1 Chronicles 19

1 Chronicles 18 records David's victories over several neighboring nations and lists his officials. Chapter 19 goes on to describe how war with the Ammonites came about. It parallels 2 Samuel 10, which records nearly the same events.

Outline

• Verses 1–5 When Nahash, king of the Ammonites, dies, David sends envoys to console his son Hanun. Hanun accepts his princes' claim that the envoys have come to spy out the land, so he shaves off their beards and cuts their garments off at the buttocks before sending them away. David has them remain at Jericho until their beards have grown.
• Verses 6–7 With one thousand talents of silver, Hanun hires thirty-two thousand chariots from Aram-naharaim (Mesopotamia), Aram-maacah, and Zobah, along with the king of Maacah and his army. These forces encamp before Medeba.
• Verses 8–15 Joab selects the best troops to face the Arameans and entrusts the rest of the army to his brother Abishai to face the Ammonites. The two agree to help each other if either is overpowered. When the Arameans flee first, the Ammonites also flee into their city, and Joab returns to Jerusalem.
• Verses 16–19 The Arameans summon forces from beyond the River, led by Shophach, commander of Hadadezer's army. David crosses the Jordan and fights, killing seven thousand charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers, as well as Shophach. Hadadezer's servants make peace with David, and thereafter the Arameans are unwilling to help the Ammonites.

Key Verses

• 1 Chronicles 19:2 "I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father shewed kindness to me" — This shows that the war arose from a misunderstanding of David's goodwill.
• 1 Chronicles 19:13 "and let the LORD do that which is good in his sight" — Joab's words express his resolve to fight with all his strength while leaving the outcome to God.

Characters and Places

• David, Joab
• Abishai: Joab's brother, who faces the Ammonite army.
• Nahash: King of the Ammonites; Hanun is his son.
• Hadadezer: King of Zobah, who also appears in chapter 18. Shophach is the commander of his army.
• Ammon, Aram
• Medeba: A town east of the Jordan, before which the hired Aramean army encamped.
• Jericho, Jordan River, Jerusalem

Points for Reflection

• Differences from 2 Samuel 10: Several numbers differ. Second Samuel 10:18 says that David slew "the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen," while 1 Chronicles 19:18 says "seven thousand men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand footmen." The one thousand talents of silver and Medeba appear only in 1 Chronicles. Some view these differences as errors that arose in the process of copying; others hold that the accounts used different methods of counting or covered a different scope.
• The kindness of Nahash: The text does not say what kindness Nahash showed David. Some interpreters identify this Nahash with the Ammonite king who fought Saul in 1 Samuel 11. Others conjecture that the kindness was connected to the time when David was fleeing from Saul, but neither view is grounded in the text.
• The structure of Chronicles: In 2 Samuel, this war forms the backdrop for the account of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). By contrast, 1 Chronicles 20 omits that story and moves directly to the capture of Rabbah.
• The New Testament does not directly quote this chapter.