The wars, told at a victor’s pace: the Philistines subdued and Gath taken; Moab brings presents; Hadarezer king of Zobah is broken as far as Hamath, and the Arameans of Damascus who come to help him are garrisoned in their own land. Shields of gold go up to Jerusalem, and from Tibhath and Cun 'David took very much brass, with which Solomon made the brazen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass.' Tou of Hamath sends his son with vessels of gold and silver, and all of it is dedicated — 'with the silver and the gold that he carried away from all the nations.' Edom falls in the Valley of Salt. Twice the chapter says it: 'And Hashem gave victory to David wherever he went.' And over it all, the reign in one line: 'And David reigned over all Israel; and he executed justice and righteousness to all his people.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them, and took Gath and its towns out of the hand of the Philistines.
verse value 4162
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 55 letters. Notable word values: "and·he·smote" (וַיַּ֥ךְ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "and·he·smote" (וַיַּ֥ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Philistines" (אֶת־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·he·subdued·them" (וַיַּכְנִיעֵ֑ם), "Gath" (אֶת־גַּ֥ת). The root פלשתי appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "and·it·came·to·pass" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "from·hand·of" (root יד, 42x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·subdued·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·came·to·pass] (31) + אַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֔ן [after·thus] (289) + וַיַּ֥ךְ [and·he·smote] (36) + דָּוִ֛יד [David] (24) + אֶת־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים [Philistines] (1261) + וַיַּכְנִיעֵ֑ם [and·he·subdued·them] (206) + וַיִּקַּ֛ח [and·he·took] (124) + אֶת־גַּ֥ת [Gath] (804) + וּבְנֹתֶ֖יהָ [and·its·towns] (473) + מִיַּ֥ד [from·hand·of] (54) + פְּלִשְׁתִּֽים [Philistines] (860) = 4162.
Rashi
And it came to pass afterwards that David smote After David stated [his intention] to build a house, and the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “You shall not build,” David said, “Since it is not incumbent upon me to build the house, only upon my son, I shall now prepare and arrange everything for him for [the time] when my son comes to build the House so that he has everything prepared.” And now he [the Chronicler] leaves everything and relates how he [David] prepared the building, how he fought with his enemies and designated their spoils for the construction of the House. And so is the manner of the verse, and an example is found regarding Elijah and Elisha, i.e., after he [Elisha] said, (II Ki. 2:9): “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit to me,” he [the author] leaves the entire story of the kings and proceeds to relate some of the wonders of Elisha, how they were a double portion, until he completed them all.
Ralbag
'And it came to pass after this: David smote the Philistines,' etc., through '…and would not help the children of Ammon any more' (end of chapter 19) — 'And took Gath and its towns' — In the Book of Samuel (II Samuel 8:1) it is written, 'and David took Metheg-ammah,' which shows that the name of the district that included Gath and its towns was called Metheg-ammah.
Malbim
'And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them, and took Gath and its towns out of the hand of the Philistines' — this entire chapter is copied from Samuel chapter 8, with additions and emendations. 'Gath' — there (8:1) [in Samuel] it says 'Metheg-ammah'; Ezra explains that this was [another] name by which he called the city of Gath, just as our Sages expounded the reason for this name.
And he smote Moab; and the Moabites became servants to David, and brought presents.
verse value 1216
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. Notable word values: "and·he·smote" (וַיַּ֖ךְ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "and·he·smote" (וַיַּ֖ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Moab" (אֶת־מוֹאָ֑ב, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Moab" (אֶת־מוֹאָ֑ב). The root מואב appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "and·they·became" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "servants" (root עבד, 41x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Moab', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֖ךְ [and·he·smote] (36) + אֶת־מוֹאָ֑ב [Moab] (450) + וַיִּהְי֤וּ [and·they·became] (37) + מוֹאָב֙ [Moab] (49) + עֲבָדִ֣ים [servants] (126) + לְדָוִ֔יד [to·David] (54) + נֹשְׂאֵ֖י [bearers·of] (361) + מִנְחָֽה [gift] (103) = 1216.
