2 Samuel 10:17

And when it was told David
What preparations the Syrians were making to fight him, and where they were:

he gathered all Israel together;
all the fighting men in the country:

and passed over Jordan, and came to Helam:
which, according to Bunting {b}, was twenty miles from Jerusalem. David seems to have gone himself in person to this war:

and the Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought with
him;
they formed themselves in a line of battle, and attacked him first, being eager to fight, and perhaps confident of victory, because of their numbers.