God’s Word Translation
2 Samuel 8:4
4David took 1,700 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers from him. David also disabled all but 100 of their horses so that they couldn’t pull chariots.
2 Samuel 8:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for an hundred chariots.
- New International Version (NIV)David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And David took from him 1,700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for 100 chariots.
- New King James Version (NKJV)David took from him one thousand chariots, seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Also David hamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots.
Context of 2 Samuel 8:4
2He also defeated Moab, made the Moabites lie down on the ground, and measured them with a rope. He measured two lengths which were to be killed, and one length which was to be spared. So the Moabites became David’s subjects and paid taxes ⌞to him⌟. 3When David went to restore his control ⌞over the territory⌟ along the Euphrates River, he defeated Zobah’s King Hadadezer, son of Rehob. David took 1,700 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers from him. David also disabled all but 100 of their horses so that they couldn’t pull chariots. 5When the Arameans from Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David killed 22,000 of them. 6David put troops in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became his subjects and paid taxes ⌞to him⌟. Everywhere David went, the Lord gave him victories.
Read all of 2 Samuel 82 Samuel 8:4 word by word
וַיִּלְכֹּ֨ד דָּוִ֜ד מִמֶּ֗נּוּ אֶ֤לֶף וּשְׁבַע־מֵאוֹת֙ פָּרָשִׁ֔ים וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף אִ֣ישׁ רַגְלִ֑י וַיְעַקֵּ֤ר דָּוִד֙ אֶת־כָּל־הָרֶ֔כֶב וַיּוֹתֵ֥ר מִמֶּ֖נּוּ מֵ֥אָה רָֽכֶב׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
- tookלָכַדlâkad · to captureH3920
- from him a thousandאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
- and sevenשֶׁ֫בַעsheba‛ shib‛âh · sevenH7651
- hundredמֵאָהmê'âh mê'yâh · hundredH3967
- horsemenפָּרָשׁpârâsh · horsemanH6571
- and twentyעֶשְׂרִים‛eώrîym · twentyH6242
- footmenרַגְלִיraglîy · on footH7273
- footmenאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- houghedעִקֵּר‛âqar · to hamstringH6131
- all the chariotרֶ֫כֶבrekeb · chariotH7393
- but reservedיָתַרyâthar · to remainH3498
Cross-references for 2 Samuel 8:4
- 1 Chronicles 18:4David took 1,000 chariots, 7,000 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers from him. David also disabled all but 100 of their horses so that they couldn’t pull chariots.
- Deuteronomy 17:16The king must never own a large number of horses or make the people return to Egypt to get more horses. The Lord has told you, “You will never go back there again.”
- Joshua 11:6The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them because I am going to give them to Israel. About this time tomorrow they will all be dead. You must disable their horses so that they cannot be used in battle. You must burn their chariots.”
- Psalms 20:7Some ⌞rely⌟ on chariots and others on horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord our God.
- Psalms 33:16No king achieves a victory with a large army. No warrior rescues himself by his own great strength.
- 1 Kings 10:26Solomon built up ⌞his army⌟ with chariots and war horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 war horses. He stationed ⌞some⌟ in chariot cities and ⌞others⌟ with himself in Jerusalem.
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 8:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4A thousand chariots - It is strange that there were a thousand chariots, and only seven hundred horsemen taken, and twenty thousand foot. But as the discomfiture appears complete, we may suppose that the chariots, being less manageable, might be more easily taken, while the horsemen might, in general, make their escape. The infantry also seem to have been surrounded, when twenty thousand of them were taken prisoners. David houghed all the chariot horses…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Seven hundred horsemen - It should be seven thousand, as in 1 Chronicles 18:4.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4David would have disabled horses to stop the enemy from using them again. He also did this because kings in Israel were not allowed to gather large numbers of horses (Deuteronomy 17:16).Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Samuel 8:4
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries