1 Chronicles 19

Ch. 1 Chronicles 19:1-19 (= 2 Samuel 10:1-19). War with the Ammonites and their Aramaean Allies Chron. here omits the story of David’s kindness in seeking out and befriending Mephibosheth (Meribbaal) the son of Jonathan (2 Samuel 9); the Court History of David which occupies an important place in 2 Sam. is passed over altogether in Chron. There are several variations in text between 2 Samuel 10. and 1 Chronicles 19 e.g. 1 Chronicles 19:6-7 (addition in Chron.), 16 (omission from Chron.), 18 (variation in reckoning).

1 Chronicles 19:1

1. after this] The war with Ammon has already been referred to by anticipation in 1 Chronicles 18:11. Nahash] Probably not the Nahash mentioned 1 Samuel 11:1. Ammon] The Ammonites were a kindred race to the Hebrews, being descended according to tradition from Lot, the nephew of Abraham; cp. Deuteronomy 2:19. The two Ammonite names here given are pure Hebrew, Nahash (= “Serpent”) and Hanun (= “Favoured, Fortunatus”); the Ammonite language, like the Moabite, was probably near akin to Hebrew.

1 Chronicles 19:2

2. sent messengers to comfort him] A usual piece of international courtesy; cp. 2 Kings 20:12. Its breach was resented. In the Tellel-Amarna letters (x. 16) the king of Kardunias writes, “Should not my brother (i.e. the king of Egypt) have heard that I am sick? Why has he not comforted me? Why has he not sent his messenger, not looked into it?” (ed. H. Winckler, p. 23).

1 Chronicles 19:3

3. the land] 2 Samuel 10:3, the city, i.e. Rabbah.

1 Chronicles 19:4

4. shaved them] 2 Samuel 10:4, shaved off the one half of iheir beards. Of course a great insult; cp. Isaiah 50:6. cut off their garments] Jewish ambassadors are represented on the Black Obelisk (a monument of Shalmaneser II, king of Assyria, now preserved in the British Museum) as wearing robes reaching to the feet; Hanun reduced ambassadors to the level of captives; cp. Isaiah 20:4.

1 Chronicles 19:5

5. Tarry at Jericho] Thus (1) the feelings of the ambassadors would be spared, (2) the insult would be less widely known until it had been avenged.

1 Chronicles 19:6

6. a thousand talents of silver] A very large sum; for a hundred talents Amaziah hired a hundred thousand men (2 Chronicles 25:6). chariots and horsemen] The Israelite armies on the contrary consisted chiefly of infantry, the country being for the most part unsuitable for horses. Mesopotamia] Heb. “Aram (Syria) of the two rivers” (cp. Genesis 24:10, R.V. mg.) i.e. probably the land between the Euphrates and the Chaboras. The Greeks used the term Mesopotamia of a wider district, i.e. of the country between the Euphrates and the Tigris. This mention of Mesopotamia is probably premature, for in 1 Chronicles 19:16 the summons of Syrians from beyond the Euphrates is spoken of as a new thing. The corresponding expression in 2 Samuel 10:6 is Beth-rehob, a district which has not yet been identified. Syria-maachah] R.V. Aram-maacah. Cp. 1 Chronicles 7:15, note; Deuteronomy 3:14; Joshua 12:5; Joshua 13:11. Zobah] Cp. 1 Chronicles 18:3 note.

1 Chronicles 19:7

7. thirty and two thousand chariots] Cp. 2 Samuel 10:6, which reckons the army (including Maacah) at 33,000, of whom 20,000 are expressly described as footmen. The word “chariots” has probably slipped in from 1 Chronicles 19:6 instead of “men.” Medeba] In the territory of Reuben; Joshua 13:16. The country round is a table-land suited for the manœuvres of chariots. The place of the rendezvous of the allies is not mentioned in 2 Samuel 10, some words having probably fallen out of the text.

1 Chronicles 19:8

8. David … sent Joab] Why in such a crisis did he not go himself? Perhaps because he could watch the gathering of the more serious storm described in 1 Chronicles 19:16-19 better from Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles 19:10

10. he chose out of all the choice] R.V. he chose of all the choice men. The Syrians were the more formidable because of the chariots they had; Joab therefore opposed to them the flower of his army.

1 Chronicles 19:13

13. let us behave ourselves valiantly] R.V. let us play the men, as in 2 Samuel 10:12. the cities of our God] The cities which our God has given us and in which He is worshipped. If these were captured by the enemy, false gods would be worshipped in them. Religious feeling often supplies the place of patriotism in the East.

1 Chronicles 19:14

14. drew nigh before the Syrians] Without fear for their own rear advanced against the Syrian front.

1 Chronicles 19:15

15. Joab came to Jerusalem] Probably because he was wanted for the new danger gathering in the North.

1 Chronicles 19:16-19

16–19. The End of the Aramaean War Three stages are apparent in the war with Zobah, (a) that in which David secured a position on the Euphrates, 1 Chronicles 18:3-8, (b) the stage during which troops from Zobah acted as auxiliaries to the Ammonites, 1 Chronicles 19:6-15, (c) the final stage which ended la the conclusion of a formal peace, ib. 1 Chronicles 19:16-19.

1 Chronicles 19:17

17. came upon them] Read came to Helam, with 2 Samuel 10:17. According to 2 Samuel 10 the Syrian army assembled at Helam, and was there attacked by David.

1 Chronicles 19:18

18. seven thousand men which fought in chariots] R.V. the men of seven, thousand chariots. 2 Samuel 10:18, the men of seven hundred chariots. forty thousand footmen] 2 Samuel 10:18, forty thousand horsemen. Swarms of horsemen have usually formed the strength of armies raised on the eastern bank of the Euphrates; the statement of 2 Sam, may therefore be more accurate than that of 1 Chr.

1 Chronicles 19:19

19. the servants] i.e. his vassals and tributaries; in 2 Sam. “all the kings that were servants to Hadarezer.” We are not told what course Hadarezer himself took; possibly, being deserted by his allies, he ceased from hostilities without making any treaty with David.