Ralbag
'And he smote Moab' — In the Book of Samuel, the extent of the smiting is explained: that he measured them with a line, measuring off two lines' worth to be put to death for every one line's worth spared alive.
Malbim
'And he smote Moab; and the Moabites became servants to David, and brought presents' — he is brief here, since the reader will find the rest of the details in the Book of Samuel.
And David smote Hadarezer king of Zobah by Hamath, as he went to establish his dominion at the river Euphrates.
verse value 2949
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "and·he·smote" (וַיַּ֥ךְ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "and·he·smote" (וַיַּ֥ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Hadarezer" (אֶת־הֲדַדְעֶ֥זֶר, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Hadarezer" (אֶת־הֲדַדְעֶ֥זֶר), "Hamath" (חֲמָ֑תָה), "to·establish" (לְהַצִּ֥יב). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "his·hand" (root יד, 42x in I Chronicles); "and·he·smote" (root נכה, 25x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root הדדעזר ("Hadarezer") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root צובא ("king·of·Zobah") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hamath', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֥ךְ [and·he·smote] (36) + דָּוִ֛יד [David] (24) + אֶת־הֲדַדְעֶ֥זֶר [Hadarezer] (691) + מֶלֶךְ־צוֹבָ֖ה [king·of·Zobah] (193) + חֲמָ֑תָה [Hamath] (453) + בְּלֶכְתּ֕וֹ [in·his·going] (458) + לְהַצִּ֥יב [to·establish] (137) + יָד֖וֹ [his·hand] (20) + בִּֽנְהַר־פְּרָֽת [in·river·of·Euphrates] (937) = 2949.
Rashi
And David smote Hadadezer, king of Zobah, in Hamath The war took place in Hamath, and in Hamath David smote them. in Hamath - Heb. חֲמָתָה, like לְחַמָת, to Hamath. to establish his power Its meaning is: when he went to establish his power, to restore his boundary and to establish it by the Euphrates River, for he was restoring to the boundary (sic) of the Euphrates River. An example is (Sam. II 18:18): “And Absalom took and established for himself in his lifetime, etc., and he called it Yad Absalom,” meaning the power of the boundary of Absalom. Another explanation of, “and he called it Yad Absalom”: Absalom engraved the form of the length of his hand in the middle of the monument, as it is written in that verse, that he said that this engraving was engraved after the shape of Absalom’s hand. (I heard this from Isaac the son of Rabbi Samuel in Narbonne.)
Metzudat David
'by Hamath' — he struck him at the city of Hamath. 'to establish his dominion' — to move his outpost further out, in order to extend the border of his land.
Malbim
'And David smote Hadarezer king of Zobah by Hamath, as he went to establish his dominion at the river Euphrates' — here he reveals something new by adding the word 'by Hamath'; from this it is clear that the king of Zobah had at that time gone to wage war against Hamath, to fight Tou king of Hamath — which is why Tou king of Hamath sent gifts to David on this account, and why it is said (v. 10) that Hadarezer had been engaged in wars with Tou, for he had gone out at that time to fight against Tou. And the reason David smote him is explained as being that he had gone to establish his dominion at the Euphrates River — for had he conquered Hamath he would have gained a foothold and power at the Euphrates River, which borders the Land of Israel. There (v. 3) [in Samuel] it is written 'to turn back his hand,' meaning that from Hamath he was turning his face toward the Euphrates River to draw near to the Land of Israel; Ezra explains this as '[going] to establish his dominion.'
And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; and David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for a hundred chariots.
verse value 5537
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "thousand" (אֶ֣לֶף, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·chariots" (אֶת־כׇּל־הָרֶ֔כֶב, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 222: chariots, chariots. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "horsemen" (פָּרָשִׁ֔ים), "and·he·houghed" (וַיְעַקֵּ֤ר), "all·the·chariots" (אֶת־כׇּל־הָרֶ֔כֶב). The root אלף appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "thousand" (root אלף, 77x in I Chronicles); "man" (root איש, 40x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root רגל ("foot") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'foot', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 7 words.
