2 Samuel 10:4

2 Samuel 10:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.
• New International Version (NIV)So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.
• English Standard Version (ESV)So Hanun took David's servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away.

Context of 2 Samuel 10:4

2Then David thought, “Let me show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent word by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. But when David’s servants arrived at the land of the children of Ammon, 3the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think that David is really honoring your father because he has sent consolers to you? Has not David sent his servants to you in order to explore the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?” So Hanun seized David’s servants, shaved off one side of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle at their buttocks, and sent them away. 5When they informed David, he sent word to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow, then return.” 6Now when the children of Ammon saw that they had become a stench to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-Rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, plus 12,000 men from Tob.

2 Samuel 10:4 word by word

וַיִּקַּ֨ח חָנ֜וּן אֶת־עַבְדֵ֣י דָוִ֗ד וַיְגַלַּח֙ אֶת־חֲצִ֣י זְקָנָ֔ם וַיִּכְרֹ֧ת אֶת־מַדְוֵיהֶ֛ם בַּחֵ֖צִי עַ֣ד שְׁתֽוֹתֵיהֶ֑ם וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Wherefore Hanunחָנוּןchânûn · HanunH2586
• tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• David’sדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
• servantsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
• and shaved offגָּלַחgâlach · to shaveH1548
• the one halfחֲצִיchêtsîy · halfH2677
• of their beardsזָקָןzâqân · beardH2206
• and cut offכָּרַתkârath · to cut: cutH3772
• their garmentsמָ֫דוּmedev · garmentH4063
• to their buttocksשֵׁתshêthâh · buttockH8357
• and sent them awayשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971

Cross-references for 2 Samuel 10:4

• Leviticus 19:27“You are not to round off the hair on the sides of your heads, nor are you to mar the edge of your beard.
• 1 Chronicles 19:3the Ammonite officials said to Hanun, “Do you really think that David is honoring your father, by sending messengers to express sympathy? Have not his servants come to you to explore and spy out the country to overthrow it?”
• Psalms 109:4In return for my love they are my accusers, but I am in prayer.
• Isaiah 15:2He has gone up to the shrine, to Dibon, to the high places to weep. Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba. Every head is bald, every beard shaven.
• Isaiah 20:4so will the king of Assyria lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, to Egypt’s shame.
• Isaiah 47:2Take the millstones and grind flour. Remove your veil, strip off the skirt, uncover the leg, cross the rivers.
• Jeremiah 41:5that 80 men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, with their beards shaved off, their clothes rent, and having gashed themselves, with grain offerings and frankincense in their hand to bring to the House of Adonai.

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 10:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Shaved off the one half of their beards - The beard is held in high respect in the East: the possessor considers it his greatest ornament; often swears by it; and, in matters of great importance, pledges it. Nothing can be more secure than a pledge of this kind; its owner will redeem it at the hazard of his life. The beard was never cut off but in mourning, or as a sign of slavery. Cutting off half of the beard and the clothes rendered the men ridiculous…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4In 1 Chronicles 19:4, more concisely “shaved.” Cutting off a person‘s beard is regarded by the Arabs as an indignity equal to flogging and branding among ourselves. The loss of their long garments, so essential to Oriental dignity, was no less insulting than that of their beards.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4This act was meant to cause extreme shame and public ridicule. In that culture, a man’s beard was a sign of honor and dignity. Cutting off only half made the humiliation visible and impossible to hide. cut off their garments: This action exposed the men’s bodies and brought further shame. Public exposure of the body was linked with military defeat and exile in the ancient world (Isaiah 20). The prophet Isaiah describes similar acts of humiliation…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards--From the long flowing dress of the Hebrews and other Orientals, the curtailment of their garments must have given them an aspect of gross indelicacy and ludicrousness. Besides, a knowledge of the extraordinary respect and value which has always been attached, and the gross insult that is implied in any indignity offered, to the beard in the East, will account for the shame which…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Samuel 10:4

• Beard
• Mortification
• Rulers

In the dictionaries

• Beard
• Chronicles, Books of
• Hadarezer
• Hanun
• Ammon; Ammonites
• Bible, the
• Hadadezer
• Israel, History of
• Joab
• Samuel, Books of

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 10

• 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