2 Samuel 10:4-5

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Samuel 10:1-5

Here is, I. The great respect David paid to his neighbour, the king of the Ammonites, 2 Sam. 10:1, 2. 1. The inducement to it was some kindness he had formerly received from Nahash the deceased king. He showed kindness to me, says David (2 Sam. 10:2), and therefore (having lately had satisfaction in showing kindness to Mephibosheth for his father's sake) he resolves to show kindness to his son, and to keep up a friendly correspondence with him. Thus the pleasure of doing one kind and generous... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 10:4

Wherefore Hanun took David's servants ,.... His ambassadors: and shaved off one half of their beards ; that is, he ordered them to be shaved off; than which a greater indignity could not have been well done to them and to David, whom they represented, since the Israelites shaved not their beards, and were very careful of preserving them; for had it been the custom to shave, they might have shaved off the other half, and then they would not have appeared so ridiculous; and with other... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 10:5

When they told it unto David ,.... Not the ambassadors, for they were not yet arrived, but some of their servants, perhaps, they sent before them to acquaint David of the usage they had met with: he sent to meet them : he sent men to meet them with proper garments to put on, and to assure them how much he resented the indignity done to them and him, and would avenge it in due and proper time, and to direct them where to go for the present, as follows: because the men were greatly... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Samuel 10:4

Shaved off the one half of their beards - The beard is held in high respect in the East: the possessor considers it his greatest ornament; often swears by it; and, in matters of great importance, pledges it. Nothing can be more secure than a pledge of this kind; its owner will redeem it at the hazard of his life. The beard was never cut off but in mourning, or as a sign of slavery. Cutting off half of the beard and the clothes rendered the men ridiculous, and made them look... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Samuel 10:5

Tarry at Jericho - This city had not been rebuilt since the time of Joshua; but there were, no doubt, many cottages still remaining, and larger dwellings also, but the walls had not been repaired. As it must have been comparatively a private place, it was proper for these men to tarry in, as they would not be exposed to public notice. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 10:1-4

( 1 Chronicles 19:1-4 ). ( RABBAH .) Requiting evil for good. The Ammonites appear to have remained quiet since their defeat by Saul, nearly half a century before ( 1 Samuel 11:1-15 .). Nahash their king (perhaps a son of the former Nahaeh) had rendered friendly service to David. But on the accession of Hanun, his son, the old hostility of the children of Ammon revived, and showed itself in a way that made conflict inevitable. To this the growing power of David and his recent... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 10:1-5

Rejected friendliness. The facts are: 1 . On the death of the King of Ammon, David resolves to send a kindly message to Hanun, in remembrance of favours received from his father Nahash. 2 . On the arrival of David's servants, the chief men of Ammon suggest to the new king that their message of condolence is a piece of trickery on the part of David for political ends. 3 . Listening to these insinuations, Hanun shows his contempt for David by cutting off one side of the beard of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 10:2-4

Kindness misinterpreted and ill requited. "I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war" ( Psalms 120:7 ). It is not probable that these words were written by David, but they might have been with truth. It does not appear that he desired war with the neighbouring peoples; but for a time he was continually at war with one or other of them. Jealous of the growing greatness and power of Israel under his rule, they sought to humble them, but only to their own discomfiture and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 10:4

Hanun … shaved off the one half of their beards. To an Oriental the beard was the mark of his being a free man, and to cut it off on one side was not merely an insult to David's ambassadors, but the treating them like slaves. Moreover, as only the priests wore underclothing, and as the ordinary dress of men consisted of a tunic and a loose flowing robe thrown over it, the cutting of this robe short up to the hip was a vile and abominable affront. Of course, Hanun intended this as a challenge... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 10:4-5

( 1 Chronicles 19:4 , 1 Chronicles 19:5 ). ( JERICHO .) Ridicule. "Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return" ( 2 Samuel 10:5 ). It has been the endeavour of men in all ages to make the objects of their aversion appear contemptible and ridiculous. Few things are more painful and humiliating than exposure to popular derision. The fear of it, no doubt, sometimes exerts a salutary influence in restraining from what is unseemly and wrong; but it also frequently... read more

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