Rashi
and David hamstrung because it is written (Deut. 17:16) “Only he must not get himself many horses,” (Josh. 11:6): “... you shall cripple their horses.” and left over of them a hundred chariots He must not get himself many horses, but enough for his chariots is permissible.
Ralbag
'And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen' — Now, in the Book of Samuel it is written, 'a thousand and seven hundred horsemen'; it appears that the meaning is that on one occasion he took from him a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and afterward, when he came to the cities of Hadarezer, he took the remaining number of horsemen.
Metzudat David
'seven thousand horsemen' — In II Samuel it says a thousand seven hundred, because only the notable ones among them are counted there. 'houghed' — because it is forbidden to keep many horses, as stated in the Torah.
Metzudat Zion
'Houghed' — he removed the essential part [the ikar], namely the legs, which are the essential support of an animal; similarly, 'and you shall make its pots to take away its ashes' (ledashno) (Exodus, ibid., 27), meaning to remove the ashes.
Malbim
'a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen' — in Samuel (ibid., v. 4) it says 'a thousand and seven hundred horsemen.' Ezra explains that [of this number] there were a thousand chariots, and that the 'horsemen' mentioned there [the seven hundred] are the chiefs of the horsemen — for every horseman (rider of a horse) was counted as one of a group of ten, with one horseman appointed as chief over each group; there were thus, accordingly, seven thousand horsemen [in all].
Cross-references: Deuteronomy 17:16; II Samuel 8:4
And when the Arameans of Damascus came to succor Hadarezer king of Zobah, David smote of the Arameans two and twenty thousand men.
verse value 3481
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "and·he·smote" (וַיַּ֤ךְ) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 3481 = 59². The shortest word is "Aram" (אֲרַ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "twenty·and·two" (עֶשְׂרִֽים־וּשְׁנַ֥יִם, 10 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·help" (לַעְז֕וֹר), "to·Hadarezer" (לַהֲדַדְעֶ֖זֶר), "Zobah" (צוֹבָ֑ה). The root ארם appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "king·of" (root מלך, 91x in I Chronicles); "thousand" (root אלף, 77x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Zobah', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹא֙ [and·he·came] (19) + אֲרַ֣ם [Aram] (241) + דַּרְמֶ֔שֶׂק [Damascus] (644) + לַעְז֕וֹר [to·help] (313) + לַהֲדַדְעֶ֖זֶר [to·Hadarezer] (320) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king·of] (90) + צוֹבָ֑ה [Zobah] (103) + וַיַּ֤ךְ [and·he·smote] (36) + דָּוִיד֙ [David] (24) + בַּאֲרָ֔ם [in·Aram] (243) + עֶשְׂרִֽים־וּשְׁנַ֥יִם [twenty·and·two] (1026) + אֶ֖לֶף [thousand] (111) + אִֽישׁ [man] (311) = 3481.
Rashi
And Aram of Damascus came - Heb. דַרְמֶשֶׂק, and in II Samuel (8:6), it is written: דַמֶּשֶׂק. It is customary for Scripture to speak in this manner, like from שַׁרְבִיט :שֵׁבֶט, for (cf. I Kings 12:14): “I shall flog you with whips בַּשּׁוֹטִים (Sic),” is translated שַׁרְבִיטִים. (Rabbi Isaac said this also.)
Then David put garrisons in Aram Damascus; and the Arameans became servants to David, and brought presents. And Hashem gave victory to David wherever he went.
verse value 3263
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3263 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "Aram" (אֲרָם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "Damascus" (דַּרְמֶ֔שֶׂק, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 54: to·David, to·David. The root דוד appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "and·he·became" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'gift', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
And David placed in Aram of Damascus The meaning is [that he stationed] governors, and in II Samuel (8:6), it is stated explicitly: “And David placed governors in Aram of Damascus.”
Metzudat David
'Then David put' — meaning, he placed among them what is fitting to place in a conquered province, namely the garrisons mentioned in II Samuel.
