2 Samuel 24

³³ To “hamstring” a horse means to cut a major tendon in one of its legs to keep it from running or, in David’s case, from pulling a chariot. It seems that early in David’s reign the Israelites didn’t use large numbers of chariots, probably because their territory at the time was mostly hilly and chariots were more effective on the plains.

³⁴ Damascus is the capital of presentday Syria.

³⁵ Edom (or Seir) was the land settled by the descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau (Genesis 36:8–9). The Edomites had often been hostile to the Israelites (Numbers 20:14–21), but the Lord had commanded the Israelites not to attack their territory (Deuteronomy 2:1–6). Now centuries later, the Lord had led David to subdue the Edomites.

³⁶ Amalek was a longstanding enemy of the Israelites (Exodus 17:8–16; 1 Samuel 15:1–9; 30:1–20).

³⁷ Zadok was descended from Aaron’s son Eleazar (1 Chronicles 6:4–8), and eventually became Israel’s sole high priest under Solomon. Ahimelech was descended from Aaron’s other son Ithamar (1 Chronicles 24:3). His father was Abiathar, the only surviving descendant of Eli, from whose family the priesthood was ultimately taken away because of Eli’s unfaithfulness as a priest (see 1 Samuel 2:27–33; 22:18–21).

³⁸ Mephibosheth was not the only surviving heir of Saul; two of Saul’s daughters also had sons, seven of whom David later put to death (see 2 Samuel 21:7–9).

³⁹ David appointed Ziba, one of Saul’s servants, to manage Mephibosheth’s property. Later Ziba would betray Mephibosheth in order to obtain that property for himself (see 2 Samuel 16:1–4; 19:24–30).

⁴⁰ It is likely that the Nahash mentioned here in verse 2 is the same as the Nahash mentioned in 1 Samuel 11:1. Assuming that to be so, it is possible that Nahash befriended David while David was being pursued by Saul. Since Nahash had shown kindness to David, David now wanted to show kindness to his son Hanun (verse 2).

⁴¹ Shaving half of a man’s beard and causing his buttocks to be exposed (verse 4) were demeaning acts that were sometimes inflicted on prisoners of war. To spare his men further embarrassment, David told them to stay at Jericho until their beards grew back; ever since Joshua’s time, Jericho had remained largely uninhabited (Joshua 6:26).

⁴² According to 1 Chronicles 19:6, the Ammonites paid these foreign troops a thousand talents (34 tons) of silver to get them to fight against Israel. In 1 Chronicles 19:6–7, the types of troops and names of the kingdoms sending troops are different from those mentioned here in verse 6. 1 Chronicles was written two or three centuries after 2 Samuel was written, and the names had undoubtedly changed.

⁴³ For a discussion of the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, see Exodus 17:10–13; Esther 4:12–14; Jeremiah 18:1–10 and comments.

⁴⁴ David had fought Hadadezer before (see 2 Samuel 8:3–10), but had been unable to destroy his forces. Hadadezer was a powerful king, and was able to call upon the armies of many lesser nations that were under his control.

⁴⁵ The correct number is seven thousand (1 Chronicles 19:18), not seven hundred (verse 18). A copyist’s error is the most likely explanation for this discrepancy. Biblical manuscripts were copied by hand over and over down through the centuries. It is a miracle of God that there are so few errors; and even where an error has been made, it never involves anything of importance.

⁴⁶ During the winter rainy season, conditions were not good for fighting, so most military campaigns began in the spring.

⁴⁷ If Joab had sent Uriah alone, it would have looked like a plot to murder him; if a few other men were with him, Uriah’s death would be seen as an ordinary battle casualty.

⁴⁸ Joab warned the messenger that David, in his anger over the loss of his men, might cite the famous example of Abimelech, who got so close to a city wall that a woman dropped a millstone on his head (Judges 9:52–53).

⁴⁹ The affair with Bathsheba and Uriah was not David’s only sin, but it was surely his greatest sin.

⁵⁰ For further discussion of the deceptiveness of sin, see comment on Judges 2:20–23.

⁵¹ The Lord had even given Saul’s wives to David (verse 8). The Bible only mentions one wife, Ahinoam (1 Samuel 14:50), and one concubine, Rizpah (2 Samuel 3:7); but there may have been others. It was customary in ancient times for a new king to take for himself the concubines of the preceding king. But since God had never sanctioned the taking of multiple wives (Genesis 2:24), it’s likely He simply meant that He had given the rights and privileges of Saul’s kingship to David.

