074. LI. David’s Foreign Wars And Conquests
§ LI. DAVID’S FOREIGN WARS AND CONQUESTS
2 Samuel 23:8-12; 2 Samuel 23:18-23, 2 Samuel 8:2, 2 Samuel 10, 2 Samuel 8:7-9; 2 Samuel 8:13-14, 2 Samuel 11:1, 2 Samuel 12:26-31
1. David’s warriors. These are the names of David’s mighty heroes: Ishbaal the Hachmonite, leader of the Three; he swung his spear over eight hundred slain at one time.
2. Eleazar. And next to him among the three mighty heroes was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite. He was with David at Pasdammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. But when the Israelites retreated, he stood up and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary and clave fast to the sword. Thus Jehovah brought about a great deliverance that day; and the people returned after him only to take spoil.
3. Sham mah. And next to him was Shammah the son of Agee, a Hararite. And the Philistines gathered together at Lehi. And there was a plot of ground full of lentils. But when the people fled from the Philistines, he stood in the middle of the plot and defended it and slew the Philistines. Thus Jehovah brought about a great deliverance.
4. Leader of the Thirty. And Abishai, the brother of Joab the son of Zeruiah, was leader of the Thirty. And he swung his spear over three hundred slain, so that he was renowned among the Thirty. He was honored more than the Thirty, so that he became their commander, but he did not attain to the Three.
5. Deeds of Benaiah. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done great deeds; he slew the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow. And he slew a tall Egyptian, who had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and slew him with his own spear. These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he was renowned among the thirty mighty heroes. He was honored more than the Thirty, but he did not attain to the Three. And David set him over his body-guard.
6. Conquest of Moab. Then David smote Moab and measured them off with a line, making them lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines: one full line to put to death and one full line to save alive. And thus the Moabites became subject to David, and brought a present.
7. Cause of the war with the Ammonites. Now it came to pass after this, that the king of the Ammonites died and Hanun his son became king in his place. And David said, I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash as his father showed kindness to me. So David sent by his servants to condole with him concerning his father. But when David’s servants came to the land of the Ammonites, the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, Do you suppose that David is honoring your father in sending comforters to you? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it? So Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, cut their robes in two, even to their hips, and sent them away. When David was informed regarding the men, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Stay at Jericho until your beards are grown and then return.
8. First victory of the Israelites under Joab. Now when the Ammonites saw that they had become odious to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-rehob, and the Arameans of Zobah, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Maacah and of Ishtob with twelve thousand men. And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army and the trained warriors. And the Ammonites came out, and drew up in battle-array at the entrance of the city. And the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob, and Ishtob and Maacah, were by themselves in the open country. But when Joab saw that he was being attacked both in front and in the rear, he selected the picked men of Israel, and put them in array against the Arameans. And the rest of the people he placed under the command of Abishai his brother; and he put them in array against the Ammonites. And he said, If the Arameans should be too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites should be too strong for you, then I will come to your aid. Be courageous and let us show ourselves men for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may Jehovah do that which seems good to him. Now when Joab and the people who were with him drew near for battle against the Arameans, they fled before him. And when the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered into the city. Then Joab returned from the Ammonites, and came to Jerusalem.
9. The second campaign and victory over the Arameans. But when the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by the Israelites, they gathered themselves together, and Hadadezer sent, and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the River [Euphrates], and they came to Helam with Shobach, the commander of the army of Hadadezer, at their head. And when it was reported to David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed over the Jordan and came to Helam. And the Arameans set themselves in array against David and fought with him. And the Arameans fled before Israel; and David slew of the Arameans seven hundred horsemen and forty thousand footmen and smote Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there. And when all the kings who were subject to Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and were subject to them. Therefore the Arameans feared to help the Ammonites any more.
10. The spoil. And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. And from Tibhath and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a great amount of brass.
11. Gifts of Tou, king of Hamath. And when Tou king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the army of Hadadezer, Tou sent Hadoram his son to King David, to greet him and to wish him good fortune, because he had fought against Hadadezer and smitten him, for Hadadezer was Tou’s military antagonist. And he brought with him vessels of silver, of gold, and of brass. Thus David made a reputation for himself.
12. Victorious conclusion of Ammonite war. Now, a year later, at the time when kings are accustomed to go forth, David sent Joab and his servants with him, even all Israel; and they destroyed the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. And Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and took the water city. Then Joab sent messengers to David, saying, I have fought against Rabbah; also I have taken the water city. Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it, lest I take the city and it should be called by my name. So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it. And he took the crown of Milcom from his head; and its weight was about one hundred and forty pounds of gold, and in it was a precious stone; and it was set on David’s head. And he brought away the great amount of spoil that was in the city. And he brought away the people who were in it, and put them at the saws and picks and axes of iron and made them work at the brickmoulds. Even thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
13. Defeat of the Edomites. On his return, he smote of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt, eighteen thousand men. And he put garrisons in all Edom; and all the Edomites became subject to David. And Jehovah helped David wherever he went.
