John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 5. And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah , etc.] These seem to have had no king at this time, or, if they had, Hadadezer was their king, which is not improbable; and Nicholas of Damascus f139 ; an Heathen writer, is clear for it, whom he calls Adad, who, he says, reigned over Damascus, and the other Syria without Phoenicia, who made war with David king of Judea, and was routed by him at Euphrates: and he seems to be the first king of Damascus, which he joined to the kingdom of Zobah, and all the kings of Damascus afterwards were called by the same name; though Josephus f140 , who also speaks of Adad being king of Damascus and of the Syrians, yet makes him different from this Hadadezer, to whose assistance he says he came: David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men ; that is, of the Syrians of Damascus.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-8 - David subdued the Philistines. They had long been troublesome to Israel. And after the long and frequent struggles the saints have with the powers of darkness, like Israel with the Philistines, the Son of David shall tread them all under foot, and make the saints more tha conquerors. He smote the Moabites, and made them tributaries to Israel Two parts he destroyed, the third part he spared. The line that was to keep alive, though it was but one, is ordered to be a full line. Le the line of mercy be stretched to the utmost. He smote the Syrians. I all these wars David was protected, for this in his psalms he ofte gives glory to God.
Original Hebrew ותבא935 ארם758 דמשׂק1834 לעזר5826 להדדעזר1909 מלך4428 צובה6678 ויך5221 דוד1732 בארם758 עשׂרים6242 ושׁנים8147 אלף505 אישׁ׃376
