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Default Re: Day 91. 2 Samuel 10-12 - 12-09-2007, 06:36 PM

Defeat of the Syrians

Remember how 2 Samuel 8 misunderestimated the number of horsemen of Zobah that David took prisoner (700 in 2 Samuel, as compared to 7,000 in 1 Chronicles 18)? We see the exactly the same humility in the description of David's victory over the Syrian charioteers (I'll get to the footmen/horsemen issue below):

And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there. 2 Samuel 10:18

David slew of the Syrians seven thousand men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand footmen. 1 Chronicles 19:18

The extra charioteers are a lot like the WMDs in Iraq--we know they're there, but we haven't seen them yet, and it's going to take a while before we finally document their existence. I suppose it's possible to say that 10 men fought per chariot, and that if David slew both 40,000 horsemen and 40,000 footmen, that there would be no contradiction, but I don't think that's what's happening here. Here's my interpretation:

As he did in Chapter 7, the author of Samuel showed the humility of David by underestimating the number of dead charioteers by a factor of 10. He must have reasoned, "If you're think you're impressed by this victory, just wait until you find out how big a victory it really was in 1 Chronicles!"

Then the writer remembered the truthfulness of the Lord: O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true. 2 Samuel 7:28. Of course, it was too late to unwrite what he had already written (the book of 2 Samuel was divinely inspired, after all, not to mention that parchment was very expensive back then, and the writer was a Jew). So, repenting of the false humility he showed in 2 Samuel 7, he corrected his understatement of the victory in 2 Samuel 8 by overestimating David's victory in 2 Samuel 10. It's kind of like when an official realizes that he missed a holding call in football, but makes up for it by calling false start on the very next play.

Horsemen (i.e., the cavalry) are both more dangerous and faster than footmen (infantry), so they are harder to slay, especially when they are of a cowardly race like the Syrians who run away at the first sign of defeat. Thus, on balance, the battle reports in 2 Samuel even out, and we see the true picture of David's might. Again, the author of 2 Samuel knew that readers would eventually learn the true extent of David's victory in 1 Chronicles, so there is, on balance, neither untruthfulness nor contradiction here.

Fate of the Ammonites

Lest anyone doubt it, there is a heavy price to pay for screwing with the King of the Israelites:

And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick-kiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon.... 2 Samuel 12:31 (repeated, without the brick-kiln tortures, in 1 Chronicles 20).

Just one more example of the sure mercies of David discussed in Acts 13:34.



Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name.... Jeremiah 10:25
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