Defeat of the Nation called Ammon – 1 CHRONICLES 19
v1 Later King Nahash of Ammon died, and his son (Hanun) became king. v2 And David said, ‘I will be kind to Hanun, the son of Nahash. His father was kind to me.’ So, David sent some men to comfort him because of his father’s death. And the servants of David came to the country called Ammon. They went to Hanun in order to comfort him.
COMMENTARY
VERSES 1-2
David sends ambassadors to the Ammonites at the death of their king. It happened after this that Nahash the king of the people of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his place. Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came to Hanun in the land of the people of Ammon to comfort him.
v3 But the leaders of Ammon spoke to Hanun. ‘David has sent men to comfort you. But do not imagine that David is giving honour to your father. David has sent his men to search our land. Then he can come and defeat our nation.’ v4 So, Hanun seized David’s men and shaved them. He cut off their clothes from the middle down. Then he sent them away. v5 Someone went and told David about the men. He sent other men to meet them because they were so ashamed. And the king said, ‘Remain in Jericho. When your beards have grown again then return home.’
VERSES 3-5
Hanun, the new king of the Ammonites, treats Israel’s ambassadors shamefully. And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun, “Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Did his servants not come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?” Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away. Then some went and told David about the men; and he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”
Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle…and sent them away: This was a disgraceful insult to these ambassadors from Israel. One suggested reason for this is the idea that to be clean-shaven was the mark of a slave. Free men wore beards. Therefore in that culture, many men would rather die than to have their beard removed.
The beard was man’s greatest ornament, the cutting off of one-half of it was the greatest insult that could have been offered to the ambassadors, and through them to David their king.
The beard is held in high respect in the East: the possessor considers it his greatest ornament; often swears by it; and, in matters of great importance, pledges it. Nothing can be more secure than a pledge of this kind; its owner will redeem it at the hazard of his life.
To cut off their garments in the middle was also an obvious insult and humiliation. That the shame of their nakedness might appear, and especially that of their circumcision, so derided by the heathen.
v6 The people in Ammon knew that they had insulted David. They had made him their enemy. So, Hanun and the nation called Ammon paid 1,000 talents of silver to hire chariots and soldiers on horses. These came from Mesopotamia, Aram Maacah, and Zobah. v7 They hired 32,000 chariots and the king of Maacah with his army. They came and they camped near the town called Medeba. Also, the men who lived in Ammon came out of their towns. And they prepared for battle.v8 When David heard about this, he sent Joab with the whole army.
COMMENTARY
VERSES 6-8
The Ammonites and Israelites prepare for war. When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, Hanun and the people of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, from Syrian Maachah, and from Zobah. So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, with the king of Maachah and his people, who came and encamped before Medeba. Also the people of Ammon gathered together from their cities, and came to battle. Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men.
v9 The army of Ammon came out and prepared for battle at the city gate. The kings who had come to help them were out in the open country by themselves. v10 Joab saw that there were enemies both in front of him and behind him. So, he chose some of the best soldiers from Israel. And he sent them out to fight the army of Aram. v11 Joab put the rest of the army under the command of Abishai, his brother. Then they went out to fight the army of Ammon. v12 Joab spoke to Abishai. ‘If the army of Aram is too strong for me, you must help me. But if the army of Ammon is too strong for you, I will help you. v13 Be strong. We must be brave. We must fight for our people and for the cities of our God. And the LORD will do what is right.’
COMMENTARY
VERSES 9-13
Joab divides the army into two groups. Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array before the gate of the city, and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field. When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel’s best and put them in battle array against the Syrians. And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother, and they set themselves in battle array against the people of Ammon. Then he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you. Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD do what is good in His sight.”
v14 Then Joab and the army with him went to attack the army from Aram. And the army of Aram ran away. v15 The army of Ammon saw that the men from Aram were running away. So, they too ran away from Joab’s brother Abishai and they went back into their city. Then Joab went back to Jerusalem.
VERSES 14-15
Joab defeats the Syrians, and the Ammonites retreat to the city of Rabbah. So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. When the people of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they also fled before Abishai his brother, and entered the city. So Joab went to Jerusalem.
v16 The army of Aram saw that Israel had defeated them. So they requested that more soldiers from Aram would come from beyond the Euphrates river. Shophach, the leader of Hadadezer’s army, led them. v17 When David heard about this, he gathered all the Israelites. They crossed over the Jordan river. David brought his men towards the army from Aram. And he arranged his army ready to fight them. And the army of Aram fought against him. v18 But they ran away from the Israelites. David’s army killed 7000 men on the chariots and 40,000 other soldiers. Also, he killed Shophach, the commander of their army. v19 People in several countries served Hadadezer. They saw that the Israelites had defeated them. Then they made peace with David and they served him. So, the nation called Aram refused to help the nation called Ammon again.
COMMENTARY
VERSES 16-19
David wipes out the Syrian reinforcements. Now when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and brought the Syrians who were beyond the River, and Shophach the commander of Hadadezer’s army went before them. When it was told David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan and came upon them, and set up in battle array against them. So when David had set up in battle array against the Syrians, they fought with him. Then the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed seven thousand charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians, and killed Shophach the commander of the army. And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became his servants. So the Syrians were not willing to help the people of Ammon anymore.
The chapter ends with unfinished business at Rabbah. The offending Ammonites are still in their city and Joab has returned to Jerusalem. In the Spring King David will send Joab and the army out again to deal with Rabbah as he waits in Jerusalem. While he waited comfortably in Jerusalem he fell into sin with Bathsheba.
Most of us know about David’s sin with Bathsheba, and how it happened when David waited in Jerusalem when he should have led the battle at Rabbah. We see in 2 Samuel 10 that God gave David a warning by showing it necessary for him to come out against the Syrians. David tried to leave the battle to Joab in 1 Chronicles 19 (and 2 Samuel 10), but his army needed him and God tried to show him that by blessing it when David did go out to battle. These events were God’s gracious warning that David sadly wasted.
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