2 Samuel 8:13

Contextual Overview

⁹ And when Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer, ⁹ When King Toi of Hamath heard that David had destroyed the entire army of Hadadezer, ⁹ And when Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer, ⁹ Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer. ⁹ When King Toi of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, ⁹ When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer, ⁹ When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had struck all the host of Hadadezer, ⁹When Toi king of Hamath heard about David's defeat of all the forces of Hadadezer, ⁹ When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, ⁹ Forsothe Thou, kyng of Emath, herde that Dauid hadde smyte al the strengthe of Adadezer.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

gat him: 2 Samuel 7:9, 1 Chronicles 18:12, Psalms 60:1, *title

smiting: Heb. his smiting

the valley of salt: 2 Kings 14:7, 2 Chronicles 25:11

being: or, slaying

Reciprocal: Genesis 11:4 - and let 2 Samuel 22:38 - General 1 Chronicles 17:8 - made thee 2 Chronicles 26:8 - his name

Cross-References

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Genesis 7:11
When Noah was six hundred years old, the flood started. On the seventeenth day of the second month of that year the underground springs split open, and the clouds in the sky poured out rain.

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month—on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep were burst open, and the sky's windows were opened.

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, on that same day all the fountains of the great deep [subterranean waters] burst open, and the windows and floodgates of the heavens were opened.

Genesis 7:11
In the sixe hundrid yeer of the lijf of Noe, in the secunde moneth, in the seuententhe dai of the moneth, alle the wellis of the greet see weren brokun, and the wyndowis of heuene weren opened,

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of the life of Noah, in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, in this day have been broken up all fountains of the great deep, and the net-work of the heavens hath been opened,

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And David gat [him] a name,.... Fame and reputation in the several nations of the world for valour and courage, for the many and signal victories that he obtained; the Jewish writers generally refer this to his humanity in burying the dead bodies of his enemies slain in war, which gained him great esteem among all, and even his very enemies; but nothing of that kind is pointed at here, but his conquests: or "he made himself a name"; erected a triumphal arch b in memory of his victories:

when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt,

[being] eighteen thousand [men]; in the relation of this fact in different places some difficulties arise, both as to the people smitten, and their numbers, and by whom; in this place they are said to be Syrians, but in 1 Chronicles 18:12, and in the title of Psalms 60:1, which was composed on account of these victories, they are called Edomites, and said to be of Edom; which may be reconciled by observing, that the Syrians and Edomites were confederates in this war; and that whereas the latter were auxiliaries to the former, the whole body of the army might be called Syrians, of which twenty two thousand were slain that were properly Syrians, and eighteen thousand Edomites, in all forty thousand; which was a very great slaughter: or the sense is, that when he had smitten the twenty two thousand Syrians, and was upon the return, he met with a body of Edomites, who came to the assistance of the Syrians, and he slew eighteen thousand of them; and the Jews say, as Jarchi observes, there were two battles; and if so, this would remove all the difficulties started; as for the numbers slain, here eighteen thousand, and Psalms 60:1, twelve thousand, it is reconciled by observing, that Abishai first began the attack upon the Edomites, and slew six thousand of them; and then Joab fell upon them, and slew twelve thousand more, in all eighteen thousand; in 1 Chronicles 18:12, this slaughter is ascribed to Abishai, because he began it, even the whole number; and in Psalms 60:1, to Joab, the twelve thousand slain by him, who seconded Abishai; and the whole is here attributed to David, because he was king, under whom Abishai and Joab served as generals: and no less difficult is it to ascertain the place where this slaughter was made, called "the valley of salt": it seems by our text that it was in Syria, but in other places as if it was in Edom; see 2 Kings 14:7; but in Edom itself is no such valley to be found, though there is in Syria; one traveller c tells us, that in the way from Aleppo to the banks of Euphrates are many villages, among which is one of note, called Tedith, famous for a synod held here by the Jews, in the year from the creation 3498, of which Ezra was the scribe; when were placed the books of the Old Testament in the order in which they now are; and near this town, he says, is the valley of salt, memorable for the victory here recorded: others say d about three or four hours' journey from Aleppo is the valley of salt, near which is a salt spring, whose waters running over the place leave, when dried by the sun, a great quantity of excellent salt; this salt is thrown together in the Gabboul, or salt house; but by others e we are informed, that near about an hour's distance from the city of Tadmor, see 1 Kings 9:18 2 Chronicles 8:3, is to be seen a large valley of salt, affording great quantities thereof; and it is thought that this is more probably the valley of salt mentioned here, than another which lies about four hours from Aleppo, and has sometimes passed for it; and which the above accounts show: but a modern writer f, in his account of Palmyra, the same with Tadmor, speaks of a great plain, all covered with salt, from whence the whole country round is supplied. This plain is about a league from Palmyra, and extends itself towards the eastern part of Idumea (or Edom) the capital city of which was Bozra; and indeed this valley being both in Syria, and reaching to the borders of Edom, bids fair to be the valley here spoken of.

b So Hieron. Trad. Heb. in 2 Reg. fol. 78. D. c Cartwright's Preacher's Travels, p. 11. d Egmont and Heyman's Travels, vol. 2. p. 347. e See Lowthorp's Philosophical Transactions abridged, vol. 3. p. 504. f Halifax apud Calmet's Dictionary in the Word "Salt".

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Syrians - Read the Edomites, as in marginal references (compare Psalms 60:1-12 title), and as the context 2 Samuel 8:14 requires. For a further account of this war of extermination with Edom, see 1 Kings 11:15-16. The war with Edom was of some duration, not without serious reverses and dangers to the Israelites (2 Samuel 8:2 note). The different accounts probably relate to different parts of the campaign.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 8:13. David gat him a name — Became a very celebrated and eminent man. The Targum has it, David collected troops; namely, to recruit his army when he returned from smiting the Syrians. His many battles had no doubt greatly thinned his army.

The valley of salt — Supposed to be a large plain abounding in this mineral, about a league from the city of Palmyra or Tadmor in the wilderness.