Malbim
'Then David put garrisons in Aram Damascus' — there (v. 6) [in Samuel] it is explained that he placed garrisons; but Ezra did not write it this way, because it would be explained in chapter 19 that Aram warred with Israel. He therefore explains it to mean that David sought to place [garrisons] but did not succeed in doing so.
And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadarezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.
verse value 2570
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "servants·of" (עַבְדֵ֣י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "Hadarezer" (הֲדַדְעָ֑זֶר, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "shields·of" (שִׁלְטֵ֣י). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "were" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "that" (root אשר, 77x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hadarezer', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 2 words.
Rashi
the golden quivers - Heb. שִׁלְטֵי, cuyvres, cuevres in Old French, quivers, and a like word is found in Jeremiah (51:11): “Polish the arrows, fill the quivers הַשְּׁלָטִים”.
And from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadarezer, David took very much brass, with which Solomon made the brazen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass.
verse value 6112
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "in·it" (בָּ֣הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·pillars" (וְאֶת־הָֽעַמּוּדִ֔ים, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 763: the·brass, the·brass. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·from·Tibhath" (וּמִטִּבְחַ֤ת), "and·from·Cun" (וּמִכּוּן֙), "much" (רַבָּ֣ה). The root נחשת appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "cities·of" (root עיר, 39x in I Chronicles); "he·made" (root עשה, 39x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'very', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Rashi
huge quantities of copper, from which... made, etc. This is what I stated (verse 17:1); since David stated [his intention] to build the House, and the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, (17:4): “You shall not build... the House,” but your son, he proceeds to tell how he prepared for him to erect the edifice.
Ralbag
'And from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadarezer' — In place of these names, it already stated, in the Book (II Samuel 8:8), 'and from Betah and from Berothai'; these cities apparently had two names each. And here it explains that from that bronze Solomon made the bronze Sea and the bronze pillars — one of which was named Jachin and the other Boaz — and the rest of the bronze vessels, such as the stands, the lavers, and the other vessels made of bronze.
Metzudat Zion
'From Tibhath and from Cun' — in II Samuel they are called 'Betah' and 'Berothai,' and they were known by both sets of names; there are many such instances in Scripture.
Malbim
'And from Tibhath and from Cun' — there (v. 8) [in Samuel] it says 'and from Betah and from Berothai'; by Ezra's time their names had changed. 'with which Solomon made [the brazen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass]' — this is not stated in Samuel; there, instead, it adds, in what is stated in verse 11, '...and from Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadarezer king of Zobah.'
And when Tou king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadarezer king of Zobah,
verse value 2506
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·host·of" (אֶת־כׇּל־חֵ֖יל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: that, he·smote. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "all·the·host·of" (אֶת־כׇּל־חֵ֖יל). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "king·of" (root מלך, 91x in I Chronicles); "that" (root כי, 69x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hamath', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁמַ֕ע [and·he·heard] (426) + תֹּ֖עוּ [Tou] (476) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king·of] (90) + חֲמָ֑ת [Hamath] (448) + כִּ֚י [that] (30) + הִכָּ֣ה [he·smote] (30) + דָוִ֔יד [David] (24) + אֶת־כׇּל־חֵ֖יל [all·the·host·of] (499) + הֲדַדְעֶ֥זֶר [Hadarezer] (290) + מֶלֶךְ־צוֹבָֽה [king·of·Zobah] (193) = 2506.
he sent Hadoram his son to king David, to salute him, and to bless him—because he had fought against Hadarezer and smitten him; for Hadarezer had wars with Tou—and he had with him all manner of vessels of gold and silver and brass.
verse value 6431
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 109 letters. The shortest word is "because" (עַל֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "Hadoram·his·son" (אֶת־הֲדֽוֹרָם־בְּנ֣וֹ, 10 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Hadoram·his·son" (אֶת־הֲדֽוֹרָם־בְּנ֣וֹ), "to·king·David" (אֶל־הַמֶּֽלֶךְ־דָּ֠וִ֠יד), "to·ask·to·him" (לִשְׁאׇל־ל֨וֹ). The root הדדעזר appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he·was" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "to·king·David" (root מלך, 91x in I Chronicles); "and·all" (root כל, 81x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root כסף ("and·silver") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hadarezer', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 5 words.
