וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי כֵן וַיָּמָת מֶלֶךְ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וַיִּמְלֹךְ חָנוּן בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו

The following event did not necessarily occur immediately after the unrelated previous episode involving Mefivoshet. It was thereafter that the king of the children of Amon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead.

וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶעֱשֶׂה חֶסֶד עִם חָנוּן בֶּן נָחָשׁ כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אָבִיו עִמָּדִי חֶסֶד וַיִּשְׁלַח דָּוִד לְנַחֲמוֹ בְּיַד עֲבָדָיו אֶל אָבִיו וַיָּבֹאוּ עַבְדֵי דָוִד אֶרֶץ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן

David said to himself: I will act with kindness with Hanun son of Nahash, as his father acted with kindness with me. Apparently, the king of Amon and the king of Moav had offered support to David when he fled from Saul, and had even provided his parents with sustenance. David sent to console him over his late father by means of his servants. David’s servants came to the land of the children of Amon, to see the new king.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ שָׂרֵי בְנֵי עַמּוֹן אֶל חָנוּן אֲדֹנֵיהֶם הַמְכַבֵּד דָּוִד אֶת אָבִיךָ בְּעֵינֶיךָ כִּי שָׁלַח לְךָ מְנַחֲמִים הֲלוֹא בַּעֲבוּר חֲקוֹר אֶת הָעִיר וּלְרַגְּלָהּ וּלְהָפְכָהּ שָׁלַח דָּוִד אֶת עֲבָדָיו אֵלֶיךָ

The princes of the children of Amon said to Hanun their master: Is David honoring your father in your eyes, in that he sent consolers to you? Do you truly believe that he wishes to honor your father? Isn’t it in order to examine the city, to spy it and to reconnoiter it, that David sent his servants to you? His messengers are spies, not consolers.

וַיִּקַּח חָנוּן אֶת עַבְדֵי דָוִד וַיְגַלַּח אֶת חֲצִי זְקָנָם וַיִּכְרֹת אֶת מַדְוֵיהֶם בַּחֵצִי עַד שְׁתוֹתֵיהֶם וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם

Hanun took David’s servants, and he shaved half of their beards, an act of humiliation, and he cut their long garments in half, until their buttocks, so that they appeared half-naked, and he sent them away. This was his response to what he considered the duplicity of David and his men.

וַיַּגִּדוּ לְדָוִד וַיִּשְׁלַח לִקְרָאתָם כִּי הָיוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים נִכְלָמִים מְאֹד וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁבוּ בִירֵחוֹ עַד יְצַמַּח זְקַנְכֶם וְשַׁבְתֶּם

They reported to David what the king had done, and he sent men to meet them. The members of the delegation did not wish to return directly to the king, as the men were greatly humiliated. The king said: Stay in Jericho until your beards grow, and return. You need not come to me immediately.

וַיִּרְאוּ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן כִּי נִבְאֲשׁוּ בְּדָוִד וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ בְנֵי עַמּוֹן וַיִּשְׂכְּרוּ אֶת אֲרַם בֵּית רְחוֹב וְאֶת אֲרַם צוֹבָא עֶשְׂרִים אֶלֶף רַגְלִי וְאֶת מֶלֶךְ מַעֲכָה אֶלֶף אִישׁ וְאִישׁ טוֹב שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר אֶלֶף אִישׁ

Following their brazen actions, which were aimed at shaming David, the children of Amon saw that they had become odious to David, and they grew concerned about his response, so the children of Amon sent and they hired military forces from Aram Beit Rehov, and Aram Tzova, two Aramean kingdoms in the Syrian region, twenty thousand infantry, and from the king of Maakha, a small local province in the same area, and one thousand men arrived, and also from the men of the land of Tov, twelve thousand men.

וַיִּשְׁמַע דָּוִד וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶת יוֹאָב וְאֵת כָּל הַצָּבָא הַגִּבֹּרִים

David heard and sent Yoav and the entire army of the mighty to attack the Amonites immediately. Since the land of Amon did not have adequate defenses, the Israelite army reached all the way to the capital city.

וַיֵּצְאוּ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וַיַּעַרְכוּ מִלְחָמָה פֶתַח הַשָּׁעַר וַאֲרַם צוֹבָא וּרְחוֹב וְאִישׁ טוֹב וּמַעֲכָה לְבַדָּם בַּשָּׂדֶה

The children of Amon came forth from the city, and deployed for battle at the entrance of the gate, to defend their city; Aram Tzova, and Rehov, the men of Tov and Maakha, the hired soldiers, were by themselves in the field, without the children of Amon, as they threatened David’s men from the rear.

וַיַּרְא יוֹאָב כִּי הָיְתָה אֵלָיו פְּנֵי הַמִּלְחָמָה מִפָּנִים וּמֵאָחוֹר וַיִּבְחַר מִכֹּל בְּחוּרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲרֹךְ לִקְרַאת אֲרָם

Yoav saw that the face of the battle was before and behind him and he chose from all the chosen of Israel, an elite unit, and he deployed against the Arameans. He reasoned that the Arameans would bring a larger, stronger, and more experienced force than the Amonites.

