Hadadezer bar Rehob

This article is about Hadadezer in the Hebrew Bible. For the 9th Century BCE king of Aram-Damascus, see Hadadezer.

Hadadezer (bib Heb: Ḥăḏaḏeʹzer;[1] meaning "Hadad helps") son of Rehob was king of Zobah, a Syrian (Aramaean) kingdom that is thought to have been situated N of Aram-Damascus[2] (2 Sam. 8:3, 5; 1 Kin. 11:23; 1 Chr. 18:3, 5) and that included vassalages (2 Sam. 10:19). Before being defeated by King David, Hadadezer had waged warfare against Toi (Tou) the king of Hamath (2 Sam. 8:9, 10; 1 Chr. 18:9, 10).[3] The kingdom of Zobah exercised power throughout southern Syria, and inevitably clashed with the expanding empire of Israel.[1]

Hanun, the king of the Ammonites, hired Hadadezer in his war against David. Joab found them in a double-battle array, with the Ammonites toward the capital of Rabbah, and Syrian mercenaries near Madaba. David battled the Syrians which caused them to scatter. This alarmed the Ammonites who flee back to their capital.[4]

After the Syrian mercenaries were defeated, Hadadezer traveled north to "recover his border" (2 Sam. 8:3).[4] Hadadezer then strengthened his forces, by enlisting additional Syrians from the region of the Euphrates (2 Sam. 10:6, 15, 16; 1 Chr. 19:16). This may be alluded to at 2 Samuel 8:3,[5] where the reference seems to be to Hadadezer’s seeking to put his control back again at the river Euphrates. On this, Cook’s Commentary notes that the Hebrew literally means "to cause his hand to return" and states: "The exact force of the metaphor must... be decided by the context. If, as is most probable, this verse relates to the circumstances more fully detailed [at 2Sa 10:15-19], the meaning of the phrase here will be when he (Hadadezer) went to renew his attack (upon Israel), or to recruit his strength against Israel, at the river Euphrates."[3]

At Helam, the forces of Hadadezer under the command of Shobach (Shophach), met those of David and were defeated. Shobach died on the battle field.[6] Immediately afterward, Hadadezer’s vassals made peace with Israel (2 Sam. 10:17-19; 1 Chr. 19:17-19). In the conflict 40,000 Syrian horsemen were killed. Perhaps in order to escape through rough terrain, these horsemen dismounted and were slain as footmen.[7] The difference in the number of Syrian charioteers killed in battle is usually attributed to scribal error, the lower figure of 700 charioteers being considered the correct one.[3]

David also took much copper from Betah (apparently also called Tibhath) and Berothai (perhaps the same as Cun), two cities of Hadadezer’s realm. He also took the gold shields belonging to Hadadezer’s servants, probably the vassal kings.[3] All of the spoils taken from the war, were brought to Jerusalem and dedicated to Jehovah.[6][8] David also captured many of Hadadezer’s horses, horsemen, chariots, and footmen. The variation in the enumeration of these at 2 Samuel 8:4 and 1 Chronicles 18:4 may also have arisen through scribal error, while in the Greek Septuagint both passages indicate that 1,000 chariots and 7,000 horsemen were captured.[9] The power of the Ammonites and the Syrians were finally broken, and David's empire expanded to the Euphrates (2 Sam. 10:15-19; 2 Chr. 19:15-19).[6]

See also

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 Eerdmans 2000, p. 537.
  2. ↑ Eerdmans 2000, p. 537: According to Mark Anthony Phelps, in association with David Noel Freedman, the precise location of the city of Zobah is not known, however there is some agreement that it may have lied in the Beqaa valley of Lebanon. In later Assyrian documents it may have been named a provincial center that derived from the recently incorporated city of Damascus..
  3. 1 2 3 4 Insight 1988, p. 1015.
  4. 1 2 Easton 1894, p. 302.
  5. ↑ Insight 1988, p. 1015: cf 1 Chr. 18:3.
  6. 1 2 3 Easton 1894, p. 303.
  7. ↑ Insight 1988, p. 1015: notes a comparison of "horsemen" at 2 Sam. 10:18 and "men on foot" at 1 Chr. 19:18.
  8. ↑ Insight 1988, p. 1015: 2 Sam. 8:7, 8; 1 Chr. 18:7, 8; cf 2 Sam. 10:19.
  9. ↑ Insight 1988, p. 1015: 1 Chronicles 18:4 perhaps preserves the original reading. However, it may be noted that what are commonly viewed as scribal errors in the account of David’s conflict with Hadadezer, may simply reflect other aspects of the war or different ways of reckoning.

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Hadadezer". Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons. 

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