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2 Samuel 10 — When David's condolences get clowned and it starts a whole war
5 min read
nocap.bible editorialwas riding high as king of , and he genuinely tried to do the right thing here. The king of the had just died, and David remembered that the man had shown him loyalty back in the day. So he decided to send his guys to pay respects — a straightforward move of honor and kindness.
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What happened next is one of the most disrespectful moments in the Old Testament, and it kicked off a war that nobody needed to fight. All because some advisors couldn't accept that kindness might actually just be… kindness.
So the king of the , Nahash, died, and his son Hanun took the throne. said he wanted to show the same loyalty to Hanun that Nahash had shown to him. He sent servants to the land of the Ammonites to console Hanun about his . Genuine move. No hidden agenda.
But Hanun's advisors were not having it:
"You really think David sent these guys because he cares about your dad? Nah — he sent spies. They're here to scope out the city and figure out how to take us down."
(Quick context: In the ancient Near East, sending envoys after a king's death was standard diplomatic respect. Hanun's princes assumed the worst — classic fail.)
So Hanun listened to his sus advisors and did something absolutely wild. He took David's servants, shaved off half of each man's beard, and cut their robes off at the waist — sending them home half-naked and publicly humiliated. In that culture, a man's beard was his dignity. This was next-level disrespect.
When David heard what happened, he didn't make his men walk back into like that. He sent word: "Stay in until your beards grow back, then come home." That's a king who takes care of his people. 🫶
Now the had a moment of clarity — they realized they'd just made themselves an enemy of the most powerful king in the region. They knew wasn't going to let that slide.
So instead of apologizing (which would have been the smart play), they doubled down. They hired mercenaries — 20,000 Syrian foot soldiers from Beth-rehob and , the king of with 1,000 men, and 12,000 men from Tob. That's 33,000 hired soldiers on top of their own army. They were not messing around.
When David got word, he sent and the entire army of elite warriors. The Ammonites positioned themselves at the entrance of their city gate, while the Syrian mercenaries spread out in the open countryside. It was a two-front situation — the kind of setup designed to trap you. Cooked from both sides. ⚔️
assessed the situation and realized he was caught between two forces — at the gate in front, Syrians in the open field behind. A lesser commander would've panicked. Joab made a plan.
He handpicked best fighters and personally led them against the Syrians. The of the army he put under his brother command to face the Ammonites. Then he laid out the agreement:
"If the Syrians are too strong for me, come back me up. If the Ammonites are too strong for you, I'll come help you. Be courageous — for our people, for the cities of our God — and may the Lord do what seems good to Him."
That last line hits different. Joab didn't say "we got this" or "victory is guaranteed." He said: we do our part with everything we've got, and we trust God with the outcome. That's on the battlefield — courage plus surrender.
And it worked. Joab advanced on the Syrians, and they broke and ran. When the Ammonites saw their hired muscle fleeing, they panicked and retreated into the city. Joab didn't chase — he returned to . W. 💯
The Syrians were not done being embarrassed though. They regrouped and called in reinforcements from beyond the — a massive force led by Shobach, commander of army. They gathered at Helam, ready for a rematch.
When got the report, he didn't send this time. He gathered ALL of , crossed the himself, and showed up at Helam personally. The Syrians formed up against him and fought.
They got absolutely cooked. David's forces destroyed 700 chariots, 40,000 horsemen, and fatally wounded Shobach, their commander, on the field. When every king who had been allied with saw the results, they made with Israel and became subject to them. No more backup for the — the Syrians were too shook to help them ever again.
All of this because one new king listened to paranoid advisors instead of accepting genuine kindness. One bad decision turned a diplomatic handshake into a regional war — and the Ammonites lost everything. The lesson? Don't let suspicion destroy what loyalty is trying to build. 🪨