Rashi
for... had been Tou’s opponent in war He was his antagonist, and this is proven above (v. 3): “And David smote Hadarezer” (note Rashi’s reading). Now what connection do they have to Hamath to wage war there? But [the matter is that] Hadarezer, the king of Zobah, went to wage war against Tou the king of Hamath in Hamath, during which David came upon him and smote him. and all vessels of gold, of silver, and of copper he brought to David; and so it appears in II Samuel (8: 10): “... and in his possession were vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of copper.”
Ralbag
'And he sent Hadoram his son' — His name is given in the Book of Samuel as Joram.
Metzudat David
'for Hadarezer had wars' — Hadarezer was an enemy, and had been at war with Tou. 'and all manner of vessels of gold' — that is, everything he had readily on hand.
These also king David dedicated to Hashem, with the silver and the gold that he carried away from all the nations; from Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek.
verse value 4036
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·all·the·nations" (מִכׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 95: the·king, and·from·Moab. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "also·them" (גַּם־אֹתָ֗ם), "with·the·silver" (עִם־הַכֶּ֙סֶף֙), "and·the·gold" (וְהַזָּהָ֔ב). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·from·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root עמון ("Ammon") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·all·the·nations', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Ralbag
'From Edom, and from Moab' — Now, in the Book of Samuel it says 'from Aram'; the mention of Aram is omitted here.
Metzudat David
'These also' — What they brought him as a gift, he dedicated together with the plunder he himself had taken from all the nations, namely Edom, etc.
Metzudat Zion
'That he carried away' — [meaning] took and seized.
Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah smote of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt eighteen thousand.
verse value 2345
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "he·smote" (הִכָּ֤ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Zeruiah" (בֶּן־צְרוּיָ֗ה, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Edom" (אֶת־אֱדוֹם֙), "in·valley·of" (בְּגֵ֣יא), "the·salt" (הַמֶּ֔לַח). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Zeruiah" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "thousand" (root אלף, 77x in I Chronicles); "ten" (root עשר, 59x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: וְאַבְשַׁ֣י [and·Abishai] (319) + בֶּן־צְרוּיָ֗ה [son·of·Zeruiah] (363) + הִכָּ֤ה [he·smote] (30) + אֶת־אֱדוֹם֙ [Edom] (452) + בְּגֵ֣יא [in·valley·of] (16) + הַמֶּ֔לַח [the·salt] (83) + שְׁמוֹנָ֥ה [eight] (401) + עָשָׂ֖ר [ten] (570) + אָֽלֶף [thousand] (111) = 2345.
Metzudat David
'Moreover Abishai,' etc. — In II Samuel it says that David struck them, because every military victory is attributed to the king; and in Psalms it says that Joab struck them. Our Sages said that there were two separate battles, and the one stated here is not the one referred to there.
Malbim
'Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah smote of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt eighteen thousand' — see what I wrote on Samuel (v. 13), where it states that he smote Aram; and likewise, regarding what is stated in the preceding verse [here], '[of] Edom and Moab,' there [in Samuel] it is written '[of] Aram and Moab' — see my commentary there.
And he put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became servants to David. And Hashem gave victory to David wherever he went.
verse value 2380
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·all" (בְּכֹ֖ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "garrisons" (נְצִיבִ֔ים, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "in·Edom" (בֶּאֱדוֹם֙), "garrisons" (נְצִיבִ֔ים), "all·Edom" (כׇל־אֱד֖וֹם). The root אדום appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "and·they·became" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·David', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֤שֶׂם [and·he·put] (356) + בֶּאֱדוֹם֙ [in·Edom] (53) + נְצִיבִ֔ים [garrisons] (202) + וַיִּהְי֥וּ [and·they·became] (37) + כׇל־אֱד֖וֹם [all·Edom] (101) + עֲבָדִ֣ים [servants] (126) + לְדָוִ֑יד [to·David] (54) + וַיּ֤וֹשַׁע [and·he·gave·victory] (392) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + אֶת־דָּוִ֔יד [David] (425) + בְּכֹ֖ל [in·all] (52) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + הָלָֽךְ [he·went] (55) = 2380.