I. David’s Warriors. During David’s outlaw period he gathered about him a trained and tested body of valiant knights. The relative honors which they enjoyed were measured simply by their bravery and achievement. It was an age when a powerful, brave, far-famed warrior could successfully meet and put to flight a company of ordinary soldiers. On many a hard-fought battle-field David had proved himself a brave and chivalrous knight, and his example was imitated by his followers. Three of these warriors stood preëminent above all others. There was also another group of thirty knights of the second class whose names have been preserved in the narratives of Samuel and Chronicles. The personality of these warriors and the accounts of their bold achievements undoubtedly did much to inspire courage and enterprise in the rank and file of David’s army.
II. The Organization of David’s Army. David’s regular army seems to have consisted simply of his chosen knights and the Philistine body-guard, which numbered six hundred trained fighting men. These could be absolutely depended upon at every crisis. From their ranks were doubtless drawn commanders to lead the different divisions of the militia, which could be quickly called out in the event of a foreign in vasion or war. As in olden times, the Hebrew warriors rallied under their tribal and local leaders, who were thus able intelligently to direct and command the obedience of their followers. During the winter and spring time the rank and file of the army returned to their homes to attend to their private interests, to follow their flocks, or to till their fields. Foreign campaigns were not undertaken until the crops had been gathered in and the men were free to respond to the call of the camp and battlefield. The simple habits and diet of the early Hebrews called for few provisions beyond what each individual could himself furnish. In this way it was possible for David to rally at short notice most of the able-bodied men in his realm, and to carry on protracted wars without seriously draining the resources of his kingdom.
III. The Ammonite Wars. There is a brief and apparently late reference to a campaign against the Moabites, according to which they were completely subjugated and two-thirds of their men were put to death. If the narrative is historical it was a strange requital of their hospitality toward David’s parents unless, perchance, the Moabites later did some violence to the refugees thus entrusted to their care. The first extensive foreign campaign to be undertaken by David appears to have been against the Ammonites, the old foes of the east-Jordan tribes. On his accession to the throne the son of Nahash treated David’s ambassadors shamefully and thereby took the initiative in declaring war. The Ammonites called in as their allies a large body of Arameans from the north and north-east of Israel. Joab was despatched against them with an army of picked warriors. To anticipate an attack in his rear, he divided his forces into two divisions, placing one under the command of his brother, Abishai. The battle was evidently fought in the open, and both divisions of the Hebrew army put to flight the opposing forces.
Under the leadership of David a campaign was next conducted against the Arameans. At a certain east-Jordan point, not yet identified, he won a decisive victory. The Aramean princes, whose kingdoms lay nearest to Israel, hastened to make peace with David and to pay tribute. A year later Joab was sent out with a new army to besiege the Ammonite capital Rabbah. He first captured the water city, thus cutting off the water supply. David was then summoned to be present at the final conquest of the capital, and he soon returned laden with rich spoil. The crown of gold was taken from the head of the Ammonite god, Milcom (or Milk), and its chief jewel was added to David’s diadem. The Ammonites were enslaved and set at forced labor, and their territory was annexed to the rapidly growing Hebrew empire.
IV. The Extent of David’s Kingdom. Another campaign, with a bloody victory, was carried on by David against his southern foes, the Edomites. Hebrew garrisons were established throughout the land and the people were completely subjugated. Thus apparently within a few years David built up a little empire which extended from the territory of the Phoenicians and Philistines on the west to the desert on the east, and from the eastern arm of the Red Sea in the south to the neighborhood of Damascus in the north.
V. The Significance of David’s Conquests. Later prophets like Amos condemned, even in their heathen foes, the barbarous cruelty with which David treated the conquered peoples. It was a brutal age and the warfare between the kindred tribes of southwestern Asia had always been characterized by great cruelty and disregard of human life. Each petty nation fought in the name of its god and in the name of its god slaughtered its conquered foes. The cause was partially because the struggle for the limited territory in the ancient Semitic world was so intense, and partially because the ethical motives of justice and mercy had not as yet found a central place in the religions of the day. In the light of existing conditions it was clear that, if David’s kingdom was to enjoy peace and prosperity, he must subdue the persistent foes to the south and east, who were constantly pressing the Hebrews from behind, and who never lost a favorable opportunity for attack. David’s conquests not only gave him a unified empire, but also opened on every side the highways for foreign commerce. From Philistia, Phoenicia, Damascus and Arabia came those products and ideas which, in the days of Solomon, transformed the simple, rude Hebrew state into an opulent, ambitious monarchy. Under David the Israelites also ceased to be a race of struggling, hunted peasants and suddenly became the masters of the eastern Mediterranean. The Hebrews never forgot the proud achievements of David’s reign. Their fondest hopes for the future were moulded by the memories of the conquests and achievements of this early period, which represented the zenith of their national glory.