2 Samuel 10:6
in 2 Samuel 10When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench to David, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth-rehob and Zoba, as well as a thousand men from the king of Maacah and twelve thousand men from Tob.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And when the children of Ammon saw that they were become odious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and the men of Tob twelve thousand men.
KJV
And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth–rehob, and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand men, and of Ish–tob twelve thousand men.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 10
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThe 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 Gen 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.
This site's exposition
Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown
on 2 Samuel 10:5-6
David meets the men before they reach Jerusalem and sends them to wait at Jericho until their beards grow back, sparing them the shame of appearing at court disfigured. Henry reads the courtesy as proof a king's own grace can shield his servants from public ridicule. The Ammonites, knowing they have made themselves odious, do not wait for David's answer but hire four Syrian forces at once, thirty three thousand men bought rather than raised, turning an insult into a coalition war.
This site's exposition
they had become a stench to David
A stench is the Hebrew figure for a people made hateful, the figure of Genesis 34:30, as Adam Clarke notes. Tob was the land where Jephthah fled. Albert Barnes reads the thousand men of Maacah as the mark of a small state.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David,....
Thus sinners daringly provoke God, and expose themselves to his wrath, and never consider that he is stronger than they, 1 Cor. x. The Ammonites gave the affront first, and they were the first that raised forces to justify it.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
It was a just and necessary war that had been forced on Israel, and they could hope for the blessing of God upon their arms. With great judgment the battle opened against the mercenaries, who could not stand against the furious onset of Joab, and not feeling the cause their own, consulted their safety by flight.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Stank ... - A strong figure for to be odious or detested. Compare the marginal references The Syrians of Beth-rehob - If identical with the Mesopotamians of 1Ch 19:6, Beth-rehob is the same as Rehoboth by the river Gen 36:37. Others think Beth-rehob (Rehob, 2Sa 10:8) the same as the Rehob and Beth-rehob of Num 13:21, near Hamath (perhaps the modern ruin of Hunin). If so, Beth-rehob, as well as Tob, must have been a colony of Aram Naharaim (compare the numbers in 1Ch 19:7 and here). Syrians of Zoba - Compare 1Sa 14:47 note. King Maacah - Read the “King of Maacah” 1Ch 19:6-7. For the position of Maacah, see Deu 3:14; Jos 12:5. It appears to have been a very small state, since its king only brought a thousand men into the field. Ish-tob - See the margin. Tob was the district where Jephthah fled when driven out by the Gileadites.
The words behind it
31 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּרְאוּ֙ | vaiyiru | and they saw | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| בְּנֵ֣י | benei | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עַמּ֔וֹן | amon | Ammon | H5983 → | 106 times |
| כִּ֥י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| נִבְאֲשׁ֖וּ | nivashu | they had made themselves odious | H887 → | |
| בְּדָוִ֑ד | bedavid | with David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| וַיִּשְׁלְח֣וּ | vaiyishlechu | and they sent | H7971 → | 845 times |
| בְנֵֽי־ | venei- | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עַמּ֡וֹן | amon | Ammon | H5983 → | 106 times |
| וַיִּשְׂכְּרוּ֩ | vaiyiskeru | and they hired | H7936 → | |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֲרַ֨ם | ʾaram | Aram | H758 → | 143 times |
| בֵּית־ | beit- | Beth | H1050 → | |
| רְח֜וֹב | rechov | Rehob | H1050 → | |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֲרַ֣ם | ʾaram | Aram | H758 → | 143 times |
| צוֹבָ֗א | tzova' | Zobah | H6678 → | 12 times |
| עֶשְׂרִ֥ים | ʾesrim | twenty | H6242 → | 315 times |
| אֶ֙לֶף֙ | ʾelef | thousand | H505 → | 505 times |
| רַגְלִ֔י | ragli | foot soldier[s] | H7273 → | |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מֶ֤לֶךְ | melekh | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| מַֽעֲכָה֙ | maakhah | Maacah | H4601 → | 23 times |
| אֶ֣לֶף | ʾelef | one thousand | H505 → | 505 times |
| אִ֔ישׁ | ʾish | man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| וְאִ֣ישׁ | veish | and [the] man of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| ט֔וֹב | tov | Tob | H2897 → | |
| שְׁנֵים־ | sheneim- | two [plus] | H8147 → | 768 times |
| עָשָׂ֥ר | ʾasar | ten | H6240 → | 338 times |
| אֶ֖לֶף | ʾelef | thousand | H505 → | 505 times |
| אִֽישׁ׃ | ʾish | man | H376 → | 1663 times |
וַיִּרְאוּ֙and they saw
vaiyiruH7200 →1300 times
בְּנֵ֣י[the] people of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
עַמּ֔וֹןAmmon
amonH5983 →106 times
כִּ֥יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
נִבְאֲשׁ֖וּthey had made themselves odious
nivashuH887 →
בְּדָוִ֑דwith David
bedavidH1732 →999 times
וַיִּשְׁלְח֣וּand they sent
vaiyishlechuH7971 →845 times
בְנֵֽי־[the] people of
venei-H1121 →4930 times
עַמּ֡וֹןAmmon
amonH5983 →106 times
וַיִּשְׂכְּרוּ֩and they hired
vaiyiskeruH7936 →
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אֲרַ֨םAram
ʾaramH758 →143 times
בֵּית־Beth
beit-H1050 →
רְח֜וֹבRehob
rechovH1050 →
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
אֲרַ֣םAram
ʾaramH758 →143 times
צוֹבָ֗אZobah
tzova'H6678 →12 times
עֶשְׂרִ֥יםtwenty
ʾesrimH6242 →315 times
אֶ֙לֶף֙thousand
ʾelefH505 →505 times
רַגְלִ֔יfoot soldier[s]
ragliH7273 →
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
מֶ֤לֶךְ[the] king of
melekhH4428 →2525 times
מַֽעֲכָה֙Maacah
maakhahH4601 →23 times
אֶ֣לֶףone thousand
ʾelefH505 →505 times
אִ֔ישׁman
ʾishH376 →1663 times
וְאִ֣ישׁand [the] man of
veishH376 →1663 times
ט֔וֹבTob
tovH2897 →
שְׁנֵים־two [plus]
sheneim-H8147 →768 times
עָשָׂ֥רten
ʾasarH6240 →338 times
אֶ֖לֶףthousand
ʾelefH505 →505 times
אִֽישׁ׃man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 34:30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people of this land. We are few in number; if…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 13:4
And all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked an outpost of the Philistines, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines!” Then the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 105:12
When they were few in number, few indeed, and strangers in the land,
- Joshua 7:25
“Why have you brought this trouble upon us?” said Joshua. “Today the LORD will bring trouble upon you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies.
- 1 Samuel 13:4
Through
Judges 11:5and made war with them, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 1:27–29
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
- Acts 7:35–39
This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who appeared to him…
- 1 Samuel 11:12
Then the people said to Samuel, “Who said that Saul should not reign over us? Bring those men here so we can kill them!”
- 1 Corinthians 1:27–29
Through
2 Samuel 8:3David also defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, who had marched out to restore his dominion along the Euphrates River.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 14:47
After Saul had assumed the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side—the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he routed…
- 2 Samuel 10:16
Hadadezer sent messengers to bring more Arameans from beyond the Euphrates, and they came to Helam with Shobach the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.
- 1 Samuel 14:47
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.