Rashi
And he placed governors - Heb. נְצִיבִים, governors, because he did not wish to set up a king to reign over them.
And David reigned over all Israel; and he executed justice and righteousness to all his people.
verse value 2057
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "doing" (עֹשֶׂ֛ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "over·all·Israel" (עַל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "justice" (מִשְׁפָּ֥ט), "and·righteousness" (וּצְדָקָ֖ה), "to·all·his·people" (לְכׇל־עַמּֽוֹ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "and·he·was" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "over·all·Israel" (root ישראל, 94x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'over·all·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּמְלֹ֥ךְ [and·he·reigned] (106) + דָּוִ֖יד [David] (24) + עַל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [over·all·Israel] (691) + וַיְהִ֗י [and·he·was] (31) + עֹשֶׂ֛ה [doing] (375) + מִשְׁפָּ֥ט [justice] (429) + וּצְדָקָ֖ה [and·righteousness] (205) + לְכׇל־עַמּֽוֹ [to·all·his·people] (196) = 2057.
Rashi
justice and charity He retired from waging any more wars and from going forth and coming in battle, and he sat constantly and judged Israel fairly.
Metzudat David
'justice' — between one man and another. 'and righteousness' — he gave charity from his own means to all his people who needed to receive charity.
And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder.
verse value 1390
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "and·Joab" (וְיוֹאָ֥ב, 5 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Ahilud" (בֶּן־אֲחִיל֖וּד, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "over·the·host" (עַל־הַצָּבָ֑א), "and·Jehoshaphat" (וִיהוֹשָׁפָ֥ט), "son·of·Ahilud" (בֶּן־אֲחִיל֖וּד). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Zeruiah" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "over·the·host" (root צבא, 26x in I Chronicles); "and·Joab" (root יואב, 25x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'over·the·host', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְיוֹאָ֥ב [and·Joab] (25) + בֶּן־צְרוּיָ֖ה [son·of·Zeruiah] (363) + עַל־הַצָּבָ֑א [over·the·host] (198) + וִיהוֹשָׁפָ֥ט [and·Jehoshaphat] (416) + בֶּן־אֲחִיל֖וּד [son·of·Ahilud] (111) + מַזְכִּֽיר [recorder] (277) = 1390.
Rashi
Now Joab, etc. was over the host Since he retired from going with the army, he placed Joab over the host to wage all his battles. All this refers back to “... and he administered justice and charity.” The interruption with “Now Joab, etc. was over the host,” was necessary for the following reason, lest you say that since “... and David was administering justice,” [the result was that] the Israelites were no longer waging war, therefore, it says “Now Joab was over the host.” recorder - Heb. הַמַּזְכִּיר, lit., the reminder. This refers back to the beginning (verse 14), that he would remind [him of] which case came before the king first, and a similar instance is (Esther 6:1): “... to bring... the records (הַזִּכְרוֹנוֹת), the chronicles.”
Metzudat David
'was over the host' — he was commander over the assembled army. 'recorder' — he was appointed over the book of records.
And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Shavsha was scribe;
verse value 2152
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "scribe" (סוֹפֵֽר, 4 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Ahitub" (בֶּן־אֲחִיט֛וּב, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Abimelech" (וַאֲבִימֶ֥לֶךְ), "priests" (כֹּהֲנִ֑ים), "and·Shavsha" (וְשַׁוְשָׁ֖א). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Ahitub" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "priests" (root כהן, 21x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'priests', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְצָד֧וֹק [and·Zadok] (206) + בֶּן־אֲחִיט֛וּב [son·of·Ahitub] (88) + וַאֲבִימֶ֥לֶךְ [and·Abimelech] (109) + בֶּן־אֶבְיָתָ֖ר [son·of·Abiathar] (665) + כֹּהֲנִ֑ים [priests] (125) + וְשַׁוְשָׁ֖א [and·Shavsha] (613) + סוֹפֵֽר [scribe] (346) = 2152.
