The year is approximately 996 BC. Following the Lord's revelation that David was called to conquest, and to secure the land on all sides for Israel, the king began warring against every adversary. It was the one thing he did best. Chapter 8 here is parallel to 1 Chronicles 18.
2 Samuel 8:1-2 -- Whatever the status of Philistine Gath had been in the past, by this time it had become the chief city of that nation --"Bridle of the Mother City." This was the city where he was once a servant of the local ruler, and had been the home of Goliath. It was also a natural gateway for attacks into Israel. By capturing this city, David finally silenced the long-standing threat to his people. It's likely the bridle was some religious object that symbolized the city as "mother" over the others.
The description of his conquest of Moab is difficult to translate. It could be that he divided their troops into three ranks and killed all but one rank. It could also be that he killed everyone above a certain height, given that a "cord" (line) could have been standard measure of length. This would mean mostly killing adults. Either way, it seems brutal by modern Western standards. Worse, it seems odd that he would fight someone who had previously harbored his parents from Saul (1 Samuel 22:3-5). We must bear in mind, though, that such harboring was not simply a way of getting back at Saul, but a sign that Moab held animosity against whatever government ruled Israel. When David ascended to the throne, he became de jure their enemy, and they his. This is the same nation that had asked Balaam to curse Israel at the end of the Exodus.
8:3-8 -- The Kingdom of Zobah is not well known. As with many smaller city-states of that time, its borders might fluctuate from time to time, different families might seize the throne, etc. In this case, all we know is that a family line descending from a fellow named "Rehob" once ruled over a ridge of land that stood between the Lebanon Valley and the wadi that fed into the sources of Lake Huleh, running down past Dan. This ridge-top kingdom, running mostly north and south, extended up as far as another small kingdom, bordering the Euphrates River, called "Hamath." At various times, these two appeared to take turns dominating each other. Early in David's reign over Israel, the ruler of Zobah, titled Hadadezer (reference to a pagan idol, "Hadad is his Helper"), of the House of Rehob, went to war against Hamath.
David may have been looking for a good opportunity to take control of this region just beyond his northern border. Who can say what friction had arisen? It may have been a simple matter that David had an alliance with Hamath. David attacked from the army's rear. Just off to the east sat Damascus, with a territory essentially covering what we know today as Syria. Their army came out in support of Hadadezer and both lost the battle to David. While it is noteworthy the numbers are, as usual, a bit confused in translating from Hebrew, the net result is that David captured a huge army. Up until this point, Israel still fought on foot, and still regarded horses and chariots as playing with pagan gods. Most of the horses captured were hobbled by cutting their leg tendons. David also plundered their treasures and stationed garrisons in the defeated kingdoms. He kept most of this plunder in preparation for the temple he was told his son would build.
8:9-14 -- The king of Hamath expressed deep gratitude for David's rescue of his kingdom. The gifts brought by the prince of Hamath were added to the collection for the temple. Mentioned in passing is the list of border nations David held, and from whom he received tribute. Adding to all this was a successful battle he fought in a place called the "Salt Valley," a region of the Rift Valley just south of the Dead Sea. There is some confusion between Hebrew texts, because one calls his enemy Syrians and another the Edomites. While the latter makes more sense, given the battle was on their ground, they may have hired Syrian mercenaries for the job. Either way, the victory was an upset, for the battle became a primary reference to whom David was in the world at large. We also note the Edomites became a tributary of Israel.
8:15-18 -- David's name also became synonymous with justice in Israel. All the generations past had seen periods of relative justice interspersed with near chaos. Under Saul, once Samuel had passed, there was no judge, as Saul was neither capable nor willing. Thus, David returned the sane standard of justice, something commonly attributed to kings as a boon to their nation. He also developed a genuine royal administration: Joab as General of the Army, Jehoshaphat as Chief Administrator, Zadok and Ahimelech Chief Priests (essentially bearers of the Ark of Covenant), Seriah the Chief Scribe, and Benaiah as chief over the Cherethites (Royal Bodyguard) and Pelethites (Royal Messengers). These last two services were mostly Philistines, it seems. There had long been Philistine converts who gave their loyalty to David. Recall that ancient kings wisely chose foreigners for sensitive missions, since there was little chance they could be subverted by partisan concerns from family or tribe. Their professional future lay in the king's safety and prosperity. A usurper would likely execute them first thing. David's sons held positions of power, too, though it's unlikely they were literally "priests" in a religious sense.
9:1-4 -- True to his promise, David asks if there is any survivor of the house of Saul to whom he could show "covenant faithfulness." Ziba had been a chief steward of Saul's property during the latter's reign. During the process of carrying out David's search order, he would be one of the first the royal servants would ask. He knew of a survivor and his whereabouts. For the time being, we see Ziba as a faithful servant, loyal to his new king. He described Meribaal and how he was lame, and had been living in Lodebar, one of the cities known as Havoth-jair (Judges 10:1-5). There is some doubt as to who was Meribaal's benefactor, because many Hebrews would be given the name of a dead relative. Machir is a clan of Manasseh, but also the name of the fellow here who hosted Meribaal, in a city in Manasseh's tribal allotment.
9:5-8 -- Who knows what passed through Meribaal's mind when summoned to the throne? He may have expected imprisonment or death, but seems to have been manly in facing it. David's statement indicated he detected an element of fear, and bade him dismiss it immediately. David promised to return to him possession of all the personal property held by Saul. This would elevate Meribaal to the wealth and status of a prince. David confirmed that status in designating for the young man a place at the family table. This included a place in the royal quarters of the city. Meribaal's response was not a genuine request for information, but a way of expressing deepest gratitude.
9:9-13 -- David then gave Ziba the commission to manage Meribaal's property on his behalf. It became Ziba's primary charge in life, and his entire household would have been involved. To "provide food" for Meribaal was a phrase meaning to ensure the fellow could live like nobility. To have "a place at the king's table" did not mean literally room and board, per se, but that he was welcome as a member of the court and household. Whenever there was a formal meal, Meribaal had a good seat at the table. Otherwise, he was free to eat at the king's kitchen if we wished. In later times this would be merely symbolic.
[ Return to Lesson Index ]
[ <-- Previous Lesson ]
[ --> Next Lesson ]
Ed Hurst
31 July 2004
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: People of honor need no copyright laws; they are only too happy to give credit where credit is due. Others will ignore copyright laws whenever they please. If you are of the latter, please note what Moses said about dishonorable behavior -- "be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23)