Bible Commentaries

The same phenomena are met with in the detailed account of theAmmonite-Syriac war, 1 Chronicles 19:1-2; 1 Chronicles 20:3, as compared with 2 Sam10:1-11:1, and 2 Samuel 12:26-31. In 1 Chronicles 19:1 the omission of the nameהנוּן after בּנו is merely an oversight, as theomission of the name נחשׁ in 2 Samuel 10:1 also is. In 1 Chronicles 19:3 thereis no need to alter וגו ולהפך לחקר into וגו וּלרגּלהּ את־העיר חקר, 2 Samuel 10:3, although the expression inSamuel is more precise. If the actual words of the original document aregiven in Samuel, the author of the Chronicle has made the thought moregeneral: “to search and to overthrow, and to spy out the land.” Perhaps,however, the terms made use of in the original document were not so exactand precise as those of the book of Samuel. In 1 Chronicles 19:6, 1 Chronicles 19:7, at least, thedivergence from 2 Samuel 10:16 cannot be explained otherwise than bysupposing that in neither of the narratives is the text of the originaldocument exactly and perfectly reproduced. For a further discussion of thedifferences, see on 2 Samuel 10:6. The special statement as to the place wherethe mercenaries encamped, and the Ammonites gathered themselvestogether from out their cities (1 Chronicles 19:7), is wanting in 2nd Samuel. The cityMedeba, which, according to Joshua 13:16, was assigned to the tribe ofReuben, lay about two hours southeast from Heshbon, and still exists asruins, which retain the ancient name Medaba (see on Numbers 21:30). In 1 Chronicles 19:9,העיר פּתח, “outside the city” (i.e., the capital Rabbah),more correct or exact than השּׁער פּתח (2 Samuel 10:8). On אליהם ויּבא, as compared with חלאמה ויּבא (2 Samuel 10:17), cf. the discussion on 2 Samuel 10:16-17.