2 Samuel 10:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you.

NIV: Joab said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you.

NASB: And he said, 'If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you.

CSB: "If the Arameans are too strong for me," Joab said, "then you will be my help. However, if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I’ll come to help you.

NLT: If the Arameans are too strong for me, then come over and help me,' Joab told his brother. 'And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come and help you.

KJV: And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee.

NKJV: Then he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you.

In 2 Samuel 10:9–14, the king of Ammon realizes his mistake. When Hanun thought David was spying on him to prepare for an invasion, he humiliated David's messengers, leaving David no choice but to send in Joab and the Israelite army (1 Chronicles 19:1–5). Hanun hires four Syrian armies (1 Chronicles 19:6–9), but the Israelites send the Syrians fleeing and the Ammonites into hiding. The Syrians call their countrymen for reinforcements and lose horribly when David arrives (2 Samuel 10:15–19). First Chronicles 10:10–15 tells the same story.

In 2 Samuel 10, David sends a delegation. Their mission is to offer condolences to the new king of Ammon following the death of his father. Suspecting a trick, the king humiliates David's messengers. The Ammonites hire four Syrian armies and wait for Israel's attack. Joab leads Israel in a defeat of the Syrians and a retreat of the Ammonites. The Syrians, however, regroup under the leadership of Hadadezer, who calls all Syrian kings to join a massive army to fight Israel. David defeats that army, making the Syrians subject to him. First Chronicles 19 also records the battle.

Second Samuel chapter 10 gives context to 2 Samuel 8:7. The Ammonite king dies, and David sends messengers with condolences. The new king fears they are spies and disgraces them. The Ammonites call on Syrians for support and start a battle which Joab wins. The Ammonites hide in their city, and David beats the Syrians into submission. David proves that the Israelites are a fearsome power. The next spring, David will send Joab to destroy the Ammonites. While the army is away, David sins against Bathsheba and Uriah (2 Samuel 11). The battles are also found in 1 Chronicles 19.

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.