2 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2 SAMUEL 10:1 The Ammonite war is the background for the events of chs. 2 Samuel 10:1. The war led to David’s domination of the Syrian kingdoms (see 2 Samuel 8:3; 2 Samuel 10:15). Unfortunately, it was also the setting for his sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:1). ⇐... [ Continue Reading ]
2 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2 SAMUEL 10:6 BETH-REHOB, ZOBAH, MAACAH, and TOB were Syrian kingdoms in the northern Transjordan and Lebanon Valley. Hiring armies was a common practice of the day (compare 2 Kings 7:6). The GATE is that of the city of Rabbah (2 Samuel 11:1), the capital of Ammon, near present-day... [ Continue Reading ]
2 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2 SAMUEL 10:9 David’s army under Joab is trapped between the Syrians and the Ammonites, but they defeat the Syrians and force them to leave. HADADEZER of Zobah (see 2 Samuel 8:5) attacks again at HELAM, apparently a city in northern Transjordan, but is again defeated. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var ima... [ Continue Reading ]
2 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2 SAMUEL 10:12 LET US BE COURAGEOUS... AND MAY THE LORD DO WHAT SEEMS GOOD TO HIM. Joab expresses both faith in God and a resolve to fight with all his strength. Faith and human effort rightly go together. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=i... [ Continue Reading ]