New King James Version
2 Samuel 8:2
2Then 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.
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 Living Translation (NLT)David also conquered the land of Moab. He made the people lie down on the ground in a row, and he measured them off in groups with a length of rope. He measured off two groups to be executed for every one group to be spared. The Moabites who were spared became David’s subjects and paid him tribute money.
Context of 2 Samuel 8:2
1After this it came to pass that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them. And David took Metheg Ammah from the hand of the Philistines. 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. 3David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his territory at the River Euphrates. 4David 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.
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
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he smoteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
- Moabמוֹאָבmô'âb · MoabH4124
- and measuredמָדַדmâdad · to measureH4058
- them with a lineחֶ֫בֶלchebel chêbel · cordH2256
- casting them downשָׁכַבshâkab · to lie down: lay downH7901
- to the groundאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
- even with twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- he to put to deathמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
- and with one fullמְלֹאmelô' melô' melô · fullnessH4393
- to keep aliveחָיָהchâyâh · to liveH2421
- became David’sדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
- servantsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- broughtנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: bearH5375
- giftsמִנְחָהminchâh · offering: tributeH4503
Cross-references for 2 Samuel 8:2
- Numbers 24:17“I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.
- Judges 3:29And at that time they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, all stout men of valor; not a man escaped.
- 1 Samuel 14:47So Saul established his sovereignty over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the people of Ammon, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he harassed them.
- Psalms 60:8Moab is My washpot; Over Edom I will cast My shoe; Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me.”
- Psalms 83:6The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites;
- 2 Samuel 12:31And he brought out the people who were in it, and put them to work with saws and iron picks and iron axes, and made them cross over to the brick works. So he did to all the cities of the people of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 8:6Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became David’s servants, and brought tribute. So the Lord preserved David wherever he went.
- 2 Kings 1:1Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.
- 2 Kings 3:4Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheepbreeder, and he regularly paid the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams.
- 1 Chronicles 18:2Then he defeated Moab, and the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought tribute.
- 1 Samuel 10:27But some rebels said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.
- 2 Chronicles 26:8Also the Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah. His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong.
- Psalms 72:10The kings of Tarshish and of the isles Will bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba Will offer gifts.
- Isaiah 36:16Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make peace with me by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries