2 Samuel 10:9 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
2 Samuel 10:9
When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians:
to see · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
front
פְּנֵ֣יpe.Nei
H6440
the face (as the part that turns) · noun, common masculine plural construct
battle
הַמִּלְחָמָ֔הha.mil.cha.Mah
H4421
a battle (i.e. the engagement) · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
before
מִפָּנִ֖יםmi.pa.Nim
H6440
the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural absolute
behind
וּמֵֽאָח֑וֹרu.me.'a.Chor
H268
the hinder part · conjunction + preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
chose
וַיִּבְחַ֗רvai.yiv.Char
H977
properly · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
choice
בְּחוּרֵ֣יbe.chu.Rei
H977
properly · verb, qal passive participle, masculine plural construct
Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לbe.yis.ra.'el
H3478
Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
array
וַֽיַּעֲרֹ֖ךְvai.ya.'a.Rokh
H6186
to set in a row · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
against
קִרְאָהqirʼâh
H7125
an encountering
Syrians
אֲרָֽם'a.Ram
H758
Aram or Syria · proper noun, a place name
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Joshua 8:21-22 And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and…
Judges 20:42-43 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 10:6-14
Here we have, I. The preparation which the Ammonites made for war, Sa2 10:6. They saw they had made themselves very odious to David and obnoxious to his just displeasure. This they might easily have foreseen when they abused his ambassadors, which was no other than a challenge to war, and a bold defiance of him. Yet, it seems, they had not considered how unable they were, with their thousands, to meet his; for now they found themselves an unequal match, and were forced to hire forces of other nations into their service. Thus sinners daringly provoke God, and expose themselves to his wrath, and never consider that he is stronger than they, Co1 10:22. The Ammonites gave the affront first, and…
THE AMMONITES OVERCOME. (Sa2 10:6-14)
when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David--To chastise those insolent and inhospitable Ammonites, who had violated the common law of nations, David sent a large army under the command of Joab, while they, informed of the impending attack, made energetic preparations to repel it by engaging the services of an immense number of Syrian mercenaries.
Beth-rehob--the capital of the low-lying region between Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon.
Zoba--(see on Sa2 8:3).
of king Maacah--His territories lay on the other side of Jordan, near Gilead (Deu 3:14).
Ish-tob--that is, "the men of Tob"--the place of Jephthah's marauding adventures (see also C…
Before and behind - It is probable that one of the armies was in the field, and the other in the city, when Joab arrived. When he fronted this army, the other appears to have issued from the city, and to have taken him in the rear; he was therefore obliged to divide his army as here mentioned; one part to face the Syrians commanded by himself, and the other to face the Ammonites commanded by his brother Abishai.
John Gill on 2 Samuel 10:9
Dictionary and topics
Ammonite — The usual name of the descendants of Ammon, the son of Lot (Gen. 19:38). From the very beginning (Deut. 2:16-20) of their history till they are lost sight of (Judg. 5:2), this tribe is closely…
Barley — A grain much cultivated in Egypt (Ex. 9:31) and in Palestine (Lev. 27:16; Deut. 8:8). It was usually the food of horses (1 Kings 4:28). Barley bread was used by the poorer people (Judg. 7:13; 2 Kings…
Chronicles, Books of — The two books were originally one. They bore the title in the Massoretic Hebrew Dibre hayyamim, i.e., “Acts of the Days.” This title was rendered by Jerome in his Latin version “Chronicon,” and hence…
David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Hadarezer — Adod is his help, the name given to Hadadezer (2 Sam. 8:3-12) in 2 Sam. 10.
Hanun — Graciously given. (1.) The son and successor of Nahash, king of Moab. David’s messengers, sent on an embassy of condolence to him to Rabbah Ammon, his capital, were so grossly insulted that he…
Joab — Jehovah is his father. (1.) One of the three sons of Zeruiah, David’s sister, and “captain of the host” during the whole of David’s reign (2 Sam. 2:13; 10:7; 11:1; 1 Kings 11:15). His father’s name…
Medeba — Waters of quiet, an ancient Moabite town (Num. 21:30). It was assigned to the tribe of Reuben (Josh. 13:16). Here was fought the great battle in which Joab defeated the Ammonites and their allies (1…
Nahash — Serpent. (1.) King of the Ammonites in the time of Saul. The inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead having been exposed to great danger from Nahash, sent messengers to Gibeah to inform Saul of their extremity.…
Ammonites, The · Victories of Joab over — Victories of Joab over
When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind,.... Or "the face" of it (w); armies appeared both before and behind, about to attack him both in front and rear; the Targum is,"and Joab saw that the warriors, or those that made war, were strong against him before and behind:"
he chose of all the choice men of Israel; the most eminent for strength, and valour, and military skill, who had been tried, and were famous for warlike exploits, the flower of the army:
and put them in array against the Syrians; who might be the strongest party, and the best soldiers; though being but mercenaries, if hard beset, would sooner give way, as he might suppose, upon which the A…
When David heard of these preparations and the advance of the Syrians into the land, he sent Joab and his brave army against the foe. הגּבּורים (the mighty men) is in apposition to כּל־הצּבא (all the host): the whole army, namely the heroes or mighty men, i.e., the brave troops that were well used to war. It is quite arbitrary on the part of Thenius to supply vav before הגּבּורים; for, as Bertheau has observed, as never find a distinction drawn between the gibborim and the whole army.
Sa2 10:8
On the other hand, the Ammonites came out (from the capital, where they had assembled), and put themselves in battle array before the gate. The Syrians were alone on the field, i.e., they had taken up…
The Israelites had a double battle: against the Ammonites in front of their fortifications at the entrance of the city gate and against the Aramean army in the open fields.
Rashi on 2 Samuel 10:4
Their clothes. Their robes.
Their buttocks. The buttocks.
Syria · David: Sent Joab against the armies of, hired by the Ammonites — David: Sent Joab against the armies of, hired by the Ammonites
Zobah · Its inhabitants mercenaries of the Ammonites against David — Its inhabitants mercenaries of the Ammonites against David
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
