and make with him a separate peace, 15-19. NOTES ON CHAP. X Verse 2 Samuel 10:2. I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash — We d" image: "/images/missing.jpg" url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-samuel/10" --- *great slaughter, and make with him a separate peace*, 15-19. NOTES ON CHAP. X Verse [2 Samuel 10:2](../../../kjv/2-samuel/10/2). ***I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash*** — We do not know exactly the nature or extent of the obligation which David was under to the king of the Ammonites; but it is likely that the Nahash here mentioned was the same who had attacked Jabesh-gilead, and whom Saul defeated: as David had taken refuge with the Moabites, ([1 Samuel 22:3](../../../kjv/1-samuel/22/3)), and this was contiguous to the king of the Ammonites, his hatred to Saul might induce him to show particular kindness to David. Verse [2 Samuel 10:3](../../../kjv/2-samuel/10/3). ***Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father*** — It has been a matter of just complaint through all the history of mankind, that there is little sincerity in courts. Courtiers, especially, are suspicious of each other, and often mislead their sovereigns. They feel themselves to be insincere, and suspect others to be so too. Verse [2 Samuel 10:4](../../../kjv/2-samuel/10/4). ***Shaved off the one half of their beards*** — The *beard* is held in high respect in the East: the possessor considers it his greatest ornament; often swears by it; and, in matters of great importance, *pledges* it. Nothing can be more secure than a pledge of this kind; its owner will redeem it at the hazard of his life. The beard was never cut off but in *mourning*, or as a sign of *slavery*. Cutting off half of the beard and the clothes rendered the men ridiculous, and made them look like slaves: what was done to these men was an accumulation of insult. Verse [2 Samuel 10:5](../../../kjv/2-samuel/10/5). ***Tarry at Jericho*** — This city had not been rebuilt since the time of Joshua; but there were, no doubt, many cottages still remaining, and larger dwellings also, but the *walls* had not been repaired. As it must have been comparatively a *private* place, it was proper for these men to tarry in, as they would not be exposed to public notice. Verse [2 Samuel 10:6](../../../kjv/2-samuel/10/6). ***The children of Ammon saw that they stank*** — That is, that their conduct rendered them abominable. This is the Hebrew mode of expressing such a feeling. See [Genesis 34:30](../../../kjv/genesis/34/30). ***The Syrians of Bethrehob*** — This place was situated at the extremity of the valley between Libanus and Anti-libanus. The Syrians of Zoba were subject to Hadadezer. *Maacah* was in the vicinity of Mount Hermon, beyond Jordan, in the Trachonitis. ***Ish-tob*** — This was probably the same with *Tob*, to which Jephthah fled from the cruelty of his brethren. It was situated in the land of Gilead. Verse [2 Samuel 10:7](../../../kjv/2-samuel/10/7). ***All the host of the mighty*** — All his *worthies*, and the flower of his army. Verse [2 Samuel 10:8](../../../kjv/2-samuel/10/8). ***At the entering in of the gate*** — This was the city of *Medeba*, as we learn from [1 Chronicles 19:7](../../../kjv/1-chronicles/19/7). Verse [2 Samuel 10:9](../../../kjv/2-samuel/10/9). ***Before and behind*** — It is probable that one of the armies was in the *field*, and the other in the *city*, when Joab arrived. When he fronted this army, the other appears to have issued from the city, and to have taken him in the rear; he was therefore obliged to divide his army as here mentioned; one part to face the Syrians commanded by himself, and the other to face the Ammonites commanded by his brother Abishai. Verse [2 Samuel 10:12](../../../kjv/2-samuel/10/12). ***Be of good courage*** — This is a very fine military address, and is equal to any thing in ancient or modern times. Ye fight *pro aris et focis*; for every good, sacred and civil; for God, for your families, and for your country. Verse [2 Samuel 10:14](../../../kjv/2-samuel/10/14). ***The Syrians were fled*** — They betook themselves to their own confines, while the Ammonites escaped into their own city. Verse [2 Samuel 10:16](../../../kjv/2-samuel/10/16). ***The Syrians that*****were*****beyond the river*** — That is, the *Euphrates*. ***Hadarezer*** — This is the same that was overthrown by David, [2 Samuel 8:3](../../../kjv/2-samuel/8/3) and there called Hadadezer; which is the reading here of about *thirty* of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS. But the ר *resh* and ד *daleth* are easily interchanged. Verse [2 Samuel 10:17](../../../kjv/2-samuel/10/17). ***David - gathered all Israel together*** — He thought that such a war required his own presence. Verse [2 Samuel 10:18](../../../kjv/2-samuel/10/18). ***SEVEN HUNDRED chariots - and forty thousand HORSEMEN*** — In the parallel place, [1 Chronicles 19:18](../../../kjv/1-chronicles/19/18), it is said, *David slew of the Syrians SEVEN THOUSAND men*, which fought in *chariots*. It is difficult to ascertain the right number in this and similar places. It is very probable that, in former times, the Jews expressed, as they often do *now*, their numbers, not by *words* *at full length*, but by *numeral letters*; and, as many of the letters bear a great similarity to each other, mistakes might easily creep in when the numeral letters came to be expressed by *words* at *full length*. This alone will account for the many mistakes which we find in the numbers in these books, and renders a mistake here very probable. The letter ז *zain*, with a dot above, stands for *seven thousand*, נ nun for *seven hundred*: the great similarity of these letters might easily cause the one to be mistaken for the other, and so produce an error in this place. Verse [2 Samuel 10:19](../../../kjv/2-samuel/10/19). ***Made peace with Israel*** — They made this peace separately, and were obliged to pay tribute to the Israelites. Some copies of the Vulgate add here after the word *Israel,* *Expaverunt et fugerunt quinquaginta et octo millia coram Israel*; "and they were panic-struck, and fled *fifty-eight thousand* of them before Israel." This reading is nowhere else to be found. "Thus," observes Dr. *Delaney*, "the arms of David were blessed; and God accomplished the promises which he had made to Abraham, [Genesis 15:18](../../../kjv/genesis/15/18), and renewed to Joshua, [Joshua 1:2](../../../kjv/joshua/1/2); [Joshua 1:4](../../../kjv/joshua/1/4)." And thus, in the space of *nineteen* or *twenty* years, David had the good fortune to finish gloriously *eight* wars, all righteously undertaken, and all honourably terminated; viz. 1. The civil war with *Ish-bosheth*. 2. The war against the *Jebusites*. 3. The war against the *Philistines* and their *allies*. 4. The war against the *Philistines* alone. 5. The war against the *Moabites*. 6. The war against *Hadadezer*. 7. The war against the *Idumeans*. 8. The war against the *Ammonites* and *Syrians*. This last victory was soon followed by the complete conquest of the kingdom of the Ammonites, abandoned by their allies. What glory to the monarch of Israel, had not the splendour of this illustrious epoch been obscured by a complication of crimes, of which one could never have even suspected him capable! WE have now done with the first part of this book, in which we find David great, glorious, and pious: we come to the *second* part, in which we shall have the pain to observe him fallen from God, and his horn defiled in the dust by crimes of the most flagitious nature. Let him that most assuredly standeth take heed lest he fall. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-samuel/10#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","width":640,"height":370,"caption":"Clarke's Commentary - 2 Samuel 10"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-samuel/10#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-samuel/10","name":"Clarke's Commentary - 2 Samuel 10","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-samuel/10#primaryimage"},"datePublished":null,"dateModified":null,"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"great slaughter, and make with him a separate peace, 15-19. NOTES ON CHAP. X Verse 2 Samuel 10:2. 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