וְאֵת יֶתֶר הָעָם נָתַן בְּיַד אַבְשַׁי אָחִיו וַיַּעֲרֹךְ לִקְרַאת בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן

The rest of the people he placed into the hand of Avshai, Avishai, his brother, and he deployed them against the children of Amon. Yoav was not overly concerned about the Amonites, but had he turned his entire force to the Arameans, the Amonites would certainly have attacked him from behind. Therefore, he sent a large unit under the command of Avishai to halt the Amonites’ advance.

וַיֹּאמֶר אִם תֶּחֱזַק אֲרָם מִמֶּנִּי וְהָיִתָה לִּי לִישׁוּעָה וְאִם בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן יֶחֶזְקוּ מִמְּךָ וְהָלַכְתִּי לְהוֹשִׁיעַ לָךְ

He said to Avishai: If Aram overpowers me, you will be my salvation, and if the children of Amon overpower you, I will come to save you. Although we are fighting on two fronts, our forces can assist one another, so that if one is in trouble, the other can provide additional manpower.

חֲזַק וְנִתְחַזַּק בְּעַד עַמֵּנוּ וּבְעַד עָרֵי אֱלֹהֵינוּ וַה' יַעֲשֶׂה הַטּוֹב בְּעֵינָיו

Next Yoav addressed the army: Be strong, and let us be strengthened for the sake of our people and for the sake of the cities of our God, and the Lord will do what is good in His eyes.

וַיִּגַּשׁ יוֹאָב וְהָעָם אֲשֶׁר עִמּוֹ לַמִּלְחָמָה בַּאֲרָם וַיָּנֻסוּ מִפָּנָיו

Yoav and the people who were with him advanced to the battle against Aram, and they fled from before him. Yoav was an excellent commander, and he was accompanied by powerful warriors, while the Aramean force consisted of mercenaries who had no particular desire to endanger their lives in battle.

וּבְנֵי עַמּוֹן רָאוּ כִּי נָס אֲרָם וַיָּנֻסוּ מִפְּנֵי אֲבִישַׁי וַיָּבֹאוּ הָעִיר וַיָּשָׁב יוֹאָב מֵעַל בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וַיָּבֹא יְרוּשָׁלִָם

The children of Amon saw that Aram had fled, and they fled from before Avishai and entered the city to entrench themselves there. Yoav departed from the battlefront; he returned from the encampment adjacent to the children of Amon, and he came to Jerusalem for a brief respite from the battlefield. As the war was not yet completed, some Israelite battalions stayed behind to continue the siege against the children of Amon.

וַיַּרְא אֲרָם כִּי נִגַּף לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּאָסְפוּ יָחַד

Aram saw that it was routed before Israel, that they had been struck, and they gathered together to plan their reprisal. Through this battle, David had demonstrated that not only was he capable of guarding the borders of his land, but he was also prepared to expand his kingdom by conquering additional territory. The Arameans knew that David would not forgive them for their intervention in the war with Amon, and therefore they readied themselves for an attack.

וַיִּשְׁלַח הֲדַדְעֶזֶר וַיֹּצֵא אֶת אֲרָם אֲשֶׁר מֵעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר וַיָּבֹאוּ חֵילָם וְשׁוֹבַךְ שַׂר צְבָא הֲדַדְעֶזֶר לִפְנֵיהֶם

Hadadezer sent a request for assistance, and he brought out Aram from beyond the river, those Arameans who lived on the other side of the Euphrates, in the Aramean homeland; and they came to Helam, a place northeast of the Jordan River, with Shovakh, commander of the army of Hadadezer marching before them.

וַיֻּגַּד לְדָוִד וַיֶּאֱסֹף אֶת כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲבֹר אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן וַיָּבֹא חֵלָאמָה וַיַּעַרְכוּ אֲרָם לִקְרַאת דָּוִד וַיִּלָּחֲמוּ עִמּוֹ

It was reported to David, and he gathered all Israel, and crossed the Jordan. This second operation east of the Jordan River was led by David himself. And he came to Helam, where the Aramean soldiers had gathered on the plain. Aram deployed against David, and waged war with him.

וַיָּנָס אֲרָם מִפְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּהֲרֹג דָּוִד מֵאֲרָם שְׁבַע מֵאוֹת רֶכֶב וְאַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף פָּרָשִׁים וְאֵת שׁוֹבַךְ שַׂר צְבָאוֹ הִכָּה וַיָּמָת שָׁם

Aram was routed and fled from before Israel, and David slew from Aram seven hundred charioteers, and forty thousand horsemen, a very large force, and he also smote Shovakh, commander of his army, of Hadadezer, and he died there. Shovakh was a prominent military officer.

וַיִּרְאוּ כָל הַמְּלָכִים עַבְדֵי הֲדַדְעֶזֶר כִּי נִגְּפוּ לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּשְׁלִמוּ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעַבְדוּם וַיִּרְאוּ אֲרָם לְהוֹשִׁיעַ עוֹד אֶת בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן

All the kings, subjects of Hadadezer, saw that they were routed before Israel, and they made peace with Israel, and served them. They officially accepted David’s authority upon themselves. Israel was now considered the ruling nation, and the Arameans had to pay taxes to David. Aram feared saving the children of Amon any longer.