Antiquities Book 7, Chapter 6
How The War Was Waged Against The Ammonites And Happily Concluded.
1. This were the honors that such as were left of Saul's and Jonathan's
lineage received from David. About this time died Nahash, the king of
the Ammonites, who was a friend of David's; and when his son had
succeeded his father in the kingdom, David sent ambassadors to him to
comfort him; and exhorted him to take his father's death patiently, and
to expect that he would continue the same kindness to himself which he
had shown to his father. But the princes of the Ammonites took this
message in evil part, and not as David's kind dispositions gave reason
to take it; and they excited the king to resent it; and said that David
had sent men to spy out the country, and what strength it had, under the
pretense of humanity and kindness. They further advised him to have a
care, and not to give heed to David's words, lest he should be deluded
by him, and so fall into an inconsolable calamity. Accordingly Nahash's
[son], the king of the Ammonites, thought these princes spake what was
more probable than the truth would admit, and so abused the ambassadors
after a very harsh manner; for he shaved the one half of their beards,
and cut off one half of their garments, and sent his answer, not in
words, but in deeds. When the king of Israel saw this, he had
indignation at it, and showed openly that he would not overlook this
injurious and contumelious treatment, but would make war with the
Ammonites, and would avenge this wicked treatment of his ambassadors on
their king. So that king's intimate friends and commanders,
understanding that they had violated their league, and were liable to be
punished for the same, made preparations for war; they also sent a
thousand talents to the Syrian king of Mesopotamia, and endeavored to
prevail with him to assist them for that pay, and Shobach. Now these
kings had twenty thousand footmen. They also hired the king of the
country called Maacah, and a fourth king, by name Ishtob; which last had
twelve thousand armed men.
2. But David was under no consternation at this confederacy, nor at the
forces of the Ammonites; and putting his trust in God, because he was
going to war in a just cause, on account of the injurious treatment he
had met with, he immediately sent Joab, the captain of his host, against
them, and gave him the flower of his army, who pitched his camp by
Rabbah, the metropolis of the Ammonites; whereupon the enemy came out,
and set themselves in array, not all of them together, but in two
bodies; for the auxiliaries were set in array in the plain by
themselves, but the army of the Ammonites at the gates over against the
Hebrews. When Joab saw this, he opposed one stratagem against another,
and chose out the most hardy part of his men, and set them in opposition
to the king of Syria, and the kings that were with him, and gave the
other part to his brother Abishai, and bid him set them in opposition to
the Ammonites; and said to him, that in case he should see that the
Syrians distressed him, and were too hard for him, he should order his
troops to turn about and assist him; and he said that he himself would
do the same to him, if he saw him in the like distress from the
Ammonites. So he sent his brother before, and encouraged him to do every
thing courageously and with alacrity, which would teach them to be
afraid of disgrace, and to fight manfully; and so he dismissed him to
fight with the Ammonites, while he fell upon the Syrians. And though
they made a strong opposition for a while, Joab slew many of them, but
compelled the rest to betake themselves to flight; which, when the
Ammonites saw, and were withal afraid of Abishai and his army, they
staid no longer, but imitated their auxiliaries, and fled to the city.
So Joab, when he had thus overcome the enemy, returned with great joy to
Jerusalem to the king.
3. This defeat did not still induce the Ammonites to be quiet, nor to
own those that were superior to them to be so, and be still, but they
sent to Chalaman, the king of the Syrians, beyond Euphrates, and hired
him for an auxiliary. He had Shobach for the captain of his host, with
eighty thousand footmen, and ten thousand horsemen. Now when the king of
the Hebrews understood that the Ammonites had again gathered so great an
army together, he determined to make war with them no longer by his
generals, but he passed over the river Jordan himself with all his army;
and when he met them he joined battle with them, and overcame them, and
slew forty thousand of their footmen, and seven thousand of their
horsemen. He also wounded Shobach, the general of Chalaman's forces, who
died of that stroke; but the people of Mesopotamia, upon such a
conclusion of the battle, delivered themselves up to David, and sent him
presents, who at winter time returned to Jerusalem. But at the beginning
of the spring he sent Joab, the captain of his host, to fight against
the Ammonites, who overran all their country, and laid it waste, and
shut them up in their metropolis Rabbah, and besieged them therein.