⁵² In the Old Testament, the concept of “life after death” is not fully developed. According to the Old Testament, people go to the grave—a translation of the Hebrew word “Sheol.” For further discussion, see Word List: Grave; General Article: What Happens After Death?

⁵³ David’s second son Kileab (1 Samuel 3:3) probably died young, because nothing else is written about him.

⁵⁴ In verse 14, the precise meaning of the woman’s statement is uncertain. She seems to be saying that since God forgives, David should too.

⁵⁵ Hebron was the city in Judah where David was first crowned king (2 Samuel 2:4) and where Absalom was born (2 Samuel 3:2–3). Absalom could more easily organize his rebellion from Hebron; if he stayed in Jerusalem he risked getting caught.

⁵⁶ David’s thoughts at this time are reflected in some of the Psalms he wrote, especially Psalm 3.

⁵⁷ It is not certain what bloodshed Shimei was referring to in verse 8; the only bloodshed in Saul’s household that David was directly responsible for was the execution of Saul’s seven grandsons mentioned in 2 Samuel 21:1–9. Since we know that the writer of 2 Samuel did not always write in chronological order, perhaps it was the deaths of these grandsons that Shimei was referring to.

⁵⁸ Abishai called Shimei a dead dog (verse 9), an expression of utter contempt.

⁵⁹ Jesus’ disciples also showed signs of hotheadedness from time to time (see Luke 9:53–55; John 18:10–11), and Jesus rebuked them for it. Like His ancestor David, Jesus did not retaliate . . . Instead, he entrusted himself to God (1 Peter 2:23). And Peter tells us that we Christians have been called to follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21).

⁶⁰ King Saul also had set up a monument in his own honor (1 Samuel 15:12). In verse 18, the writer quotes Absalom as saying, “I have no son.” Presumably the three sons mentioned in 2 Samuel 14:27 all died at a young age.

⁶¹ Judah and Simeon were the two southern tribes at that time. Simeon is rarely mentioned, because it had been assimilated into Judah.

⁶² The territory of Benjamin was just north of Judah; among the ten northern tribes, therefore, the Benjamites would be first to hear that the men of Judah had gone out to meet David.

⁶³ The house of Joseph is another term for the ten northern tribes of Israel. The two largest of the ten tribes were Ephraim and Manasseh, named for the two sons of Joseph. Because Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son, he received the blessing usually reserved for the firstborn; hence he received a double inheritance in the promised land, which took the form of separate allotments for each of his two sons.

⁶⁴ “Crossing the Jordan” was of great symbolic and emotional importance to all Israelites; it was by crossing the Jordan that they had entered the promised land (Joshua Chapter 3).

⁶⁵ The names mentioned in verses 23–26 should be compared with the names mentioned in 2 Samuel 8:16–18, which represent David’s officials during the early part of his reign. Four changes can be seen. First, a new appointment is added: Adoniram is in charge of forced labor; prisoners of war were often forced to work on major public construction projects.

    Second, Shiva is secretary; Shiva is possibly an alternate name for the Seraiah mentioned in 2 Samuel 8:17.

    Third, Abiathar is a priest together with Zadok. In 2 Samuel 8:17, Ahimelech son of Abiathar was the priest. It is possible that the Abiathar mentioned here is the son of Ahimelech and thus the grandson of the former Abiathar; in biblical times, sons were often named after their grandfathers.

    Finally, Ira is David’s own personal priest or royal advisor; this time David’s sons are not included in the list of officials (2 Samuel 8:18).

⁶⁶ Probably one of the priests inquired of the Lord using the Urim and Thummim (see comment on 1 Samuel 23:1–6 and footnote to comment).

⁶⁷ Saul’s killing of the Gibeonites is not mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. The Gibeonites were Amorites (Canaanites) who had been living in the promised land before the Israelites got there. In Joshua’s time, the Israelites had sworn to spare the Gibeonites (see Joshua 9:15–21); but later, Saul had tried to destroy them. Because Saul had broken Israel’s oath and had shed innocent blood, God was now cursing the land by sending this famine.

