Paul Kretzmann Commentary - 1 Chronicles 18:1 - 18:8

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - 1 Chronicles 18:1 - 18:8


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War With The Philistines, Moabites, and Syrians

v. 1. Now, after this it came to pass that David smote the Philistines, over whom he had already gained two victories, 1Ch_14:8-16, and subdued them, and took Gath and her towns, one of the five Philistine city-states, out of the hands of the Philistines.

v. 2. And he smote Moab,
the heathen nation southeast of the Dead Sea; and the Moabites became David's servants, his tributary vassals, and brought gifts. Cf 2Sa_8:1-2.

v. 3. And David smote Hadarezer
(or Hadadezer), king of Zobah, unto, rather, toward, Hamath, his territory lying north or northeast of Damascus, as he went to stablish his dominion by the river Euphrates, in an effort to get the supremacy of the Syrian states.

v. 4. And David took from him a thousand chariots and seven thousand horsemen and twenty thousand footmen.
The apparent discrepancy between this statement and that of 2Sa_8:4 is due to the fact that in the latter passage the Hebrew text is a trifle corrupt. David also houghed all the chariot horses, by hamstringing them, but reserved of them an hundred chariots, probably for a triumphal procession upon his return.

v. 5. And when the Syrians of Damascus,
who now held the supremacy in the Syrian countries, came to help Hadarezer, king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians, in defeating their army utterly, two and twenty thousand men.

v. 6. Then David put garrisons in Syria-damascus,
as in a tributary country. And the Syrians became David's servants and brought gifts, regular tribute money. Thus the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went.

v. 7. And David took the shields,
the arms or equipments, of gold that were on the servants of Hadarezer, with which his soldiers were equipped, and brought them to Jerusalem, into the treasury of the Sanctuary.

v. 8. Likewise from Tibbath
(probably Tebah) and from Chun, cities of Hadarezer, towns through which the main caravan road to the Euphrates ran, brought David very much brass, wherewith Solomon made the brazen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass, 1Ki_7:15-23. Thus the kingdom of David was extended as far as the Euphrates, because the Lord was with him. Even so the believers prosper under God's blessings in all that His goodness bestows upon them.