lineage received from David. About this time died Nahash, the king of
the Ammonites, who was a friend of David's; and when his son had
succeeded his father in the kingdom, David sent ambassadors to him to
comfort him; and exhorted him to take his father's death patiently, and
to expect that he would continue the same kindness to himself which he
had shown to his father. But the princes of the Ammonites took this
message in evil part, and not as David's kind dispositions gave reason
to take it; and they excited the king to resent it; and said that David
had sent men to spy out the country, and what strength it had, under the
pretense of humanity and kindness. They further advised him to have a
care, and not to give heed to David's words, lest he should be deluded
by him, and so fall into an inconsolable calamity. Accordingly Nahash's
[son], the king of the Ammonites, thought these princes spake what was
more probable than the truth would admit, and so abused the ambassadors
after a very harsh manner; for he shaved the one half of their beards,
and cut off one half of their garments, and sent his answer, not in
words, but in deeds. When the king of Israel saw this, he had
indignation at it, and showed openly that he would not overlook this
injurious and contumelious treatment, but would make war with the
Ammonites, and would avenge this wicked treatment of his ambassadors on
their king. So that king's intimate friends and commanders,
understanding that they had violated their league, and were liable to be
punished for the same, made preparations for war; they also sent a
thousand talents to the Syrian king of Mesopotamia, and endeavored to
prevail with him to assist them for that pay, and Shobach. Now these
kings had twenty thousand footmen. They also hired the king of the
country called Maacah, and a fourth king, by name Ishtob; which last had
twelve thousand armed men.
2. But David was under no consternation at this confederacy, nor at the
forces of the Ammonites; and putting his trust in God, because he was
going to war in a just cause, on account of the injurious treatment he
had met with, he immediately sent Joab, the captain of his host, against
them, and gave him the flower of his army, who pitched his camp by
Rabbah, the metropolis of the Ammonites; whereupon the enemy came out,
and set themselves in array, not all of them together, but in two
bodies; for the auxiliaries were set in array in the plain by
themselves, but the army of the Ammonites at the gates over against the
Hebrews. When Joab saw this, he opposed one stratagem against another,
and chose out the most hardy part of his men, and set them in opposition
to the king of Syria, and the kings that were with him, and gave the
other part to his brother Abishai, and bid him set them in opposition to
the Ammonites; and said to him, that in case he should see that the
Syrians distressed him, and were too hard for him, he should order his
troops to turn about and assist him; and he said that he himself would
do the same to him, if he saw him in the like distress from the
Ammonites. So he sent his brother before, and encouraged him to do every
thing courageously and with alacrity, which would teach them to be
afraid of disgrace, and to fight manfully; and so he dismissed him to
fight with the Ammonites, while he fell upon the Syrians. And though
they made a strong opposition for a while, Joab slew many of them, but
compelled the rest to betake themselves to flight; which, when the
Ammonites saw, and were withal afraid of Abishai and his army, they
staid no longer, but imitated their auxiliaries, and fled to the city.
So Joab, when he had thus overcome the enemy, returned with great joy to
Jerusalem to the king.
3. This defeat did not still induce the Ammonites to be quiet, nor to
own those that were superior to them to be so, and be still, but they
sent to Chalaman, the king of the Syrians, beyond Euphrates, and hired
him for an auxiliary. He had Shobach for the captain of his host, with
eighty thousand footmen, and ten thousand horsemen. Now when the king of
the Hebrews understood that the Ammonites had again gathered so great an
army together, he determined to make war with them no longer by his
generals, but he passed over the river Jordan himself with all his army;
and when he met them he joined battle with them, and overcame them, and
slew forty thousand of their footmen, and seven thousand of their
horsemen. He also wounded Shobach, the general of Chalaman's forces, who
died of that stroke; but the people of Mesopotamia, upon such a
conclusion of the battle, delivered themselves up to David, and sent him
presents, who at winter time returned to Jerusalem. But at the beginning
of the spring he sent Joab, the captain of his host, to fight against
the Ammonites, who overran all their country, and laid it waste, and
shut them up in their metropolis Rabbah, and besieged them therein.