American Standard Version
2 Samuel 8:2
2And he smote Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.
2 Samuel 8:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought gifts.
- New International Version (NIV)David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he defeated Moab and he measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then he defeated Moab. Forcing them down to the ground, he measured them off with a line. With two lines he measured off those to be put to death, and with one full line those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought tribute.
Context of 2 Samuel 8:2
1And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took the bridle of the mother city out of the hand of the Philistines. And he smote Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute. 3David smote also Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his dominion at the River. 4And David took from him a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David hocked all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for a hundred chariots.
Read all of 2 Samuel 82 Samuel 8:2 word by word
וַיַּ֣ךְ אֶת־מוֹאָ֗ב וַֽיְמַדְּדֵ֤ם בַּחֶ֙בֶל֙ הַשְׁכֵּ֣ב אוֹתָ֣ם אַ֔רְצָה וַיְמַדֵּ֤ד שְׁנֵֽי־חֲבָלִים֙ לְהָמִ֔ית וּמְלֹ֥א הַחֶ֖בֶל לְהַחֲי֑וֹת וַתְּהִ֤י מוֹאָב֙ לְדָוִ֔ד לַעֲבָדִ֖ים נֹשְׂאֵ֥י מִנְחָֽה׃Read the interlinear
- Moabמוֹאָבmô'âb · MoabH4124
- measuredמָדַדmâdad · to measureH4058
- lieשָׁכַבshâkab · to lie down: lay downH7901
- groundאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
- twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- putמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
- aliveחָיָהchâyâh · to liveH2421
- becameהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
- servantsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
- tributeמִנְחָהminchâh · offering: tributeH4503
Cross-references for 2 Samuel 8:2
- Numbers 24:17I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh: There shall come forth a star out of Jacob, And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, And shall smite through the corners of Moab, And break down all the sons of tumult.
- Judges 3:29And they smote of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, every lusty man, and every man of valor; and there escaped not a man.
- 1 Samuel 14:47Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines: and whithersoever he turned himself, he put them to the worse.
- Psalms 60:8Moab is my washpot; Upon Edom will I cast my shoe: Philistia, shout thou because of me.
- Psalms 83:6The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagarenes;
- 2 Samuel 12:31And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 8:6Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought tribute. And Jehovah gave victory to David whithersoever he went.
- 2 Kings 1:1And Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.
- 2 Kings 3:4Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-master; and he rendered unto the king of Israel the wool of a hundred thousand lambs, and of a hundred thousand rams.
- 1 Chronicles 18:2And he smote Moab; and the Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.
- 1 Samuel 10:27But certain worthless fellows said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
- 2 Chronicles 26:8And the Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entrance of Egypt; for he waxed exceeding strong.
- Psalms 72:10The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall render tribute: The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
- Isaiah 36:16Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make your peace with me, and come out to me; and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig-tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 8:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2And measured them with a line - even with two lines - It has been generally conjectured that David, after he had conquered Moab, consigned two-thirds of the inhabitants to the sword; but I think the text will bear a meaning much more reputable to that king. The first clause of the verse seems to determine the sense; he measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground - to put to death, and with one line to keep alive. Death seems here to be…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2David took great numbers of the Moabites prisoners of war, and made them lie down on the ground, and then divided them by a measuring line into three parts, putting two-thirds to death, and saving alive one-third. The cause of the war with the Moabites, who had been very friendly with David 1 Samuel 22:3-4, and of this severe treatment, is not known. But it seems likely, from the tone of Psalm 60:1-12 that David had met with some temporary reverse in his…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2Moab was on the east side of the Dead Sea. Earlier, the people of Moab had provided David’s parents with refuge during Saul’s reign (1 Samuel 22:3–4). David’s great-grandmother Ruth came from Moab. By David’s time, however, there was no longer a close or friendly relationship between Israel and Moab. two lengths those to be put to death, and with one length those to be spared: This is the only time in 2 Samuel that David executed captives taken in battle…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. he smote Moab, and measured them with a line--This refers to a well-known practice of Eastern kings, to command their prisoners of war, particularly those who, notorious for the atrocity of their crimes or distinguished by the indomitable spirit of their resistance, had greatly incensed the victors, to lie down on the ground. Then a certain portion of them, which was determined by lot, but most commonly by a measuring-line, were put to death. Our…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Samuel 8:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries