1 Sometime after this, David attacked and subdued the Philistines, taking Metheg-ammah from the them. 2 David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground, and he measured them with a length of cord. He measured two lengths for those to be killed, and one cord length for those to be allowed to live. So he made them subject to him and required them to pay taxes. 3 David also defeated Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he tried to enforce his control along the Euphrates River. 4 David captured from him 1,000 chariots, 7,000 charioteers, and 20,000 foot soldiers. David hamstrung all the chariot horses—except he saved enough for 100 chariots. 5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of them. 6 He placed garrisons in the Aramean kingdom with its capital in Damascus, and made the Arameans subject to him and required them to pay taxes. The Lord gave David victories wherever he went. 7 David took the shields of gold that belonged to Hadadezer's officers and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 King David also took a large quantity of bronze from Betah and Berothai, towns that had belonged to Hadadezer. 9 When Tou, king of Hamath, learned that David had destroyed the entire army of Hadadezer, king of Zobah, 10 he sent his son Joram to David to make friends with him and to congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer. Tou and Hadadezer had often been at war. Joram brought all kinds of gifts of gold, silver, and bronze. 11 King David dedicated these gifts to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had taken from all the nations he had subdued: 12 Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalekites; as well as the plunder taken from Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah. 13 David also made a name for himself when he came back after defeating eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 14 He placed garrisons all through Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The Lord gave David victories wherever he went. 15 David ruled over all Israel. He did what was fair and right for all his people. 16 Joab, son of Zeruiah, was the army commander, and Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, kept the official records. 17 Zadok, son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech, son of Abiathar, were priests, while Seraiah was the secretary. 18 Benaiah, son of Jehoiada was in charge of the Cherethites and Pelethites; and David's sons were priests.
2 Samuel 8 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Ahilud
Named as the father of Jehoshaphat, David's recorder.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 8:16; 2 Samuel 20:24; 1 Kings 4:3
Ahimelech
Named with Zadok as a priest in David's administration and called the son of Abiathar.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 8:17; 1 Chronicles 18:16; 1 Chronicles 24:3
Ahitub
Son of Amariah in Aaron's priestly line and father of Zadok, David's priest.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 8:17; 1 Chronicles 6:7; 1 Chronicles 6:52
Benaiah
Son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits who killed two Moabite champions, a lion in a pit and a huge Egyptian, and whom David set over his guard and the Cherethites…
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 8:18; 2 Samuel 20:23; 2 Samuel 23:20
David
The shepherd who became Israel's greatest king and a man after God's own heart.
Cited in the guide: 1 Sam. 16 - 1 Kings 2; 2 Sam. 7; 1 Chron. 2:15; Matt. 1:6
Hadadezer
King of Zobah, son of Rehob, whom David defeated at the Euphrates and whose Aramean allies from Damascus and beyond the Euphrates were also beaten.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 8:3; 2 Samuel 8:5; 2 Samuel 10:16
Jehoiada
Named as the father of Benaiah, the commander of the Cherethites and Pelethites.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 8:18; 2 Samuel 23:20; 1 Kings 1:8
Jehoshaphat
Son of Ahilud, listed as the recorder in David's administration.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 8:16; 2 Samuel 20:24; 1 Kings 4:3
Joram
Son of Toi, sent to greet David and bless him with articles of silver, gold and bronze, which David dedicated to the LORD.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 8:10; 1 Chronicles 18:10
Rehob
Named as the father of Hadadezer, king of Zobah.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 8:3
Seraiah
Listed as the scribe in David's administration (called Shavsha in 1 Chronicles 18:16).
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 8:17; 1 Chronicles 18:16
Toi
King of Hamath, who had been at war with Hadadezer and sent his son Joram to greet David and bless him after David defeated Hadadezer.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 8:9; 2 Samuel 8:10; 1 Chronicles 18:9
Zadok
Son of Ahitub and a priest alongside Abiathar in David's administration, who with the Levites carried the ark when David fled Jerusalem and returned it to the city at David's…
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 8:17; 2 Samuel 15:24; 2 Samuel 15:25
Cross references (18)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 1 Chronicles 18:1–17; 2 Samuel 7:9; 2 Samuel 21:15–22; 2 Samuel 2:24
- 2 Numbers 24:17; Psalm 60:8; 1 Samuel 10:27; 2 Samuel 8:6; Judges 3:29–30
- 3 1 Samuel 14:47; 2 Samuel 10:16; 2 Samuel 10:19; 1 Chronicles 18:3; 2 Samuel 10:6
- 4 Joshua 11:6; Joshua 11:9; Psalm 33:16–17; Deuteronomy 17:16; 1 Chronicles 18:4
- 5 1 Kings 11:23–25; Isaiah 31:3; Isaiah 7:8; Job 9:13; Psalm 83:4–8
- 6 2 Samuel 8:14; Psalm 18:34–46; 2 Samuel 7:9; Psalm 140:7; 2 Chronicles 17:2
- 7 1 Chronicles 18:7; 1 Kings 10:16–17; 1 Kings 14:26–27; 2 Chronicles 9:15–16
- 8 1 Chronicles 18:8; 1 Chronicles 29:7; 2 Chronicles 4:1–18; 1 Chronicles 22:14; Ezekiel 47:16
- 9 2 Chronicles 8:4; 1 Kings 8:65; 1 Chronicles 18:9; Amos 6:2
- 10 1 Samuel 13:10; Psalm 129:8; 1 Chronicles 18:10; Isaiah 39:1; 1 Kings 1:47
- 11 1 Kings 7:51; 1 Chronicles 26:26–28; 1 Chronicles 22:14–16; Micah 4:13; 1 Chronicles 18:11
- 12 2 Samuel 10:14; 1 Chronicles 18:11; 2 Samuel 8:2; 2 Samuel 5:17–25; 2 Samuel 12:26–31
- 13 2 Kings 14:7; 2 Samuel 7:9; 1 Chronicles 18:12; 2 Chronicles 25:11; Psalm 60:1
- 14 Genesis 27:29; Genesis 27:37–40; Numbers 24:17–18; 2 Samuel 8:6; Genesis 25:23
- 15 Psalm 89:14; Amos 5:15; Psalm 72:2; Psalm 78:71–72; 2 Samuel 5:5
- 16 1 Kings 4:3; 1 Chronicles 11:6; 2 Samuel 19:13; 2 Samuel 20:23–24; 1 Chronicles 18:15–17
- 17 1 Chronicles 18:16; 1 Chronicles 6:8; 1 Chronicles 16:39; 1 Chronicles 24:3–4; 1 Chronicles 6:53
- 18 1 Samuel 30:14; 2 Samuel 20:7; 1 Chronicles 18:17; 2 Samuel 20:23; 2 Samuel 15:18
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences