2 Samuel 8

This chapter, in the early part of 2 Samuel, describes the consolidation of David's reign. In 2 Samuel 7, God promised David a dynasty through Nathan (the Davidic covenant). This chapter then summarizes the victories David subsequently won and the organization of his kingdom. The same material also appears in 1 Chronicles 18.

Outline

• Verses 1–2: David strikes the Philistines and takes Metheg-ammah. He strikes Moab and measures its people with a line, putting some to death and sparing others. Moab pays tribute.
• Verses 3–8: David strikes Hadadezer, king of Zobah, capturing 1,700 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers, and kills 22,000 Arameans of Damascus who came to help him. He places garrisons in Damascus and takes the gold shields and the bronze.
• Verses 9–12: Toi, king of Hamath, sends his son Joram with gifts of vessels of silver, gold, and bronze. David dedicates these to the LORD, together with the silver and gold taken from the various nations.
• Verses 13–14: David strikes down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt and places garrisons throughout Edom.
• Verses 15–18: David reigns with justice and righteousness and appoints officials, including a commander of the army, a recorder, priests, and a scribe.

Key Verses

• 2 Samuel 8:6 "And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went." This statement is repeated in verse 14 and reflects the chapter's perspective, which attributes David's victories to God.
• 2 Samuel 8:15 "David executed judgment and justice unto all his people." This verse summarizes the ideal of David's reign.

People and Places

• David appears, along with Joab (son of Zeruiah and commander of the army).
• Hadadezer: son of Rehob and king of Zobah. Zobah was an Aramean kingdom.
• Toi: king of Hamath. He had been at war with Hadadezer, and he sends his son Joram to David.
• Jehoshaphat (son of Ahilud): the recorder, that is, the official who kept the records of the affairs of state.
• Zadok and Ahimelech are priests, Seraiah is the scribe, and Benaiah (son of Jehoiada) is over the Cherethites and Pelethites, who served as the king's guard.
• Places: Philistia, Moab, Damascus, Edom, Ammon, Amalek, Jerusalem, the Euphrates River, and the Valley of Salt. The meaning of Metheg-ammah is uncertain; 1 Chronicles 18:1 refers to the place as "Gath and her towns."

Points for Reflection

• Differences from Chronicles: Some details differ from 1 Chronicles, such as the number of soldiers captured (1 Chronicles 18:4 gives 1,000 chariots and 7,000 horsemen) and the person who struck Edom (1 Chronicles 18:12 names Abishai). Some attribute these differences to variations in scribal transmission, while others harmonize them by appealing to the differing perspectives of the two accounts.
• The priest's name in verse 17: In 1 Samuel 22:20, Abiathar appears as the son of Ahimelech, but here the text reads "Ahimelech the son of Abiathar." One interpretation holds that a grandson bore his grandfather's name; another holds that the names were reversed in the course of scribal transmission.
• "Chief rulers" in verse 18: The Hebrew word is the one commonly translated "priests." Interpreters therefore differ as to whether David's sons performed priestly duties or whether the term refers to the king's closest officials. 1 Chronicles 18:17 describes them as "chief about the king."
• The treatment of Moab and the hamstringing of the horses: The text does not explain the reasons for these actions. In connection with David's entrusting his parents to the king of Moab (1 Samuel 22:3–4), later Jewish tradition relates that Moab harmed them, but this account is not found in the biblical text. David's decision not to keep the horses is sometimes read in light of the regulations concerning the king in Deuteronomy 17.
• Connection to the New Testament: David's righteous kingship is carried forward in the promise of David's throne in Isaiah 9 and forms the background of Luke 1:32–33, which declares that Jesus will be given "the throne of his father David."