Toi

Biblical Account

Toi was the king of Hamath, a city and surrounding kingdom generally identified as lying on the Orontes River in what is now western Syria. His name appears in 2 Samuel 8:9–10. The parallel account of the same event in 1 Chronicles 18:9–10 spells his name "Tou."

According to 2 Samuel, Toi heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king of Zobah. He therefore sent his son Joram to David "to salute him, and to bless him." The text gives the reason: "for Hadadezer had wars with Toi" (2 Samuel 8:10). Joram "brought with him vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass." David dedicated these gifts to the LORD along with the silver and gold he had taken from the nations he had subdued (2 Samuel 8:11). First Chronicles 18:10 gives the son's name as "Hadoram."

Beyond this, Scripture says nothing about Toi's life or death.

Significance within Scripture

Second Samuel 8 summarizes David's subjugation of the surrounding peoples, including the Philistines, Moab, Aram, and Edom. The account of Toi is included as an example not of a nation conquered in war but of one that, upon seeing David's victories, sought friendly relations of its own accord. The note that David dedicated the gifts he received to the LORD is read in connection with the chapter's theme: "And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went" (2 Samuel 8:6, 14). The New Testament does not mention Toi.

Interpretation and Debate

• Scholars generally regard Toi's sending of gifts as a diplomatic act. Some see it as an expression of gratitude for the defeat of a common enemy, Hadadezer; others see it as an effort to form an alliance with David's newly powerful kingdom or as an acknowledgment of its supremacy. The text states only that he sent his son "to salute him, and to bless him."
• The son's name differs between the two books: "Joram" in 2 Samuel and "Hadoram" in 1 Chronicles. Because the two names contain the names of different deities, one view holds that one was a name used in his dealings with David and the other his original name. The text itself, however, offers no such explanation.
• The text contains no account suggesting that Toi came to believe in the God of Israel.

In the Korean Church

Toi is rarely treated as a subject in his own right in the Korean church. He is typically mentioned only in passing in sermons on 2 Samuel 8 that deal with David's victories and his dedication of the spoils.