⁶⁸ In the Bible, the number seven symbolizes completeness; thus by killing seven descendants,

complete” amends would be made.

⁶⁹ Most famines in biblical times were the result of drought. As long as the Israelites obeyed God, He sent rain; when they sinned, He often withheld it (see Leviticus 26:3–4; Deuteronomy 11:13–15).

⁷⁰ According to 1 Chronicles 20:5, the giant was Lahmi the brother of Goliath. Bible scholars believe that a scribe incorrectly copied the text of verse 19 by writing Bethlehemite instead of “Lahmi the brother.” Furthermore, we know that Goliath was killed by David, not by Elhanan (1 Samuel 17:50).

⁷¹ In verse 3, the horn symbolizes strength. The salvation referred to is physical “salvation” from earthly enemies, not the eternal salvation described in the New Testament. For further discussion, see Word List: Salvation.

⁷² In verse 6, the word grave is used figuratively to mean “death.” The Hebrew word for “grave” is “Sheol,” which also means the “realm of the afterlife” or the “abode of the dead.” For further discussion, see Word List: Grave; General Article: What Happens After Death?

⁷³ For further discussion of anthropomorphism, see footnotes to comments on Genesis 8:21–22; Exodus 3:7–9.

⁷⁴ For further discussion concerning salvation and the relationship between God’s grace (faithfulness) and our faith (righteousness), see Word List: Faith, Grace, Righteousness, Salvation. Also see comments on Galatians 2:15–16; Ephesians 2:8–9; General Article: The Way of Salvation, in The Applied New Testament Commentary.

⁷⁵ One example of overstated speech occurs in verse 35: my arms can bend a bow of bronze. Bronze is not bendable! David is simply indicating that God gave him remarkable strength.

⁷⁶ For further discussion of the fear of God, see Deuteronomy 6:1–3; Proverbs 1:7 and comments.

⁷⁷ In comparing verses 8–39 with the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 11:10–47, one notices that some of the names have different spellings. We must remember that 1 Chronicles was written several centuries after 2 Samuel was written; it is natural that spelling patterns would have changed over that long period. For further discussion of apparent discrepancies in names and numbers found in the Old Testament, see comment on Exodus 12:40–42 and footnotes to comment.

⁷⁸ According to 1 Chronicles 11:11, Josheb-Basshebeth (or Jashobeam) killed only three hundred men, not eight hundred. This difference is probably due to a scribal copying error in the 2 Samuel manuscript.

⁷⁹ In verse 23, the Three could refer either to the three men mentioned in verses 8–12 or to the three who brought water to David (verses 13–17).

⁸⁰ Sixteen additional men are listed in the parallel account in 1 Chronicles (see 1 Chronicles 11:41–47).

⁸¹ According to 1 Chronicles 21:5, the number of fighting men for all Israel was 1,100,000 and the number for Judah was 470,000. The writer of 1 Chronicles was including in his total for Israel 288,000 men in the regular army (see 1 Chronicles 27:1–15). The writer of 2 Samuel rounded off the numbers for both Israel and Judah. Thus, though the numbers in 1 Chronicles are more detailed, there is no basic discrepancy in the two accounts.

⁸² This seems like a very severe punishment for simply taking a census. But it was David’s motive—his heart—that was so wrong in God’s sight. The taking of the census was the outward manifestation of an inner pride and a rebellious will. In God’s sight, the inward sins of attitude are just as great as the outward sins of lust and violence (see Matthew 5:21–22,27–28).

⁸³ The Hebrew word for angel also means “messenger.” Sometimes God appears in the form of an angel; usually, however, an angel of the LORD (verse 16) should not be equated with the Lord Himself. For further discussion, see Genesis 16:7–10; 18:1–8 and comments; Word List: Angel.

⁸⁴ For further discussion of atonement, see Exodus 25:17–22; 27:1–8; Leviticus 1:1–4 and comments; Word List: Atonement.

⁸⁵ According to 1 Chronicles 21:25, David paid six hundred shekels of gold for the site. Clearly the “site” mentioned in 1 Chronicles included much more than just the threshing floor; it would have included the entire summit of Mount Moriah. Perhaps David initially bought only the threshing floor, and then later bought the whole site. On this site his son Solomon would soon build God’s temple.

⁸⁶ For a discussion of burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, see Leviticus 1:1–17; 3:1–17 and comments.