2 Samuel 10:16

And Hadarezer sent ,.... The same with Hadadezer, 2 Samuel 8:3 , who was at the head of this confederacy, and to whom the rest of the kings of Syria were servants, 2 Samuel 10:19 ,

and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the river ; the river Phrat or Euphrates, as the Targum; so the Arabic version and Josephus F25 Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 7. c. 6.) sect. 3. , who says, that he hired them:

and they came to Helam ; which, according to the same writer, was king of the Syrians beyond Euphrates; but it seems to be the name of a place, where was the general rendezvous of the Syrian army. Junius conjectures that it is the same with the Alamatha of Ptolemy F26 Geograph. l. 5. c. 15. , which he places with the Trachonite Arabs near the Euphrates:

and Shobach the captain of the host of Hadarezer went before them : before the whole combined army, which according to Josephus F1 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 7. c. 6. sect. 3.) , consisted of eighty thousand foot, and ten thousand horse: this general is called Shophach, 1 Chronicles 19:16 the letters "B" and "P" being of the same pronunciation in the Hebrew tongue, as Kimchi observes, though it is there read "Shobach", in the Syriac and Arabic versions; he was no doubt a very able, valiant, and skilful general, since he is particularly mentioned by name, and whose name was then famous; the Arabic version calls him a spear bearer of Hadarezer.