2 Samuel 8:4

Contextual Overview

¹After this, David defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Metheg-ammah from Philistine control. ¹ After this it happened that David struck the Pelishtim, and subdued them: and David took the bridle of the mother city out of the hand of the Pelishtim. ¹ And after this it came to pass that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took Methegammah out of the hand of the Philistines. ¹ It happened afterwards that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the hands of the Philistines. ¹ After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines. ¹ Later, David defeated the Philistines, conquered them, and took the city of Metheg Ammah. ¹ Later David defeated the Philistines and subdued them. David took Metheg Ammah from the Philistines. ¹Now it came about after this that David defeated the Philistines and subdued (humbled) them, and he took control of Metheg-ammah [the main city] from the hand of the Philistines. ¹ Now it happened afterward that David defeated the Philistines and subdued them; and David took control of the chief city from the hand of the Philistines. ¹ After this now, Dauid smote the Philistims, & subdued them, & Dauid tooke the bridle of bondage out of the hand of the Philistims.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

from him: or, of his

chariots: As 1 Chronicles 18:4, seven hundred. In the parallel place in Chronicles it is "seven thousand horsemen, a far more probable number. The letter ז, zayin, with a dot upon it stands for seven thousand, and the final letter ן, noon, for seven hundred. The great similarity of these letters might easily cause the one to be mistaken for the other, and so produce an error in this place. David houghed, Deuteronomy 17:16, Joshua 11:6, Joshua 11:9, Psalms 20:7, Psalms 33:16, Psalms 33:17

reserved: 1 Kings 10:26

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 10:18 - fled 1 Kings 4:26 - forty thousand Jeremiah 17:25 - riding

Cross-References

Genesis 8:17
Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, including birds, cattle, and every creeping thing that creeps on the eretz; that they may breed abundantly in the eretz, and be fruitful, and multiply on the eretz."

Genesis 8:17
Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.

Genesis 8:17
Bring out with you all the living things which are with you, from all the living creatures—birds, and animals, and everything that creeps on the earth, and let them swarm on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth."

Genesis 8:17
Bring every animal out of the boat with you—the birds, animals, and everything that crawls on the earth. Let them have many young ones so that they might grow in number."

Genesis 8:17
Bring out with you all the living creatures that are with you. Bring out every living thing, including the birds, animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Let them increase and be fruitful and multiply on the earth!"

Genesis 8:17
"Bring out with you every living thing from all flesh—birds and animals and every crawling thing that crawls on the earth—that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth."

Genesis 8:17
"Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every crawling thing that crawls on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth."

Genesis 8:17
Bring forth with thee euery beast that is with thee, of all flesh, both foule and cattell, and euery thing that creepeth and moueth vpon the earth, yt they may breede abundantly in ye earth, and bring forth fruite & increase vpon ye earth.

Genesis 8:17
Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may swarm on the earth, and that they may be fruitful and multiply on the earth."

Genesis 8:17
Let out the birds, animals, and reptiles, so they can mate and live all over the earth."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And David took from him a thousand [chariots], and seven hundred horsemen,.... "Chariots" are not in the text here, it is only 1700 "horsemen"; but it is supplied from 1 Chronicles 18:4; where the word is expressly mentioned, and there the horsemen are said to be seven thousand as in the Septuagint version here, and in Josephus m; which may be reconciled by observing, with Kimchi and Abarbinel, that here the chief officers are meant, there all the chariots and horsemen that were under their command are mentioned, which together made up that large number; or else here are meant the ranks and companies of horse David took, which were seven hundred; and these having ten in a company or rank, made seven thousand; and there the complement of soldiers in those companies and ranks are intended:

and twenty thousand footmen; the same as in 1 Chronicles 18:4; and so in Josephus n:

and David houghed all the chariot [horses]; or hamstrung them, as Joshua was ordered to do with respect to the Canaanites, Joshua 11:6; he did not kill them, which might seem cruel and unmerciful to the brute creatures, but hamstrung them, that they might be useless for war; and the reason of it was, that horses might not be multiplied in Israel for that purpose, that so their trust and confidence might not be placed in them; see Deuteronomy 17:16;

but reserved of them [for] an hundred chariots; for his own use, not for war, but for grandeur; which accounts in some measure for the number of chariots and horses Solomon had, 1 Kings 4:26; the number of horses reserved is supposed to be four hundred, four horses being used in a chariot, which Jarchi gathers from 2 Chronicles 1:17.

m Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 7. c. 5. sect. 1.) n Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 7. c. 5. sect. 1.)

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Seven hundred horsemen - It should be seven thousand, as in 1 Chronicles 18:4.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 8:4. A thousand chariots] It is strange that there were a thousand chariots, and only seven hundred horsemen taken, and twenty thousand foot. But as the discomfiture appears complete, we may suppose that the chariots, being less manageable, might be more easily taken, while the horsemen might, in general, make their escape. The infantry also seem to have been surrounded, when twenty thousand of them were taken prisoners.

David houghed all the chariot horses — If he did so, it was both unreasonable and inhuman; for, as he had so complete a victory, there was no danger of these horses falling into the enemy's hands; and if he did not choose to keep them, which indeed the law would not permit, he should have killed them outright; and then the poor innocent creatures would have been put out of pain. But does the text speak of houghing horses at all? It does not. Let us hear; ויעקר דוד את כל הרכב vayeakker David eth col harecheb, And David disjointed all the chariots, except a hundred chariots which he reserved for himself. Now, this destruction of the chariots, was a matter of sound policy, and strict piety. God had censured those who trusted in chariots; piety therefore forbade David the use of them: and lest they should fall into the enemy's hands, and be again used against him, policy induced him to destroy them. The Septuagint render the words nearly as I have done, και παρελυσε Δαυιδ παντα τα ἁρματα.

He kept however one hundred; probably as a sort of baggage or forage wagons.