These are they that went over Jordan in the first month
The month Nisan or Ab; as they must come over Jordan to come to David, since they dwelt on the other side of it:
when it had overflown all its banks;
as it did at this time of the year, see ( Joshua 3:15 ) which is observed to show both the time of the year when they came over, and their zeal and ardour to assist David, and their boldness and intrepidity; fearless of danger, they threw themselves into Jordan, and swam over it, in all probability when the waters of it were so deep they could not ford it, and so rapid that they were in danger of being carried away with them:
and they put to flight all them of the valleys, both towards the east,
and towards the west;
who dwelt in the valleys, or plains of Jordan east and west; who seeing a number of men come over, took them for enemies, and fled, so Kimchi; or, as others think, these were the Philistines, who, on the defeat of Saul, took possession of the cities of Israel, in the valleys forsaken by them, ( 1 Samuel 31:7 ) or rather these were the Moabites or Arabs, who made incursions into the land of Israel for prey, the Gadites met with, when they came over Jordan.
The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.