How does David’s offer of kindness to Hanon lead to fighting with Ammon and the Syrians?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Ammon’s princes accuse David’s servants of spying, and Hanon humiliates them. Ammon then hires troops, whom Joab and Abisai defeat; a second Syrian force loses to David at Helam and makes peace with Israel.

Chapter breakdown

After this, the king of the children of Ammon dies, and his son Hanon reigns in his place. David says he will show kindness to Hanon, son of Daas, because his father showed kindness to him. He sends servants to comfort Hanon over his father’s death. When they arrive in Ammon, its princes ask Hanon whether David really sent them to honour his father, or instead to search and spy on the city and overthrow it. Hanon shaves off half their beards, cuts off half their garments as far as their buttocks and sends them away. David hears and sends to meet the men, who have been deeply put to shame. He commands them to stay at Jericho until their beards have grown, then return.

Seeing that they have injured David, the children of Ammon send and hire the Syrians of Rohob and Soba, twenty thousand footmen; a thousand men from the king of Maacha; and twelve thousand from Istob. David hears and sends Joab with the whole army of warriors. Ammon’s men form up at the entrance to the gate, while the Syrians of Soba, Rohob, Istob and Maacha stand separately in the field. Joab sees a battle prepared against him both in front and behind. He chooses from Israel’s choice men and sets them against the Syrians. He puts the rest under his brother Abisai, who sets them against the children of Ammon.

Joab tells Abisai that if the Syrians are too strong for him, Abisai must help him; if Ammon’s men are too strong for Abisai, Joab will help him. He urges courage and fighting for their people and the city of their God, saying the Lord will do what is good in his sight. Joab and his men begin fighting the Syrians, who immediately flee before him. When Ammon’s men see the Syrians fleeing, they too flee before Abisai and enter the city. Joab returns from Ammon to Jerusalem.

After their defeat before Israel, the Syrians gather again. Adarezer sends for the Syrians beyond the river and brings their army over, with Sobach, captain of his host, as their general. David hears, gathers all Israel, crosses the Jordan and comes to Helam. The Syrians form up against him and fight him. They flee before Israel. David kills the men of seven hundred chariots and forty thousand horsemen, and strikes Sobach, the army’s captain, who dies shortly afterward.

All the kings who support Adarezer see that Israel has overcome them. They are afraid and flee, fifty-eight thousand men before Israel. They make peace with Israel and serve them. All the Syrians are afraid to help the children of Ammon any more.

The story inside

David gives a reason for sending comforters: Hanon’s father had shown him kindness. The princes put a different purpose to Hanon, asking whether the servants have come to spy and overthrow the city. Hanon’s humiliation of the servants follows. David makes provision for their return after their beards grow; Ammon, recognizing its injury to David, hires troops. The first battle has two fronts, which Joab answers by dividing the army and arranging help in either direction. The Syrians’ flight leads Ammon’s men to flee as well. A second Syrian gathering brings David across the Jordan to Helam. After that defeat, the supporting kings make peace and serve Israel, and Syrian help to Ammon stops out of fear. Each change follows a stated report, accusation, arrangement or defeat.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The offer and the accusation have different speakers. David states kindness as his purpose; Ammon’s princes propose spying and overthrow instead. Keeping that distinction explains Hanon’s response without inventing a legal rule or a diagnosis of his state of mind.
2
Joab plans for weakness on either front. Abisai is to help him if the Syrians are too strong, and he is to help Abisai if Ammon is too strong. His encouragement also leaves the outcome with what the Lord sees as good.
3
The two defeats have different endings. After the first, Ammon’s men enter the city and Joab returns to Jerusalem. After Helam, Adarezer’s supporting kings make peace and serve Israel, and the Syrians fear to help Ammon again. The chapter does not describe Ammon’s city being taken.

Test your recall

Why does Joab divide his men between himself and Abisai, and how does the Syrians’ flight affect Ammon’s men?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 32573–32597
2 Kings Chapter 10 The Ammonites shamefully abuse the ambassadors of David: they hire the Syrians to the their assistance: but are overthrown with their allies. 10:1. And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanon his son reigned in his stead. 10:2. And David said: I will shew kindness to Hanon the son of Daas, as his father shewed kindness to me. So David sent his servants to comfort him for the death of his father. But when the servants of David were come into the land of the children of Ammon, 10:3. The princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanon their lord: Thinkest thou that for the honour of thy father, David hath sent comforters to thee, and hath not David rather sent his servants to thee to search, and spy into the city, and overthrow it? 10:4. Wherefore Hanon took the servants of David, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut away half of their garments even to the buttocks, and sent them away. 10:5. When this was told David, he sent to meet them: for the men were sadly put to confusion, and David commanded them, saying: Stay at Jericho, till your beards be grown, and then return.
Lines 32599–32616
10:6. And the children of Ammon seeing that they had done an injury to David, sent and hired the Syrians of Rohob, and the Syrians of Soba, twenty thousand footmen, and of the king of Maacha a thousand men, and of Istob twelve thousand men. 10:7. And when David heard this, he sent Joab and the whole army of warriors. 10:8. And the children of Ammon came out, and set their men in array at the entering in of the gate: but the Syrians of Soba, and of Rohob, and of Istob, and of Maacha were by themselves in the field. 10:9. Then Joab seeing that the battle was prepared against him, both before and behind, chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians: 10:10. And the rest of the people he delivered to Abisai his brother, who set them in array against the children of Ammon.
Lines 32618–32630
10:11. And Joab said: If the Syrians are too strong for me, then thou shalt help me, but if the children of Ammon are too strong for thee, then I will help thee. 10:12. Be of good courage, and let us fight for our people, and for the city of our God: and the Lord will do what is good in his sight. 10:13. And Joab and the people that were with him, began to fight against the Syrians: and they immediately fled before him. 10:14. And the children of Ammon seeing that the Syrians were fled, they fled also before Abisai, and entered into the city: and Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.
Lines 32632–32645
10:15. Then the Syrians seeing that they had fallen before Israel, gathered themselves together. 10:16. And Adarezer sent and fetched the Syrians, that were beyond the river, and brought over their army: and Sobach, the captain of the host of Adarezer, was their general. 10:17. And when this was told David, he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came to Helam: and the Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought against him. 10:18. And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven hundred chariots, and forty thousand horsemen: and smote Sobach the captain of the army, who presently died.
Lines 32647–32653
10:19. And all the kings that were auxiliaries of Adarezer, seeing themselves overcome by Israel, were afraid and fled away, eight and fifty thousand men before Israel. And they made peace with Israel: and served them, and all the Syrians were afraid to help the children of Ammon any more.