Rashi
and Shavsha was scribe Ahilud was the recorder, and Shavsha would write alongside him.
Ralbag
'And Shavsha was scribe' — In the Book of Samuel it is written 'Sherya'; so he had two names.
Metzudat David
'priests' — meaning, the chiefs of the priests: Zadok was anointed for war, and Abimelech was the deputy [high priest]. Abiathar is not counted here as high priest, because his appointment was not made now, but had stood ever since David became king over Judah. Joab, by contrast, though he too had been army commander from that time, is listed here because he was now made commander of the army of all Israel. Or, alternatively: it is because David now went back and appointed Zadok as high priest that Abiathar is not counted, since his high priesthood was not a lasting arrangement.
Metzudat Zion
'And Abimelech' — he is the same as Ahimelech mentioned in II Samuel.
Malbim
'and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests' — there (v. 17) [in Samuel] it is 'and Ahimelech'; for Abiathar his father was the High Priest, and Zadok and Ahimelech were priests serving under him, as is explained below in chapter 24; see also what I wrote on Samuel (20:25). 'and Shavsha was scribe' — in Samuel there [8:17] it is 'and Seraiah the scribe,' whereas there in chapter 20 [of Samuel, i.e., 2 Samuel 20:25] it is 'and Sheva the scribe' — for by then Seraiah had died, and Shavsha, who is Sheva the scribe, arose in his place.
and Beniah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief about the king.
verse value 2339
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "to·hand·of" (לְיַ֥ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Jehoiada" (בֶּן־יְה֣וֹיָדָ֔ע, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "over·the·Cherethites" (עַל־הַכְּרֵתִ֖י), "and·the·Pelethites" (וְהַפְּלֵתִ֑י), "and·sons·of·David" (וּבְנֵי־דָוִ֥יד). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Jehoiada" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "and·sons·of·David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "the·king" (root מלך, 91x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·Pelethites', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּבְנָיָ֙הוּ֙ [and·Beniah] (79) + בֶּן־יְה֣וֹיָדָ֔ע [son·of·Jehoiada] (157) + עַל־הַכְּרֵתִ֖י [over·the·Cherethites] (735) + וְהַפְּלֵתִ֑י [and·the·Pelethites] (531) + וּבְנֵי־דָוִ֥יד [and·sons·of·David] (92) + הָרִֽאשֹׁנִ֖ים [the·chief] (606) + לְיַ֥ד [to·hand·of] (44) + הַמֶּֽלֶךְ [the·king] (95) = 2339.
Rashi
over the Cherethites and the Pelethites The meaning is that they were nations, as it is written, (Zeph. 2:5): “Woe to... the nation of Cherethites,” and from their nations were mighty warriors with David, and Benaiah was over them. Another instance of this (II Sam. 15:18): “... and all his servants passed beside him, and all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all the Gittites.” and the sons of David were first at the king’s hand The meaning is that David’s sons were always first beside the king to perform all his necessities.
Ralbag
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites — In the Book of Samuel it is written, "and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites," but the meaning is the same: he was over these two families, from whom the Sanhedrin was drawn. And the sons of David were chief about the king — In the Book of Samuel it is written, "and the sons of David were priests," but the meaning is the same: they were the first ones to whom the king granted authority, so that they held the king's power and strength on his behalf; and the sense of "priests" there is "officers," as we explained there.
Metzudat David
'were chief' — they held first place near the king, and everything was done at their word.
Metzudat Zion
'The Cherethites and the Pelethites' — Targum Yonatan renders it 'archers and slingers.'
Malbim
'and Beniah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief about the king' — here the text follows the wording used in II Samuel chapter 20, for by that later time Beniah had already been placed in charge of the Cherethites, which was not so at first — earlier he had not yet been placed over them, as can be seen in chapter 8. And at that earlier time David's sons were not yet called ‘priests’ [kohanim], but only ‘the chief officers at the king's side,’ as is stated there in chapter 20.
Rashi
Ralbag
Malbim